25 Best Apps That Pay Real Money ($1,000+) | Best Money-Making Apps

Did you know that there are mobile apps that pay real money? Well, you no longer have to waste your time on the phone. Instead, you should start using these apps and get to make some real cash.

Though some require you to do a job or sell something, others only need you to install them on your phone, and you get to earn passive income.

Others earn you welcome cash bonuses for signing up, and some earn you cashback for shopping online.

So that you can understand what I’m saying, we’re going to look at 25 apps that pay real money doing the following:

• Answering surveys
• Shopping online
• Selling online
• Driving or renting out your car
• Downloading the app (passive income)

What Are The Best Apps To Make Money? 25 Best Apps That Pay Real Money

Depending on how you want to make money, below are the 25 best money-making apps.

Apps That Pay Real Money for Answering Surveys

With the apps below, you can make money answering surveys, among other online activities. Some even offer you signup bonuses.

1. Swagbucks

Potential Pay: $10 signup bonus + up to $5/participation

Download: App Store & Google Play

I consider Swagbucks to be the perfect definition of quick cash. I don’t mean that you’ll get rich using the app, but you’ll make money easily on the platform doing simple and fun stuff like:

• Answering polls and surveys
• Searching things online
• Watching entertaining videos

So, how do you get to start making money on Swagbucks?

It starts with signing up, and doing so allows you to get a free $10.

Once you sign up, you can pick the activity you want to do on the platform. The activities earn you points (Swagbucks) that are cash redeemable.

2. InboxDollars

Potential Pay: $5 signup bonus + up to $5/contribution

Download: Apple Store & Google Play

If you are looking for a survey app that gives you a money-making experience similar to Swagbucks, you should install InboxDollars. It’s one of the best apps to make money fast online.

You’ll receive a $5 signup bonus for registering on the app. After that, you can decide what to do for cash.

Of course, the most popular activities are paid surveys, and you can make $0.50-$5 per contribution.

Other exciting ways to make money on InboxDollars are:

• Searching things online using InboxDollars as your search engine
• Reading newsletters that InboxDollars sends
• Watching videos on the platform

3. Surveys on The Go

Potential Pay: $1-$5/survey

Download: App Store & Google Play

From its name, Surveys on The Go is a mobile app that allows you to answer paid surveys anywhere. The surveys cover different topics, and you can make $1-$5 per contribution.

In most cases, you may need to do the following:

• Participate in market research
• Share your online shopping experience
• Give a review of a T.V. program or film

Provided you have at least $10 in your Surveys on The Go account, you can withdraw anytime.

4. Survey Junkie

Potential Pay: Up to $50/survey

Download: App Store & Google Play

In my view, Survey Junkie is not just one of the apps that pay real cash but also one of the best-payers.

You can make up to $50 doing the following:

• Answering surveys
• Participating in focus groups
• Trying new products and offers

The Survey Junkie mobile app is free to download, and you can also sign up for free.

The secret to making more money on Survey Junkie is participating in the focus groups. That’s where you can make as much as $50.

Most discussions take 30-45 minutes, and you’ll receive points that you can convert into real cash and withdraw via PayPal.

5. Panda Research

Potential Pay: Up to $75/survey

Download: Google Play

Are you wondering what apps make you the most money? Panda Research happens to be one of them. Some surveys on the platform pay as high as $25-$75.

Not only do you earn answering online surveys but also through:

• Referring friends
• Reading emails

Panda Research also offers discounts and giveaways.

Anyone in the United States who is 18 or older can sign up. Mark you; you receive a $3 signup bonus once you complete your first paid surveys.

Provided you have $50 or more in your Panda Research account, you can withdraw.

Apps That Pay Real Money For Shopping Online

The apps below earn you cashback, except for Trim (which reduces your bills and subscription expenses).

6. Ibotta

Potential Pay: $10 signup bonus + $5 referral bonus + cashback

Download: App Store & Google Play

If you are looking for a cashback app that pays you for day-to-day online shopping, you have to put Ibotta at the top of your list.

Ibotta allows you to get some money back from grocery shopping.

How it works:

All you have to do to get cashback is to scan a receipt of your purchases and upload it as it is on Ibotta. After that, you’ll have a part of your money in a few hours or at most two days.

Furthermore, Ibotta awards you with a $10 signup bonus upon redeeming a few offers within 14 days of registering.

7. Checkout51

Potential Pay: $5 signup bonus + cashback

Download: App Store & Google Play

Ibotta is not the only app that allows you to earn cashback on groceries. Checkout51 also promises the same.

So, it’s one of the best apps to make money shopping online. Like Ibotta, they also partner with multiple brands to allow you to save on day-to-day grocery shopping.

How it works:

• First, sign up on the mobile app, and that earns you a $5 welcome bonus.
• Then, look for offers available on the platform and add to your Checkout51 account whatever suits you.
• Visit your grocery store to shop as you usually do and wait to receive your receipt.
• Upload the receipt on the app (Checkout51) and wait to get your cash refund. It’s that simple.

