What are the best apps to make money?
Here's my pick of the best money-making apps to use this year.
1. Swagbucks.
The best for paid surveys and online gift cards.
I advise you to consult Swagbucks if you are looking for a quick and easy way to make money online. This unique platform gives users the opportunity to earn “Swagbucks,” which can be redeemed for gift cards or cash. Combine online shopping, paid surveys, video watching, and other activities to make money.
- Rating: 9.1/10
- Best for: Shopping
Try Swagbucks
Swagbucks lets you quickly earn money by shopping online, browsing the web, and watching videos. You can also participate in online surveys, polls, or simply play online games to earn more. You can redeem your rewards for specific merchandise, gift cards, or cash.
Here are ways you can earn gift cards with Swagbucks:
- Shop online at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Starbucks.
- Complete surveys and win gift cards.
- Watch the videos.
- Earn points and gift cards through exclusive deals and transactions.
- Browse the site with the Yahoo! search engine from Swagbucks.
- Play games and make in-game purchases.
Swagbucks is present in the United States, India, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom (Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand). Plus, you can sign up for Swagbucks for free via Facebook or your personal email. You can also earn money by referring people and earn extra points.
Features
- Gold Surveys - Gold Surveys reflect the time it takes to complete a survey and the points you can earn as a result of it.
- Daily Survey - You can complete a survey on a regular basis to earn 1 Swagbucks point per day.
- Cash in quickly - Swagbucks lets you transfer funds as low as $3, which means you don't have to wait long for your paycheck.
Benefits
- It offers gift cards for Amazon, Freecharge, Walmart, Expedia, PayPal, and more.
- For 20 minutes of video, you can earn approximately 2 Swagbucks points.
- It also offers stores and commercial offers from Groupon.
Pricing
Signing up is free and you get a $10 bonus.
Start with Swagbucks
2. Survey Junkie.
The best way to earn money by completing online surveys.
Do you like surveys and earning extra money? If that's the case, Survey Junkie is certainly a platform worth discovering. By sharing your opinion about various brands and products, you can make money with Survey Junkie. It's easy to get started and you can start earning money right away.
- Rating: 8.8/10
- Best for: Surveys
Survey Junkie allows you to influence brands by sharing your opinion to earn money through surveys.
It helps you complete surveys based on your profile and rewards you with virtual points. You can then exchange your virtual points for gift cards or transfer them to PayPal.
You can transfer your money directly to your bank account. Or you can receive withdrawals via PayPal, Amazon gift cards, and more.
Features
- Lots of gift cards - It offers gift cards from multiple brands including Amazon, Sephora, iTunes, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, and Groupon.
- Quick estimate - You can check how long it takes to complete a survey and how many points you can earn.
Benefits
- You can view all available surveys on a single dashboard.
- The user interface is easy to use.
- Responses will be completely anonymous.
Pricing
You can register and participate in surveys for free.
Start with Survey Junkie.
3. M1 Finance.
Free investment platform for building assets.
For those who like to invest, I recommend M1 Finance. M1 Finance is an investment platform that helps you grow your money while taking minimal risk. If you're looking to save by making small, regular investments, M1 could be a good option.
- Rating: 8.6/10
- Best for: Investing
M1 Finance offers a range of financial tools to help you manage your expenses, investments, and loans.
It also helps you manage and rebalance your portfolio. In addition, its intelligent automation shows you the best instruments to invest and the cheapest options to borrow money.
With an investment of only $10,000, you can open a line of credit where you can borrow at a rate as low as 2%.
It also allows you to earn 1% on every dollar spent. M1 Finance also offers an average annual return that is 25 times higher than the national average. It allows you to earn in 2 weeks the same amount you would earn in a year at a major bank.
Features
- Afternoon trading window - As soon as you have over $25,000 in your investment portfolio, you can invest both in the morning and in the afternoon.
- No investment commission - It offers services without management fees or investment commissions.
Benefits
- Repay your loans according to your own schedule.
- It automatically transfers settled funds to your bank account.
- It allows you to borrow money at very low base rates.
- You benefit from attractive cashback on certain debit card purchases.
Pricing
You won't have to invest until your account reaches $100. Apart from that, there are no commissions or brokerage fees.
