Want apps that pay you cash instantly? Ever wondered which app gives you real money? Here’s a list of the 40 best money-making apps to try.
We live in an era that provides an infinite number of opportunities to make money.
Even though it may not seem like it, this is one of the best times to make money, even if you don’t have a traditional 9-to-5 job. All you need is your smartphone, the right app, and an investment of your time.
Money-making apps help you earn in different ways but they all let you earn significant money over time.
On average, American consumers now check their smartphones an average of 52 times each day, according to a recent report from Deloitte. That’s up from 47 times per day on last year’s study, according to the consulting and professional services firm.
In 2020, there have been over 592 million daily app downloads. The number of mobile app downloads will exceed 250 billion in 2022.
If you spend hours on your phone browsing and getting interactive with your friends and family only, then I can say that’s not all the purpose your phones can serve.
There are many people who are millionaires or are satisfied financially today because of their rightful use of the internet. Well, you could be part of the rich list today by trying these online side hustles that actually pay.
Brief of the various Categories of paying Apps
If you have even a few minutes of free time, there are several ways you can earn legitimate money through your smartphone apps. These include:
1. Taking Online Surveys
At some point in your life, you’ve probably completed a survey. Perhaps you were asked to watch a video and give feedback or your friend asked you questions for their school project.
Well taking online surveys is no different. You’re asked a set of questions, and you get paid for your answers.
The best thing about this approach is that there’s no limit to the number of surveys that you can fill out in a day.
The higher the number of surveys, the greater the reward; whether it’s in the form of cash or points.
- KashKick
- Inbox Dollars (Get $5 right now)
- Swagbucks
- My Points
- LifePoints
- Opinion Outpost
- Survey Premium
2. Sharing Your Buying Habits
There is big money in your data. Companies have entire departments that track customer buying habits.
You can get in on this money by sharing your data voluntarily in the form of receipts. The most popular way is through grocery shopping apps.
Here are some of the best grocery apps to earn cash:
- Ibotta
- Drop
- Rakuten (formerly Ebates)
3. Play Games
Are you addicted to playing games on your smartphone? If you are, you might as well get paid for your skills.
There are apps that offer to pay you if you’re able to play a particular game at different levels.
- Mistplay
- Boodle
- Flash Rewards
- GameHag
4. Rent Out Your Car Or RV
Although not as common as the survey-based apps, you may also come across apps that allow you to rent out your car and earn money from it.
If you work or stay at home taking care of kids, it’s likely that you don’t use your automobile that often. So rather than have your car sit in the garage all day, why not earn some money from it?
With a rental app, you’ll be required to list your car. Next, you have to set the rental price rate and the days or nights that you’re willing to rent it out.
When you receive a request from an interested party, you have the right to accept or deny it. If you accept, you’ll need to schedule a time when they come and pick it up.
An example of such a platform is Turo app, where individuals rent out their vehicles for between $35 and $65 a day. At the end of the day, the car owner receives 75% of all the fees.
According to the app’s developers, a car that is rented out for 15 days of the month earns the owner as much as $450 that month.
5. Captcha Solving
If you’re usually keen and detail-oriented, you can put your skills to good use by becoming a captcha solver. This is a pretty easy way of earning money too.
All you need to do is observe the captcha images, figure out the specific letters or tick against the correct images and this will earn you a lot of points.
6. Liking and Sharing on Social Media
Several companies pay Internet users to like and follow their pages on social media platforms.
Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumbler, many companies are ready to pay you for sharing or engaging with their social media account in any way.
7. Ratings and Writing Reviews
This is fairly similar to liking and sharing on social media. Different firms, especially those that are trying to advertise their products and services, will pay you to have written reviews on Google and other search engines.
We review products that we purchase online most of the time. But do you ever stop to think about the earning potential of your reviews?
8. Virtual Assistance
If you’re great at helping people find direction and can answer their inquiries, then you should consider becoming a virtual assistant on a money-generating app.
What I like most about this technique is that you’ll be earning money from the comfort of your home while interacting with thousands of people across the globe.
