That costly smartphone, filled with finger smudges from constant tapping and scrolling, could be an untapped source of cash. I’m not suggesting that you sell it. Instead, you could generate extra income with your phone using the best money-making apps.
There are hundreds of money-making apps available. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best money-making apps in key categories like rideshare & delivery, selling your stuff, taking surveys, and more.
Best Money-Making Apps for Selling Skills & Services
Selling your skills and services is probably the most basic and reliable way to make money. There are many apps that can help connect you with people who need what you can do.
👨💻 Learn more: Just so you know, we’ve analyzed several methods for making money online in our post, highlighting the real scenarios behind them.
1. Upwork
🏆 Best for Freelancers
Upwork is one of the best money-making apps out there for freelancers. Whether you have skills in web design, editing, writing, marketing, etc., Upwork offers a chance for you to land freelance work on their platform.
Through their app and website, you can browse freelance jobs, bid on jobs, and work with clients. Upwork charges you 20% of your freelance fee.
How Much Can You Make?
There are tons of jobs offered through the platform, but also tons of freelancers. So, how well you market yourself will be essential.
When you first start out, you may have to settle for lower-paying jobs to build your portfolio. But the income potential here is high.
Redemptions
After Upwork takes their fee, the remaining funds can be cashed out to your bank account or through PayPal. You may have to wait several days for your client to release funds.
2. Fiverr
🏆 Best For a Wide Variety of Skills
Fiverr offers over 200 categories of services you can sell through their platform. This includes more common jobs like logo design and website development as well as more obscure tasks like poetry writing and gif creation.
How Much Can You Make?
You set your own prices for products and packages. Prices start as low as $5 and can go up to $1000+.
Many users report earnings as low as $0 to $200 in their first few months. But with persistence, there is decent potential for growing your income. Just be aware that Fiver charges a 20% fee on your earnings.
Redemptions
Client payments can be pending for up to 14 days. Once funds are posted to your account, you can cash out to your bank through PayPal or via your Fiver card.
🌐 Learn more: If you’re looking to find jobs online, our post offers a guide to numerous jobs and gig sites
3. TaskRabbit
🏆 Best for Household Tasks
If you are good at handyman or household tasks like assembling furniture, packing & moving, cleaning, etc., then TaskRabbit may be a good resource for finding jobs.
The app lets you list services and skills and set your own prices. Clients can then schedule you for projects and pay you through the TaskRabbit platform.
How Much Can You Make?
Unlike other freelance opportunities, this one will vary based on your location. If you live in a metropolitan area, more jobs will be available. Users report earnings ranging from a few hundred a month to $5k+ monthly.
TaskRabbit charges providers (you) a one-time $25 registration fee.
Redemptions
Funds are usually made available within 24hrs of invoicing and are automatically transferred to your bank account within a few days.
Other Freelancer Apps
- Freelancer – 🏆 Best Alternative to Upwork
- Peopleperhour – 🏆 Best Option for Entry-Level Freelance Work
- Handy – 🏆 Best Alternative to TaskRabbit
- Rover – 🏆 Best Option for Petsitting and Pet Walking
- Care.com – 🏆 Best Option for Providing Childcare Services
🐶 Learn more: Curious about dog sitting with Rover? Our post breaks down how one individual generates $1000 monthly from it.
Best Money-Making Apps for Selling Your Stuff
If you need money fast, putting something you own up for sale can solve your problem. These are the best money-making apps that will help you sell your items.
4. Poshmark
🏆 Best for Selling Clothes
If you have lightly used clothing items, you can look to Poshmark to sell them. You can use the app to sell a variety of clothing items from a variety of brands.
You can list your items for free, create special sales, and chat with potential buyers. Shipping labels are generated for you, and Poshmark handles all payment processing.
How Much Can You Make?
This depends on the demand for the items you are selling. Designer items, athletic shoes, and brand-name workout gear are a few of the better-selling items on the app.
Poshmark takes a commission on every sale. The commission is $2.95 for sales under $15 and 20% on all sales above $15.
👚 Learn more: If you’re considering selling used clothes, our latest post shares the top platforms where you can make the most cash, both online and locally.
5. Etsy
🏆 Best For Selling Crafts
When it comes to the best money-making apps for those with a creative touch, Etsy stands out. From hand-knitted scarves to custom glassware, this platform is perfect for people who sell their unique creations. If you are crafty, Etsy can help you generate some cash.
