Top 10 Work-On-Demand Job Apps

If you’re interested in work-from-home apps, Upwork is a good one to start with. It’s one of the most well-known and widely used online freelance marketplaces, and jobs are available in a wide range of industries.

Types of work: 

• Accounting and consulting
• Admin support
• Customer service
• Data science and analysis
• Design and creative
• Engineering and architecture
• IT
• Legal services
• Sales and marketing
• Translation
• Web, mobile, and software development
• Writing

As a freelancer on Upwork, you set your own rates and get paid through a secure system. While you can bid on gigs you’re interested in, employers can also contact you directly, so it’s important to have a thoughtfully crafted profile with good reviews.

There are no fees to sign up for Upwork, but the platform does take 10% of your earnings. When you’re ready to cash out, you’ll have a variety of options to choose from, including direct deposit, PayPal, and Payoneer.

Sign Up for Upwork

If you’re interested in a day labor app where you can pick up shifts, try the Instawork app. Marketed as an instant work app, it’s primarily geared toward short-term, seasonal, and temp work, and it’s a great way to pick up a last-minute shift to earn some extra money if your schedule frees up.

Types of work:

• Food and beverage
• Hospitality
• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Events
• Warehousing and merchandising
• Retail

Think of Instawork as a temp agency without the hassle that comes with having a go-between. You get to decide when and where you work. You also have the ability to schedule shifts in advance or pick them up the same day.

What’s more, you earn the posted rate. Instawork doesn’t take a cut of your earnings. What they will do, however, is make sure you’re properly vetted for the gigs you apply to (as needed). This means that if your line of work typically requires a certification or prior experience, you’ll need to show proof of these credentials before getting started.

Sign Up for Instawork

Field Nation is a good app for independent contractors with field service experience and technical expertise. They market themselves as the leading labor marketplace for IT workers, and their aim is to minimize the legwork you have to do in terms of finding clients and dealing with business paperwork.

Types of work:

• Security
• Computers and printers
• Security camera installation
• Network cabling
• WiFi installation
• Point-of-sale (POS) installation

Because of the highly technical nature of these gigs, some employers have additional requirements besides in-field experience. For instance, it’s not uncommon to have to submit to a background check or drug screening before being hired.

While it’s free to sign up with Field Nation, they’ll take a 10% service fee on all your earnings, which are paid out every Friday. In addition, you’ll have to pay to take out a general liability insurance policy, either through Field Nation or on your own.

Sign Up for Field Nation

Unlike some on-demand work apps, Wonolo is strictly a place to find temporary gigs and shift work. You’ll find a mix of in-person gigs available in this app, including office work, labor gigs, and odd jobs.

Types of work: 

• Customer service
• Event services
• Food and beverage
• Hotel and travel
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Warehousing
• General labor
• Delivery driving
• Washing and cleaning
• Administrative assistance
• Merchandising

Wonolo operates similarly to a staffing agency. For starters, all Wonolo workers are prescreened. When background checks are required, Wonolo coordinates the process.

In addition, Wonolo ensures that all workers are covered by workers’ comp and occupational accident insurance. The tradeoff is that you don’t have to worry about finding clients, invoicing them, or making sure you get paid on time. When you work for Wonolo, you get paid within 5 business days.

Sign Up for Wonolo

Fiverr is an app that enables you to work a variety of creative or technical gigs across 600+ job categories. Like Upwork, it’s a freelance marketplace that’s primarily geared toward jobs you can do online or from home.

Types of work: 

• Graphics and design
• Digital marketing
• Writing
• Translation
• Video and animation
• Music and audio
• Programming and tech
• Business and legal consulting
• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Virtual assistance
• Tutoring and coaching
• Arts and crafts
• Data science
• Photography

What makes Fiverr different from most freelance marketplaces is that it’s a place for businesses to hire professionals at budget prices. In fact, that’s the reason behind the platform’s name—the starting price for all services is just $5.

While this is great for employers, it can be a source of frustration for freelancers, especially considering that Fiverr takes a 20% cut of your wages. For these reasons, Fiverr is best for novice freelancers looking to gain experience and build their portfolio.

Sign Up for Fiverr

Although Qwick has limited availability in the US (it’s currently only available in 13 states and Washington, D.C.), it’s a good option if you want to pick up shifts in the hospitality industry.

The requirements to work for Qwick are fairly relaxed. As long as you’re at least 18 years old and have at least 1 year of recent work experience with the type of job you want to do, you should be good to go.

Types of work:

• Banquet cook
• Banquet server
• Barista
• Busser
• Bartender
• Food assembler
• Concession worker
• Event helper
• Mixologist
• Restaurant server

There are a couple more unique features that distinguish Qwick from the other general labor apps on this list. For starters, hospitality professionals receive what’s known as a QwickScore. You’ll be graded on factors like experience, reliability, and professionalism. This score is then used to match you with gigs.