4. Acorns.
The best way to invest your small change ($1 per month)
Do you want to make your money work for you but don't have a lot of money to start with? Look no further than Acorns. This application helps you invest your small change from everyday purchases in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. I like this app because all you need to get started is think about your daily expenses and how you can adjust them to start saving.
- Rating: 8.2/10
- Best for: Everyday investments
- Price: $3/mo-$5/mo
Acorns is a micro-investment platform that helps you invest the small change left over from your daily purchases.
Create your account in minutes and build your own diversified portfolio by investing in stocks or bonds. You can invest starting at $1.
With Acorns, you can invest in:
- Exchange-traded funds
- Asset classes
- Over 7,000 stocks and bonds from the largest companies
Don't worry about safety either. To keep your money safe, it offers bank-grade security, 256-bit encryption, and two-factor authentication. It also helps you understand the nuances of investing through its in-depth articles and videos.
Features
- Acorns Later - It allows you to automate your investments and build healthy retirement capital in just a few minutes.
- Advice - The Acorn support team has qualified advisors to help you reach your financial goals by investing in the right funds.
Benefits
- It offers bank-level security.
- Earn cashback at specific retailers.
- It allows you to earn bonuses by making purchases from over 350 brands.
- You can sign up by investing starting at $1 per month.
Pricing
Acorns offers three pricing options:
- Lite: $1 per month. The Lite plan only includes an investment account.
- Personal: $3 per month. The Personal plan includes an investment account, a retirement account, and a current account.
- Family: $5 per month The family plan offers an investment account, a retirement account, a checking account, and an early investment account for children.
5. Capital One Shopping.
Earn money with better online deals and cash rewards.
Capital One Shopping provides shoppers with a personalized shopping experience by giving them access to discounts, coupons, and deals on products they love. With Capital One Shopping, you can save money on your favorite brands and products, while earning rewards points that can be redeemed for future purchases.
- Rating: 7.8/10
- Best for: Online shopping
- Price: Free
Capital One Shopping allows you to shop on websites and stores at the lowest rates. After installing it on your browser, its database connects you to e-commerce stores offering the best discounts and offers on your purchases.
Capital One Shopping's intuitive mobile app allows you to scan barcodes and find stores offering the same product at a lower price. It also automatically adds discount codes and provides credits for purchases on sites like Walmart and eBay.
Additionally, you can also earn rewards by making purchases from its partner merchants and sellers.
Features
- Browser Add-On - The Capital One Shopping browser add-on automatically reviews thousands of websites to provide you with the best deals and prices.
- Mobile app - It also offers iOS and Android mobile apps to help you scan barcodes, find the best deals, and shop on the go.
Benefits
- It tells you about retailers that can help you get rewards.
- When shopping online, Capital One Shopping alerts you if the same product is available at a lower price on another website.
- Capital One Shopping also finds the best promo code to save a bit more money at the checkout.
Pricing
Registration and use are completely free.
6. AirBnb.
The best way to earn money by renting space in your home (registering your home is free)
Airbnb offers you a platform to rent your room, apartment or other empty property and earn money instantly. The hosting aggregator allows you to list your property on its website and reach billions of people around the world.
Because Airbnb is a very popular platform, you don't need to worry about marketing or promotion. From marketing to getting bookings, Airbnb does it all for you. You can easily get a reservation and make money with your empty real estate.
To keep your home and belongings safe, Airbnb covers each reservation with $1 million in property damage protection and $1 million in accident insurance.
Airbnb also allows you to share your experiences and take people on local tours. You can also earn money by offering additional services like catering, transportation, and cultural activities.
Features
- Online experiences - You can help people take a virtual tour of your local tourist sites, food experiences, and culture.
- Control of the days of accommodation - Unlike hotels, you can control your days of accommodation. You can deactivate reservations on its application for days when you do not want to be hosted.
Benefits
- Access billions of visitors through this global platform.
- You can set your own prices to get the real value of your property.
- Airbnb unlocks the reservation amount 24 hours before hosts arrive.
- It also gives tips on pricing to attract more bookings.
Pricing
Listing your property on Airbnb is free. However, you will usually have to pay 3% when booking to cover business costs.
Start asAirbnb host.
7. Turo.
Rent your car for free.
Turo is an American peer-to-peer car sharing company that allows you to rent your sports car, truck, or other vehicle. Turo can save you a bit of money if your car spends more time in the garage than on the road. You can register your car on the Turo app and rent it to Turo users.