Before launching your store on Etsy, you’ll want to set it up properly. This includes listing your products, gathering professional photos, customizing your page design, etc.
👉 Note: you can only create a store through the website, not the Etsy Seller App.
How Much Can You Make?
This largely depends on what you make and how much time you can devote to this business.
Here are some common Etsy fees to watch for.
- $0.20 per item listing fee (charged every 4 months)
- 6.5% transaction fee on sales
- Variable payment processing fees
- Fees for ads (optional)
Redemptions
Funds become available for deposit 1-3 days after a sale. You can cash out via direct deposit or PayPal.
🔨 Learn more: For those who are crafty and handy with tools, our post provides practical insights on how to make money furniture flipping, offering avenues to earn $1,000 or more each month.
Other Apps for Selling Your Stuff
- Offerup – 🏆 Best Alternative to Letgo
- Decluttr – 🏆 Best for Selling Tech
- Mercari – 🏆 Best Marketplace for Protected Transactions
- The RealReal – 🏆 Best for Selling Luxury Items
- Turo – 🏆 Best for Renting Out Your Car
🚗 Learn more: For those curious about maximizing Turo car sharing, our article discusses building a lucrative venture.
Best Money-Making Apps for Cash Back Shopping
You can make money by spending money! You won’t earn a lot, but as long as you’re spending on items you’d buy anyway, it’s all profit. Here are some of the best money-making apps to earn cash back.
6. Ibotta
🏆 Best for Cash Back on Your Groceries
Ibotta is an app that lets you earn cashback on groceries, online shopping, travel, and more.
Each time you shop, simply select the store, choose your offers, and upload your receipt (or purchase through the portal). Your purchases are verified, and cashback is issued within 24 hours.
How Much Can You Make?
How much you can earn depends on how much you shop.
Many grocery offers are set amounts ranging from $.05 to $5+, while retail offers are a flat percentage, i.e., 2% cashback. Bonuses are offered for teamwork, number of products, etc.
Ibotta reports that the average user earns $10 – $20 monthly[1]. From my own personal experience, I have earned $200+ a year.
Redemptions
Cashback earned can be redeemed for gift cards or cash sent to your bank account. The minimum cashout amount is $20.
7. Rakuten
🏆 Best for Online Shopping
Rakuten lets you earn cashback from over 3,500 retailers, including big names like Walmart, Expedia, Ticketmaster, etc.
When you visit the app (or use the browser extension), you activate the offer you want and then make your purchases. Cashback is added to your account in as little as a few hours.
How Much Can You Make?
Cashback offers range between 1% and 10% or higher. Rakuten also offers bonuses for signups and referrals, as well as select retailer discounts.
Rakuten claims they’ve paid members over $2.2 billion in cash back since 1999. However, they also state the average shopper only earns $63.50 a year (based on 2020).
Redemptions
you can transfer your cash through PayPal or redeem via check. The minimum cashout is $5.01.
📊 Learn more: By the way, if you’re considering diversifying your portfolio, our latest vlog post offers a thorough analysis of Rakuten stock, which might interest you.
8. Receipt Hog
🏆 Best for Gamified Rewards
Receipt Hog’s model is different; there is no need to shop select retailers or pick offers beforehand.
Simply scan/upload your receipts and earn rewards on everything from coffee to home improvement.
How Much Can You Make?
Rewards are delivered in the form of coins, slot spins, or sweepstakes entries, depending on the retailer.
For stores giving coin rewards, this is the breakdown per receipt:
<$10 = 5 coins
$10-$50 = 10 coins
$50-$100 = 15 coins
$100+ = 20 coins
With each coin worth roughly half a penny, you likely won’t earn much using this app.
Redemptions
Coins can be redeemed for Amazon or Visa gift cards or as cashback through PayPal. Redemptions start at 1,000 coins for $5 and go up to 6,500 coins for $40.
Other Cashback Apps
- Fetch – If You Prefer Earning Points
- Checkout 51 – Cashback on Gas & Groceries
- RetailMeNot – Great for Coupon Clipping & Discounts
- Dosh – Automatic Cashback on Travel, Retail, and Restaurants
Best Money-Making Apps for Rideshare & Delivery
If you have a car, you have a side hustle. Here are some of the best money-making apps to help you make cash with your car.
🚗 Learn more: In case you’re exploring options to make money with your car, our post can guide you through several viable opportunities.
