Best Money Making Apps That Really Pay You

Making money these days has become as simple as using an app on your phone. Now, I’m sure many of you have visited sites that have told you about apps you can download and install on your phone and start earning money from, and once you tried them, they turned out to be useless. But bear with me…

In this article, I will explain to you the best money making apps. The ones that will truly change your life. These applications have been tested and proven to be the real deal. All you have to do is spend some time, money, or effort, and you’ll be on your way to the bank to cash out.

I have grouped the apps into sections so that you can easily compare what’s out there. So read on, I’m sure you will find something that’s just right for you.

See also: Ways to Earn Money Online

Shop and Earn Applications

These applications required little to no effort because they pay you for doing what you do every day: Shop. Each time you visit a participating store and buy something, you’ll earn cash back in the form of cash, gift cards, or other rewards. Here are the best cash back apps.

1. Ibotta

The Ibotta app is from a company that gives cashback offers for any purchases made through their portal. To earn yourself some money, you need to download the application to your phone and sign up for an account.

After that, you simply link the app with your credit or debit card, and then you can shop at any of Ibotta’s 289 retailers. Each time you buy something, snap a picture of your receipt and upload it to the app. You will earn cashback that will be credited to your account in 2 days.

You can earn cashback for the purchase of eligible products at selected department stores, grocery stores, Uber rides, eating out, and purchases made on Amazon. All credits earned can be redeemed for cash or gift cards.

2. Ebates

Just like Ibotta, Ebates is an app that will also earn you cash back for purchases, but that is not the only good thing about them. You can also earn some money for scanning the barcodes of various products in a store.

The starting process is very similar, I don’t know how fast they credit your account, but I do know that you can earn as much as 40% cash back on purchases. Ebates has a list of over 2500 eligible retailers, therefore, widening the scope for you compared to Ibotta.

Ebates also offers in-store coupons as a reward, plus the app will compare the coupons for you to ensure you are getting the best deal available. Another passive advantage to this app is that if you sign up and spend a minimum of $5 on your purchases, you become eligible for payment every three months.

If you’d like to learn more, take a look at our complete Ebates review.

3. Instacart

As the name suggests, with the Instacart app, you will be delivering groceries for people who don’t have the time or ability to visit the store themselves. Think of it as running errands for someone, but it’s exclusive to shopping.

To get started, you will download the app, open an account, and get clients who want you to do their grocery shopping for them. This may be a difficult task at first, since people may not trust you when you’re new. With a little work, you can build a portfolio filled with positive reviews, and that helps you get more gigs.

Your rate of pay is based on several things, including the size of the order, and the miles you must travel. You may also earn tips from the client after delivery in addition to the base earnings from the app. An average rate ranges between $15 to $25 an hour.

4. The Nielsen App

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Nielsen app that does television ratings. But that is not the only thing their app does. In fact, they’re willing to pay you a full $50 for downloading their application and keeping it installed.

Their consumer panel will also pay you to scan bar codes of products in the store with no commitment whatsoever of purchase. If you do buy something, however, you can send them a receipt of each purchase you make. For every receipt you upload in the app, you will earn points that you can redeem later for gift cards and cash. If you don’t want the money, you can donate it to charity.

5. Field Agents

Field Agents app pays you to be their field agent. You will be indirectly working for research companies to find ways to improve the services they offer to their customers. Field agents are required to do various things while in a store like taking a picture of the display product, scanning codes, and checking the prices of certain items.

To be an agent, you will have to open an account and fill in some details, and then you’ll be shown a list of tasks they need you to do. You will view and select the tasks you want, and each must be completed within 2 hours of when you selected it.

Each job you undertake will pay you between $3 to $15, either per hour or per task. An advantage with this app is that the tasks are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so there is no marketing required to earn jobs.

6. Spentapp

Spentapp acts as your financial advisor for online shopping. Once you download the app, you’ll be prompted to link the cards the most for shopping. The app will manage all your expenses, have a look at how you spend your money, and give you recommendations on how you can save more money.

You will also gain cashback credits for any purchase you make. The credits can then be sent to you via your Paypal account or other preferred methods of payment.

7. Shopkick App

Something unique about this Shopkick App is that it will pay you in gift cards alone. They have a plethora of gift cards they offer instead of cash, probably because they are easier to handle than hard cash.