9. Parking Apps
Not many are familiar with parking apps. The concept behind it is that you have a vacant driveway just sitting there when you’re out for work or holiday, so why not use it as an avenue to earn a few extra dollars?
This particularly works for homeowners who live in urban areas where finding a parking spot is often a challenge.
Why Should You Use Apps That Pay?
When you officially make that leap into adulthood, it comes with a long list of responsibilities — financial ones included. That’s life, and we all learn to cope and keep moving forward. But every so often, there’s a small hiccup, and — be it emotional, physical, or otherwise — we run into a wall. Expenses like car repairs force you to spend money you’re using for rent.
You know you’re going to be short, so you’re pulling crazy overtime to make up the difference. Or, maybe you have to give up some recreational activities to make way for more responsible ones.
These things happen, and when they do, it’s nice to have a little cash handy to lighten the stress load. You could always pawn some of your stuff, true, but no one likes doing that. You could also ask your family for free money, but that’s no good, either. And taking out a personal loan or payday loan is an even worse strategy. Why not consider using one of these apps that pay you real money
List of highest-paying Apps
First, I’ll share the six apps (& highest paying) you should have in your arsenal if you really wanted to make money from your mobile phone:
1. Mistplay — Platform: android | Price: free
Instead of wasting time playing games and not being productive, now you can get paid to do it – win-win!
Getting paid to play games on your phone sounds like a dream, but this new app really pays you to play games.
It’s a legit app with 140,000+ positive reviews in the Google Play Store.
You can download it from the Google Play Store here, and start playing free games for cash rewards.
Mistplay Summary
Offer: Earn gift cards for gaming
Mistplay gets paid by game developers in exchange for these games being featured on the Mistplay platform. As a Mistplay user, you’re earning part of this money in the form of free gift cards and rewards.
2. Solitaire Cube — Platform: iOS | Price: free
Solitaire Cube is an addicting game where you can play Solitaire on your phone and compete in cash tournaments.
Solitaire Cube includes tournaments and head-to-head competitions with real cash prizes (where available).
It’s available on the Apple Store only, sorry Android users.
It’s pretty easy to get started and the game will match you up with other players who have the same level of skills in real-time.
Cashouts are through PayPal and I had no issues withdrawing or depositing money.
How to play? Stack cards into piles to sort them by their suit. Sound easy? It is!
Solitaire Cube Review
Price: FREE
Earning money by playing games on your phone sounds like a dream. But this app really pays you for playing solitaire with cash rewards.
3. Survey Junkie — Platform: mobile, web, desktop | Price: free
Survey Junkie pays you to share your opinions through its app. This company, however, offers unique paid opportunities to participate in focus groups and try new products.
After a quick registration — you can start checking out what paid online surveys are in your dashboard. You’ll soon realize why it is one of the highest-paying apps.
Signup is quick and painless, and you’ll get a registration bonus just for creating an account. If you remain active, you could easily earn up to $100 a month taking surveys a couple of times a week with Survey Junkie.
Survey Junkie
Offer: Get paid to give your opinion
Survey Junkie lets you make up to $50 per survey in your spare time from home to take online surveys, participate in focus groups, and try new products.
4. Nielsen App — Platform: desktop, iOS, android | Price: free
Nielsen offers an app and desktop service that allows you to register and earn rewards just for browsing the Internet.
It is listed highly on our list of apps that pay because it is an app that pays you to simply install it (that’s it).
Yes, it’s a legitimate opportunity, but you should be mindful of what that means.
Once you’ve installed the application, the company will be collecting information about your usage habits, activities, and the websites you visit. You don’t have to do anything else, and the service works automatically in the background.
If that’s worth it to you, you can earn $50 passively throughout a year’s time by downloading Nielsen.
Nielsen Mobile Panel Summary
Price: Get rewarded for using your devices
This company will pay you $50 just for downloading its free app (get paid for sharing your data anonymously). Plus, you’ll receive entries into the company’s $10,000 monthly sweepstakes every month. Every month 400 people win prizes, with the two top prizewinners taking home $1,000 each.
