Wouldn’t it be nice to have an app that you could make money from just for using it?
The other day I saw a commercial saying the average person checks their phone 85 times per day. PER DAY!
Since most of us spend so much time looking at our phones, it would be great to make a little money on that tiny screen.
The truth is, you can.
There are legitimate apps out there right now you can make money from.
Some of them need you to give an opinion while others have more complicated tasks.
Either way, you’re making money using your smartphone! How cool is that?!
None of them are going to replace your income. Sorry. If that were the case, everyone would be on the app and no one would be making money.
The beauty of these money making apps, though, is they give you more snow to pack onto your income snowball.
$100 one month, $60 the next month, $200 another month…It doesn’t sound like much right away, but it adds up.
It especially adds up when you take that money and invest it.
Let’s dive into these apps and figure out which one you’re going to download to start earning a little residual income. Hint: It should be all them.
And an FYI, these apps aren’t ranked in any particular order.
1. iBotta
Apps to make money for grocery shopping.
This is probably one of the more recognizable ones on the list.
iBotta has spent a lot in TV advertising so it wouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve heard of it. Their commercials are also a little annoying.
Anyway, the beauty of iBotta is that you earn cash back from everyday purchases.
Kind of like a coupon, but even better.
You go through the app and select rebates for things you plan on buying. You can even do this in the store while you’re shopping.
Then, after you buy the products, take a picture of your receipt.
iBotta will match the products you bought with the rebates you selected and then deposit money into your account.
Simple!
2. Pact (No Longer in Business)
**Update: App is no longer available. This list will be updated with a new app soon.
Apps to make money while you workout.
Pact can earn you money or end up costing you money.
The app is a motivational tool to get you working out and eating healthier.
You make a weekly pact to work out or eat healthier. The goals are targets set by you.
Each pact is with other people using the app.
The catch is, you then say how much you’ll pay other members if you don’t meet your goals.
The beauty is, you get paid FOR meeting your goals.
I read about someone who has made $300 while training for an adventure race.
Not a bad gig getting paid to workout and eat healthy.
Just don’t slack off and start missing workouts.
3. eBates
Apps to make money for buying things.
eBates is like iBotta in that you make money for buying things. The difference is, eBates focuses on larger purchases.
Say you want to buy a pair of Nike shoes.
If you search Nike in the eBates app, it’ll say something 10% cash back with a little “Shop” button next to it.
If you click that “Shop” button, it will take you to the Nike online store.
Now you’ll get 10% off your total purchase deposited into your PayPal account.
eBates gets paid a small commission for “referring” you to the Nike store. They then split that commission with you.
The cashback percentage varies depending on the store but it works at places like Amazon, Macy’s, Kohls, eBay, and so many more.
4. Gigwalk
Apps to make money with a side gig.
Gigwalk uses your location and offers up gigs in your area.
The gig can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. The pay can also range from $3 to $100 or more!
You pick the time and place you want to work as well as the gig that interests you.
Everything tracks through the app and, when you’re done, Gigwalk will send the money to your PayPal account.
5. OfferUp, eBay, LetGo
Apps to make money selling your old stuff.
Start cleaning out your closet, garage, and anywhere else you might have unused stuff laying around.
Once you find something to get rid of, put it on one or all three of these apps.
All have their positives and negatives when it comes to selling used items, but they’re all going to earn you some extra money.
OfferUp allows you to sell stuff locally with no fees up front and they don’t take a cut of the sale price.
eBay operates more nationally and globally. You get shoppers from all across the world looking for stuff. However, eBay takes a cut of the final sale price.
The fee structure can get a little complicated, but the percentages range from 2 all the way up to 15%.
LetGo is like OfferUp. Most buyers will be shopping locally and they don’t have any fees up front or after the sale.
6. Camera App
Apps to make money from your pictures.
You take a lot of photos with your phone so why not make a little money off them.
One app you can use is Foap.
Foap has two ways of making you money:
Sell your own photos: Take pictures, upload it to Foap, and set your price. That’s it.
People can search the site based on the description you write and then pay a royalty to use it.
Complete Missions: Missions are paid for by various brands. They write a mission statement and offer up a prize money to whoever they decide wins.
You go out and complete that mission statement. Once your photo is submitted, you wait to see if it is the chosen one.
If it is, you win the prize money and get your photo included in the marketing campaign!
If you’re looking to get into the photography world, this is a simple way to start getting your name out there.
Prize money can vary, but right now the prizes range from $100 up to $500.
Another app is Clashot.
Clashot is similar to the first option in Foap.
You take pictures and sell them on Clashop for 50 cents on up to $80.
