So, you need extra cash for bills or other daily expenses; we’ve all been there. Luckily, 2023 has never been a better time to utilize apps and technology to make money fast.
The Millennial Money team conducted a detailed review of today’s best money-making apps. These apps are most likely not a substitute for your day job.
That said, they are a great way to supplement income and earn fast cash.
21 Best Money-Making Apps
Here are the top apps to make real money fast:
- 🏆 Swagbucks
- Branded Surveys
- Survey Junkie
- InboxDollars
- DoorDash
- Uber
- Instacart
- Rakuten
- Ibotta
- Capital One Shopping
- Acorns
Survey Money Making Apps
1. Swagbucks
Earning potential: 💰💰
Swagbucks is a cash rewards app and website that pays its members in exchange for completing online tasks, playing games, filling out surveys, and more!
You join for free and then earn Swagbucks points by doing simple tasks. Then, you can redeem your Swagbucks points for gift cards or cash—yes, cold hard cash—via your PayPal account.
The easiest way to earn these points is by using the Swagbucks search engine to do your daily web browsing. This way you’ll earn points without even thinking twice about it.
Pros:
- 100% free to join and make money right now
- Offers cash out via PayPal or Amazon Gift Cards
- Easy to use website and mobile app
Cons:
- Lower payouts for watching videos
Learn more:
- Read our full Swagbucks review
2. Branded Surveys
Earning Potential: 💰💰
Branded Surveys is my pick for the best overall survey site. It gives you points for taking surveys or carrying out tasks like referring friends to the platform.
When you sign up, you’ll answer demographic questions to help determine what surveys are a good match for you. Then, the platform sends qualifying surveys to your inbox.
There’s also a bonus program, called Branded Elite. The more bonus surveys you take, the higher amount of points you can receive.
Once you reach 500 points, or $5, your Branded Surveys points can be redeemed as direct deposits, gift cards to popular retailers, or donations to charity.
While you shouldn’t quit your day job to take online surveys, Branded Surveys can be an easy outlet for earning some cash on the side with minimal effort.
Pros:
- Features an intuitive user experience
- Pays more than most competitors
- Has an impressive gift card selection
- Offers bonus badges that increase earnings
Cons:
- Payments may take up to 3 weeks
- Can be difficult to qualify for some surveys
Learn more:
- Read our full Branded Surveys Review
3. Survey Junkie
Earning potential: 💰💰
Survey Junkie is another survey site that may be worth your time. It also offers quick straightforward surveys for points.
Survey Junkie is owned by DISQ, a reputable data analytics platform that provides market research data to major brands.
You can participate in Survey Junkie’s research in 2 ways: SJ Opinion and SJ Pulse. With SJ Opinion, you take surveys, get points, then get paid.
With SJ Pulse, you automatically give Survey Junkie access to your browser history, content engagement, ads, and shopping activity for extra rewards.
As you might expect, you can redeem points in the form of e-gift cards to popular retailers or cash out with Paypal payments.
Pros:
- Is free to sign up for
- Offers bonus points for signing up
- Is easy to use
- Provides additional points for sharing online behavior
Cons:
- Offers lower payouts than some competitors
- Has limited survey offerings
Learn more:
- Read our full Survey Junkie Review
4. InboxDollars
Earning potential: 💰💰
InboxDollars is a cash rewards app and website that pays its members in exchange for completing online tasks, playing games, filling out surveys, and more!
First-time users can earn a $5 sign-up bonus after verifying their email address. InboxDollars doesn’t use a “points”-based earning system like other money-making apps. Instead, your earnings are shown in dollars, making it easy to know exactly how much real money you’re making.
The InboxDollars mobile app is also one of the easiest to use, with a very simple interface.
Pros:
- 100% free to join and make money right now
- Offers cash out via PayPal or Amazon Gift Cards
- Been in business for over 20+ years, so you know it’s legit!
- Easy-to-use website and mobile app
Cons:
- A minimum payout threshold of $30 must be met before cashing out earned money
- Could take up to 2 weeks to claim money
- Some of the “free surveys” require you to buy something, so they aren’t actually free
Learn More:
- Read our full InboxDollars review
Driving Money Making Apps
5. DoorDash
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
DoorDash is another site that makes use of your car and spare time. A popular competitor of Uber Eats, Doordash is the market leader for food delivery apps.
With DoorDash, you can deliver food from local and chain restaurants and some grocery stores and markets.
DoorDash sets a minimum base payment amount for each order, from $2-$10 based on factors like time and distance.
Before accepting an order, you can see the base pay amount, which may increase if it’s Peak time or if you create Challenge bonuses in the app. You also get to keep 100% of your tips.