The application also scans bar codes of products at stores and sends the data to research companies for their analysis. You can be tasked with taking a picture of similar products on the shelf to compare prices, packaging, and placement, among other things.

You earn cashback kicks from both tasks and purchase receipts, and those are redeemable for virtual and physical cards sent to you via mail. The gift cards can be from many stores including;

• Amazon
• Target
• AMC
• Best Buy
• Kohl’s
• Receipt Hog

The name says it all. The application pays you cash back for any receipt you upload to their application. Every picture you upload earns you virtual coins that are redeemable for cash or gift cards. As with other apps, you can receive the cash via PayPal or Amazon gift cards.

An additional way to earn money from this site is by referring other users. Once they join the application from your recommendation, you will be credited.

8. CoinOut

The last application I will highlight in this section, CoinOut, works in the same way, but one perk that goes with this app is that you don’t have to visit a specific store to be eligible to earn points or coins. Any store’s receipt is valid for cash back.

You are free to download the app and start earning cash from all receipts. One negative review I read about this app is that the cashback offers are tiny, more like cents than actual dollars.

It may take some time to accumulate enough to cash out, but you are allowed do so once a week for in the form of Amazon gift cards or transfers to your bank account or PayPal.

Invest and Earn Applications

These apps will allow you to watch as your money grows silently over time. Investments come from savings accounts, real estate property, dividends, stocks, and business.

9. Prosper

Prosper is a peer-to-peer app that lets you invest your money on given loans to borrowers. The application is used to link investors with borrowers who may need money as capital for their small or medium enterprise(SME), or to pay for medical emergencies, or to consolidate debt.

To get started, you must open an account and choose between an investor or borrower. Once you pick an investor, you may be vetted to prove whether you can afford to lend money to other individuals in need. Once that is done, you will be shown a variety of loans that need monetization.

Once you pick up a loan, you will earn monthly cash from the loan interest. The good thing about using prosper for lending is that it answers all your questions before you begin giving out your money.

The app will show you essential details about the borrower, including the state they live in, the fundamental nature of the loan (personal, medical, household or other), the rates of payment, the interest on the loan, and a risk rating.

Risk rating helps you choose a low-risk loan with only 4% interest, up to a high-risk loan with over 30%. Which level you want depends on your risk appetite.

You might also consider downloading the Lending Club app. It works similarly, and you can gain up to 3% to 8% per annum in profit.

10. Fundrise

Fundrise is an application for real estate property management. You can opt to invest in virtual real estate and earn your proceeds within 6 months to 5 years. You will obviously need to download the app first and set up your profile.

To begin your journey, you will have to put up an initial investment of $500, and then you can start to flip houses. The app helps you to look at the value fluctuation in the market and also monitor your investments.

Fundrise offers many options for income, including real estate trust investment, growth real estate investment trust, and placements in various areas.

In case the money is a bit too high for you, you can join the student real estate crowd-funded platform where you only need to invest $5. Besides, if your taste is higher, you can also join Realty Mogul and invest $5000 to get started.

11. Betterment

Betterment is an application that is a robo-advisor that will manage your money for you for a specified fee. The automated payment platform helps to check on your 401k. All you need to do is download the app from the Android or IOS store and open an account.

Place the amount you want to be managed and let the company do the rest. It will minimize trading fees, take control of your taxes, and advise you on other investment opportunities. It is similar to banking on your phone, but the money grows instead of staying stagnant.

Other similar apps offering the same services include Blooom, Wealthfront, and M1 finance.

12. Acorns

Acorns is a dividend-paying stock app that will help invest your spare change. With this app, you download and link your credit or debit cards, and allow it to invest for you.

The app gives you two choices: Acorns Core or Acorns Spend. Neither requires much money.

Acorns Core will automatically invest $5 from your account on a recurring basis. The amount accumulates with each deposit and is invested in the stock market for you. The app invests in both stocks and bonds, and it is designed to keep everything balanced for you, even when the market is fluctuating.

Acorns Spend will earn you money for cash you spend and offers reimbursement of fees at the ATM.

Please read our Acorns review if you want to learn more about it.

Other apps like this are Stash and Swell.

Work and Earn Applications

Sometimes to earn, you have to put work on it. These apps give you a platform to get your money’s worth.

