Top 10 Best Money-Making Apps to Try in 2025

Below, we’ll give a simple breakdown of all the best apps to make money fast, including free money-making apps, apps that give you cash, and even games that pay to play.

1. Best app for driving and delivery services: Uber

Driving and delivery service apps are platforms that connect independent contractors with people needing rides or the delivery of goods like food, groceries, or packages. These apps offer flexible work opportunities and an on-demand service model for users.

Uber is our top pick, given its extensive network and integrated services (rideshare and Uber Eats).

Driving for Uber is one of the most popular ways to make money in the gig economy. As a rideshare driver, you can set your own hours, work in your local area, and earn money by providing transportation for riders.

Getting started is straightforward—just meet Uber’s vehicle and driver requirements, complete the sign-up process, and start accepting rides through the Uber app. What’s more, you can get a bonus as a new Uber driver in the form of an earnings guarantee.

Other ridesharing and delivery apps

If you’re keen to find an earning app that pays you to drive around, you’ll be happy to learn that there are several excellent delivery driver apps and rideshare driver apps out there beyond just Uber.

You might also consider:

• Lyft
• UberEats
• DoorDash
• Spark
• Curri
• Roadie

2. Best freelancing app: Upwork

Freelancing apps are digital marketplaces that connect businesses and individuals with independent professionals offering various services like writing, design, programming, and consulting. They facilitate the hiring process, contract management, and payments for short-term projects or long-term remote work.

Among the available options, Upwork is our favorite.

If you work as a freelancer, you probably already know about Upwork. This freelancing platform is hugely popular, meaning there are tons of job opportunities posted to it daily. In-demand jobs include influencer marketing, web design, graphic design, content creation, and data entry.

Upwork takes a fee of up to 15% from what you earn on each job.

Other online money-making apps

Upwork isn’t your only option for starting freelancing. You might also consider:

• Fiverr
• Freelancer

3. Best gig app: TaskRabbit

Gig apps are platforms that enable users to find and perform short-term, temporary jobs or “gigs,” often involving localized tasks, errands, or simple services for immediate payment. These apps provide a streamlined way for individuals to monetize their free time and skills by matching them with nearby, one-off work requests.

For ease of use and variety of localized services, TaskRabbit is our current favorite.

With the TaskRabbit app, you can become a “tasker” and get paid for completing projects and errands that match your skills and interests. TaskRabbit offers over 50 categories to choose from, including cleaning, moving, house painting, landscaping, lawn care, and more.

You set your own schedule and rates, giving you full control over how you work. While there’s a $25 registration fee to get started, TaskRabbit doesn’t take a commission from your earnings—you keep 100% of what you make.

Other gig apps

If you’re looking for part-time work opportunities or side hustles like the ones we’ve described, TaskRabbit isn’t your only option. You can also explore dozens of other top gig apps, including work-on-demand apps and apps for picking up shifts.

Here are some options to check out:

• Instawork
• Qwick
• Wonolo

4. Best selling app: Etsy

Selling apps are digital marketplaces that allow individuals and businesses to list, sell, and manage the transaction of goods, ranging from general used items to specialized products like handmade crafts or vintage clothing. They offer a simple way to reach a broad audience, manage payments, and handle shipping logistics for both local and nationwide sales.

For finding and selling unique, creative, and vintage items, Etsy is our favorite.

As you may know, Etsy is a popular platform for selling handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies. If you’re a creator or collector, you can open an Etsy shop and sell your products online to a wide audience of buyers. From printables to jewelry to home decor, Etsy is known for its focus on personalized and artisan items.

The platform charges listing fees and takes a small percentage of each sale, but it provides tools to help you market your products and manage your shop.

Other selling apps

In addition to Etsy, it’s worth checking out the full range of selling apps currently on the market. With these, you can sell used items (e.g., used books or clothes), handmade goods, or even digital downloads.

Here are a few of the best apps for selling:

• Shopify
• Poshmark
• OfferUp
• Vinted

5. Best cashback app: Rakuten

Cashback apps are digital platforms that reward users with a small percentage of their money back on purchases made at partnered online or physical retailers. These apps offer a simple way to save money on everyday shopping, often through browser extensions, receipt scanning, or in-app clicks.

When considering the best for consistently high rewards across thousands of online stores, Rakuten is the leading contender.

Using the Rakuten app is very straightforward. Simply download it, browse available deals and offers, and shop as you normally would. Every three months, you can cash out your earnings via PayPal or receive a check (or opt for Amex rewards points).

One standout feature of Rakuten is its ability to offer cash back not only at retailers but also at popular restaurants.

Other cashback apps

If you’re interested in earning rewards, Rakuten isn’t your only option. You might also consider receipt-scanning apps and the following other cashback apps:

• Swagbucks
• InboxDollars
• Ibotta

6. Best survey app: Survey Junkie

Survey apps are mobile or web platforms that allow users to earn small amounts of cash or gift cards by sharing their opinions on brands and products through taking paid surveys, participating in focus groups, and doing product testing.

Survey Junkie is our current top choice due to its straightforward interface, low payout threshold, and consistent survey opportunities.

The app offers two main ways to participate:

• Attitudinal Surveys: Provide feedback on products and marketing strategies.
• Behavioral Research: Share your browsing activity for insights into real user behavior.

Survey payouts typically range from $0.50 to $3, depending on your profile and the surveys you complete. Survey rewards can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or bank deposits. Alternatively, you can redeem your survey earnings via gift cards for Amazon and other popular retailers.

Other survey apps

Survey Junkie is just one of many survey apps for making money. You might also consider these options:

• Prime Opinion
• Toluna Influencers
• Ipsos iSay
• LifePoints

Bear in mind that even the most lucrative survey platforms will usually pay no more than a few dollars per hour, usually, so this isn’t the best side hustle for making big bucks. However, it’s very easy, flexible, and acessible to almost anyone with a laptop or phone.