8. Rakuten

Potential Pay: $10 signup bonus + up to 12-40% cashback

Download: App Store & Google Play

Rakuten partners with 2,500+ stores and allow you to get up to $12-$40% cashback. For sure, very few cashback platforms offer such a massive refund.

Whether you want to shop on Target, Walmart, or Amazon, consider using Rakuten.

Rakuten offers you a $10 welcome bonus once you make purchases worth $25 or more within the first three months of signing up.

That’s without a doubt enough time to shop on the platform.

How it works:

Using Rakuten is easy. You just need to log into the mobile app, pick your preferred retailer, and shop as you usually do.

9. Dosh

Potential Pay: $5 signup bonus + up to 5% cashback

Download: App Store & Google Play

Dosh is also one of the best apps to earn real money shopping online. It’s a fantastic app that offers you $5 for free for just signing up.

The smartphone app also earns you cashback for making purchases on participating stores when you pay using a credit card.

So, you have to link your credit card to Dosh to start getting cashback.

How it works:

• Each time you pay for purchases using a credit card, you earn points in your Dosh wallet that you can redeem as cash
• Provided you have a $25 minimum balance, Dosh allows you to cash out either via PayPal or Direct bank deposit.

10. Trim (App That Pays Real Money As Saving)

Potential Pay: Up to $50/month

Download: AskTrim.com

Do you struggle to pay for utilities and subscriptions? How about if you look for some help to enable you to save?

That’s what Trim does. The money-saver app finds ghost subscriptions to enable you to cancel them. Plus, it negotiates lower bills on your behalf.

Once the negotiations are successful, Trim only takes 33% of the saved money, and you keep the rest.

Remember, Trim does all the weightlifting. All you have to do is link Trim to your account and wait for it to make you some money.

I have tried Trim, and it has helped me cancel costly old subscriptions and get to enjoy affordable utility bills.

Apps That Pay You Real Money For Selling Online

Here are apps that pay real money for selling things or services online:

11. Rover – Best Pet Sitting App That Pays Real Money

Potential Pay: $10-$20/hour

Download: Rover.com

How does taking care of puppies sound? If it is something that you don’t mind doing, then you should install Rover and use it to sign up as a pet sitter.

How it works:

Rover connects pet sitters and pet owners. You can also sign up as a dog walker, and if you prefer, you can provide pet boarding services.

Usually, clients come from your neighborhood, and Rover only provides you with an opportunity to meet.

You can use the app to respond to job notifications and to communicate with pet owners.

12. Gigwalk – Best Gig Finding App That Pays Real Money

Potential Pay: Up to $200/gig

Download: App Store & Google Play

Can you do any of these jobs?

• Photography
• Mystery shopping
• Home delivery
• Usability testing (test websites and mobile app)

If yes, then you should download the Gigwalk app. The application connects you with clients offering the above gigs in your local area.

The only issue is that Gigwalk is limited to the United States and Canada.

How much can you make?

It all depends on the nature of the gig. Some pay as low as $3 while others pay as much as $200.

13. Decluttr – Best App That Pays Real Money For Selling Used Electronics

Potential Pay: Up to $100/sell

Download: App Store & Google Play

If you want some quick cash and you have some electronics at home, just list them for sale on Decluttr.

The mobile app allows you to get a few dollars from tablets, mobile phones, and video games.

Sometimes, you can make as much as $100 per sell on the platform.

So, you no longer have to keep electronics that you no longer use.

How it works:

Just scan your electronic bar code and upload it on Decluttr, and then wait to receive an offer.

14. Bookscouter – Best App That Pays Real Money For Selling Used Books/Textbooks

Potential Pay: Up to 50% of the book’s original price

Download: App Store & Google Play

 

Do you have textbooks that you no longer use? Are you in the business of flipping textbooks?

There is no better place for such a trade than on Bookscouter. It’s one of the best apps to make money for teens.

The mobile application allows you to compare offers by different book vendors so that you can settle for the best.

So, you no longer have to sell your books cheaply locally. Just list them on Bookscouter for free and wait for someone to suggest the best prices.

15. Foap – Best Photo Selling App That Pays Real Money

Potential Pay: $5/photo sold

Download: App Store & Google Play

Do you often wonder where to sell your photos? Foap provides you with an easy way to upload and sell them online.

How it works:

You need to upload your photos on Foap and wait for someone to buy them.

You can make $5 per sale. Of course, that is after Foap has taken their 50% commission.

The beautiful bit of selling your photos on Foap is that you can upload as many images as you want.

Apps That Pay You to Drive or Rent Out Your Car (Apps That Pay Real Money To Drive)

With the apps below, you can make money using your car:

16. Lyft

Potential Pay: Up to $20/hour

Download: App Store & Google Play

If you wonder how you can use your car to make some real cash, consider listing it on Lyft.

Lyft, one of the leading ridesharing services, allows you to make up to $20 an hour driving people around.

More to it, the company pays up to $1000 in bonuses for completing your trip number 125. You should note, however, that the bonus is subject to change.

Most clients also leave tips on Lyft. So, driving for the service is always a lucrative side hustle.

The problem is that Lyft has strict vehicle registration and driver registration requirements. So, confirm first from their website before signing up.

