If you want to get stronger, you need to start by lifting an amount of weight that is difficult but doable. Then you can gradually increase the weight over time to build strength. This same idea applies to making money.
If you’ve never won much, start with an easy idea. Then slowly increase the difficulty level as your skills improve. The more your skills improve, the more you can earn.
This is where money-making apps come in – they are a great way to improve your muscle to make money.
You won’t get rich, but you can earn some spending money while building your overall financial strength. To get you started, here are the top-rated money-making apps available for iOS and Android. If the need for money is more urgent, you may also be interested in applications that lend you money by advancing your own payroll.
Note: The reviews and ratings below were collected on December 21, 2021. We update this data regularly throughout the year.
Table of Contents
Top Five Survey Apps To Earn Money
A popular way to earn money with your smartphone is by taking surveys.
To get started, simply download one of the survey apps below. Then, when a survey is available for you to complete, you’ll receive a notification.
After you complete the survey, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards or earn cash that you can transfer to PayPal or a bank account.
Here is a list of the top-rated survey apps to earn money.
1. Survey Junkie
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.5 with 46,898 reviews | 4.4 with 39,667 reviews |
Survey Junkie has been considered one of the best market research companies for years. But they were late to the app game and released their own in May 2019.
With over 10 million members, high ratings from real app users, a great Trustpilot score, and a minimum payout of just $5, Survey Junkie is a must-have app for making money.
Minimum Withdrawal: 500 points earns you a $5 transfer to your PayPal account or can be redeemed for gift cards. Get paid for taking surveys
Survey Junkie, one of the best-known and highest-rated online survey sites, lets you redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash starting at just $5.
2. Swagbucks
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.4 with 57,353 reviews | 4.2 with 78,477 reviews |
Swagbucks is a reader and personal favorite for good reason: while it can take surveys, there are also several other simple tasks you can do to earn money, like watching videos, playing games, and getting cash back on purchases. online.
This variety of tasks makes it easy to win. My personal favorite is cashback purchases, where over the last year I’ve earned $235 in free Amazon gift cards.
Most of those earnings came from earning 8% cashback on a mattress and bed frame online.
Minimum withdrawal: $3 via PayPal or for select gift cards.Swagbucks ($10 bonus)
Get paid to shop online, watch videos, take surveys, and play games with this all-in-one rewards site. Redeem your points for PayPal cash and gift cards starting at just $3.
3. Ipsos I-Say
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
3.8 with 2,640 reviews | 4.0 with 87,458 reviews |
Originating in France, Ipsos is one of the world’s leading consumer research companies. Just like with Survey Junkie and Swagbucks, the i-Say program is free and allows you to earn money by taking paid surveys.
The peculiarity of i-Say is that it also has a product testing program: the company will send free products from time to time for you to try in exchange for your comments and opinions.
While these opportunities don’t come along every day, they can be a fun way to try new things, and the products themselves (which are yours to keep) are often worth more than the few minutes you take to share your thoughts.
Although you don’t come across these opportunities every day, they are a very rewarding way to try new things, and the products themselves (which are for you) are often worth more than the few minutes it takes you to share your thoughts.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 via gift card, $15 via PayPal.
4. Google Opinion Rewards
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 141,137 reviews | 4.5 with 2,483,775 reviews |
A great survey app for when you only have an extra 10 minutes. Google Opinion Rewards is known for its short surveys, which offer a maximum payout of $1.
You can then transfer rewards to your PayPal or Google Pay account. Also, you can use your rewards to get free Google Play codes.
The disadvantage of Google Opinion Rewards is that the surveys are sporadic, from one per day to one per month.
Minimum withdrawal: $2.
Tip: If you’re looking to get paid via PayPal, make sure you sign up for Google Play with the same email you used to sign up for PayPal.
5. InboxDollars
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.5 with 146,887 reviews | 3.9 with 107,411 reviews |
InboxDollars is another popular money-making app that allows you to earn money through surveys and a variety of other tasks.
