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MAKE MONEY
24 Legit Money Making Apps For Android/IOS (Apps That Pay You Cash)
Which money making apps are actually worth your time? We reviewed over 60 different apps to determine the very few that can add money to your bank account.
R.J. Weiss
R.J. Weiss, CFP®
Updated August 18, 2021
The Best Money Making Apps
Some of the links on our website are sponsored, and we may earn money when you make a purchase or sign-up after clicking. Learn more about how we make money.
If you want to get stronger, you have to start by lifting an amount of weight that’s hard but doable. Then, you can gradually increase the weight over time to build strength.
This same idea applies to earning money. If you’ve never made much, start with an idea that’s easy. Then, slowly increase the level of difficulty as your skills improve. The more your skills improve, the more you can make.
This is where money making apps come into play — they’re a great way to improve your money making muscle.
You won’t get rich, but you can earn some spending money while building your overall financial strength.
How to Build Your Money Making Muscle
To get started, here are the highest-rated money making apps available for iOS and Android.
*Ratings as of August 18th, 2021.
Jump To
The Five Best Survey Apps For Making Money
One popular way to make money from your smartphone is by taking surveys.
To get started, just download one of the survey apps below. Then, when a survey is available for you to complete, you’ll get a notification.
After you take the survey, you’ll either accrue points that are redeemable for free gift cards, or earn cash you can transfer to a bank or PayPal account.
Here’s a list of the best-rated survey apps for making money.
1. Survey Junkie
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.5 with 41,400 reviews 4.3 with 31,548 reviews
Survey Junkie has been regarded as one of the best market research companies for years. But they were late to the app game, releasing theirs in May of 2019.
With over 10 million members, high ratings from real app users, an excellent score on Trustpilot, and a minimum payout of just $5, Survey Junkie is a must-have money making app.
Minimum withdrawal: 500 points gets you a $5 transfer to your PayPal account or can be redeemed for gift cards.
7d7b9a611a3b1603832930-about-sj-hero-home-1-1.png
Survey Junkie
One of the most well-known and highest-rated online survey sites, Survey Junkie lets you redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash starting at just $5.
Sign Up Now
2. Swagbucks
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.4 with 48,571 reviews 4.2 with 66,601 reviews
Swagbucks is a reader and personal favorite for good reason: while you have the ability to take surveys, there are also a number of other simple tasks you can do to make money, such as watching videos, playing games and getting cash-back for shopping online.
This variety of tasks makes it easy to earn. My personal favorite is cash-back shopping, where over the last year I’ve earned $235 in free Amazon gift cards.
The majority of those earnings came from getting 8% cash-back on a mattress and bed frame online.
My actual Swagbucks earnings.
My actual Swagbucks earnings.
Minimum withdrawal: $3 through PayPal or for select gift cards.
e4754434f5641603287834-Swagbucks-company-logo.png
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 gift cards and PayPal cash starting at just $3.
Sign Up Now
3. Ipsos I-Say
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
3.7 with 2,555 reviews 4.3 with 80,998 reviews
Based in France, Ipsos is one of the world’s largest and most well-known consumer research companies. As with Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, the i-Say program is free to join and lets you earn money by taking paid surveys.
What’s unique about i-Say is that it also has a product testing component: the company will sometimes send you free products to try out in exchange for your feedback and insights.
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 it takes to share your thoughts.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 via gift card, $15 via PayPal.
Click here to learn more and get started with Ipsos i-Say.
4. Google Opinion Rewards
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.7 with 134,760 reviews 4.2 with 2,404,506 reviews
A great 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. In addition, you can use your rewards to get free Google Play codes.
The downside to Google Opinion Rewards is that surveys are sporadic, ranging anywhere from one per day to one per month.
Minimum withdrawal: $2.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking to cash out via PayPal, make sure you register on Google Play with the same email you used to sign up with PayPal.
5. InboxDollars
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.5 with 141,129 reviews 3.9 with 104,249 reviews
InboxDollars is another popular money making app that lets you earn money through surveys as well as a variety of other tasks.
What’s nice about InboxDollars is that you get rewarded in real money (not points) for the activities you complete.
Plus, there’s a $5 sign-up bonus if you use this link.
Minimum withdrawal: $30 to cash out.
