Best Money Making Apps (2024 Guide) | NerdWallet

Can an app make you some scratch? Today I'm going to cover three apps that offer varied ways of making money. I use air quotes because, come on, these are free apps you can easily download and use when you're bored or buying something. So no, you're not going to be quitting your day job. You may make a little coin, but coins can take a while to turn into dollars. I'm Tommy Tindall, personal finance writer here at NerdWallet. In my job, I spend a lot of time researching ways to make money. And I got to be honest with you, money making apps, not at the top of my list, especially the surveys for money type apps. We've actually tried that, didn't make much money, wrote an article about it, definitely worth a read. We'll link that in the description below. And plus, when it comes to app-based side gigs, I have some other ideas that I think can lead to more substantial pay. So stick around to hear that. But first, let's talk about these three money-making apps. Each app is well-rated and reviewed in both of the major app stores. Plus, I'll give you my nerdy take because I got in there and played around with these apps. All right, the first app is Swagbucks. Now, this is a survey for money app with some added features. And my initial take is, this one's going to take a lot of your time, and it's going to ask for a lot of your data. With Swagbucks, you earn points called SB by taking surveys and completing other tasks in the app, tasks like watching videos, playing games, even shopping. Now, one SB is one point, and that is one penny. So you're going to be in the app for a while if you want to make some big bucks. Although, according to Swagbucks website, they say that the average user can make between $100 and $200 if they spend 10 to 25 minutes in the app per day. I have not tested that claim, but I'm a little skeptical at this point. All right, looking at the app, and there is a lot going on here. There's cashback for shopping element. And then there are surveys, of course, which is the bread and butter of this app. Now, I've attempted a few of these, but either got booted or never finished because I didn't want to share my data or my personal information, which you get asked about that a lot. On this one, the survey ended because apparently, I don't have any knowledge about companies that make machines. Go figure. When it comes time to cash out with Swagbucks, you can do so to PayPal or get a gift card. But keep in mind, you'll need $2,500 SB or $25 to cash out to PayPal. Now, my overall take in this app, I think some people will find it fun and engaging and may earn a little extra money, but it's not really for me. And I just wasn't super comfortable with some of the personal questions that I was being asked in the survey and then being asked to share my data. So that's a factor for me. Next up is Upside. Upside is a cashback on gas app that does deals on food, too. And my initial take, I'm not super big on cashback apps just because I prefer to use a credit card that gives me rewards in my top spending category, make it kind of automatic. But I'm seeing some upside with Upside. When I first opened the app, I was like, whoa, because I was seeing offers of 47 to 55 cents off per gallon at local gas stations. So it took me a minute to realize that I was actually getting an initial 35 cent bonus per gallon for being a new user. Regular cashback is more like 12, 15 or 16 cents per gallon. Still, though, I found it easy enough to open and find a local gas station, claim the offer and then go pay with whatever credit card you want. So long as you link that credit card in the app, you'll need to do that to make it automatic. Mark that you've paid when you're done and you'll see cashback tally up in just a couple of days. I found this app really easy to use and pretty darn useful. Unlike Swagbucks, it's low effort and takes just a little bit of time to earn a little bit of money on something you probably already do, buy gas. So keep in mind, if you want to cash out, you can do so to PayPal, a bank account or gift card. And hey, look at me, I'm already up to $9 on just two fill ups. The next app is Ibotta. And Ibotta is a good place to browse and save before you buy groceries. So you make money with Ibotta by earning cash back on in-store and online purchases. And you can do so at over 2000 retailers. Ibotta started as a grocery store app and it's since expanded to many other shopping categories. But for me, I'm finding it most compelling to use when you buy groceries. I really didn't expect to like this app a lot, but it really surprised me when I opened it up. I was able to quickly find and favorite my local grocery store and then link my loyalty card, which I found easy to do. And that'll make the cashback process automatic after I shop. I just check out and I'll get it. I started looking for and adding offers that were available for my go-to products. And essentially I have a shopping list. I actually found Ibotta kind of fun to use, which surprised me. It will make me a better planner because I go into the app and I pick my grocery list ahead of time and I'm doing so based on offers. And then hopefully I'll save some money, make some cash back. We'll see how much I earn. Keep this in mind though, if you don't link a loyalty account, you'll have to upload your receipt at the end of the shopping trip. And if you want to cash out, you can do so to PayPal, a bank account, or a gift card. Overall, this is a super practical app. Those were three apps that I really do believe are worth a look if you're looking for some extra change. I obviously favored the cashback apps over the survey app, but I think when we're talking about any of these, it's pocket change. I think a better app-based path to earning side income is the gig economy. So you want to look at ride share apps, delivery apps like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, things like that. It's easy to sign up and get going for those, assuming you have a car and meet the qualifications and you will make steady money. I can tell you that because I've tested both Uber and DoorDash. I didn't make a lot of money, but I made money and it was a bit of an up and down experience. We made videos on those. Check those out if you can. Also, freelance apps like Fiverr and Upwork. Now these are a little different. It's going to take some ramp up time to build your portfolio, build your profile, establish a customer base. But wouldn't you rather be spending time building your own business over swiping away on surveys? What money-making apps have you tried? What apps do you want to hear more about? We'd love to hear from you in the comments. Until then, I'm Tommy Tindall, personal finance writer at NerdWallet. Thanks for watching.