The great thing about InboxDollars is that you get real money rewards (not points) for the activities you complete.
Minimum withdrawal: $30 to collect.
6. YouGov
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.4 with 34,439 reviews | 4.7 with 2,815 reviews |
YouGov is a market research company known for its opinion polls on politics and recent events. When we tested YouGov, we found the survey inventory and payments to be in line with the other top survey apps.
The low? Based on our tests, the minimum withdrawal amount of $50 would require participating in two surveys per day for more than 30 days. At the same time, the minimum to cash out a gift card is much lower at $15, which will take you one to two weeks to earn.
Minimum withdrawal: $15 for a gift card or $50 for a cash reward.
Best Apps To Earn Real Money: How To Earn Cash
These money-making apps offer you the opportunity to earn cash rewards and/or save money on things you were already going to buy. It’s the ultimate win-win.
Also, many of the apps listed below are stackable. That means you can redeem an offer multiple times across different apps to earn big.
These are the best apps to get cashback on both in-store and online purchases.
7. Capital One Shopping
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 37,189 reviews | 4.6 with 2,829 reviews |
Capital One Shopping tops our list in this category, even though you earn shopping credits that can be redeemed for gift cards instead of cashback.
While you’ll also want to download the desktop browser extension, the Capital One Shopping app gives you the ability to earn rewards when you shop online, easily apply coupon codes, and compare prices of the same products across different retailers, all from your desktop. smartphone.
Plus, when you shop at a store, you can scan barcodes to find online deals on that product.
Minimum Withdrawal: Rewards can be redeemed for gift cards with no minimum withdrawal.
Learn more about how this free service works in our detailed Capital One Shopping review.
8. Ibotta
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 1,377,715 reviews | 4.5 with 574,129 reviews |
Ibotta started as a shopping coupon app but has expanded to cashback both in stores and online.
To date, Ibotta has given out more than $860 million in rewards.
Here’s how this app works: You use the app to scan the barcode of the product you bought at the store, and then you upload a photo of your receipt. After that, you’re done! It is easy.
Both my wife and I use the app, and we think the 30 seconds it takes is time well spent.
You can earn a $5 welcome bonus by signing up with our link and uploading your first receipt.
Minimum Cash Out: $20 cash transferred to Venmo or PayPal.
9. Fetch Rewards
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 1,777,259 reviews | 4.6 with 332,695 reviews |
Unlike many shopping receipt scanning apps, Fetch Rewards works in any store, earning you points every time you purchase products from a participating brand. There are no barcodes to scan and no coupons to clip.
The big downside to Fetch is that you can only redeem your points for gift cards. But with stores like Target and Amazon among the options, that’s not much of a loss.
Learn More – Read our detailed Fetch Rewards review.
You can earn a bonus of 3,000 bonus points by signing up via the link below.
Minimum withdrawal: 3,000 points gets you a $3 gift card.
10. Rakuten
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 224,770 reviews | 4.2 with 71,618 reviews |
Rakuten is one of the top-rated cash cash-backs for both iOS and Android.
With Rakuten, you can get up to 40% cashback when you shop at over 2,500 stores (both in-store and online).
When you shop online, Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) shares its referral commission with you each time you purchase through the link provided.
To earn money on in-store purchases, you must link your credit or debit card within the Rakuten app and activate each cashback offer. Then simply pay normally using your linked card.
You will receive a check from Rakuten once a quarter with your cashback balance.
Minimum Withdrawal – $5 is needed to cash out, and payments are issued four times a year.
11. ShopKick
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.6 with 69,268 reviews | 4.2 with 229,647 reviews |
ShopKick is one of the top-rated apps in the “Money” category on the App Store. It rewards you for visiting the stores and in some cases, you don’t even have to buy anything, you are just rewarded for entering.
You can also earn points by scanning specific items within the store (again, it doesn’t matter if you buy the item).
Plus, it has a card-linked rewards aspect where if you link your debit and credit cards, you can automatically earn money by using those cards to pay at participating retailers. That potentially makes it a good passive income app, if you shop at the right places.