A huge perk is the option for same-day pay. Normally, you’ll get paid within 1–2 business days after you complete a shift. With Instant Pay, however, you can get those funds in your account within 30 minutes.

Sign Up for Qwick

Interested in doing some manual labor to make easy cash? TaskRabbit is a good app for that. TaskRabbit joined forces with Ikea back in 2018, and as a result, they offer plenty of jobs specific to moving and furniture assembly. But that’s not all you can do.

TaskRabbit is widely known as a “handyman app” where you can find odd jobs and repair work. But the list of jobs you can do on TaskRabbit is pretty extensive, and it includes gigs that don’t require any special skills or training, including obscure tasks like waiting in line, running personal errands, and organizing closets.

Types of work: 

• Furniture assembly
• Home repairs
• Mounting and installation
• Cleaning
• Shopping and delivery
• Yardwork
• Personal assistance
• Painting
• Virtual and online work
• Moving

Before you can get started on TaskRabbit, you’ll need to undergo a background check. Once approved, you’ll start receiving jobs that match your preferences.

You’ll have a ton of freedom with this jobs-on-demand app, including setting your own prices, working when and where you want, and picking and choosing which jobs you work. In addition, you keep 100% of your earnings. The only fee you pay is $25 when you register.

You can read more about this on-demand work app by reading our TaskRabbit app review.

Sign Up for TaskRabbit

Thumbtack is an on-demand labor app that’s unique for a few reasons. To start, it’s available nationwide, in every county in all 50 states. It’s also a jobs-on-demand website and advertises a wide variety of gigs, from manual labor to event services.

Types of work:

• Handyman services
• Moving
• Cleaning
• Mounting and installation
• Event planning
• Personal training
• Web and app development
• Web design
• Musical performance
• Financial services
• Photography
• Private investigation
• Tutoring
• Home improvement
• Pet care
• Tech support

Thumbtack’s most unique feature is that it’s a lead generation service for contractors. Instead of using the app to find and apply to jobs, you pay when you receive leads that match your job criteria. You also pay when a client hires you directly.

The good news is that this is the only fee that you’ll have pay to get work on this app. The only exception is if you want to get an instant deposit, which allows you to get paid within 30 minutes rather than wait the standard 4 business days. In this case, you’ll need to sacrifice 1% of your pay.

Sign Up for Thumbtack

Jobble markets itself as an on-demand staffing app geared toward temporary workers in various manual labor industries. They claim to work with 500+ businesses nationwide. In addition to hourly gigs, you can also find full-time jobs.

There are two ways to get jobs on Jobble. The first is by claiming on-demand jobs that fit your search preferences. The other is through partner posts, which allow you to apply to jobs directly on the hiring company’s website.

Types of work:

• Warehouse
• Hospitality
• Retail
• Events
• Delivery
• General labor
• Health care

To get started on Jobble, create an account and profile. When you receive and accept your first job offer, Jobble will run a background check. Once you’re verified and good to go, you can pick up as many one-time or recurring shifts as you like.

In addition to helping you find work as you need it, the app comes with something called Jobble Perks. These deals help you save money on life expenses like travel, childcare, and education, which will enable you to continue working for yourself.

Sign Up for Jobble

The Freelancer jobs app is one of the largest freelance marketplaces. With more than 2,700 job categories, you can make money in a lot of different ways—and from some of the world’s top organizations (like Amazon and NASA).

Types of work:

• AI
• Website development
• Writing
• Data entry
• Sales and marketing
• Accounting
• Manufacturing
• Health and medicine
• Shipping

Similar to other freelance marketplace apps, freelancers bid on open projects. While every Freelancer.com user can sign up and start applying to jobs for free, there’s a limit on how many bids you get.

Freelancer charges a 10% service fee on your earnings, so you might not want to spend extra money to subscribe to a monthly or annual plan. However, without one, you’ll be limited in terms of the number of skills you can list on your profile and number of bids you can send.

Sign Up for Freelancer

Whether you’re looking to pick up shifts from time to time or want steady contract work, on-demand job apps are a great way to find exactly what you’re looking for. However, not every app caters to the same kinds of workers.

Before you install one of the apps in this list, make sure it aligns with your expertise. For instance, apps like Instawork, Wonolo, Qwick, and Jobble are useful if you want to work in hospitality. On the other hand, if you’d rather work remotely, Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer will be useful.

It’s also important to consider your goals. Do you want an easy way to pick up some gigs? If so, it might be worth trading 10% of your earnings for the convenience of having gigs sent to you. But if your goal is to make the most money possible, you might be better off with a no-fee job app.

Make a list of what features are the most important to you, then compare it against this list of apps. You’re sure to find at least a couple that can help you in your job search.