5. InboxDollars — Platforms: desktop, iOS and Android | Price: free
Do you ever spend a few minutes on your lunch break or at home watching videos online? If so, InboxDollars is right up your alley. It’s available on mobile and desktop and requires you to watch “fun” videos and then take surveys about them.
If you invest just five to 10 minutes per day, you can earn up to $50 extra per month. That’s not bad, especially if you stick with it, because you can continue to earn more. You’ll get a $5 bonus just for signing up, which is quick and free.
InboxDollars Summary
Offer: $5 sign up bonus
InboxDollars is the online rewards club that pays you for completing online tasks, playing games, filling out surveys and you’ll even get $5 added to your account just for signing up.
6. Swagbucks — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Swagbucks is a personal favorite and I use it daily. This app allows you to earn a special currency called Swagbucks for completing offers, answering surveys, and logging online activity.
You can redeem the currency for gift cards or cash rewards once you’ve accumulated enough.
This is one of the best apps that pays you through PayPal and they offer a $10 sign-up bonus.
Swagbucks Summary
Bonus: $10 welcome bonus
Swagbucks is the most reputable rewards site that lets you watch videos, take surveys, shop, and more to earn real money.
7. Lucktastic — Platform: android | Price: free
If you love the feeling of buying lotto tickets or scratch-offs and dreaming about the money ???? you stand to win — then you would seriously enjoy playing Lucktastic (download for Android only).
This free app offers the same daily scratch-off cards that you find at your local convenience store — but here you can play for free and win real money.
I was hesitant at first but this gaming app has over 338,049+ positive reviews in the Google Play store.
You can win up to $10,000 in card cash prizes and there are daily $500 Amazon gift card giveaways. The threshold for payout is only $2 and you can get daily opportunities to win big when you download the Lucktastic app for free.
Lucktastic Summary
Offer: Win real money with free digital scratch offs
Lucktastic offers the same daily scratch-off cards that you find at your local convenience store — but here you can play for free and win real money.
8. Vindale Research — Platforms: mobile, web, desktop | Price: free
Vindale’s app is straightforward. When you first log in, it will ask personal questions, so it can build an accurate profile of your preferences. You’ll then begin receiving exclusive surveys, which can pay anywhere from a few cents up to $75. You’ll even earn $2 right away just for signing up.
If you check in daily and complete the surveys they offer, you’ll have earned a nice chunk of cash before you know it with Vindale.
Vindale Summary
Vindale Research is a legitimate company that offers so many opportunities to make money like taking paid surveys.
9. Ibotta — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
Ibotta is a mobile app — available for both iOS and Android — that helps you save money by scanning your grocery receipts. It also works with other apps and services on your device, such as Uber. For example, every time you use Uber and order a ride, you can earn $1 back through Ibotta. You can then transfer the funds to your authorized PayPal account for personal use.
You won’t make hundreds of dollars overnight, but you certainly can earn that much eventually, if you continue to use the Ibotta app regularly. It’s great for building up emergency funds!
Ibotta Summary
Ibotta pays you real money on your everyday purchases. Download the free app to receive offers and earn real cashback in stores and online.
Money Making Survey Apps That Pay Real Money
While you’ll find the most lucrative apps listed above, there are plenty of other opportunities available with money-making survey apps and the best survey sites. Here are some alternatives:
10. Google Opinion Rewards — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
It makes sense Google — creator of the world’s largest search engine — would want to know more about its customers and users. Google Opinion Rewards allows them to send occasional surveys right to your phone, which will earn you a few cents each time. You can eventually use the accumulated funds to buy mobile apps — via Google Play — or transfer the money to PayPal. It’s a great way to earn a few extra dollars or two, especially if you routinely buy mobile apps.
11. Panda Research — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
Complete surveys for market research and earn money. They have paid its members over $2 Million to date!
12. Survey Voices — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
As kind of an aggregator for online surveys and market researchers, Survey Voices will offer you a variety of polls and questionnaires to complete for money. This is another app that pays you through PayPal
13. Pinecone Research — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
Earn gift cards and money for completing “daily online activities” through the service. You can generally earn $3 per survey taken on Pinecone Research.