One downside of ShopKick is that you can’t redeem your points for cash rewards. However, with many great options for gift cards (like Walmart, Target, and Amazon gift cards), that shouldn’t stop you from trying it out.
Minimum withdrawal: 1,250 points for a $5 gift card.
12. GetUpside
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 160,308 reviews | 4.6 with 126,774 reviews |
GetUpside is a money-making app that allows you to get cashback on gas. In our GetUpside test, we were able to find gas stations offering up to 35 cents per gallon.
The app is also rapidly expanding beyond gas, offering cashback at select retailers and restaurants.
Minimum Withdrawal – You can withdraw at any time for a fee of $1. Once your balance reaches $10, you can withdraw for free.
Other Highly Rated Money Earning Apps for iPhone and Android
13. Mistplay (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
N / A | 4.2 with 232,226 votes |
Branded as “the loyalty program for gamers”, Mistplay rewards you with points for playing video games on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in development).
Your points can be redeemed for gift cards to major retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, and the Nintendo Store.
Minimum withdrawal: $5 gift card for 1,500 points.
14. DoorDash
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 1,448,141 reviews | 3.0 with 103,823 reviews |
DoorDash allows you to earn extra money by delivering takeout orders at restaurants. You will need a car, driver’s license, and valid insurance to become a Dasher.
With DoorDash, you have to sign up for shifts (called dashes) and then stay online for a certain amount of time within that period.
That means you’ll have less scheduling flexibility than with Uber Eats (see below), but it also means you’ll generally have a more consistent flow of orders (because fewer drivers are working at any given time).
15. Instacart
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 107,067 reviews | 2.9 with 107,067 reviews |
You can earn money buying or delivering groceries with Instacart. Full-service shoppers with Instacart purchase and deliver groceries. If you don’t have access to a car, you can only be a shopper in the store.
Like many gig economy apps, a big advantage of working with Instacart is that you can set your own hours. That said, peak times like weekends often pay more per hour.
Instacart shoppers are paid per order based on the time it takes to complete the order, as well as the distance (if delivery is made). Buyers also get tips from customers.
16. Fiverr
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.9 with 321,807 reviews | 4.6 with 258,675 reviews |
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace known for the wide variety of tasks it offers.
What makes Fiverr unique is that you are the one who designs the gig and posts it for others to buy. As such, you can create jobs that you can do entirely from your smartphone.
This could include video editing, proofreading, and photo editing, among many others.
To learn more, read our guide on how to make money on Fiverr, which details a step-by-step process for beginners.
17. UberEats
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.6 with 579,000+ reviews | 4.0 with 2.4 million reviews |
UberEats is similar to DoorDash in that you can earn money delivering takeout orders from local restaurants using your car, scooter or bike, or even on foot (in some cities).
What we love about the platform is that you can work as much as you want, whether it’s a couple of deliveries in your downtime or a full workday. Plus, you can request instant pay for a small fee, which means you can get paid the same day you work instead of waiting for a deposit to hit your bank account.
And with over 100 million active monthly customers in over 900 cities, there’s plenty of demand to keep you busy.
18. Airbnb
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.8 with 538,561 reviews | 4.5 with 1,210,276 reviews |
If you have a second home or even a spare room, you should seriously consider renting out your unused space.
I was surprised to learn that Airbnb estimates that I can earn $750 per month simply by renting an extra room at 50% occupancy in my home.
Not sure if your place is worth listing on Airbnb?
19. Neighbor
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.5 with 1,671 reviews | 4.6 with 911 reviews |
If you don’t like the idea of hosting people, consider Neighbor, an app that lets you get paid to rent unused space in your home. This could be an extra spot in the garage, an entry space, a shed, or a basement.
While there is some work upfront, like listing your space and connecting with clients, once storage is set up, there is very little work on your part.