If you live in an area where Caviar is active, you can also accept orders for it through the Doordash app since the company acquired Caviar recently.
Pros:
- Guarantees some work with optional scheduled shifts
- Offers Peak Pay at busy times
- Doesn’t prohibit passengers
- Encourages generous tipping
Cons:
- Charges $1.99 for instant payments
- Has limited shift availability, especially in more rural areas
Learn more:
- Read our full DoorDash Review
6. Uber
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
If you have a car that’s 15 years old or newer and some free time, Uber could be a rewarding venture.
You can use the app for anything from occasional side hustling in your spare time to a full-time business, setting your own hours.
Drivers can use the Uber app to accept rides or to make Uber Eats deliveries and cash out with instant payments up to 5 times per day.
How much you make depends on the number of drives you take on, the distance and time, tips, and whether or not you accept rides during peak rush hours. It’s best if you live in a major city with steady traffic.
Pros:
- Allows you to set your schedule
- Lets you deliver food or drive passengers
- Presents passenger and driver reviews
- Eliminates the risk of unpaid fares
Cons:
- Requires a 4-door car 15 years old or newer
- Doesn’t pay for wait time
Learn more:
7. Instacart
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
Instacart is arguably the most popular grocery delivery service in the country. It operates in all 50 states and is constantly expanding into new cities
You can earn money with Instacart as a full-service shopper. After signing up and answering questions about you, your phone service, and your car, Instacart will perform a background check.
Once you’re approved, you can download the app and set your availability a week in advance. In some areas, you can simply take requests on the spot as they come through.
Regardless, you can choose to either pass on new orders or accept them. How much you earn depends on your hours, location, delivery distance, and the difficulty of the order. You may also be tipped.
Pros:
- Gives you 100% of tips
- Lets you set hours
- Requires less driving than Doordash
- Offers entry-level work with minimal requirements
Cons:
- May require heavy lifting
- Caps hours at 29 per week
Learn more:
Cashback & Shopping Money Making Apps
8. Rakuten
Earning potential: 💰💰
Rakuten is an affiliate marketing company that allows you to make money by shopping through their app or site. It’s completely free to use. Rakuten makes money by earning a cut from purchases made through their software and has decided to split that cut with you.
You can earn anywhere from 1% to 40% on purchases made through Rakuten from more than 2,500 retailers, including popular ones such as Amazon, Target, Sephora, and Nordstrom. You can search for your favorite stores or go through Rakuten’s helpful categories like toys and beauty products or special deals such as double cash back stores.
Rakuten is totally legit but be prepared to wait for your rewards. Rakuten only pays out once a quarter and does so via a direct deposit into your PayPal account or via a physical check.
Learn more:
- Read our full Rakuten review
9. Ibotta
Earning potential: 💰💰
Ibotta is a shopping app you can use to earn cash back on your everyday purchases at over 300 in-store and online retailers. The Ibotta app is 100% free to use.
After a large grocery shopping trip, boom! Instant cashback. After a trip to the mall… cash back! Even after shopping for some items on Amazon, BOOM: CASH BACK! Cash back for every type of shopper, including online and in-store retailers.
Seriously, this Ibotta app is legit. I continuously accumulate cash back on everyday purchases through the Ibotta app. There is really no downside.
Pros:
- 100% free to sign up and use
- A HUGE network of participating retailers
- Easy way of earning money while making everyday purchases
- Available in Google Play Store for an Android Phone, or App Store for iPhone
Cons:
- The app tracks your location while inside stores
- Limited customer support for disputes or issues
Learn more:
- Read our full Ibotta review
10. Capital One Shopping
Earning potential: 💰💰
Capital One Shopping (formerly Wikibuy) is a savings/coupon shopping app and browser extension that lets you compare prices among various online retailers, helps you find better coupon codes, and even helps you find better deals among the multiple sellers on Amazon.
If you shop online through Capital One Shopping you can earn credits on your purchases that can be redeemed for gift cards. For example, you can get 1% back on purchases made at Dell.com, 2% from Walmart.com, 9% on purchases at JCPenney, or 4% from Groupon.
And friends, saving money is making money.
Just start your purchase journey through the Capital One Shopping app and earn rewards. Average credits at many stores are 2.0% to 10%, with some stores offering limited-time double rewards!
Pros:
- 100% free to sign up and use
- Does in-store comparisons with free mobile app
- Automatically adds promo codes at checkout
- Price drop alerts on wishlist items
Cons:
- Tracks your online activity (although very secure)
Learn more:
- Read our full Capital One Shopping review
11. Upside
Earning potential: 💰
Upside (formerly GetUpside) provides people with real-time, personalized cash back offers at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants through its free mobile app on iOS and Android. Use the code MM20 to receive a $0.20/gal bonus on your first gas receipt, for savings of up to $0.45 per gallon!
