In this day and age, technology is heavily involved in our daily lives, including how we make and earn money. Since almost everyone in a developed country owns a smartphone, money-making apps are becoming an increasingly integrated part of our lives, whether they are used for making money or earning cashback. Because of this, many are looking for apps that can help them put more money into their wallets.

Legit Money Making Apps

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the oldest and most trusted websites out there for online paid surveys. While filling out surveys on Survey Junkie won’t replace a full-time or even part-time job, it is possible to make up to $100 a month by taking paid surveys.

Survey Junkie essentially trades your time taking surveys and opinions for cash. Survey Junkie provides a platform for companies that want to conduct market research to do so through the form of surveys. Surveys on Survey Junkie can take you from a few minutes to up to half an hour to complete, with reward points range between 10 and 200 points. Once you have earned enough points for the $10 minimum, you can either get paid through gift cards or have the website transfer the cash to your PayPal account.

With Survey Junkie, one point is equal to one cent. This means that you can cash out after earning 1,000 points. Your points will expire if you stop using your account, so make sure to take a survey at least once every 12 months to prevent this from happening.

If you don’t mind Survey Junkie monitoring your web activity, you can install the Survey Junkie Pulse browser extension to earn more passive points.

• Read Our Full Review Here

2. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a website (and also app) that pays you money for doing tasks like taking surveys or scanning receipts. Swagbucks has given away over $400 million to its members and many of its users have earned hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars through Swagbucks.

Here are some activities you can do to get paid on Swagbucks:

• Taking paid surveys. Surveys on Swagbucks are designed by companies who want to conduct market research and to hear from consumers (that’s you). Surveys on Swagbucks have in-depth questions that will allow you to give your opinion and offer suggestions for product or service improvements
• Scanning receipts. You can scan receipts from grocery, convenience, and drug stores and earn some extra money. Swagbucks does this to research about consumer habits. Simply download the Swagbucks app and scan the receipts through the app to earn points
• Trying products. Companies will send out free products for you to test, especially if you’re within their desired demographics. Swagbucks members also get paid to try services like Hulu and Disney+. What an easy way to earn extra money!
• Playing games: There are some games you can play on Swagbucks that will offer real prize money or points. One of the most popular games on the website is called Swagbucks Live, which is a live-stream trivia game show that airs at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Thursday
• Watching videos. Content creators want people to see and review their videos and are willing to pay for it. You might be asked to give some feedback after watching the video. Videos can range anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes, but you can have them play in the background while you’re working on something else

• Read Our Full review Here

3. InboxDollars

InboxDollars is similar to Swagbucks – it is an online rewards program that pays you for doing a variety of tasks, including taking surveys and watching videos. You can either access InboxDollars through their website or through downloading their app.

Offers on the website generally pay a few cents each or up to $5 for some surveys. Thus, using InboxDollars won’t replace having a job, but it can still earn you some extra cash to spend on the weekend.

If you’re thinking of taking surveys to earn money, you should know that you have to answer some questions to determine whether you actually qualify for a survey suggested to you. It can be frustrating after answering 10 questions just to find out that you’re not qualified to take a certain survey.

Some activities you can do on InboxDollars besides taking surveys and watching videos are:

• Surfing the web: You can earn additional rewards by using the InboxDollars search engine. It most likely won’t have extensive results like Google, so you probably would not want to use it for serious research or homework. However, if you just want to research some random things, it is an easy way to earn points and rewards
• Printing coupons: InboxDollars has printable coupons on the site. Not only do you get to print and use them for free, but you also get paid for doing so. This is definitely a win-win. You can also earn extra points for redeeming coupons found on the site when you shop
• Reading emails: Through the site’s Paid Email feature, you can sign up to receive emails from advertisers and get paid just for opening them. To earn more, you can complete additional actions such as signing up for email newsletters and joining a loyalty program

It’s a quick an easy online job, so there’s no reason not to give it a try.