You can use their “calculator” to determine your monthly earning potential by renting your car. The site claims that you can earn an average of $706 per month.
Turo is available in 5500 cities across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. To make you feel safe with your car, Turo offers protection against theft and physical damage in its contract. On top of that, it also covers $750,000 in liability insurance.
Features
- Two-way reviews - Turo shows ratings for hosts and guests. This helps you select suitable hosts for your car.
- Set your price - Turo lets you set the daily price of your car. To attract more bookings, you can also allow Turo to set the most appropriate price.
Benefits
- It allows you to win up to 85% of the trip price.
- No registration fees or subscription fees.
- It offers customer support and roadside assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- You can also write a review of your guests.
- All guests are properly selected and checked.
Pricing
There are no registration fees. Then you will win 65% - 85% of the trip price.
8. Robinhood.
The best way to build long-term wealth by investing in stocks.
Robinhood is a commission-free investment platform that helps you invest in stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. It offers you a free action after registering and linking your bank details to help you build your portfolio.
With Robinhood, you can partially own blue-chip stocks like Google and Microsoft. Let's say that even if you have $10, you can partially invest in Google and own a portion of its shares.
Robinhood is also a great option if you want to tap into the cryptocurrency market. You can buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other cryptocurrencies.
You can execute cryptocurrency trades in minimal quantities. On top of that, it offers a user-friendly experience to help you trade stocks easily.
Features
- Instant cash - You can have instant access to cash refunded by your sales.
- Trade in real time - It offers an intuitive iOS and Android mobile application to help you trade and invest in real time, wherever you are.
Benefits
- Invest partially in more than 7,000 stocks and mutual funds.
- Open your account with zero balance.
- It offers its Gold Service free of charge for 30 days.
Pricing
It is a free trading and investing application. However, the gold plan with additional benefits costs $5 per month.
9. MyPoints.
Earn money through surveys, coupons, and purchases.
MyPoints allows you to earn rewards points for online and in-store purchases, restaurant meals, and paid surveys. You can also earn money by watching movies, reading emails, playing games, and more.
Once you've accumulated enough points, you can redeem them as gift cards or even cash. You can easily redeem rewards earned with MyPoints at its more than 70 partner brands. You can also redeem the points for Amazon and Visa gift cards.
You can sign up for MyPoints in a few easy steps. However, the site is only available in the United States and Canada.
Features
- Sign up bonus - MyPoints is offering a $10 sign-up bonus. And you can create an account for free.
- PayPal Transfer - You can transfer your earned points to the PayPal account. Approximately 3970 points correspond to a PayPal payment of $25.
Benefits
- You can also use your MyPoints rewards like travel miles through your United Mileage Plus account.
- Earn a large number of rewards points by shopping at their featured store.
- It also applies the best promo code at checkout to help you earn more.
Pricing
Registration is 100% free.
10. Earny.
Earn cashback on your daily purchases.
Earny works like a personal assistant that helps you get automatic refunds when product prices drop. It offers a Chrome extension that allows you to never miss out on the best deals and the right discount codes.
You can also track price history and receive real-time notifications of price updates.
Put your items on the watch list and buy them when prices drop. You can also earn cashback by sharing links with friends who frequently shop online.
Features
- Hotel Deals - With over 5,000 partners, Earny also provides access to the best hotel deals from around the world.
- Referral program - Get cashback by referring Earny to other users.
Benefits
- Get a refund when the package isn't delivered on time using Amazon Late Shipping.
- Use their ShopRunner membership to get 2-day shipping and returns.
- It offers a free version that allows you to track your purchases.
- Earny has two-factor authentication and data masking for increased security.
Pricing
Earny receives 25% of the total refunds accrued.
11. Worthy Bonds.
The best way to get fixed returns by supporting small businesses.
Worthy Bonds is an investment platform that lends money to small businesses. You can invest in corporate bonds and earn 5% fixed interest.
This simple investment instrument allows you to earn money by investing from 10 dollars at no additional cost. It uses your money to offer the best secured loans to American businesses. A win-win for both parties - you and the small businesses.
Here's how Worthy Bonds works:
You can use the Worthy Bonds app to see your interests increase in real time. There is a 36-month lockdown period. However, you can cash in on your bonds whenever you want to meet your financial needs and goals, without fees or penalties.
