9 of the Best Money-Making Apps of 2024
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For those looking to earn money in an easily accessible way, apps provide plenty of avenues to consider. You can use your smartphone to take surveys, pick up a side gig, sell your unwanted stuff and more.
Here’s the scoop on nine free money-making apps. NerdWallet considered apps with at least 3.8 stars and 25,000 reviews in Google Play, the iOS App Store or both.
9 of the best apps to make money
The best money-making apps
1. Ibotta
Ibotta lets you earn cash back on in-store and online purchases at over 2,000 supported retailers. Originally for groceries, it has expanded to include clothing, entertainment and eating out, pet supplies and other categories. Offers can be product or retailer-specific. For others, you’ll need to complete an additional task such as watching a video or taking a poll.
There are three possible ways to earn cash back in stores: Add offers and submit your receipt in the app after your shopping trip (you have 7 days to send in your receipt through the app), link your retailer loyalty accounts or purchase a retailer gift card through the Ibotta app. For online purchases, you shop through the app or with the Ibotta browser extension on your computer.
Payment: PayPal, digital gift card or direct to a bank account.
Pros: You’ll receive cash back on in-store purchases quickly — typically within 24 hours. Ibotta also offers a welcome bonus to new users, referral bonuses and a variety of payment methods.
Cons: Making money can be a slow process. You must have at least $20 in cash back to redeem your earnings (some gift cards require at least $25 in earnings). For online shopping, the pending period for earning cash back varies by retailer. Ibotta also charges an account maintenance fee for inactive (no activity for 180 days) or deactivated accounts. The fee is deducted from your balance, not your bank account.
2. Rakuten
How it works: Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) rewards shoppers with cash back on purchases from well-known retailers, restaurants and food delivery services. Users can also earn cash back on travel, gift cards and more. It’s straightforward: Create an account, tap on the store where you want to shop in the app, then make the transaction through the portal. You can also link a credit or debit card to your Rakuten account to earn cash back in-store — as long as you activate the deal through the app first. Rakuten credits the cash back to your account after it confirms the purchase with the retailer.
Payment: PayPal or "Big Fat Check."
Pros: Thousands of stores and purchases are eligible for cash back, so you’ll likely find deals where you already shop. New users can earn a welcome bonus after their first qualified purchase. You can also earn welcome and referral bonuses. You can make an impact with your cash back earnings by donating a portion to nonprofit partners.
Cons: As with most cash-back services, you have to spend money to make money. You won’t see your earnings right away, either; Rakuten sends out payments every three months on the company's payment schedule, and you need to hit the minimum cash-back balance to get paid. Unlike other apps like Ibotta, you have to remember to initiate your purchase in the app first. If you forget and make your purchase outside of the app, you can't get credit retroactively.
3. Swagbucks
How it works: Swagbucks is a cash-back and rewards app. You earn points, called "SB," by shopping online (there are over 1,500 participating retailers), taking surveys, watching videos, playing games or fulfilling other tasks through Swagbucks. You can redeem those points for gift cards, prepaid Visa cards or get cash back to your PayPal account. The total points awarded can vary by task. For example, surveys are typically worth about 40 to 200 SB points each. The minimum balance required to redeem depends on the payout option you choose, but some gift cards are available for as low as 300 SB.
Payment: E-gift card, prepaid Visa card or PayPal. You can also redeem SB for Bitcoin through the new Cryptovoucher Gift Card options.
Pros: Swagbucks offers many easy ways to earn rewards, and there’s no waiting period to cash in. Payments usually arrive within 10 business days after redemption. You can also get a $10 bonus with a qualifying $25 purchase when you join.
Cons: It doesn’t pay much; one SB is worth about a cent. With many tasks valued at pennies, it can take a fair amount of time and effort to make substantial money. Additionally, you won’t qualify for every survey or task, although users can earn up to 5 SB per day if they disqualify. Users often report getting kicked out of surveys in the middle of taking them. This can be due to demographics or dishonest or inconsistent answers, according to Swagbucks.