• Read Our Full Review Here

4. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a grocery receipt scanning app that allows you to earn and redeem points when you buy products from participating brands. As long as you buy products from a participating brand, there are no restrictions on which store you can shop at and earn points. In fact, Fetch Rewards don’t really care where you shop, so you can just upload receipts you have from going to liquor stores, sporting goods stores, home improvement stores, or even restaurants to earn points without worrying about whether Fetch Rewards will accept your receipt or not.

One downside to Fetch Rewards is that you only get paid in gift cards instead of in cash. However, they offer gift cards for big shopping names like Target, Amazon, and Walmart, so it is not a big loss as you can use these gift cards for your next shopping trip.

The minimum withdrawal on the website is 3,000 points, which can be redeemed for a $3 gift card. It is completely possible to earn $500 or more worth of gift cards if you regularly upload your grocery receipts. To date, Fetch Rewards has given out more than $40 million in Fetch Points and has more than 2.5 million monthly active users.

The upside to using Fetch Rewards is that it’s extremely easy to use and upload your receipts: you simply have to take a photo of your receipt and upload it on the app. There is no need to scan barcodes or unlock any feature.

Another great thing about the app is that, from time to time, there are free products featured on the tab. When you buy the products at any store, you can get 100% the value back in Fetch Rewards points.

5. Ibotta

Ibotta is a cashback app, similar to Fetch Rewards, except that it is a little harder to use. Regardless, Ibotta has a 4.8-star rating out of 5 in the App Store and over 760,000 reviews. Wow, lots of happy customers there!

Before you go shopping, either at a physical store or online, take a few minutes to browse the Ibotta app and add offers you’re interested in into your account. If you have a specific brand or store in mind, you can filter offers that are specific to that brand or store. Ibotta may ask you a few quick questions about the product you are adding to better understand consumer behavior or display a recipe related to the product.

After adding the offers you like, just go shopping like you normally would. Next, upload a photo of the receipt onto the app by using the app’s camera to earn cashback. Ibotta will automatically cross-reference the offers you previously selected and the completed purchases on your receipt. If there is a match, Ibotta will ask you to redeem the offer for cashback. Otherwise, you’re all good to do.

As Ibotta has relationships with many major retailers, it may be linked with the retailers’ loyalty account. You can use your loyalty account at a store if you have one and Ibotta will automatically give you cashback for purchases made at that store (provided that you add the loyalty card when finalizing the transaction). This feature just might save you time from having to upload receipts after you’re done with shopping.

• Read Our Full Review Here

6. Rakuten

Rakuten, formerly ebates, is a reward program that gives customers cashback (between 1 to 40%) on almost anything they buy when they purchase it through their Rakuten account.

After signing up (or signing in) to Rakuten, you can find the name of the store(s) at which you are going to shop at. To do so, either use the alphabetical list the app provides or find a store using the search bar. After choosing your desired store, the link will bring you to the store website via the Rakuten portal where you can begin shopping. You can also use the Rakuten browser extension to avoid having to go through the Rakuten website every time. Once you have the browser extension, you can simply click the button in the popup to activate Rakuten and earn cashback.

Some of the stores Rakuten partners with include Nordstrom, Kohl’s, Amazon, Walmart, Aeropostale, Bath and Body Works, Target, and Macy’s. Many stores offer 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% cash rebates, which is quite a saving, especially when being added up in the long run.

There is a small downside to Rakuten, however. Each quarter, Rakuten will mail you a check instead of letting you withdraw cashback directly from the website or app. To have the check mailed to you, you must have met the minimum withdrawal requirement of $5.00. Moreover, each store has some excluded items that are not qualified for cashback rebates, so you might want to look through the list of exclusions prior to making your purchases.

• Read Our Full Review Here

7. ShopKick

ShopKick is a free rewards app that lets users earn “kicks”, or points that can be traded in for gift cards. Since its foundation in 2009, Shopkick has given out $85 million in gift cards and have millions of happy users, which is reflected by the 4.7-start out of 5 rating in the App Store.

What makes Shopkick so great is that you can earn points for just walking in stores and scanning items without even buying them. When you sign up for Shopkick, they will ask how you want to earn your gift cards. There are three options for you to choose from: in-store with walk-ins and scans, in-store with purchases, and at home.