9. Uber & UberEats
🏆 Best for Versatility
You can deliver almost anything using the Uber app. This includes delivering people to their destinations (rideshare) and delivering food and products to people’s homes.
Uber is available in more than 6,000 cities, and the driver requirements are relatively easy to meet.
How Much Can You Make?
How much time you have to devote to driving and your current market saturation will impact your potential earnings. But Uber offers various ways to increase your pay, including Quests, Streaks, Boosts, Surges, and guarantees. And don’t forget about tips.
According to Glassdoor, the average hourly earnings range from $17 to $24[2].
Redemptions
Earnings are automatically cashed out weekly via direct deposit or daily if you use the Uber Pro Card.
10. Instacart
🏆 Best for Grocery Deliveries
Instacart offers two types of earning options: in-store shoppers and full-service shoppers. The first is an hourly W2 position, and the second is an independent contractor position.
As a full-service shopper, you receive order requests (batches) through the app, shop for the items, checkout, and then deliver the items to the customer’s door.
How Much Can You Make?
Earnings consist of base pay + bonuses + tips. Instacart is not transparent about base pay, and limited bonuses/promos are available. Tips are the most significant source of income when it comes to Instacart.
According to Glassdoor, the average hourly shopper pay comes in at $15 to $21[3].
Redemptions
Instacart pays weekly through direct deposit for the previous week’s earnings.
11. Amazon Flex
🏆 Best for Guaranteed Pay
If you don’t want to fight for tips and bonuses to guarantee an average hourly pay, then delivering packages (and groceries) through Amazon Flex might be a worthwhile option.
Signup is quick and easy. You can schedule your hours by choosing the appropriate block up to a week in advance. I.E., a 2-hour block versus a 4-hour block.
How Much Can You Make?
The Flex app offers delivery blocks with set hourly pay starting at $18 ($15 for groceries). Many of these blocks can surge in pricing, allowing you to lock in $20+ an hour earnings before you deliver the first order.
Plus, you can earn tips with grocery and Prime deliveries.
Glassdoor estimates that the hourly average sits between $16 and $22[4].
Redemptions
Earnings are automatically cashed out via direct deposit on a weekly or daily basis (depending on which one you selected during account setup).
Other Delivery Apps
Looking for other great options? Check out our list of the best delivery services to work for.
🚗 Learn more: If you’re exploring how to succeed as a delivery driver, our latest post offers practical tips to excel in the role.
Best Money-Making Apps for Surveys and Odd Jobs
Surveys will not earn you enough to live on, but if you have idle time and an internet connection, there are some great money-making apps you can use to pull in a bit of extra cash.
12. Swagbucks
🏆 Best for Earning on Everyday Tasks
This rewards program lets you earn points for completing a variety of tasks. This includes watching videos, taking surveys, shopping online, searching the web, and more.
Using the mobile app or website, you can earn a little cash by doing what you already do daily.
How Much Can You Make?
This won’t be a way to bring in serious cash. Each Swagbucks (SB) point is worth $0.01. Still, if you are already searching the web or watching videos, why not do it through Swagbucks?
Redemptions
Once you reach 300 SB points, you can redeem them for gift cards or cash through PayPal.
13. SurveyJunkie
🏆 Best for Taking Surveys
SurveyJunkie lives up to its name by offering you the opportunity to earn cash in exchange for answering surveys. Surveys range in point payout and can take between 2 and 30 minutes to complete.
SurveyJunkie also offers other options for earning points, such as online shopping.
How Much Can You Make?
You are not going to get rich with this app. Surveys pay between 10 and 200 points, with each point being worth a penny. So, a 10-minute survey that pays 100 points would net you around $6/hour for your time.
Redemptions
Once you reach 500 points, you can cash out via direct deposit or PayPal. You can also exchange points for gift cards.
Other Survey/Odd Jobs Apps
- Inbox Dollars – 🏆 Best Alternative to Swagbucks
- Pinecone Research – 🏆 Best High-Paying Survey Offers
- Mistplay – 🏆 Best for Earning Gift Cards for Playing Games
Beware of Scams
Whether you are just looking for some beer money or need a significant source of income, the best money-making apps have you covered. Just be sure to watch out for scams.
Scams can come in many forms: too-good-to-be-true promises, scam buyers, and bogus clients, just to name a few. Read reviews and research any money-making opportunity before giving up any personal information.
Choose the app that works best for you and enjoy the freedom of earning money with your phone!