Pro Tip: For a complete list of the top survey apps check out: The Best Survey Apps for Making Money Fast.
The Best Money Making Apps For Earning Cash-Back
These money making apps offer you the chance to earn cash rewards and/or save money on the stuff 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 one offer multiple times on different apps to earn big.
Here are the best apps for earning cash-back on both in-store and online purchases.
6. Capital One Shopping (Formerly Wikibuy)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 27,265 reviews 4.4 with 2,058 reviews
Capital One Shopping tops our list in this category, even though you’re earning shopping credits that can be redeemed for gift cards rather than cash-back.
While you’ll also want to download the desktop browser extension, the Capital One Shopping app allows you to earn rewards when shopping online, easily apply coupon codes, and compare prices for the same products among other retailers — all from your phone.
Plus, when shopping in-store, you’re able to scan barcodes to look for online deals for that product.
Minimum withdrawal: Rewards be redeemed for gift cards with no minimum withdrawal.
Learn more about how this free service works in our detailed Capital One Shopping review.
7. Ibotta
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 1,281,973 reviews 4.4 with 546,742 reviews
Ibotta started out as a grocery coupon app but has expanded into both retail and online cash-back.
In total, Ibotta has paid out over $860 million in rewards.
It works like this: you use the app to scan the barcode of the product you purchased at the store and then you upload a photo of your receipt. After that, you’re done! It’s that easy.
Both my wife and I use the app (read my Ibotta review), and we think the 30 seconds it takes is time well spent.
Ibotta also has one of the more generous welcome bonuses for new app users. There’s an opportunity to earn a quick $20 with the following three steps:
Redeem your first in-store offer ($10)
Redeem a mobile shopping offer ($5)
Redeem a second in-store or mobile shopping offer ($5)
Minimum withdrawal: $20 in cash transferred to Venmo or PayPal.
8. Fetch Rewards
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 1,480,515 reviews 4.6 with 248,442 reviews
Unlike many grocery receipt scanning apps, Fetch Rewards works at any store, as you earn points whenever you buy products from a participating brand. There are no barcodes to scan or coupons to clip.
The big downside to Fetch is that you’re only allowed to redeem your points for gift cards. But with stores like Target and Amazon among the options, that’s not too much of a loss.
You can earn a 2,000 bonus point bonus by signing up via the link below.
Minimum withdrawal: 3,000 points gets you a $3 gift card.
Claim your Fetch Rewards bonus.
9. Rakuten
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 161,362 reviews 4.2 with 69,448 reviews
Rakuten is one of the highest-rated cash-back apps for both iOS and Android.
With Rakuten, you can earn up to 40% cash-back 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 any time you make a purchase through the provided link.
To make money with in-store purchases you have to link your credit or debit card inside the Rakuten app, and activate each cash-back offer. Then, just check out normally using your linked card.
You’ll get a check from Rakuten once per quarter with your cash-back balance.
Sign up with this link to get a $10 bonus when you make your first purchase, and learn more in our Rakuten review.
Minimum withdrawal: $5 needed to cash out, with payments being issued four times per year.
10. ShopKick
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.6 with 66,773 reviews 4.3 with 228,695 reviews
ShopKick is one of the highest-rated apps in the App Store’s “Money” category. It rewards you for visiting stores, and in some cases you don’t even have to buy anything — you get rewarded just for walking in.
You can also earn points by scanning specific items within the store (again, it doesn’t matter if you buy the item).
One downside to ShopKick is that you can’t exchange your points for cash. Nonetheless, with many good options for gift cards (such as 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.
11. Pei
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.7 with 4,153 reviews 3.1 with 1,643 reviews
Pei allows you to earn cash by using a linked card at participating retailers, with many national chains among its list of partners (including Walgreens, Trader Joe’s and more).
Some stores even offer up to 10% cash-back.
Plus, there’s no checking-in or receipt scanning required; just sync your cards and then you’ll earn automatically whenever you pay with those cards in a participating store.
You can transfer your earnings to PayPal, get a gift card, or redeem them for Bitcoin.
Minimum withdrawal: $25.
You can learn more about how the app works in our Pei review.
Other Highly-Rated Money Making Apps For IPhone And Android
12. Mistplay (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
N/A 4.0 with 208,283 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.