Walking into stores and scanning items without buying them is an easy way of earning money. While you need to keep your app open and scan items that Shopkick wants you to scan (unfortunately, you can’t scan every single item, sorry), it’s like a fun scavenger hunt while shopping. The second option, in-store with purchases, is straightforward: you buy your groceries and check to see how many kicks Shopkick offers for an item (if any). The last option, earning kicks at home, refers to online shopping: you can go to the Kicks Online section to see partnering stores that offer kicks for shopping online.

You can also go to the Discover section in Shopkick to discover different sections or to watch videos and earn kicks from doing so. However, watching videos only offer about 3 kicks per video (so not that many points) and there are not that many videos to watch. You can earn 250 kicks by inviting a friend to Shopkick, which is only $1 but is a rather easy $1.

• Read Our Full Review Here

8. Uber

Uber is a popular ride-sharing app for those who want to use their car as a taxi and those who want a convenient, nearby ride. Uber is great for drivers as Uber drivers get to be their own boss, choose the hours, and who they want to drive.

To drive for Uber, you first need a reliable vehicle to get around in, a driver’s license, and car insurance. You will need to go through a background check to ensure your passengers’ safety. If you have a low credit score, Uber is now offering sub-prime loans to some people with a low credit score (your credit score must be at least 500, however).

The upside to driving for Uber is that you get to choose your own hours. However, local ordinances often enforce limits on how many hours drivers can spend online across rideshare platforms. The Uber app will alert you when you’re getting close to the city’s time cap and again when you have reached the time cap. You also get to keep 100% of your tip whether it is paid via cash or the app.

The downsides to driving for Uber is that you only get to keep 75% of your earnings and that you don’t get employee benefits. When you drive for Uber, you are considered a contractor and not an employee, therefore you don’t get employee benefits such as health insurance or paid leave.

If you drive for Uber, you may also want to opt into the option of delivering UberEats. UberEats allows customers to order food through the app, then drivers pick the food up and deliver to those who ordered it. By signing up for both options, you can maximize the number of customers you get.

9. Lyft

Lyft is one of Uber’s biggest competitors out there. Drivers who drive for Uber often also drive for Lyft as well to maximize the number of customers they get. While Uber has a larger customer base and is available in more states, Lyft is more driver-friendly when it comes to customer service. For example, Lyft has a feature where new drivers get to meet with a mentor who helps them to get familiar with the app as well as allowing them to meet an experienced Lyft driver in-person before driving.

Drivers also note that there are some weekly bonus initiatives for drivers. Lyft passengers are also generally more pleasant than Uber passengers, although this will of course depend on where you live, the culture where you drive, and your luck. Lyft only takes a 20% cut out of your total earnings versus the 25% Uber takes.

10. Postmates

While Postmates is commonly known as a food delivery app, Postmates is unique in that it delivers nearly anything from a store or restaurant to its customers. The CEO of Postmates, Bastian Lehmann, said on CBNC that he found his inspiration from the question, “What if you can use the city as the warehouse?”

According to Postmates, deliverers (who are also called Postmates) can earn up to $25 per hour or more in periods of peak demand. If you don’t mind braving traffic and the elements, working as a Postmate is a great way to make some money and the income you get from it may substitute for a part-time job.

There are some requirements to working at Postmates: you must live in or near a Postmates market, be at least 18 years of age, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, own a vehicle, and have a valid driver’s license even if you’re delivering via a scooter or bike. Postmates will also conduct a background check and driving history check to ensure customers’ safety. After you have successfully been approved as a Postmates, the company will send you a delivery bag and prepaid debit card which you will then use to pay for most food items.

How much you get paid depends on the location between the store and the customer as well as time spent waiting for the merchant to fill the order (if applicable). While you get to keep 100% of tips from customers, the company does take an amount from your paycheck, so don’t expect to keep all of your earnings.

• Read Our Full Review Here

11. DoorDash

DoorDash is a food delivery app that allows independent contractors to deliver food using their own car or vehicle. To drive for DoorDash, you must be 18 or older, cannot have a major driving violation in the last 7 years, and must pass a background check as well as an individualized assessment.