14. Toluna Influencers — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
Answer surveys and polls for money.
15. Branded Surveys — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
This online survey site has a 4.4/5 rating on TrustPilot and is available for those who live in the US, UK, and Canada. This is a great rewards site that pays you real money to start taking surveys and has been around since 2012. You must be over 16+ years old to sign up and can get paid via direct deposit, PayPal cash, gift cards, or prepaid Visa gift cards.
16. PanelPlace — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Take a variety of user surveys, polls, and questionnaires and earn cash.
17. Opinion Outpost — Platforms: desktop and mobile web | Price: free
Earn money for participating in surveys and user polls via the app.
Cash Back and Receipt Scanning Apps That Pay
There are plenty of other opportunities available with cashback/receipt scanning or rebate apps to make real money. Here are some of the best apps for you to check out:
18. Rakuten Cash Back — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Earn cash back for items you’re going to buy anyway. It mostly works for online shopping and allows you to earn money you can transfer directly to a linked PayPal account. Theoretically, it can be one of the highest-paying apps depending on how much you shop.
19. Paribus — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Get refunds for items you’ve recently purchased that are reduced in price or value. This is one of the best apps to make money fast.
Paribus compensates us when you sign up for Paribus using the links provided.
20. Shopkick — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
Earn points for shopping, period. You can get points for just walking in the door of some stores, for completing various offers or buying popular products. You can also earn rewards for referrals.
Passive Income Apps That Pay
There are plenty of other opportunities available with passive income apps that pay. Here are some ways for you to make passive income with these apps:
21. Acorns — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: $1 Per Month
Acorns make it easy to invest your spare change from everyday purchases. They use that money to invest in the stock market for you. But think of it this way, if you invest just $5/Day that’ll net you $2k/Year! You can transfer money at any time and invest for only $1/Month. Plus if you refer a friend you’ll get $5 that you can withdraw at any time.
22. Digit — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: Free for 30 Days
Save money, pay off debt, and achieve your financial goals without thinking about it with Digit. You should be happy to join the financial revolution that’s saved users $1 Billion. Digit is the smart money sidekick that keeps you financially healthy. Every day, Digit analyzes your spending and moves the perfect amount of money from your bank account to your Digit account. Plus you can join for free for 30 days just to test see if you like it
23. Slidejoy — Platforms: Android only | Price: free
Earn money by placing ads on your Android mobile device or tablet. To maximize earnings, opt to display ads and promotions every time you check your device. Truly a passive income app.
Best Money Making Apps for Selling Stuff
Another way to make money with apps? Sell your junk — these selling apps that can help you get money for your unwanted items:
24. Decluttr — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Do you want to get paid for your old DVDs, CDs, video games, or other electronics that you have lying around? Decluttr will pay you cash for them! You can try listing your junk on eBay or Craiglist, but this can prove to be quite the hassle. You can easily sell it on Decluttr for cash. This is the easiest way to sell it quickly.
This app is designed well and is very convenient if you are looking to sell stuff easily. Using your phone camera as a barcode scanner, you get instant value appraisals for your old stuff. Your payments are securely processed on the app eliminating any risks with shady buyers, and both the buyer and the seller get free shipping.
25. Letgo — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Letgo is also a great app if you are looking to sell old stuff easily. All transactions happen on the app, and listings are populated by zip code, which makes it easier especially for rural buyers and sellers.
26. OfferUp — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
OfferUp is an app that is great for repeat sellers. It rewards repeat sellers if they provide great customer experiences and if they get good feedback from the buyer. This app lets you check out product listings, chat with the seller, and make them counter offers as well.
27. VarageSale — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
VarageSale app has a cool name that plays on “Garage Sale” with the V standing for verification. VarageSale verifies the identity of both the seller and the buyer using Facebook to make sure that they are real people. This app also makes it very easy for you to post your listing to your social media page, increasing its visibility.