Related: Learn how to get paid to play games.
13. DoorDash
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.7 with 1,216,472 reviews 3.1 with 88,051 reviews
DoorDash allows you to earn extra money by delivering restaurant take-out orders. You’ll need a car, a driver’s license and valid insurance to become a Dasher.
With DoorDash, you do 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 Postmates, but it also means you’ll usually have a more consistent flow of orders (because there are fewer drivers working at any given moment).
14. Postmates
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 1,688,717 reviews 3.1 with 48,674 reviews
Postmates allows you to earn money by delivering groceries, carry-out orders, drinks and more.
You can deliver on foot, bike or car, and you can work as little or as much as you want — whether that’s a couple of deliveries in your downtime or a full workday.
One of the best aspects of working as a Postmates courier is that you can get your earnings deposited instantly for a nominal fee.
That means you can work for a few hours and have money in your bank account the same day.
15. Airbnb
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.8 with 510,080 reviews 4.6 with 1,155,438 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 I can earn $750 per month simply by renting out an extra room at 50% occupancy in my home.
Not sure if it’s worth it to list your place on Airbnb?
Check out Airbnb’s monthly earning potential calculator to see how much you can make.
16. Acorns
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.7 with 760,527 reviews 4.3 with 156,370 votes
Acorns is an app that allows you to automate your investing. It does this in a couple of different ways:
By investing your spare change. One of Acorns’ main features is called Round Ups. Say you make a purchase for $17.20 (at any store). Acorns will then set aside 80 cents from your checking account and automatically invest that money into a mutual fund. It’s a way of helping you save, while also building up an investment portfolio a little bit at a time.
Acorns Earn. Acorns has also partnered with hundreds of retailers to allow you to earn money any time you shop at a specific store. For example, say you spend $100 at Walmart. Acorns calculates a percentage of that $100 (which can be up to 10% for some retailers) and adds it to your investment account. This isn’t a “round up” — it’s free money.
You can build up a nice portfolio just by using Found Money and investing your spare change. Eventually, that portfolio could go toward your retirement or earn you a nice side income.
Acorns is the largest largest subscription brand in financial services. Over 9 million people have saved and invested using the Acorns app.
17. Uber
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.6 with 576,586 reviews 4.0 with 2,398,798 reviews
The ridesharing market is a big one, and it’s not slowing down any time soon.
Uber freelancers have earned millions of dollars taking riders on short trips around town, and the company finally introduced the long-awaited ability for riders to tip their drivers.
There’s a reason why many people who are in need of money quickly turn to ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft: because it works.
You can work whenever you want (there are no schedules or minimum time commitments), and you have the ability to cash-out instantly via a special (free) Visa debit card.
And if you’re more of an introvert, you can also deliver food via UberEats.
18. Foap
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.5 with 14,687 reviews 3.2 with 31,637 reviews
Foap allows you to make money by selling pictures you take with your phone.
What’s nice is that one photo can sell multiple times, which allows you to generate a source of passive income.
The best way to earn is through “missions,” in which 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 per month via PayPal.
Here are some more ways to get paid for taking pictures with your phone.
19. Bookscouter
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
3.8 with 408 reviews 4.2 with 1,792 reviews
A popular free app among book lovers, Bookscouter allows you to sell used books.
How it works is you enter or scan a book’s ISBN number and Bookscouter provides a list of companies looking to purchase that title (and how much they’re willing to pay).
Those who earn the most know where to find used books for cheap (garage sales, library book sales, etc.), and use the app on-the-spot to find the ones that will fetch the highest profit margins.
20. Field Agent
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.7 with 11,598 reviews 3.9 with 7,538 reviews
FieldAgent is an app that allows you to make money by completing random local tasks, like taking pictures of products (to make sure they’re properly displayed) and completing mystery shopping missions to evaluate stores’ customer service.
This free app is best-suited for those in urban areas, as you’re only paid on a per-task basis. Since you have to factor time and cost of travel into your net earnings, you’ll make more if you live near a high concentration of participating businesses.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 to PayPal.
21. EBay, Craigslist And Other Selling Apps
Selling your stuff is one of the best ways to make money fast. Apps such as 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. While you have to ship the item, you can typically sell it for a higher price (as your group of potential buyers is greatly enhanced).
