You’ve probably heard it from your tech-savvy friend. Maybe you’ve watched a YouTube ad about it. But it’s true—you can make money through mobile apps. From completing surveys and watching videos to providing English classes, there’s an app that can suit you.
The best part: You don’t need to spend a lot of time on your phone. Apps are flexible, allowing you to make money only when you’re available. Below are the 10 best apps to help you make money.
1. Rakuten
Formerly known as Ebates, Rakuten is a marketing company established in 1998. It’s a brand big enough to have a partnership with Spanish football club Barcelona. The way Rakuten works is that it pays you to shop at various websites online.
The company makes money by providing its marketing services to merchants. When you click through a link on Rakuten and buy something on Amazon, Rakuten earns a commission. But instead of keeping the entire amount, it gives you a small kickback to encourage you to shop through its links.
Rakuten works with leading shopping companies:
- Amazon
- eBay
- Kohl’s
- Staples
- Etsy
- Macy’s
- Overstock
Rakuten pays you through PayPal, or they can send you a check in the mail. You qualify for a payout after you make at least $5. Considering they pay you $25 for every friend you refer to their app, this shouldn’t be difficult.
2. Survey Junkie
Startups open and close down all the time. Surprisingly, according to HubSpot research, 42% of companies fail due to a lack of market research.
Survey Junkie is an app that helps businesses conduct business research to create products people want to buy.
The app knows it’s challenging to convince people to participate in free surveys. So, it pays people to answer questions. Spoiler alert: Survey Junkie won’t make you rich overnight.
It’s an excellent app for sourcing lunch money—it pays $0.50 to $3 per survey. The app’s interviews are short, so it’s a reasonable reward for your time.
It’s free to join but asks you several questions about your level of education, income, shopping habits, and a bit about yourself.
3. Adult Gaming Apps
Whoever said ‘no risk, no gain’ probably had adult gaming apps in mind. With iGaming apps, you need to take a risk to earn a profit.
Many games of chance don’t require experience or skills to win. And that’s the best part. All you need is the will to risk your money on a great game for a chance to win big. If you’re lucky, you could win life-changing money.
That said, don’t install a gaming app with the sole aim of using it to end all your financial problems. There’s always the risk of losing. So, create a budget, pick compatible games, and cut your losses when unlucky.
4. Swagbucks
Swagbucks has been around for many years. And it’s been helping students, stay-at-home moms, and money-minded individuals make hundreds of dollars per year.
Swagbucks is an app about watching videos, playing online games, and completing surveys.
Swagbucks isn’t a huge moneymaker. Like we’ve already mentioned, these apps pay cents per task. But, you can earn roughly $2 for a day’s work (0-1 hour).
In a month, you’ll have an extra $60 to pay for your Netflix subscription or your favorite magazine.
To be clear, Swagbucks pays you in points—just like Survey Junkie. Three surveys earn you 153 swag bucks. A short video is $3 while discovering shopping deals adds 30 swag bucks to your account. You can redeem 100 swag bucks for $1.
5. Fiverr
Thanks to apps like Fiverr, the US workforce is rapidly shifting to online jobs, which helps millions of people or buy digital services hassle-free.
The cheapest gig on Fiverr costs $5. However, you can create gigs that cost as much as $5000.
All you need is a willing buyer, and that’s the role of Fiverr’s algorithms. It uses data analysis to match you with people looking for a service you provide.
Gig sellers with loads of ratings are more likely to reach a wider audience than newbies. But it also depends on how you craft your gig and the demand for your services.
Below are some of the best-selling skills on Fiverr:
- Graphic Design
- Content Writing
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Business Planning
- Virtual Assistance
- Creating Ad Campaigns
To be clear, Fiverr can become your primary source of income—it’s that big.
But you need to be the best service provider in your niche. And you need to work hard or have a team of talented people to help you manage orders.
6. Upwork
Not everyone is a fan of Fiverr’s gig format. You have to create a gig and hope someone makes an order.
With Upwork, employers post a job, and you respond with a pitch and a resume of sorts. If the client likes your pitch and portfolio, you get hired.
Upwork and Fiverr are similar but different in the way they handle jobs.
Both apps have a substantial in-flow of work. The only downside with Upwork is that it attracts bottom-dollar bidders. So, you could have a great pitch and be the best candidate for the job, but the client might choose the lowest bid. If the client doesn’t have the budget for qualified developers, there’s not much you can do.
But, the same applies to Fiverr. You’re not getting qualified developers for only $5. It cost me more than $5 just writing that sentence, and I’ve been a programmer for over 20 years.
Upwork has been working on the problem by charging for connects—monthly points that run out with every bid made.
By charging for extra connections, Upwork has dramatically reduced the number of people who use all their points to bid on jobs they don’t qualify for.
7. YouTube
YouTubers make a lot of money by creating all sorts of content—funny clips, music, documentaries, reviews, or gaming streams.
And, I guess that’s all I have to say about that.
8. Social Media Apps
If you can leverage Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by creating quality content, you can attract an audience to make money through ads and affiliate marketing.
9. Userfeel
Userfeel pays you to test new sites and apps. Of course, you have to provide feedback about your experience to qualify for a $10 prize.
10. Ibotta
Ibotta works like Rakuten. It helps you find great shopping deals online. If you click through its links and complete a purchase, you get paid.