Features
- Secured loans - Worthy Bonds mitigates the risk for your investment by guaranteeing company assets to cover the amount loaned.
- Automated investing - You can automate the investment of your small change. It continues to collect currency until it reaches $10 and automatically buys a bond for you.
Benefits
- It secures all its transactions with 128-bit SSL encryption.
- It offers a user-friendly mobile application with an intuitive interface.
- Phone support and live chat.
- He credits the interest every week.
- Easily liquidate your assets with no time limit.
FreshPricing
The service is free.
12. Google Opinion Rewards.
The best way to earn money by completing Google surveys.
Google Opinion Rewards is a Google rewards program that allows you to get paid for completing Google surveys. It offers short surveys and pays you for answering them.
It pays out rewards in the form of Google Play or PayPal credit. You get surveys on multiple topics, including opinion polls, hotel reviews, and merchant satisfaction surveys.
It normally offers local surveys based on your location. Each survey can take between 10 seconds and 1 minute. Credits are valid for 12 months and the app alerts you when your credits are about to expire.
Features
- Use Play Store credits to buy apps, books, movie rentals, or games.
- Its mobile application is also available on iOS, and you can receive payment on your PayPal account.
- You have 24 hours to respond to a survey.
Pricing
Install the smartphone app for free and get started right away.
13. Dosh.
The best way to earn cashback with your linked cards.
Dosh is a cashback app that offers cash back at specific stores or restaurants whenever you shop or dine with your linked cards.
Dosh allows you to earn money while paying for your purchases, meals, and travel. All you need to do is download the app, register, and link your card. The cashback you earn is automatically added to your wallet.
Dosh has over 100,000 partners who help you easily earn money through their cash back applications. It offers a secure platform that doesn't sell your data and never stores your credit card information.
Features
- Bank transfer - It allows you to transfer cashback to your bank account or get PayPal cash when the amount is equal to or greater than $25.
- Earn money from fuel - If you own a car, you can easily earn significant cashback every time you fill up your car.
Benefits
- After you link your first credit card to the app, the app automatically rewards you with 5 dollars in your wallet.
- It offers lots of cashback on store purchases.
- Dosh is offering a $5 referral bonus.
- You can also transfer the cashback to your PayPal account.
Pricing
Dosh takes a commission on each trade.
14. StepBet.
The best way to earn rewards based on the number of steps you take every day.
StepBet is a fitness app that allows you to set personalized goals and earn rewards if you reach them. It also encourages you to take more steps regularly and to earn money by doing so. NStepBet offers several games in which you need to take a certain number of steps to win rewards. The app tracks your history to determine how many steps you need to take.
You need to place a bet based on the game and win prizes and bets after successfully reaching the goal. It works with Apple Watch, Google Fit, Apple Health, FitBit, Garmin, and Samsung Health.
Features
- Warm-up week - Each player has the first week to get used to the format and their goals.
- Step check - It connects directly to your activity tracker to accurately count steps and get a valid step count.
Benefits
- It allows you to set personalized and unique progress goals.
- You become instantly eligible for the new game after disqualification.
- You can use the points earned for future games or simply request payment via PayPal.
Pricing
StepBet takes a 15% commission on the total of your earnings. It also charges an additional $5 fee if you cash in with a paper check.
15. Ibotta.
The best way to earn cashback on grocery purchases.
Ibotta is a free application that allows you to get real money for everyday purchases from selected brands, online and in-store. When you sign up with Ibotta, you instantly get a $20 welcome bonus.
Plus, you can earn an extra $5 when your friends sign up on the app through your sponsorship. With great deals on groceries, you'll never stop making money.
The Ibotta app integrates with a large number of retailers, including Banana Republic, Amazon, and Kohl's, and you also have a chance to earn money by shopping with delivery services like Walmart Grocery, Instacart, and Shipt.
You can also install its browser extension to have access to the best deals and cashback all the time.
Features
- Ibotta App - The app allows you to sneak into your favorite stores and browse their offerings. You can also buy the app directly.
- Loyalty Card - Link your loyalty card when shopping in stores to avoid manually scanning receipts.
Benefits
- Make purchases directly from the Ibotta app using your credit card.
- Receipts can be submitted up to seven days after purchase.
- Use Ibotta's “Teamwork” feature to work as a team, achieve goals, and earn more.
Pricing
Ibotta is free to use, although they do deduct some fees from inactive accounts.