This makes eBay ideal 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, giving you a price upfront.
Further reading: Alternatives to Craigslist for selling stuff locally.
22. SweatCoin
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.5 with 188,717 reviews 4.6 with 269,403 reviews
SweatCoin is a popular passive income app that allows you to earn money by walking.
To get started, you download the mobile app and provide it access to your location. SweatCoin then tracks the steps you take when you’re outside.
What’s the catch? Well, it is true that you can earn points (called Sweatcoins) from walking. However, the points earned from walking only can only be redeemed for rewards inside the mobile app. Furthermore, these rewards tend to be offers that are available elsewhere.
In other words, they’re not exclusive to Sweatcoin.
sweatcoin reward screenshot
You can indeed earn money when you refer users to Sweatcoin. For referring 12 invites, you can get $6 in PayPal cash.
Minimum withdrawal: $6 for 12 invites.
23. Achievement
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
4.6 with 16,401 reviews 4.2 with 18,354 reviews
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, over a dozen others
In addition to earning rewards via healthy activity — e.g., hitting 10,000 steps in one day — you can then earn rewards for answering health-related surveys.
You’ll need a minimum of 10,000 points to cash out, which gives you a $10 gift card to popular retailers.
Minimum withdrawal: $10.
Pro Tip: Turn this into a passive income app by syncing it to an app like Apple Health, which tracks your activity and steps in the background.
24. S’more (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating
N/A 4.4 with 50,270 reviews
S’more, available only for Android devices, is one the most popular apps that let you monetize your lockscreen.
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 learn more. If not, just swipe right to open up your phone as normal.
Either way, you’re earning some extra cash.
Users can expect to earn about $3 to $5 per month on average, with the option to cash out via PayPal.
While not the most exciting way to earn money, over the course of a year you can save up around $50 to use as you wish.
Minimum Withdrawal: $1.
Money Making Apps FAQ
What are the best apps for making money fast?
Selling apps, such as Craigslist and eBay, are your best bets for making money fast. Beyond selling, Ibotta, Postmates and DoorDash are also good options.
Ibotta allows you to use a receipt that’s up to a week old, comes with a $10 sign-up bonus, and lets you cash-out once you’ve accumulated $20. As such, you can earn $20 right now if you have a receipt on hand.
Postmates and DoorDash enable you to make decent money on a per-hour basis, as well as cash-out your earnings daily (for a small fee). These are among the highest paying apps you’ll find.
How do you avoid scams?
User reviews, specifically those in the Google Play Store and App Store, are the best method for determining whether an app is a scam.
Sort by negative reviews, and read through three to five to see the common complaints. If a lot of users have trouble withdrawing money or not getting responses from customer support, it’s best to avoid the app.
How do these apps make money?
There are a number of 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 seeking to improve their products and services.
Coupon apps get paid by manufacturers when you use a coupon, and in many cases, also collect data to sell. Many gig economy apps take a percentage of revenue from each transaction.
Cash-back 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.
Best Money Making Apps: Summary
My top priority when compiling this list was to make sure every app I included was both legitimate and worthwhile.
There are many others out there, and while some of them work for some people, others just collect your data and waste your time without providing any real chance to cash-out your earnings.
Depending on your situation, they may or may not be worth looking into.
But this list is the cream of the crop.
As I said in the opening, you won’t get rich from these apps. But you can use them as a source of extra cash, and some — like Postmates, Uber and DoorDash — can turn into fairly lucrative side hustles (or even full-time gigs).
*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for the service using the links provided
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R.J. Weiss
R.J. Weiss
R.J. Weiss is the founder and editor of The Ways To Wealth, a Certified Financial Planner™, husband and father of three. He's spent the last 10+ years writing about personal finance and has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, MSN Money, and other publications.
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1 Comment
ColeN
20 January, 2021 at 10:48 am
This is one great list. I’ve been in this niche quite a long time and one thing I’ve learned is that there are so many opportunities out there, just have to choose one (or a few) and stick to it.
When it comes to apps, think that you’ll have to research a bit, then go to PlayStore/AppStore, search for relevant apps, back to google and search what people says about an app.