Pros:
- Free and Easy to use
- You earn real cash – not points or credits
- Users earn $200-$300 a year
- Helps the environment – GetUpside dedicates 1% of revenue towards sustainability initiatives
Cons:
- Grocery and restaurant features are only available in select markets
- Must use credit/debit card on your gas, grocery, or restaurant purchase to earn cash back
- Not every business participates
Selling Apps to Make Money
12. Poshmark
Earning Potential: 💰💰💰
Founded in 2011, Poshmark is most popular for its gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories. You can also use the site to buy and sell electronics, home decor, pet products, and beauty supplies.
Poshmark is simple to use. Once you sign up, you can upload pics of your items, share a brief description, and set your price. Shoppers make offers that you can either decline or accept.
Once payment is received, Poshmark will email you a pre-paid shipping label, then pay you by check or direct deposit once the buyer receives their order.
You’ll find the most success with Poshmark if you upload quality pictures and descriptions and sell recognizable brands.
Pros:
- Great user experience
- Covers items that are lost or damaged during shipping
- Pays for shipping
- Issues payments within 3 days
Cons:
- Charges a seller fee
- Has mixed customer reviews
13. Decluttr
Earning potential: 💰💰
Decluttr is like Poshmark but with a twist. Instead of selling your clothes and accessories, the website lets you sell your tech devices, from computers, phones, and tablets to video game consoles, DVDs, and Blu-Rays.
Decluttr is easy to use. Once you sign up, simply scan the barcodes on your CDs, video games, and DVDs, and the app will tell you whether they’re accepted or not.
For tech items like cell phones and laptops, Decluttr will make you an offer based on its make, model, and condition.
You’re guaranteed the original price Decluttr offers you, or you can request to have your tech items shipped back for free.
The app is best if you have newer devices in good shape. If you’re looking to ditch a clunky cell phone from the early 2000s or have retro games or consoles, consider a different platform.
Pros:
- Shows current most popular resell items on the site
- Offers free shipping
- Provides quick direct deposits, Paypal, or charity donations
- Has solid BBB and TrustPilot ratings
Cons:
- Requires at least 10 media items or 1 tech item per order
- Offers are subject to change upon inspection
Learn more:
- Read our full Decluttr Review
Side Gig Money Making Apps
14. Steady
Earning potential: 💰💰💰💰
Steady in an app that has a large selection of gig economy jobs displayed all under one roof. You can search for part-time, hourly, and on-demand work opportunities that are all customized according to your location and skills.
In addition to finding job opportunities, the app also provides personalized earning insights, income booster opportunities as well as savings incentives, and discounts.
Pros:
- 100% free to sign up and use
- Easily find and apply to side gigs
- Sign-up and referral bonuses
Cons:
- Popular gigs are featured heavily
- Earning potential not listed on every gig
Learn more:
15. UpWork
Earning potential: 💰💰💰💰
Upwork is another marketplace for hiring freelancers, and since its launch in 2015, has grown to become the largest and most popular site of its type.
If you’re not ready to pitch directly to companies, using a third-party freelance website like UpWork could be a good option.
Another advantage of using UpWork is that you don’t have to worry about being scammed or chasing payments. UpWork takes care of this for you. Still, it comes at a price – a cut of the profit.
Pros:
- Larger projects
- Great customer support
- Lower fees the longer you work
Cons:
- Heavy competition
- High starting fees
Learn more:
16. Rover
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
If you love animals and want to make some extra cash taking care of pets, Rover could be the site for you.
Rover offers dog walking, pet/house sitting, boarding, drop-in visits, and doggy daycare. After passing a background check and being vetted by Rover’s team, you can create a profile and start booking gigs.
Pet owners can leave reviews on the site after using your services, which can help to boost your profile and build your reputation.
Rover notes that caretakers who offer to board are their highest earners, making up to double what other sitters make.
Rover lets you set your rates, but it takes a 20-25% commission. While you could market your own pet-sitting business on your own and avoid these fees, the convenience could be worth it. Rover offers secure online payments.
Pros:
- Has high earning potential
- Lets you set your schedule
- Takes a smaller commission fee than Wag
- Provides pet care education and vet tech assistance
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer direct deposits
- Charges a $5 fee on payments unless you use Paypal
17. Fiverr
Earning potential: 💰💰💰💰
Fiver is a marketplace that connects freelancers to work in more than 200 niches, such as SEO, writing, graphic design, and virtual assisting.