When someone finds your photo and buys it, you earn some extra money.
7. Slidejoy
Apps to make money from your lock screen.
If you don’t mind looking at ads, Slidejoy will earn you money each time you check your phone.
When you check your phone, Slidejoy will show an advertisement tailored to you on the lock screen.
You can swipe left to learn more about the product. Swiping up will show you another card. And swiping right will go to your home screen.
Regardless of which direction you swipe, you earn money.
That money will then go into your PayPal account.
Like I said earlier, the average person checks their phone 80+ times per day. That’s a lot of swiping that could be going on.
8. Mobee
Apps to make money shopping, without buying anything.
Mobee turns you into a mystery shopper to complete missions.
In the app, you’ll select a mission near you.
Each mission comes with a set of instructions. Typically each mission requires you to answer 5-10 questions.
The questions are meant to help stores improve their customer service and operations.
After you’ve completed the mission, the Mobee team will check your answers within 24 hours for quality and then deposit your cash.
It’s that simple!
9. TaskRabbit
Apps to make money on the side.
TaskRabbit pays you for doing mini side hustles in your neighborhood.
Good at putting together Ikea furniture? There is a task for that.
Know how to mount a TV to a wall? There is a task for that.
Enjoy organizing homes? There is a task for that.
People go onto TaskRabbit needing all these things and more.
You look through all the tasks needed in your area and pick the one you’re able to do.
Once you complete the work, you fill out an invoice on the app showing how long you worked and then receive payment.
While the work does often have a start time set by you and the client, the schedule is pretty flexible.
There are even virtual tasks that you can do from home.
10. Uber and Lyft
Apps to make money driving people.
If you haven’t heard of Uber or Lyft by now, you must be living under a rock. Welcome to the world!
In case you don’t, Uber and Lyft are on-demand ride services. Instead of calling for a taxi, someone pulls up the Uber or Lyft app and requests a ride.
You’ll need a car and register with whichever company you want to drive for. You can even register with both and double your odds.
With Lyft, you can make up to $35 an hour giving people a ride in your own car. Lyft even allows for tipping so that rate could go up.
Uber says the average driver earns around $19.04 per hour. They also have added the ability to tip.
Along with a car, you’ll need to have valid insurance and registration.
If you don’t have a car, Lyft has started offering an Express Rental Car Program.
Lyft has agreements with rental car companies around the country. You rent the car for a few days or a few weeks and pay a lower rate than a normal rental car would cost.
It eats into your profits but is a nice option for those not looking to own a car.
11. BookScouter
Apps to make money selling old books.
If you frequent used book stores or have one nearby, this could be a pretty lucrative app.
The app allows you to scan or enter the barcode number of a book. It instantly compares buyback pricing from leading book-buying websites.
If the book buyer is willing to pay more than what the used bookstore is asking for, buy the book at the store.
Then turn around and ship it to the book-buyer you found on BookScouter for free and at a higher price.
12. Field Agent
Apps to make money for getting information.
Field Agent is like Mobee in that you’re visiting stores in your area to perform a specific task.
Where Mobee is typically looking for answers to survey questions, Field Agent can ask for pictures of specific products.
It wants to see the product in the real world and verify its pricing.
The app is used by hundreds of small businesses and major companies, such as General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, and Walgreens.
Bonus: Long Game
Apps to make money saving money.
This is a bonus app that isn’t so much about making money for doing things, but the potential to make money from saving money.
With the Long Game app, you open a FDIC-insured savings account. The money you deposit earns a very small interest rate like any other bank.
The difference is the more money you save and the longer you keep it in your account, the more Coins you earn.
Coins allow you to enter weekly and monthly drawings to win money. The prizes can range from $10 up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
That’s right, they have weekly $1 million dollar drawings that you can enter for saving money.
It’s like playing the lottery – except you never lose your money.
Conclusion
There you have it. 12 apps and a bonus app that you can start making money from.
On their own, it doesn’t seem like each app pays out very much. Sure, you could make a lot driving for Uber or Lyft all day, but none of them seem like huge money makers.
I get it.
But imagine if you used every one. What if you downloaded all 12 apps onto your phone and spent one hour a month on each one?
One hour, per month, per app. 12 hours per month in total.
With pretty much all these you could earn an average of $25 per app in that hour.
At $25 per app, you made $300 in a month! Not bad for some random apps on your phone.
Now do that for an entire year and you’ve made $3600! That’s over halfway to maxing out a Roth IRA.
The earnings from one app by itself doesn’t seem like a lot. Put in a little time on each one and it’ll add up.
Kind of like an income snowball.
Have any of you used these apps? How much money did you make?