13. InboxDollars

Inbox Dollars is a paid online site that provides an app that lets you earn points for specific tasks. The myriad of functions available in the app include:

• Watching videos
• Taking surveys
• Playing games
• Referring friends
• Reading mail
• Product reviews

Once you get started, you will be credited $5 as a welcome fee, and then you have to earn the other points over time. When you get to the minimum threshold of $30, you can redeem your points for gift cards and cash.

Click here to learn more about InboxDollars.

14. MyPoints App

MyPoints is a similar money-making app that will pay you for tasks. One big difference with this app is that you can earn travel miles that will get you discounts and amazing offers when you take flights, reserve a hotel, rent a car or take a cruise.

In addition to travel perks, you can still earn gift cards and cash. There is no minimum payment threshold, plus you also get $5 for completing your first 5 surveys.

See also: MyPoints Review

15. Lyft App

If you’re not fond of the survey apps, you can get Lyft app and give people rides to their destination just like Uber. Some people don’t like Uber because of the many rules and regulations, and that is where Lyft starts to shine.

Download the app, register as a driver, and start making money through the app. The app will notify you when someone nearby would like a ride.

You can earn a solid $20 per hour with Lyft, but don’t set your expectations too high. The work can be sporadic depending upon your area. But the company recently announced they would have promotions for new drivers, which lets them earn a $300 bonus after completing 100 rides. So start today and get there faster within just weeks of driving. You will be amazed at how people love to move around.

16. TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is a service platform that connects people to paying jobs. They operate in over 47 cities in the USA, and you can get paid for doing various tasks for people. Examples of things you can do include:

Running errands – you may be asked to drop packages for people at the post office, pick up dry cleaning, get groceries, or fill prescriptions. You could offer your service and get paid $35 per hour. Some tasks may require a truck or vehicle so have a look at all the details of the gig.

Make deliveries – you can quickly get a job at Joe’s restaurant and be asked to make deliveries, but with TaskRabbit, you will have a variety to choose from. You could take snacks to an office or bring drinks to a party at $22 per hour.

Wait – yes! You read that correctly. Impatience, among other people, can get you paid. You can wait in line for delivery or a reservation at a restaurant and earn yourself $30 per hour.

Handy work – most people do not like to do necessary home repairs or assemble new furniture after buying it. You can offer these services and get paid between $50 to $80 depending on the complexity of the task.

This app has a lot to offer to its users. You do need to be aware of their rules before you sign up:

• You have to above the age of 21
• You must have a checking account
• You must possess a credit card
• For the handy work, you may need to show proof of proficiency
• You will also need to pay $20 to register on the app
• You’re required to attend orientation after your registration is accepted

Lease and Earn Applications

These applications pay you for leasing out something you may not be using.

17. Airbnb

Airbnb will pay you to rent a room or your whole house to someone else. They match people who have a spare room or an empty house or apartment, with people who need a temporary place to stay. The renters usually want an immersion experience, so they are not interested in renting hotel rooms.

All you need to do is download the application, register, and create a listing that showcases the space you have for rent. You will need to give a description and provide pictures so prospective guests can see what they’ll get in your area. Then you note how much you are charging.

If you live in a conducive environment for students, or close to a beautiful scenic area, it will make your rental space more appealing and potentially more profitable. When someone rents from you, you will manage their reservations and do some preparations for them.

Airbnb will pay you once the guests check-in, but they will keep 3% as a service fee. They also provide you with $1 million in insurance in case of damages.

18. LetGo

LetGo app works like Craigslist. It lets you sell everyday things such as clothing, furniture, and other personal items. The app is free to download, and there is no cost to sell anything. LetGo doesn’t even take a cut of the final proceeds.

If you have anything around that you have been looking to dispose of, this is an excellent app to have on your phone. It is downloadable on both Android and IOS.

19. FluidMarket App

The FluidMarket app will pay you to rent out your truck. Whether you have a pickup or a box truck, you will earn something extra with it. You download the app, register your truck, and you stand a chance to earn $12,000 a year for the pickup and $24,000 for the box truck.

In case you own a car, and you want to rent it out as well, you can use similar apps such as:

• Getaround
• Turo
• Vugo

Get Fit and Earn Applications

Who said getting fit has to be painful? Not at all. These applications will get you earning for all the work you put into your body.