The service is also only available in the U.S and Canada.

17. Uber

Potential Pay: $10-$20/hour

Download: App Store & Google Play

Uber is the leading ridesharing service in the world. So, it’s logical for them to have one of the best real money apps to connect drivers and passengers.

If you have a car and are willing to drive people around in your free time, you can make $10-$20 an hour on Uber.

But still, Uber allows you to rent out your car on the platform and get to receive some money at the end of the month.

Uber is global, which means any driver who meets its strict vehicle requirements can sign up.

Uber also has a delivery service, UberEATS, which allows you to deliver food instead of people and get paid.

18. Postmates

Potential Pay: $18-$25/hour

Download: App Store & Google Play

Whether you are a driver or a rider, you can make $18-$25 doing deliveries on Postmates. So, it’s one of the apps that pay you the most money.

Postmates allows you to sign up for local deliveries within the United States, which means you don’t have to cover long distances.

With Postmates partnering with 600,000+ grocery stores and restaurants across the United States, delivery jobs are more regular on the platform.

Postmates pay weekly via direct deposit.

19. Instacart

Potential Pay: $15/hour

Download: App Store & Google Play

Not everyone has the time or likes shopping for groceries. Some of them pay people to do it and make deliveries, which is where Instacart comes in.

The food delivery service allows you to sign up as a shopper, and you can use your car to deliver food and grocery to people.

So, you’ll be doing both the shopping and the delivery, and you get to make $15 hourly on average.

The good thing about the job is that you get the opportunity to receive tips for making deliveries.

The other advantage is that shopping for people is fun. You get to discover excellent deals that you can leverage when doing your shopping.

Instacart pays weekly just like Postmates, and it is via direct deposit.

20. Getaround

Potential Pay: $10,000/year 

Download: Getaround.com

If you don’t like driving people around but want to make some cash using your car, consider renting it out on Getaround.

You can do everything using the Getaround app and get to earn as much as $10K a year.

I like the fact that Getaround allows car owners to be in control. You get to decide when to rent out your car, and you can have it for personal use any time you want.

Related Post: 25 High Paying Delivery Jobs Near Me

Apps That Pay Real Money For Doing Installations

Lastly, here are the apps that pay real cash for just installing them on your phone:

21. Nielsen App

Potential Pay: $50/year

Download: App Store & Google Play

Did you know that you can do something as easy as install and retain an app and get paid? That’s what happens when you install the Nielsen app.

You need to keep the application on your device (mobile phone, tablet, or P.C.) for a year, and you’ll receive $50.

Plus, you can do it on all your devices, which means you’ll receive $100 if you have two devices or $150 if you have three.

Additionally, Nielsen enters you into a $10K monthly draw as long as you continue keeping the app on your device.

So, what’s the catch?

Nielsen collects data about your internet usage in exchange for the cash.

22. ShopTracker

Potential Pay: $3/month

Download: App Store & Google Play

If you are still wondering what apps pay real cash, consider ShopTracker. It is a shopping app ran by Harris Poll (one of the leading market research companies) that earns you money for shopping on Amazon.

It allows you to get cash just by sharing your Amazon shopping history.

Doing so will enable you to receive $3 for free every month, which translates to $36 per year. You’ll also receive a $3 gift card from ShopTracker.

After downloading the app and signing up, you don’t have to do anything else other than continue shopping on Amazon as you usually do.

23. Fronto

Potential Pay: $0.20/day

Download: Android

How does viewing ads on your phone for cash sound? That’s the only thing you have to do to make money using Fronto.

Mark you; you don’t have to unlock your phone’s screen to do it.

How it works:

Fronto earns you points that you can redeem for cash when you view or interact with ads on your phone’s screen.

On average, you can make $0.20 a day, which is not much but easy money.

The other issue other than the small pay is that the app tends to drain your battery quicker than usual.

24. Mobile Xpression

Potential Pay: $20/year

Download: App Store & Google Play

Mobile Xpression is another mobile app that allows you to make passive income. All you need to do is install the app on your device and continue using it (the device) typically.

So, they pay you for installing the app, and you can get up to $20 a year for doing that.

But still, you can earn some extra cash if you take part in Mobile Xpression’s online surveys. So, the more surveys you take, the higher the pay

What’s more, Mobile Xpression awards you with credit points upon signing up that you can redeem for a $5 gift card.

25. Acorns

Potential Pay: $10 signup bonus

Download: App Store & Google Play

Have you wanted to invest or save up for retirement? You don’t need to be making so much money to start saving for the future.

All you need is Acorn. The mobile app allows you to save and invest spare change.

How it works:

• Each time you make a purchase, Acorns round up the spending to a whole number
• The app then saves the extra challenge

If, for example, your spending is $7.60, Acorns round of the figure to $8.00 and gets to save $0.40 (the spare change).

Related Post: 25 Real ways To Make Extra Money From Home

Concluding Thoughts On Apps That Pay Real Money

Knowing the apps that pay real money is vital in getting the most out of your phone. As seen, you can make money using your smartphone doing different things or just by installing an app.

How cool is that? Go ahead and install the app of your choosing and wait to receive some real cash.

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