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MAKE MONEY 24 Legit Money Making Apps For Android/IOS (Apps That Pay You Cash) Which money making apps are actually worth your time? We reviewed over 60 different apps to determine the very few that can add money to your bank account. R.J. Weiss R.J. Weiss, CFP®
Updated August 18, 2021 The Best Money Making Apps Some of the links on our website are sponsored, and we may earn money when you make a purchase or sign-up after clicking. Learn more about how we make money. If you want to get stronger, you have to start by lifting an amount of weight that’s hard but doable. Then, you can gradually increase the weight over time to build strength.
This same idea applies to earning money. If you’ve never made much, start with an idea that’s easy. Then, slowly increase the level of difficulty as your skills improve. The more your skills improve, the more you can make.
This is where money making apps come into play — they’re a great way to improve your money making muscle.
You won’t get rich, but you can earn some spending money while building your overall financial strength.
How to Build Your Money Making Muscle
To get started, here are the highest-rated money making apps available for iOS and Android.
*Ratings as of August 18th, 2021.
Jump To The Five Best Survey Apps For Making Money One popular way to make money from your smartphone is by taking surveys.
To get started, just download one of the survey apps below. Then, when a survey is available for you to complete, you’ll get a notification.
After you take the survey, you’ll either accrue points that are redeemable for free gift cards, or earn cash you can transfer to a bank or PayPal account.
Here’s a list of the best-rated survey apps for making money.
1. Survey Junkie
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.5 with 41,400 reviews 4.3 with 31,548 reviews Survey Junkie has been regarded as one of the best market research companies for years. But they were late to the app game, releasing theirs in May of 2019.
With over 10 million members, high ratings from real app users, an excellent score on Trustpilot, and a minimum payout of just $5, Survey Junkie is a must-have money making app.
Minimum withdrawal: 500 points gets you a $5 transfer to your PayPal account or can be redeemed for gift cards.
7d7b9a611a3b1603832930-about-sj-hero-home-1-1.png Survey Junkie
One of the most well-known and highest-rated online survey sites, Survey Junkie lets you redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash starting at just $5.
Sign Up Now
2. Swagbucks
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.4 with 48,571 reviews 4.2 with 66,601 reviews Swagbucks is a reader and personal favorite for good reason: while you have the ability to take surveys, there are also a number of other simple tasks you can do to make money, such as watching videos, playing games and getting cash-back for shopping online.
This variety of tasks makes it easy to earn. My personal favorite is cash-back shopping, where over the last year I’ve earned $235 in free Amazon gift cards.
The majority of those earnings came from getting 8% cash-back on a mattress and bed frame online.
My actual Swagbucks earnings. My actual Swagbucks earnings.
Minimum withdrawal: $3 through PayPal or for select gift cards.
e4754434f5641603287834-Swagbucks-company-logo.png 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 gift cards and PayPal cash starting at just $3.
Sign Up Now
3. Ipsos I-Say
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 3.7 with 2,555 reviews 4.3 with 80,998 reviews Based in France, Ipsos is one of the world’s largest and most well-known consumer research companies. As with Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, the i-Say program is free to join and lets you earn money by taking paid surveys.
What’s unique about i-Say is that it also has a product testing component: the company will sometimes send you free products to try out in exchange for your feedback and insights.
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 it takes to share your thoughts.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 via gift card, $15 via PayPal.
Click here to learn more and get started with Ipsos i-Say.
4. Google Opinion Rewards
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.7 with 134,760 reviews 4.2 with 2,404,506 reviews A great 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. In addition, you can use your rewards to get free Google Play codes.
The downside to Google Opinion Rewards is that surveys are sporadic, ranging anywhere from one per day to one per month.
Minimum withdrawal: $2.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking to cash out via PayPal, make sure you register on Google Play with the same email you used to sign up with PayPal.
5. InboxDollars
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.5 with 141,129 reviews 3.9 with 104,249 reviews InboxDollars is another popular money making app that lets you earn money through surveys as well as a variety of other tasks.
What’s nice about InboxDollars is that you get rewarded in real money (not points) for the activities you complete.
Plus, there’s a $5 sign-up bonus if you use this link.
Minimum withdrawal: $30 to cash out.