16. Mistplay.
The best way to earn money playing mobile games.
Mistplay is a loyalty program that rewards you for playing mobile games. Install the app, choose a game, and start earning points.
With Mistplay, you can win gift cards on iTunes, Amazon, Nintendo, and Xbox. The application allows you to kill time in a fun way and also to earn money. The gaming loyalty program also allows you to earn credits in the form of Visa cards and Steam credits.
The app is free, but it's only available on the Google Playstore. To win money, you will have to play different games for a set amount of time and pass a stage. When you achieve a particular achievement, the app rewards you with credits.
Features
- Easy registration - It offers 15 free points upon registration. You can sign up via Facebook or your email.
- Redeeming Points - You can redeem the points for multiple gift cards, including Amazon, GameStop, Xbox, PlayStation, Google Play, and Facebook.
Benefits
- You can earn points in units, GXP, and PSP.
- It offers $5 for every 1500 points earned.
- You can earn 100 bonus points after reaching the 200 point stage.
Pricing
Mistplay is completely free.
17. HealthyWage.
Earn up to $10,000 while losing weight.
HealthyWage is a wellness app that offers cash prizes for completing fitness and weight loss challenges. It gives you the perfect motivation to lose weight. The website offers financial incentives and cash prizes, positive peer pressure, social motivation, and competitions to help you lose weight.
You can use their HealthyWage calculator to figure out how much weight you need to lose. The calculator also determines how much you can gain by losing weight or completing other fitness challenges. After registering, all you have to do is place the bet and start your weight loss journey.
Features
- Team challenge - If you don't feel motivated alone, you can join a team to lose weight. You can also bet big within a team and win more.
- Corporate Challenge - You can use its free program (designed for employers and government contractors) to start losing weight with teams in your office.
Benefits
- It offers a $40 bonus every time a friend signs up for the challenge.
- You can take part in several challenges to increase your earning potential.
- Bet any amount according to your financial capacity.
Pricing
HealthyWage takes the money you lose to support its business.
3 main things to consider when choosing an application that allows you to earn money
There are a few key considerations to keep in mind when choosing a money-making app. Here are the three most important factors to consider:
1. How much money can you make?
This is probably the most important consideration because you want to make sure you're using an app that will earn you a decent amount of money. Research and read reviews to get an idea of how much money you can expect to make with each application.
2. What are the requirements?
Some lucrative applications have very specific requirements, like owning a car or being in a certain physical shape. Make sure you understand what is required before registering for an application.
3. How long will that take?
While some lucrative applications can be very profitable, they can also be time consuming. Consider how much time you are prepared to spend before choosing an application.
By considering these three factors, you should be able to choose the best application to make money based on your needs.
FAQs
Are money-making apps a scam?
There are a large number of money-making apps out there, and it can be difficult to determine which are scams and which are legitimate.
However, by doing your research and reading the reviews, you should be able to identify the right app to make money and avoid everything else.
Are applications to earn money paid by direct deposit?
Some money-making apps pay by direct deposit, while others use another method, like PayPal or a gift card. It is important to read the terms and conditions of each application to determine how you will be paid.
Are Lyft and Uber a good way to make money through an app?
Lyft and Uber are two of the most popular money-making apps. Both allow you to use your car to transport people around your area, and you can make a lot of money that way. However, it's important to note that you'll need to have a car that's in good condition and meets Lyft or Uber requirements.
What are the benefits of using apps to make money?
Earning apps offer a number of benefits, including the ability to earn money from home, work on your own schedule, and choose the jobs you want to do. Additionally, many money-making apps offer bonuses and rewards for completing tasks or recommendations.
Some apps even offer widgets that can be accessed from your lock screen, which can give you the latest information on earnings, available jobs, and more.
Summary
That was my list of the best apps to make money. I didn't just cover survey apps - I included a variety of livelihood apps on the list to capture everyone's interest.
Wikibuy allows online shoppers to save a bit more money. And Survey Junkie can help you earn more by simply completing surveys in your spare time.
Other popular money-making apps that I haven't covered yet include eBates, iPoll, Foap, BookScouter, Shopkick and Slidejoy.
Make your choice based on your interests and start earning money in your free time. Or choose more than one of these money-making apps and start earning more today.
Further reading: If you're looking for other ways to make money, check out my guides on How to create a profitable blog And on the best online business ideas.
