Home App Reviews Wonolo Review: Is Wonolo a Legit Temp Work App?
April 11, 2024
Editorial GuidelinesSuzanne is a freelance writer and web designer with 10 years of experience. She previously helped to rebuild a failed digital...
Shift work can be a good way to make money quickly. What workers once had to manage on their own or via a staffing agency they can now pass on to an on-demand staffing app like Wonolo to find available shifts in their area.
But is Wonolo all it’s cracked up to be? In this review, we’ll look at how the app works, how much you can make, and the pros and cons of using the Wonolo app to find temp jobs.
Wonolo, or “Work Now Locally,” is one of today’s top apps to pick up shifts. It provides businesses with a quick and cost-effective way to find and hire staff as needed for same-day, temporary, and part-time shifts.
While Wonolo may not be as big as some of the other job apps out there, it boasts a worker base of over 1 million “Wonoloers” and over 3 million jobs filled. The company first came onto the scene back in 2014, but since then they’ve grown substantially. 1
Unlike the case with some competing work-on-demand apps, Wonoloers can’t directly apply for shifts. Instead, here’s how it works:
The more time you spend customizing your profile and preferences, the better your job matches will be. You can customize search parameters like preferred start time, shift duration, location, employer rating, total shift pay, and more.
Wonolo jobs tend to fall under the broader category of manual labor, and the app is mainly geared toward frontline workers. You’ll find shifts available in fields like retail, food services, and delivery, but you can also find jobs in other niches, depending on the job availability where you live.
Here are Wonolo’s top job categories:
Some of the jobs in these categories are skilled positions—like in food production and marketing—that may require professional experience and certification. Others are a bit more lenient about how qualifies.
In addition to searching Wonolo based on the type of job you want, you can also search for jobs that fit your schedule. For instance, you can look for “weekend jobs,” “same day jobs,” or “night jobs.”
Wonolo doesn’t charge workers to sign up, and there are no service fees. This means you’ll get to keep 100% of the stated salary for any shift you claim (minus any taxes you pay).
That said, there is one fee that you may have to pay: the Trust and Safety Fee. This fee applies if you don’t already have your own insurance covering accidents and injuries on the job. Here’s how much the fee is generally advertised to be for different job types:
This fee covers the cost of occupational accident insurance (OAI), which you’re required to have. With this insurance, you’ll be covered for any costs that arise due to a job-related accident or injury.
The Wonolo app has only a few basic requirements:
You’ll also need to agree to Wonolo’s biometric data policy and workers’ comp insurance fee in order to register. Beyond these Wonolo signup requirements, employers may have additional requirements for you. These are referred to as “conditional offer specifications” and may include things like certifications or background checks.
Wonolo currently operates in more than 100 markets in the United States. To see whether Wonolo is set up where you live, check out their complete list of locations.
Even if Wonolo operates in your state, some towns and cities will have more jobs than others. According to the website, these are the top cities to find Wonolo jobs:
Some Wonolo reviews say that jobs are hard to come by, even in places like New York City. So a quick search to see what’s currently available in your area should give you an idea of whether you’ll be able to pick up relevant shifts on Wonolo.
All Wonolo workers get paid via direct deposit. Stripe is the most common payment processor, though Wonolo will accept others. However, Stripe payments are processed the fastest.
According to Wonolo, 98% of jobs pay within 2 business days. However, it can take anywhere in the range of 1–5 business days (or sometimes longer) to get paid for a completed shift. It depends on when your employer approves your timesheet.
The amount of money you’ll earn on Wonolo depends on the type of gigs you book, the going rates in your area, and how much you work. You won’t set your own rates—instead, companies post the salary for a particular gig, which you’ll be able to see before you claim the shift.
Some jobs may be posted with an hourly rate, whereas others will display a flat rate. Whatever salary you see posted is the amount you’ll get paid after you complete the shift.
The table below shows the estimated average earnings for Wonolo workers based on information from various online sources.
| Job | Rate |
|---|---|
| Administrator | $35.38 |
| Market research analyst | $29.43 |
| Operations specialist | $28.27 |
| Mystery shopper | $24.94 |
| Taxi driver | $19.67 |
| Delivery driver | $17.51 |
| Shipping and receiving clerk | $16.49 |
| Merchandiser | $16.02 |
| Warehouse associate | $15.85 |
| Order processor | $15.48 |
| Independent contractor | $15.30 |
| Doorman | $15.04 |
| Brand ambassador | $14.87 |
Experience, location, and certifications can all impact how much you earn. Your best bet is to visit the local job boards on the Wonolo website. You’ll see how much employers are offering to pay for each shift and how many hours you’re required to work.
Just keep in mind that when working for Wonolo, you’ll be classed as an independent contractor. This means you’ll need to pay your own taxes. Factor in the cost of taxes when assessing whether a Wonolo job is worth it.
Wonolo is a legitimate app to use if you’re looking for temporary or even temp-to-hire gigs, and it offers some safety features to protect workers who are using the Wonolo app to pick up short-notice temp jobs.
Wonolo has some similarities with a typical staffing agency in terms of what it offers. In addition to helping businesses like Extended Stay America, Jimmy John’s, and Lyft fill temp positions, Wonolo provides workers’ comp in the event that you get injured while on the job.
There’s one other thing that has Wonolo workers and prospective users concerned about using this app, and that’s the Wonolo lawsuit.