Pro Tip: For a complete list of the top survey apps check out: The Best Survey Apps for Making Money Fast.
The Best Money Making Apps For Earning Cash-Back These money making apps offer you the chance to earn cash rewards and/or save money on the stuff 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 one offer multiple times on different apps to earn big.
Here are the best apps for earning cash-back on both in-store and online purchases.
6. Capital One Shopping (Formerly Wikibuy)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 27,265 reviews 4.4 with 2,058 reviews Capital One Shopping tops our list in this category, even though you’re earning shopping credits that can be redeemed for gift cards rather than cash-back.
While you’ll also want to download the desktop browser extension, the Capital One Shopping app allows you to earn rewards when shopping online, easily apply coupon codes, and compare prices for the same products among other retailers — all from your phone.
Plus, when shopping in-store, you’re able to scan barcodes to look for online deals for that product.
Minimum withdrawal: Rewards be redeemed for gift cards with no minimum withdrawal.
Learn more about how this free service works in our detailed Capital One Shopping review.
7. Ibotta
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 1,281,973 reviews 4.4 with 546,742 reviews Ibotta started out as a grocery coupon app but has expanded into both retail and online cash-back.
In total, Ibotta has paid out over $860 million in rewards.
It works like this: you use the app to scan the barcode of the product you purchased at the store and then you upload a photo of your receipt. After that, you’re done! It’s that easy.
Both my wife and I use the app (read my Ibotta review), and we think the 30 seconds it takes is time well spent.
Ibotta also has one of the more generous welcome bonuses for new app users. There’s an opportunity to earn a quick $20 with the following three steps:
Redeem your first in-store offer ($10) Redeem a mobile shopping offer ($5) Redeem a second in-store or mobile shopping offer ($5) Minimum withdrawal: $20 in cash transferred to Venmo or PayPal.
8. Fetch Rewards
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 1,480,515 reviews 4.6 with 248,442 reviews Unlike many grocery receipt scanning apps, Fetch Rewards works at any store, as you earn points whenever you buy products from a participating brand. There are no barcodes to scan or coupons to clip.
The big downside to Fetch is that you’re only allowed to redeem your points for gift cards. But with stores like Target and Amazon among the options, that’s not too much of a loss.
You can earn a 2,000 bonus point bonus by signing up via the link below.
Minimum withdrawal: 3,000 points gets you a $3 gift card.
Claim your Fetch Rewards bonus.
9. Rakuten
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 161,362 reviews 4.2 with 69,448 reviews Rakuten is one of the highest-rated cash-back apps for both iOS and Android.
With Rakuten, you can earn up to 40% cash-back 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 any time you make a purchase through the provided link.
To make money with in-store purchases you have to link your credit or debit card inside the Rakuten app, and activate each cash-back offer. Then, just check out normally using your linked card.
You’ll get a check from Rakuten once per quarter with your cash-back balance.
Sign up with this link to get a $10 bonus when you make your first purchase, and learn more in our Rakuten review.
Minimum withdrawal: $5 needed to cash out, with payments being issued four times per year.
10. ShopKick
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.6 with 66,773 reviews 4.3 with 228,695 reviews ShopKick is one of the highest-rated apps in the App Store’s “Money” category. It rewards you for visiting stores, and in some cases you don’t even have to buy anything — you get rewarded just for walking in.
You can also earn points by scanning specific items within the store (again, it doesn’t matter if you buy the item).
One downside to ShopKick is that you can’t exchange your points for cash. Nonetheless, with many good options for gift cards (such as 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.
11. Pei
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.7 with 4,153 reviews 3.1 with 1,643 reviews Pei allows you to earn cash by using a linked card at participating retailers, with many national chains among its list of partners (including Walgreens, Trader Joe’s and more).
Some stores even offer up to 10% cash-back.
Plus, there’s no checking-in or receipt scanning required; just sync your cards and then you’ll earn automatically whenever you pay with those cards in a participating store.
You can transfer your earnings to PayPal, get a gift card, or redeem them for Bitcoin.
Minimum withdrawal: $25.
You can learn more about how the app works in our Pei review.
Other Highly-Rated Money Making Apps For IPhone And Android
12. Mistplay (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating N/A 4.0 with 208,283 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.