20. Acorns
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 784,528 reviews | 4.3 with 165,876 votes |
Acorns is a mobile application that allows you to automate your investments. It does this in a couple of different ways:
- Investing your small change. One of the main features of Acorns is called Round-Ups. Let’s say you make a $17.20 purchase (at any store). Acorns will set aside 80 cents from your checking account and automatically invest that money in a mutual fund. It is a way to help you save while building an investment portfolio little by little.
- Acorns Earn. Acorns have also partnered with hundreds of retailers to allow you to earn money every time you shop at a specific store. For example, let’s say you spend $100 at Walmart. Acorns calculate a percentage of that $100 (which can be as high as 10% at some merchants) and adds it to your investment account. This is not a “round up” – it is free money.
Acorns are the largest subscription brand in financial services. Over 9 million people have saved and invested using the Acorns app.
21. Uber
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
3.9 with 2,518,152 reviews | 4.2 with 4,320,910 reviews |
Uber offers you two ways to earn money with one app: share rides as an Uber driver or delivers takeout orders with Uber Eats. And with over 100 million active monthly customers in over 900 cities, there’s plenty of demand to keep you busy.
Being an Uber driver is the world’s most famous side hustle for a reason: Uber freelancers can make solid money (often around $20 an hour, though how much you make will vary based on factors like location and demand). ), and you can work literally when you want (or where you want), without having to set a schedule. Simply open the app, make yourself available, and then accept the jobs that are sent to you.
Uber Eats is similar to DoorDash (mentioned above) in that you can earn money by delivering food orders from local restaurants using your car, scooter or bike, or even on foot in some cities. As with being an Uber driver, you can work as much or as little as you want, whether it’s a couple of deliveries in your downtime or a full workday.
Plus, whether you’re driving people or delivering groceries, you can request instant pay for a small fee, which means you can get paid the same day you work instead of waiting for a deposit to hit your bank account.
22. Steady
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 14,101 reviews | 4.4 with 28,293 reviews |
Not sure what sharing economy job you want to do? Steady aggregates local gig economy and money-making opportunities for you in one app. This way you can see what’s available and find personalized offers based on your availability and skills.
The app also has a strong community aspect, where other temps share best practices, tips for earning more, and how much they’re earning.
If you are new to the gig economy, Steady is a good option to guide you in the right direction. Read our Steady app review to find out everything the app has to offer.
23. Rover
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.9 with 291,379 reviews | 4.5 with 12,696 reviews |
Rover.com is a pioneer in the pet sitting industry when it comes to pet sitting, dog walking, dog sitting, and lodging. The app allows you to connect with local pet owners in need of these services. Walkers report being paid up to $20 per walk, while night watchmen can earn $40.
It’s ideal for those who live in a more urban area, where they can often take multiple dogs out and travel short distances. For those who don’t live in a city, boarding can help you maximize your earnings.
24. Foap
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.5 with 15,498 reviews | 3.2 with 32,319 reviews |
Foap is a mobile application that allows you to earn money by selling photos you take with your phone.
The good thing is that a photo can be sold multiple times, allowing you to generate a source of passive income.
The best way to earn is through “missions,” where Foap teams up with a specific brand to show how everyday people like you use their product.
Minimum withdrawal: No minimums. However, Foap pays you once a month through PayPal.
25. Bookscouter
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.1 with 530 reviews | 4.4 with 1,893 reviews |
A free app popular with book lovers, Bookscouter allows you to sell used books.
How it works is that you enter or scan a book’s ISBN and Bookscouter provides a list of companies looking to buy that title (and how much they’re willing to pay).
Those who earn the most know where to find cheap used books (yard sales, library book sales, etc.) and use the app on the spot to find the ones that will fetch the highest profit margins.
26. Field Agent
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.7 with 11,640 reviews | 3.9 with 7,794 reviews |
FieldAgent is an app that lets you earn money by doing random local tasks, like taking photos of products (to make sure they’re on display) and completing mystery shopping missions to rate stores’ customer service.
This free app is best suited for those living in urban areas as you only pay per task. Since you have to factor travel time and cost into your net earnings, you’ll earn more if you live near a high concentration of participating businesses.