Delivery drivers are guarantee a minimum of $2 plus tip each hour they work. DoorDash drivers can work whenever they are available, thus essentially you are your own boss. However, due to the varying pay, it may not be the most reliable source of daily income and probably cannot substitute a full-time job. However, DoorDash still offers an opportunity for drivers to have a side job and earn extra earnings.

The key to being a successful DoorDash driver is the location. You are more likely to have more and larger orders if you live in a metropolitan area. The more rural you are, the fewer orders you will get, and the harder it is to make money.

• Read Our Full Review Here

12. GrubHub

GrubHub is one of the better food delivery apps, especially for drivers due to its driver pay transparency. When driving for GrubHub, you can expect to make about $10 to $20 an hour. Some requirements for working for GrubHub are:

• Be at least 19 years of age, or 21 if you live in Chicago
• Own an iPhone with iOS 8 or higher or an Android with 4.0 or higher; either one must have a data plan
• Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and car insurance
• Bikers must have a valid state ID or government-issued ID
• Deliverers must have a checking account for direct deposit
• Deliverers must pass a background check

Deliverers on GrubHub are given details about the delivery prior to accepting it. This is surprisingly rare among delivery apps as many other delivery apps do not show the delivery’s details until the deliverer picks up what was ordered. Moreover, GrubHub guarantees a minimum hourly wage that depends on your location.

As with other delivery apps, the hourly rate can change by market and demand. However, again, you know about the deal before you sign up for it. GrubHub also passes on 100% of the tip to the driver and encourages customers to tip you at a restaurant-style rate. Generally, drivers leave good reviews about GrubHub, so this is probably a good company to partner with to make some money.

13. Instacart

Instacart is a delivery app that mostly gears toward grocery shopping at stores like Walmart, Costco, Safeway, etc. Those who work for Instacart are often referred to as “personal shoppers” as they shop for customers then deliver groceries to those who ordered them.

There are two main positions to be filled at Instacart: full-service shopper and in-store shopper. Full-service shoppers are independent contractors who shop for orders placed via the website and deliver them to customers. Full-service shoppers choose the batch they want to shop for and get paid for each batch completed. In-store shoppers are considered part-time employees who are paid an hourly wage to shop for orders within one store. In-store shoppers do not deliver orders to customers, unlike full-service shoppers. In-store shoppers’ shifts are scheduled in advance and there is a 29 hours limit per week.

The other differences between full-service and in-store shoppers are that full-service shoppers must have a vehicle while in-store shoppers don’t need one; full-service shoppers are paid per batch while in-store shoppers are paid an hourly wage; full-service shoppers can accept tips while in-store shoppers can’t, and full-service shoppers are considered independent contractors while in-store shoppers are considered part-time employees.

14. Foap

The Foap app is a platform where you can promote and sell your photos. As businesses, individuals, and even well-known brands all over the world buy images for commercial use, you have a chance of making money from selling the photos you took. Companies might use your photos to advertise their products, include them on their website or in an article, or include them in company brochures.

Foap lets you upload photos straight from your smartphone. After the photos are uploaded, they are available for sale and you can sell the same photo as many times as you’d like. While photos uploaded to Foap are sold for $10 each on the platform, Foap takes a 50% commission so you’ll only get $5 for each photo sold.

If you want to make more money, you can join Foap missions. Each mission works similar to a competition where the winning photo gets a prize starting at $50. If you take good photos, you can potentially win hundreds of dollars by joining missions on Foap.

Photos uploaded onto the app are displayed at a reduced size until purchased. This prevents people from stealing your full-resolution images on the platform. There is no minimum amount to earn before you get to cash in your earnings. This allows you to cash out anytime you want to. Moreover, you can sell the same photo many times unless your photo was sold with exclusive rights, such as in a mission.

15. Acorns

Acorns is an investment app that automatically invests your spare change and lets you invest as little as $5 into a portfolio of ETFs. Your investments are diversified across 7,000 securities (in terms of stocks and bonds) and they are automatically rebalanced by Acorns to stay in the target allocation.