Technically, the lawsuit was filed against Amazon Web Services (AWS). However, it’s because of facial recognition technology used by Wonolo.
When you first create a Wonolo profile, you need to include an image of your face. When you check in for work, you then scan your face on a Wonolo device to confirm your identity.
The face scans are stored in the Wonolo database on AWS servers. AWS has allegedly been selling this biometric data to other entities like law enforcement agencies and businesses. You can read Wonolo’s biometric data policy here.
While you can initiate the signup process on Wonolo.com, it’s going to direct you to the mobile app to complete the process. So you should start by downloading the Wonolo app onto your phone or mobile device.
The first thing they’ll ask you to do is enter your phone number and agree to all the terms of service, including the biometric data policy.
After that, you’ll complete the form by providing them with the following information:
When you’re done, you’ll be free to create a profile and set your job preferences and specifications.
Is Wonolo one of the best temp job apps? According to some of its users, it’s a good resource for making fast cash, and there’s a nice variety of jobs available.
You also don’t have to spend a ton of time sifting through job postings that are a bad fit. With extensive search parameters, the Wonolo app makes it easy to find shifts that fit your needs.
However, like other gig apps, Wonolo has received mixed reviews. Below, we’ve rounded up a summary of both the positives and negatives that frequently come up in online app reviews to give you a glimpse into what it’s really like finding work with Wonolo.
One of Wonolo’s biggest perks is same-day payment. While some users say it can take a few days for payments to actually land in your bank account, others rave about how fast payments are sent out.
On the flip side, many users complain about not getting paid despite working a full shift. It sounds like, in many cases, it’s because employers are being dishonest and not wanting to pay. Others have noted how faulty the clock-in process is.
User reviews:
“When I do find job, I get paid in less than 6 hours.” (Google Play, January 2024)
“Wonolo is the app you go to if you want same day pay.” (Google Play, January 2024)
“You get paid on time. Usually the same day after your shift. It may post to your account the next morning.” (Google Play, September 2022)
“This company does good until they owe you money. They do not communicate well with in their own company. I would turn a miss time sheet. It showed up on my app then deny it saying they didn’t get it. Took them 7 months to get it. I had to fight tooth and nail for the money that was owed to me.” (Google Play, September 2023)
One of the biggest drawbacks of Wonolo seems to be the lack of jobs available in some areas. Many frustrated users report going through an arduous signup process only to find out there are no job openings in their state.
A major theme seems to be a downward trend in the number of available gigs. Some Wonolo workers who have been using the app for years say that it used to have plenty of gigs, but now options are a lot more limited.
User reviews:
“Wonolo has plenty of work in my area.” (Reddit, July 2022)
“I’ve had this app for years and the gigs have only gotten worst/become non-existent.” (Google Play, February 2024)
“I will rarely receive a job notification and the rare times that i do receive a job notification, it will say that the job is ‘no longer available’ within not even a whole ten seconds of me receiving the notification.” (Google Play, April 2023)
Since you’re not actually working for Wonolo as a Wonoloer, it’s hard to know whether you’ll end up with a reliable or communicative employer. Some workers complain about employers canceling shifts last-minute, mistakenly marking them as late, or providing inaccurate or incorrect information in job postings (e.g., job location, description, or dress code).
On the plus side, it seems that Wonolo gigs can lead to consistent, ongoing job opportunities with individual companies. If an employer likes you, they can prioritize you when listing an opening. This is good news for workers who’ve already gotten their foot in the door, but it can make it hard for new users to break into the market.
User reviews:
“I have been canceled on more jobs than I have completed.” (Google Play, December 2023)
“As soon as I arrived at the location, after spending time & money out of pocket, they canceled my booked gig-HALF AN HR BEFORE START TIME.” (Google Play, July 2023)
“I had a job on Friday that I went to I arrived at the job an hour and a half early I was given different information about the attire I corresponded with them they marked me down as a no-show when I actually did show and my account was deactivated today.” (Google Play, June 2023)
“Employers screw Wonoloers by switching hours that originally were chosen and agreed upon without consent, making less money than agreed to. Then if you withdraw from a multiple day job, Wonolo will punish you and block you from work.” (Google Play, June 2023)
Because there’s no phone number or live chat for Wonolo support, users struggle to get issues resolved. In some cases, workers are forced to provide extensive proof of the issue, like photos or screenshots that show they were on site after the fact. It’s worth documenting each job if you use Wonolo to pick up gigs.
User reviews:
“The contact information they have is automated, no one will get back at you.” (Google Play, January 2024)
“Can not get assistance from support just the same useless email over and over again.” (Google Play, May 2023)
Wonolo was founded back in 2014. With more than a decade in business, the company hasn’t quite seemed to work out all of the kinks. While the website paints a rosy picture about how easy it is to pick up shifts and get paid quickly, that’s far from the reality for some users.
With that said, if you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with plenty of Wonolo jobs, the app makes it easy to earn fast cash by picking up shifts in your area. Before you decide, weigh up Wonolo’s major pros and cons.
If you’re thinking about using Wonolo, do your research. Check out the local jobs available on the app. See how many are available, how much they pay, and what’s involved in the work. It might be worth it just to sign up.
Once you have a profile and start receiving jobs, evaluate the app some more. If you can find shifts with high-quality and reliable employers that you trust, then Wonolo could be a great jobs resource.
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