Related: Learn how to get paid to play games.
13. DoorDash
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.7 with 1,216,472 reviews 3.1 with 88,051 reviews DoorDash allows you to earn extra money by delivering restaurant take-out orders. You’ll need a car, a driver’s license and valid insurance to become a Dasher.
With DoorDash, you do 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 Postmates, but it also means you’ll usually have a more consistent flow of orders (because there are fewer drivers working at any given moment).
14. Postmates
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 1,688,717 reviews 3.1 with 48,674 reviews Postmates allows you to earn money by delivering groceries, carry-out orders, drinks and more.
You can deliver on foot, bike or car, and you can work as little or as much as you want — whether that’s a couple of deliveries in your downtime or a full workday.
One of the best aspects of working as a Postmates courier is that you can get your earnings deposited instantly for a nominal fee.
That means you can work for a few hours and have money in your bank account the same day.
15. Airbnb
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.8 with 510,080 reviews 4.6 with 1,155,438 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 I can earn $750 per month simply by renting out an extra room at 50% occupancy in my home.
Not sure if it’s worth it to list your place on Airbnb?
Check out Airbnb’s monthly earning potential calculator to see how much you can make.
16. Acorns
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.7 with 760,527 reviews 4.3 with 156,370 votes Acorns is an app that allows you to automate your investing. It does this in a couple of different ways:
By investing your spare change. One of Acorns’ main features is called Round Ups. Say you make a purchase for $17.20 (at any store). Acorns will then set aside 80 cents from your checking account and automatically invest that money into a mutual fund. It’s a way of helping you save, while also building up an investment portfolio a little bit at a time. Acorns Earn. Acorns has also partnered with hundreds of retailers to allow you to earn money any time you shop at a specific store. For example, say you spend $100 at Walmart. Acorns calculates a percentage of that $100 (which can be up to 10% for some retailers) and adds it to your investment account. This isn’t a “round up” — it’s free money. You can build up a nice portfolio just by using Found Money and investing your spare change. Eventually, that portfolio could go toward your retirement or earn you a nice side income.
Acorns is the largest largest subscription brand in financial services. Over 9 million people have saved and invested using the Acorns app.
17. Uber
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.6 with 576,586 reviews 4.0 with 2,398,798 reviews The ridesharing market is a big one, and it’s not slowing down any time soon.
Uber freelancers have earned millions of dollars taking riders on short trips around town, and the company finally introduced the long-awaited ability for riders to tip their drivers.
There’s a reason why many people who are in need of money quickly turn to ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft: because it works.
You can work whenever you want (there are no schedules or minimum time commitments), and you have the ability to cash-out instantly via a special (free) Visa debit card.
And if you’re more of an introvert, you can also deliver food via UberEats.
18. Foap
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.5 with 14,687 reviews 3.2 with 31,637 reviews Foap allows you to make money by selling pictures you take with your phone.
What’s nice is that one photo can sell multiple times, which allows you to generate a source of passive income.
The best way to earn is through “missions,” in which 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 per month via PayPal.
Here are some more ways to get paid for taking pictures with your phone.
19. Bookscouter
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 3.8 with 408 reviews 4.2 with 1,792 reviews A popular free app among book lovers, Bookscouter allows you to sell used books.
How it works is you enter or scan a book’s ISBN number and Bookscouter provides a list of companies looking to purchase that title (and how much they’re willing to pay).
Those who earn the most know where to find used books for cheap (garage sales, library book sales, etc.), and use the app on-the-spot to find the ones that will fetch the highest profit margins.
20. Field Agent
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.7 with 11,598 reviews 3.9 with 7,538 reviews FieldAgent is an app that allows you to make money by completing random local tasks, like taking pictures of products (to make sure they’re properly displayed) and completing mystery shopping missions to evaluate stores’ customer service.
This free app is best-suited for those in urban areas, as you’re only paid on a per-task basis. Since you have to factor time and cost of travel into your net earnings, you’ll make more if you live near a high concentration of participating businesses.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 to PayPal.
21. EBay, Craigslist And Other Selling Apps
Selling your stuff is one of the best ways to make money fast. Apps such as 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. While you have to ship the item, you can typically sell it for a higher price (as your group of potential buyers is greatly enhanced).