Once you create a free account, you can make a profile detailing your expertise, services, and prices.
Buyers can find your profile on the site and book projects. Once you complete the work, you get paid. The platform can pay via direct deposit, Paypal, or a Fiverr pre-paid card.
The more successful sales you make, the higher levels you advance to. As a top-rated seller, you get more active postings and priority customer support.
Offering your services as a freelancer can be really lucrative. A site like Fiverr could help launch your career and lead to higher earnings than taking surveys online or making deliveries.
Pros:
- Has a high earning potential
- Doesn’t require you to bid on projects
- Provides a wide variety of project needs
- Lets you set your rates
Cons:
- Charges sellers a 20% commission
- First gigs can be hard to land
Learn more:
Other Money Making Apps
18. Honeygain
Earning potential: 💰💰
Honeygain is a passive income app that pays you for sharing your unused Internet connection.
It’s the first crowdsourced web intelligence network through which users get paid according to the amount of traffic they share. Various businesses need such traffic to perform price comparisons, brand protection, etc. Honeygain always ensures that the gathered public web data is protected by implementing strict security measures.
With Honeygain, you can boost your earnings through special features like Referral System, Lucky Pot, the JumpTask mode, or Achievements. Simply download the app and make sure it’s always running in the background to make passive income!
Pros:
- 100% FREE to join and make passive income right now
- A starting $5 gift for new users
- Multiple opportunities to boost your earnings
- Operates worldwide
Cons:
- Add up to 10 devices with different IP addresses
Learn more:
- Read our full Honeygain review
19. Neighbor
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
Neighbor is like the Airbnb of storage. Instead of renting your home or room out to strangers, you can convert unused space into storage income.
It’s easy to turn your basement, garage, spare office room, or even closet, into passive income or a great side hustle earning up to several hundred dollars a month. In New York City, they estimate a spare basement rental to generate almost $10,000 per year!
What’s even better is both the renter and host are protected from mishaps. Neighbor’s Host Guarantee protects you up to $1,000,000 for personal liability and renters are eligible for up to $25,000 in case items are damaged during storage.
List your space on Neighbor today!
Pros:
- Make money from your unused space
- Free to list your storage space
- You set the rates, access times, and availability schedule
- Insurance options provided by Neighbor
Cons:
- Demand varies greatly by location
- Storage can be inconvenient, or an eyesore in your neighborhood for large items
20. Turo
Earning potential: 💰💰💰💰
If you want your car to make money for you without having to get behind the wheel, check out Turo. The streamlined app and website let you rent out your car to Turo users across the US, Canada, and the UK.
It’s popular because it often offers lower rates than rental car companies. You can set your rental fees or use Turo’s recommended ones and use the site’s calculator tool to estimate how much you could make each month based on the car, your location, and availability.
Turo conveniently offers protection for theft and damage, as well as $750,000 of liability insurance so your car is covered.
You’ll keep 65-90% of the trip’s total earnings. There’s a market for most vehicle types on Turo, but overall, Jeep Wranglers are the most successful model on the site.
Pros:
- Lets you earn more by adding extras like refueling
- Has a snooze feature if you want to take your car offline temporarily
- Can provide passive income
- Gives you control over rental fees
Cons:
- Takes substantial commissions
- Long turnaround time on customer support for claims
Learn more:
- Read our full Turo Review
21. Acorns
Earning potential: 💰💰💰
With Acorns, you can set up a free mobile app to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar. They take this cash and invest it into ETFs. Honestly, it’s pretty sweet.
Once you download the Acorns app, it will automatically, round up to the nearest dollar and invest that 10 cents! With the Acorns app, you can build an investment portfolio one dime at a time.
This money-making app is definitely a millennial investing strategy. You can set it and forget it, and build your investment portfolio without even knowing it.
You can also direct additional funds into the Acorns app for investment. Try it risk-free and receive a $5 sign-up bonus.
Pros:
- FREE for college students
- Automates saving and investing
- Invests in ETFs with low expense ratios
Cons:
- Flat fees are high for low-balance accounts
- Requires spending money to save money
- Limited investment options
Learn more:
- Read our full Acorns Review
What Apps Pay You Instantly?
If you’re wondering how to get cash fast or which apps are best to make money right now, InboxDollars, Swagbucks, MyPoints, and Ibotta each offer sign-up bonuses that you can quickly redeem.
Or maybe you’re trying to save up for something special or add to your investments. Several of the other apps I listed are either geared more towards freelancers, saving money, investing money, or require a bit of time to build up your account or property such as Airbnb or Uber.
Either way, these legit apps could play an essential role in your money-making journey.
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