7. Best gaming app: Mistplay

Gaming apps are loyalty programs or platforms that incentivize users by offering rewards, gift cards, or cash for downloading, playing, and progressing in various mobile games. Some gaming apps also double as survey apps.

Mistplay is the one we rate most highly, based on its variety of games and reliable PayPal and gift card payouts.

As you play and complete in-game tasks on Mistplay, you collect points. You can redeem points you earn from gaming as instant PayPal cash or gift cards for popular retailers like Amazon. The app tailors game suggestions to your preferences, so you can discover new games while earning.

Mistplay is free to download, but it’s only available for Android users. Nevertheless, it’s one of the best money-making apps for Android phones.

Other gaming apps

If you’re interested in earning money through gaming, Mistplay isn’t your only option. There are several other games that pay real money. You can even find games that pay money instantly.

Here are a few options to explore:

• Solitaire Cash
• Bingo Cash
• Bubble Cash

8. Best signup bonus app: Swagbucks

Signup bonus apps are financial or consumer platforms that attract new users by offering an immediate reward, such as a cash bonus, points, or a gift card, upon successful registration. Sometimes they may require you to complete an initial action, such as linking a bank account or making a first purchase.

Due to its frequent and easily attainable sign-up offers, combined with various other earning methods, Swagbucks is our top selection.

Swagbucks offers signup bonuses of up to $10. After signing up, you can also earn money or get gift cards by playing games, taking surveys, and completing other tasks.

Other signup bonus apps

Swagbucks isn’t your only option if you’re hoping to get paid to download apps. There are several other apps that pay you to sign up.

Here are a few apps that give you an instant welcome bonus for downloading:

• InboxDollars
• Survey Junkie
• MyPoints

You can also read our in-depth comparisons between some of these competitors in our reviews of Swagbucks vs. InboxDollars and Swagbucks vs. Survey Junkie.

9. Best investment app: Robinhood

Investment apps are mobile and web-based platforms that provide users with tools to buy, sell, and manage various financial products, including stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies. They often offer commission-free trading and educational resources.

We picked Robinhood as our top recommendation due to its commission-free trading structure, user-friendly interface, and broad range of tradable assets.

Again, Robinhood is a very low-fee app you can use to invest and trade stocks, and it offers one of the easiest ways to make money from your phone. Just make sure you’re fully aware of all the risks involved, and consider consulting a professional financial advisor before you download this passive money-making app.

Other investment and trading apps

If you’re set on making money by trading or investing, then here are a couple of alternative apps you can make money on in addition to Robinhood:

• Acorns
• Binance

10. Best rental app: Turo

Rental apps are digital marketplaces that allow users to search for and book a variety of assets, most commonly real estate like apartments or houses, or personal vehicles via peer-to-peer sharing. These platforms streamline the process by offering advanced search filters, virtual tours, secure in-app payments, and direct communication with owners or managers.

Whether you are looking for a long-term home or a short-term car rental, Turo is the app we favor most highly.

You can earn extra money by renting out your car through the Turo app if you don’t need to use it every day. As long as your car is 12 years old or newer and meets specific requirements, you can list it on the platform for others to rent when you’re not using it.

Turo takes a commission on each rental, allowing you to keep 60%–90% of the trip’s price.

Other rental apps

If you don’t have a car, don’t worry. Take a look at our list of things you can rent out for money to get other ideas for rental side hustles.

You might also consider:

• Getaround
• Airbnb
• Vrbo

Still not quite sure what is the best money-making app for you? We’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions about using apps to make money.

What app pays the most?

Overall, the highest-paying app on this list is TaskRabbit. This is because this app allows you to get paid as much as you like in exchange for providing services to clients, and they don’t keep any of your earnings.

What is the easiest app to make money?

The easiest apps for making money are passive-income apps that allow you to get paid doing little to no work. Our choice of the easiest app for making good money is the car rental app Turo.

If you set up a lockbox or other method that allows renters to pick up the car key without you physically being there for a key exchange, then you’ll be able to make some pretty high earnings with minimal effort. You can even outsource car cleaning and maintenance to someone else.

What is the best app to make money fast?

The fastest money-making apps are apps that offer instant pay. Our pick for the fastest money-making app is Uber.

Once you’re officially an Uber driver, you can work as much as you like, and you can get instant payouts up to six times per day. Moreover, you can use Uber and Lyft in tandem with each other to minimize your downtime, a great way to maximize your earnings with these ridesharing apps.

What are the best free money-making apps?

The best free apps to make money on this list are Upwork and Swagbucks. Both are free apps you can use to earn cash, but they serve different purposes.

Upwork is one of the top free money-making apps because you can achieve potentially unlimited earnings in exchange for doing online freelancing work. Swagbucks, on the other hand, is one of the few apps that give you free money just for signing up.

There are several ways to make money with apps. The highest-paying apps are work apps to earn money. These aren’t apps that give you free cash—rather, they’re gig apps that can help you find jobs that pay.

On the list above, you’ll also find plenty of side hustle apps that let you sell or rent things you own for profit or pay you to walk, complete microtasks, or play games. Other apps give you discounts or cash back instead of real money.

If you’re wondering how to make money on apps, the first thing you need to do is figure out which type of app sounds right for you.

Are most money-making apps legit?

While there are some apps out there that don’t live up to their promises or that mislead users about how much they can realistically earn, there are certainly plenty of legit money-making apps that actually work. All of the apps in this list are 100% legitimate apps to make money.

With that said, it’s important to read the terms of service for any app you download. If an app is offering “free money,” odds are that they’re getting something in return. For example, you may need to spend money to get money, or the app may be profiting by selling your data.