28. Gazelle — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
If you are like me, you probably have an old smartphone lying around in your house, made obsolete by the software upgrades – It could be an old iPhone or an Android. If you want to get rid of these phones, Gazelle is a great place to sell them. You get cash in return for your old smartphone, which is great.
29. Chairish — Platforms: iOS, Android and desktop | Price: free
Chairish app is good if you are looking to sell used furniture and home decor items. Chairish verifies all offers on your items, and then sends them over to you. You can get great prices for your used items here.
30. Wallapop — Platforms: iOS desktop | Price: free
Wallapop allows you to sell just about anything on this app. It also gives you the option to pay for your listings if you want to prominently feature it and get more visibility.
31. Social Sell — Platforms: iOS | Price: free
Social Sell (iOS only) allows you to sell almost anything on this app as well. Has great chat features and in-app payment options.
32. Tradyo — Platforms: iOS | Price: free
Tradyo app allows you to sell individual items locally in your neighborhood. Items are listed by pin code, and the buyer contacts you via the chat feature in the app.
33. Facebook Marketplace — Platforms: iOS, Android, desktop | Price: free
Like these other iPhone apps that pay you money, you can list your items on Facebook. Just take a picture of what you’re selling and include a short description. The best part about using Facebook to sell your items is that there are no fees and you’re getting straight cash.
Money Apps That Pay You for Simple Tasks
The following are iOS and Android apps that pay you money or rewards like free gift cards for simple tasks:
34. Mobee — Platforms: iOS, Android and Desktop | Price: free
Get paid to be a mystery shopper for local stores and restaurants.
35. AppBounty — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
Earn rewards and gift cards for installing, playing, and using mobile apps.
36. Gigwalk — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
This app helps you find gigs or premium opportunities around you, often with brands and companies in the surrounding area.
37. App Karma — Platforms: iOS and Android | Price: free
Earn rewards by trying out new apps and playing mobile games. After completing various offers, you’ll earn points you can redeem for cash — via PayPal — or different gift cards.
38. Sweatcoin
Sweatcoin has more than 40 million users who are encouraged to walk and exercise in exchange for rewards.
The app counts your steps throughout the day and pays you in sweatcoins.
You can redeem your sweatcoins for PayPal cash, Apple watches, iPhones, and sports gear.
39. Trim
Trim helps you to cut your bills automatically by negotiating with your cable, internet, and phone providers. It also cancels unused subscriptions on your behalf.
In addition, the app offers a high-interest savings account and can help you lower your bank charges and credit card interest fees.
40. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
This market research app is operated by Nielsen, a global consumer research company. Nielsen Mobile Panel tracks your internet usage and rewards you for keeping it installed.
You get up to $50 per year and also participate in monthly sweepstakes.
Here are common questions people ask about apps that pay you through PayPal.
- Which apps give real money? The Swagbucks mobile app is one of the highest-rated and legitimate reward app out there. You can get cash rewards or gift cards for things you already do online. Members have already received $192,195,020 in cash rewards.
- Which apps pay you to walk? There are a few ‘get paid to walk apps‘ — among the best are HealthyWage, Sweatcoin, and Achievement. Yes, you can really get paid for every step you take!
- What games give you real money? There are a few game apps that pay you money, believe it or not. Check out Swagbucks, Mistplay, InboxDollars, and Solitaire Cube to make money for playing games.
Conclusion
Earning cash online using your phone will only continue to grow in popularity as more and more people transact using the internet.
A quick internet search shows that people are interested in learning about:
- The best apps to make money fast
- Top money earning apps
- best money making apps for 2020
- How to make money with apps
- Highest paying apps, and
- Apps that pay you through PayPal
The money-making apps listed above are a good starting point. Just remember, with most of these services, consistency is key, so be diligent about completing your daily check-in and continue to use the service if you want to earn more lucrative amounts of cash or gift cards.
It’s always better to use these opportunities as additional cash for smaller purchases, rather than to rely on them for a steady income.
Also, if you’re interested in getting paid by doing the normal things you want through a website, check out this post on 50 legit sites that pay you real money.