20. Sweatcoins

The Sweatcoins application will pay you to sweat it out whether it is at home, at the gym, or as you take a jog. You download the application and link it with your phone’s accelerometer and GPS. The app will track all the steps taken.

For every 1000 steps, you take, you to get 95 Sweatcoins that you can redeem later for fitness gear, classes, or cash. If you are feeling charitable, a donation is also an option.

21. Dietbet App

Dietbet App will have you placing bets on yourself about losing weight and staying fit. You can download the application and register, then fill in all your details and set your targets for losing weight. That is what is called a bet.

The app has 3 game types:

Kickstarter – this is for the beginners. You will be given small bets to get you in the idea of losing weight. You can bet to lose like 10 pounds for $25. If you accomplish the goal, you are considered to have won the bet, and you get credited.

Transformer – you have more time to lose your target weight. Unlike the Kickstarter that can give you weekly limits, with the transformer, you can spend a total of 6 months. The same method is used. If you win, you are rewarded almost twice the bet amount.

Maintainer – this is for those who have already accomplished their set targets. All you have to do is stay fit at that weight and continue earning money. Maintaining your weight has the longest period of 12 months. A whole year within that bracket of weight.

22. StepBet

Like the above app, StepBet also lets you place bets on your weight. It is a common thing where you declare your weight target, and when you accomplish it, you will have to split the amount with the other winners.

The app is fair for all because you’re not competing to lose more weight than others. The only competition is with yourself. You reach your target and you are paid.

Everyone has their targets prescribed by the app’s algorithm, together with daily steps they need to accomplish. The app will count your steps automatically via Apple, Fitbit, or Garmin. You can do whatever to perform your specified steps from dance, walk, climb, run, or anything else.

23. Healthywage

Healtywage is another money-making fitness app that will give you weight loss challenges, no bets whatsoever. You can use whatever technique to lose your weight and doesn’t have to be steps.

You can take up a new diet, go swimming, do yard work, or whatever works for you. Just attain your set of targets for weight loss, and you can be paid according to your percentage of body fat loss.

Another advantage is you can build a team challenge and link with other players to accomplish a specific goal, and you will be paid for the combined efforts and body loss metrics on every team player.

Watch and Earn Applications

These apps let you earn money from the comfort of your cell phone.

24. App Trailers

App Trailers pays you to watch trailers on your phone. Each trailer runs for about 30 minutes showing various content or a walkthrough of how an app works. For every trailer you watch, you accumulate points that can be redeemed for cash or gift cards.

The more videos you watch, the more you earn. You can also earn extra money by taking quizzes and playing games via the app. Common games played include EA sports-related, Rovio for angry birds enthusiasts, and other games by popular game developers.

All payments can be sent directly to your bank or your PayPal account.

25. SlideJoy

If you love to look at your phone, then SlideJoy is definitely for you. The app usually posts news, advertisements, and other promotional messages that will pay you for looking at them.

You can download the app via Apple or Google play store, and once it is installed, you will see an advertisement that features news and promotional pop-ups on your lock screen whenever you look at your phone. You can swipe left to learn more, up to see other ads, or right to ignore.

When you engage the ads, you earn points redeemable for cash. If you request payment, you can choose to be paid through Square Cash or PayPal. Also, you can decide to donate to charity.

Payments are made monthly, but you have to wait through a 3 month initiation period before you can receive the first one.

Additional Information

As a bonus for reading this far, I will add one extra app that can earn you money.

See also: How to Make Money Fast

26. App Bounty

App Bounty is an international paid online site that pays you gift cards to download other apps. The app has no residential restrictions as it is worldwide. There are a plethora of apps you can download on this app. So if you don’t want to engage in a lot of work and you have space on your phone, then download this app.

The gift cards you get from this app are from stores like PlayStation, Network, Xbox, iTunes, and Steam, among others.

Conclusion

All of the applications mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more legitimate apps that you can use to make and save money. All you need is a smartphone and a decent internet connection, and I can assure you there is something for everyone.

In addition to optimizing your expenses with cashback apps, I recommend trying out the Trim app (which negotiates you better terms with different regular living expenses, e.g. utility and phone bills) and checking the market rate for rent from ABODO. Would you like to learn more?

See also: Best Ways How to Make Money from Home