This makes eBay ideal 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, giving you a price upfront.
Further reading: Alternatives to Craigslist for selling stuff locally.
22. SweatCoin
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.5 with 188,717 reviews 4.6 with 269,403 reviews SweatCoin is a popular passive income app that allows you to earn money by walking.
To get started, you download the mobile app and provide it access to your location. SweatCoin then tracks the steps you take when you’re outside.
What’s the catch? Well, it is true that you can earn points (called Sweatcoins) from walking. However, the points earned from walking only can only be redeemed for rewards inside the mobile app. Furthermore, these rewards tend to be offers that are available elsewhere.
In other words, they’re not exclusive to Sweatcoin.
sweatcoin reward screenshot You can indeed earn money when you refer users to Sweatcoin. For referring 12 invites, you can get $6 in PayPal cash.
Minimum withdrawal: $6 for 12 invites.
23. Achievement
iOS Rating Google Play Rating 4.6 with 16,401 reviews 4.2 with 18,354 reviews 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, over a dozen others In addition to earning rewards via healthy activity — e.g., hitting 10,000 steps in one day — you can then earn rewards for answering health-related surveys.
You’ll need a minimum of 10,000 points to cash out, which gives you a $10 gift card to popular retailers.
Minimum withdrawal: $10.
Pro Tip: Turn this into a passive income app by syncing it to an app like Apple Health, which tracks your activity and steps in the background.
24. S’more (Android Phones Only)
iOS Rating Google Play Rating N/A 4.4 with 50,270 reviews S’more, available only for Android devices, is one the most popular apps that let you monetize your lockscreen.
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 learn more. If not, just swipe right to open up your phone as normal.
Either way, you’re earning some extra cash.
Users can expect to earn about $3 to $5 per month on average, with the option to cash out via PayPal.
While not the most exciting way to earn money, over the course of a year you can save up around $50 to use as you wish.
Minimum Withdrawal: $1.
Money Making Apps FAQ What are the best apps for making money fast? Selling apps, such as Craigslist and eBay, are your best bets for making money fast. Beyond selling, Ibotta, Postmates and DoorDash are also good options.
Ibotta allows you to use a receipt that’s up to a week old, comes with a $10 sign-up bonus, and lets you cash-out once you’ve accumulated $20. As such, you can earn $20 right now if you have a receipt on hand.
Postmates and DoorDash enable you to make decent money on a per-hour basis, as well as cash-out your earnings daily (for a small fee). These are among the highest paying apps you’ll find.
How do you avoid scams? User reviews, specifically those in the Google Play Store and App Store, are the best method for determining whether an app is a scam.
Sort by negative reviews, and read through three to five to see the common complaints. If a lot of users have trouble withdrawing money or not getting responses from customer support, it’s best to avoid the app.
How do these apps make money? There are a number of 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 seeking to improve their products and services.
Coupon apps get paid by manufacturers when you use a coupon, and in many cases, also collect data to sell. Many gig economy apps take a percentage of revenue from each transaction.
Cash-back 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.
Best Money Making Apps: Summary My top priority when compiling this list was to make sure every app I included was both legitimate and worthwhile.
There are many others out there, and while some of them work for some people, others just collect your data and waste your time without providing any real chance to cash-out your earnings.
Depending on your situation, they may or may not be worth looking into.
But this list is the cream of the crop.
As I said in the opening, you won’t get rich from these apps. But you can use them as a source of extra cash, and some — like Postmates, Uber and DoorDash — can turn into fairly lucrative side hustles (or even full-time gigs).
*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for the service using the links provided
Share R.J. Weiss R.J. Weiss R.J. Weiss is the founder and editor of The Ways To Wealth, a Certified Financial Planner™, husband and father of three. He's spent the last 10+ years writing about personal finance and has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, MSN Money, and other publications. Website Twitter Facebook 1 Comment ColeN 20 January, 2021 at 10:48 am This is one great list. I’ve been in this niche quite a long time and one thing I’ve learned is that there are so many opportunities out there, just have to choose one (or a few) and stick to it. When it comes to apps, think that you’ll have to research a bit, then go to PlayStore/AppStore, search for relevant apps, back to google and search what people says about an app.
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