By linking your credit card and checking account, Acorns is able to study your spending habits through the cards and rounds each transaction up to the nearest whole number. The difference is then pulled from your account and is invested in your Acorns account. Acorns has proven to be very popular with Millennials and younger people who want to invest but either do not know how to or don’t want to spend time monitoring their investment options.

Acorns charges a flat fee of $1 for accounts whose value is less than $5,000. If your account is worth more than $5,000, you will get charged a 0.25% annual fee instead of $1 per month. If your age if between 18 and 23, you can invest without fees. Additionally, if you enter a valid “.edu” address (which proves you are a student), you can get up to 4 years of use without fees.

One of the best features Acorns has is probably Found Money. This does not mean money you find on the street or in random places. Found Money refers to Acorns’s Found Money participants: each time you pay one of the participants, they will contribute an amount of your purchase or give you some other deal. For example, Sephora contributes 3% of your purchase to your Acorns account and Lyft credits you with $15 when you sign up as a driver. Because Found Money offers vary, you should check with the Acorns app to learn about the offers that are currently available.

• Read Our Full Review Here

16. SweatCoin

Sweatcoin markets itself as an app that pays you to walk. The more you walk, the more you can earn, even though the amount you earn is capped at $57 a month. I’ll explain how that works in a moment.

For every 1,000 steps you make, you earn 0.95 sweat coins. The value of one Sweatcoin ranges between 5 cents and 10 cents, which isn’t a lot but it can add up. To let Sweatcoin count how many steps you have taken, you need to keep the app open all day with tracking settings left on.

There are 4 levels of membership tier and each allows you to earn a different maximum amount of Sweatcoins a month:

• Mover: This membership tier costs you nothing, but it only allows an earning potential of 150 Sweatcoins per month, or only 5 Sweatcoins per day
• Shaker: This tier costs 4.75 Sweatcoins per month and allows you to earn a maximum of 300 Sweatcoins a month, or 10 Sweatcoins a day
• Quaker: This tier costs 20 Sweatcoins a month and allows you to earn a maximum of 450 Sweatcoins a month, or 15 Sweatcoins a day
• Breaker: The Breaker tier costs 30 Sweatcoins a month and allows you to earn a maximum of 600 Sweatcoins a month, or 20 Sweatcoins a day

The Breaker tier costs 600 Sweatcoins a month and you pay 30 Sweatcoins for this tier, which means you get to make a maximum of 570 coins a month, or $57 a month. Sweatcoin encourages users to redeem the Sweatcoins they have earned for discounts, vouchers, or gift cards.

17. TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is an increasingly popular task-based app that connects Taskers to those who need them. Taskers are often paid an hourly rate (minus a service fee). There are many odd jobs on the website you can sign up for, such as being a handyman, cleaning homes, or being a moving helper.

To register and become a Tasker, you need to be at least 18 years of age, have a checking account, smartphone, and must pass background and ID checks. When signing up for an account, you will be asked to provide some basic information about yourself, upload a profile photo, set up a direct deposit, set your rate, and describe your level of experience for the task(s) you want to perform.

If your application is approved, you’ll be charged a $25 registration fee and have to attend an orientation before you can start performing tasks for clients. According to TaskRabbit, beginner Taskers typically are hired at $20 an hour. In most cases, you will need your own access to transportation and won’t get reimbursed for transportation-related expenses like gas or parking.

18. Fluid Market

Fluid Market is a vehicle-sharing app that allows vehicle owners to rent out their vehicles. To get started, take photos of your vehicle from all angles, including the inside. It is highly recommended that you include photos of distinguishing features your vehicle has. Then, locate your VIN #, which can be found on your insurance documents, vehicle records, or registration card. The last step is making a copy of all of your current registration and vehicle safety report.

By partnering with Fluid Market, you get to set your own hourly, daily, and weekly rates. If you want to use your vehicle primarily as a rental, you can do so by installing a feature called Instabook, install a lockbox with keys, buy a tracker, and let the app manage your reservations for you. ­­

You are probably worried about bad drivers renting your car. The great thing is that Fluid checks all drivers’ driving records to determine whether they meet the Fluid Driver Guidelines or not.

Although Fluid takes 20% from your total earnings, at the end of the day it is still an easy way of making some extra money.