Minimum Withdrawal: $10 to PayPal.
27. eBay, Craigslist, and Other Sales Apps
Selling your stuff is one of the best ways to make a quick buck. Apps like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace (located in the Facebook app), and LetGo are great for selling items locally.
eBay is best suited for selling items outside of your local area. Although you have to ship the item, you can usually sell it for a higher price (since your pool of potential buyers increases considerably).
This makes eBay great for collectibles and items that are in high demand (like iPhones).
Outside of that, Decluttr and Gazelle are two apps that buy your old electronics from you and give you a price upfront.
28. Evidation
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
4.6 with 16,472 reviews | 4.0 with 18,582 reviews |
Evidation (previously called Achievement) is a combination of a survey app and a fitness app.
It works by syncing with other fitness apps you have on your phone, including:
- apple health
- Fitbit
- MapMyFitness
- MyFitnessPal
- And, more than a dozen more
In addition to earning rewards through healthy activity, such as taking 10,000 steps in a day, you can earn rewards for taking health-related surveys.
You’ll need a minimum of 10,000 points to cash out, which gets you a $10 gift card to popular retailers.
Minimum withdrawal: $10.
Pro Tip: Turn this into a passive income app by syncing it with an app like Apple Health, which tracks your activity and steps in the background.
29. S’more (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
N / A | 4.4 with 55,315 reviews |
S’more, available only for Android devices, is one of the most popular apps that allows you to monetize your lock screen.
With S’more, you can earn extra money by placing an ad on your phone’s home screen. If you like what you see, you can swipe left to get more information. Otherwise, just swipe right to open your phone as usual.
Either way, you’re making some extra money.
Users can expect to earn around $3 to $5 per month on average, with the option to cash out via PayPal.
While it’s not the most exciting way to make money, over a year you can save around $50 to use as you wish.
Minimum withdrawal: $1.
Frequently Asked Questions About Apps To Earn Money
What are the best apps to earn money fast?
Retail apps like Craigslist and eBay are your best bets for making a quick buck. Beyond selling, Uber Eats and DoorDash are also good options. These two apps allow you to earn decent money hourly, as well as withdraw your earnings daily (for a small fee). These are among the highest-paying and fastest-paying apps you will find.
How to avoid scams?
When you’re evaluating apps to make money, pay close attention to user reviews, specifically those on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. Unlike other user review sites, companies cannot edit or remove reviews that appear on official app stores. So if an app is a scam, you’ll likely see it quickly based on user feedback.
Sort by negative reviews and read three to five to see the common complaints. If a lot of users are having trouble withdrawing money or getting no response from customer support, it’s best to avoid the app.
You can also search for r/BeerMoney, a popular subreddit where people talk about their experiences with different money-making apps.
How do apps that give you money make money?
There are several different business models and app monetization strategies used by these companies to generate revenue.
– Online survey companies sell the data they collect to third parties looking to improve their products and services.
– Manufacturers pay for coupon apps when you use a coupon, and in many cases, they also collect data to sell.
– Many sharing economy apps take a percentage of the revenue from each transaction.
– Cashback shopping apps like Rakuten are among the highest paying apps for a reason: they earn a solid commission for sending you to retailers’ sites, which they then share with you.
Apps that lend you money always get something in return, whether it’s your data, your feedback, your business, or something else. Keep that in mind when choosing which ones to use, and make sure you’re comfortable with the offset.
The Best Apps To Earn Money: Summary
My main priority in compiling this list was to make sure that all the apps I included were legit and worthwhile.
There are many other apps out there, and while some of them work for some people, others just collect your data and waste your time without giving you any real chance to withdraw your earnings.
Depending on your situation, they may or may not be worth investigating.
But this list is the cream of the crop.
As I said in the opening, you will not get rich with these apps. But you can use them as a source of extra money, and some, like Uber and DoorDash, can turn into pretty lucrative side jobs (or even full-time jobs).