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8 of the Best Money-Making Apps
- Upwork – Best for freelancing
- Rakuten – Best for cash back on purchases
- Swagbucks – Best for phone-based tasks
- Rover – Best for pet sitting
- DoorDash – Best for food delivery
- Uber – Best for ridesharing
- Airbnb – Best for rental income
- Betterment – Best for investing
- Upwork
Upwork is a global freelance work platform that connects freelancers with clients. Some of the most popular types of freelance work available on Upwork are writing, editing, photography, programming, marketing, engineering, accounting, and data entry. Upwork has a large catalog of available projects and provides payment protection to ensure that freelancers are paid for the work they do. You can easily earn over $20 per hour, and way over that depending on the project. If being self-employed and having control over both your schedule and projects you work on are important to you, we recommend exploring this opportunity to earn more money.
- Rakuten
Rakuten is a free cash back shopping app that is great for online shopping. All you need to do is shop using the app or web browser extension, and participating companies will offer anywhere from 1% to 10% or more in cash back when you make a qualifying purchase. You can also receive cash back in person by linking your credit or debit card to your Rakuten account. Payments are sent out every three months, and you can receive them with either PayPal or as a check in the mail. Rakuten also currently offers $5 signup and $30 referral bonuses.
- Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a very versatile app for earning money and gift cards. You can earn money by receiving cash back on purchases, along with Swagbucks points toward more cash and gift cards by taking surveys, watching videos, and playing games. Swagbucks also offers rewards for browsing the internet and for referring friends and family using a unique referral link. There’s even a $5+ bonus cash reward just for signing up. This isn’t the most lucrative app on our list, but it may still be able to play an effective role in offsetting smaller purchases and bills if you are looking for easy tasks to complete from your phone, and from any location.
- Rover
Rover is a pet sitting app that you can use to learn a lot of extra cash. You can earn $25+ dollars for just 30-minute visits depending on the location, type of care, and level of experience. If you love animals and want to earn some money as either a part-time job or in addition to your 9-to-5, then we recommend checking out this opportunity. With Rover, you can set your availability so that you are in control of your work schedule. Rover also has an easy application and a low commission fee.
- DoorDash
DoorDash is a food delivery app that is great for anyone looking for a flexible schedule and the ability to receive tips on top of a guaranteed wage. You can pick your own schedule, either in advance or at the exact time when you would like to start accepting orders. DoorDash also offers a competitive base pay, along with customer tips, and promotions. As a Dasher, you can earn upwards of $20 per hour. All you need to get started is a reliable mode of transportation and a smartphone.
- Uber
Uber is a rideshare company that presents another great opportunity to earn money for anyone with a reliable vehicle and a smartphone. With Uber, you can choose your own hours by simply opening their app and accepting whichever routes you would like to drive. You can also get paid very quickly via weekly direct deposits or instant payouts that you can request multiple times per day. Earning potential for this app can exceed $25 per hour, depending on number of trips, distance per trip, transportation time, and time of day.
- Airbnb
Airbnb is a great money-making app for renting out space since it has a large selection of accommodation types, the most users, and a great user interface for listing spaces. Anyone benefit of renting out space with Airbnb is that this app provides the opportunity to generate passive income, so you can even combine this app with other, more active money-making apps on this list. There are many different ways to earn money, including renting out an entire house, like a vacation home or even a tiny house in the backyard. You can also rent out specific floors or rooms in your house, as well as tents, barns, and treehouses on your property. Earning potential is close to $1,000 per month on average, but with plenty of upside for more income depending on the space and location.
- Betterment
Betterment is a great investment app with a $0 minimum account balance, $10 minimum account balance for investing, low 0.25% annual account management fee, and a wide range of investment options. This app lets you set your investment goals using goal types that include major purchases, education, and retirement. Once your goals are set, Betterment can automatically select the portfolio that is the best fit. If you are looking for low cost, professional, and automated portfolio management, then look no further than Betterment.