Even though it feels too good to be true, you can make money with text messages. To make it easier for our readers, we have created a list of apps to help you earn with text messages.
You can make money with text messages. Yes, it sounds too good to be true, but there are services that pay people to send and receive text messages. You already send tons of texts to your friends every day, so you might as well turn some of them into cash.
With millions of messages being sent every minute, text messaging has become a vitally important medium of communication. So companies are willing to pay people to text.
Now, the nature of texting and the texts differ by the platform. However, there are plenty of choices, so you can definitely find something that strikes a chord with you.
Table of Contents
List of Top Ways to Make Money Texting
There are many apps where you get paid for text messages, but then there are many that are simply bogus. The following have been tried and tested, and many of them are quite popular to make money online.
Blogging
You can also incorporate text messaging in blogs through LeadPages plugin.
Simply create a blog with Bluehost and set up LeadPages to create an opt-in text. This way you can communicate directly with your visitors and have them opt-in to receive emails.
Bluehost is the easiest way to start a website or blog. It takes less than 10 minutes to get a website up and running.
Bluehost costs only $3.95/month and you'll get a free domain name along the way.
Text messages work way better than emails for your viewers to opt-in and receive emails or text messages.
This can also be a way to send offers, affiliate links, and posts directly to their phone’s inbox. The visitors, on the other hand, save money through offers.
This can be an indirect way to make money online for both the blogger and their visitors through text messaging.
Want to build an audience with blogging? Check out my free 4-day course highlight the exact tips I used to make over $10,000 per month blogging.
IMGR
IMGR is a service that pays you to send text messages, basically advertisement messages. They have their own app, and you send texts through their own platform.
You won’t be sending texts directly from your inbox.
While you can download it for free, it can take quite some effort to make some decent money. Also, you can only send texts to people who are also on the app, so that restricts the number of texts you can send. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity, and many people have set it up to earn cash on the side.
It’s based on a points system, so with each text you send, there is an opportunity to avail one point, equivalent to $0.01. You only get the point when you get a response to your text.
So if you sent out ten texts and got eight replies, you will earn eight points.
You have to cash out your points because they get refreshed at the end of the month. Also, the minimum payout is 300 points or $3. You can receive money via PayPal.
1Q
1Q is a lot more interesting as you can get paid for incoming SMS. It’s basically a marketing research company that sends you texts with questions, coupons, or offers.
You have to respond as quickly as you can to these messages.
Messages come from the 1Q app or directly on your numbers as SMS. When you respond, you get paid instantly via PayPal. The amount varies from 25 cents to 50 cents, so 1Q can make you good money if you manage to receive and respond to quite a few messages.
When you join the platform, you will fill in your demographics. Based on that information, you will get text messages.
Apparently, if you allow location tracking, you may get more messages as you move around.
The great thing about 1Q is that you get paid instantly, and there’s no minimum payout limit. Another thing is that you don’t necessarily need a smartphone, as most messages come directly on your contact number.
KGB
KGB or Knowledge Generation Bureau is a platform that pays you to answer questions. Its name is based on the Russian intelligence agency, which is ironic as you’re literally answering questions, not keeping secrets.
They call you Special Agent when you sign up, so there’s a theme to the whole thing.
Much like the real-life KGB, this KGB is also hard to join. They are mainly looking for individuals who have good general knowledge and excellent research skills.
So you’re screened before you can join in.
One downside to this platform is that it’s only available to US citizens and asks for the Social Security Number. That’s a little dicey for some people, so only join if you don’t have any problem giving your SSN to this company.
You get paid to answer text messages, and the pay can be 5 cents or 10 cents per response. If you give the answer by yourself, you can make 10 cents.
If you pick it up from their database, you make 5 cents.
You can receive money through direct deposits in your bank account. It also requires you to be active almost every day, which can be difficult for some people to ensure.
Fibler
Fibler is a relatively new platform, but it’s been gaining popularity quickly. It doesn’t use ads or asks you questions. You simply make money with SMS through your expertise.
This pay per minute chat platform lets you speak to individuals who want your advice or expertise. That sort of narrows down the field as you must be an expert in something.
That said, there are plenty of choices, so you might just be an expert in at least one of them.
It’s not just a text messages app, it also allows calls, so you get paid by the minute to talk to people. You can also cast your videos on this platform to talk about your skills and how you can help people.
As for payment, you decide the rate and Fibler adds it’s commission on top of it. So you earn exactly the minutes or the number of messages you’ve sent. You may have to really market your expertise in your profile to attract people.
This is a great platform for nutritionists, fitness experts, career coaches, general counselors, food experts, etc. It’s open to virtually any country, and you can receive money directly in your bank account.
See Related: 70+ Ways to Make Extra Money
AQA 63336
AQA 63336 is a UK-based company that pays you to answer questions on the text. You can easily make money with your phone even without the internet as they don’t have an app.
They send texts directly to your native messaging inbox.
This platform claims that they have an answer to every question. As a result, they are selective with the people they hire to answer questions of their patrons. Unlike other platforms, you send your CV and a cover letter to get selected.
The company doesn’t really tell how much you can possibly earn. But if the comments are anything to go by, it’s not a lot. Regardless, it’s quite interesting and doesn’t hurt to try.
You don’t even have to go on an app as you simply answer via SMS.
See Related: 11 Ways to Get Paid to Watch Ads
McMoney
With McMoney, you earn money by receiving SMS. It’s as simple as that, you receive text messages, and you don’t have to respond or do anything else. They basically send texts to test services for mobile operators, so in a way, you’re also helping make mobile networks better.
It’s available in multiple countries, but the spots are limited. You may not be able to get on their list instantly.
They send money each time you receive a text in your McMoney app. You can cash out when you’ve hit the minimum amount, which varies by country.
You might not get so many texts, at tops it’s two texts a day.
So don’t expect to earn a lot of passive income, just think of it as free money. You’re making the minimum effort, which is just receiving texts in your inbox.
They use PayPal for payout, so you must have an account. Also, the app is only available for Android, which limits its use. Still, it’s a pretty good way to earn money with text messages.
See Related: 10+ Ways to Make Money Listening to Music
Money SMS
Money SMS is very similar to McMoney, in that you get to make money by just receiving messages. The biggest downside of this app is that it’s not available in the US and UK, and also only limited to Android.
So if you’re in another country, you can perhaps use it.
You need the apps to be active at all times and receive messages on the app. The minimum payout is 2 Euros. For each text you receive, you’ll get 0.02 Euros, so it will take you 100 texts to make those 2 Euros.
While it’s not lucrative, it’s a side hustle you don’t really need to get involved with. Download it once and then just forget about it.
What you always need to do is just open the app and look at the texts you receive. That should take seconds.
Hummr
Hummr is another Android app that connects people who need some help with their projects with people who can provide that help.
It gives the option for text messaging, as well as, voice calls. You can create a profile and offer your expertise to other people.
It’s kind of like a pay per chat software, where you get paid to chat with people and solve their problems. It’s still growing because it’s not that popular right now, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
You can offer any type of expertise, but you may have to go through some screening to be able to work on this platform.
There can be quite a lot of competition on such platforms.
How Much Money Can You Make Texting?
Don’t expect to make quite a lot of money through text messages, but it’s something you can definitely try in your free time. Even if it makes you ten bucks at the end of the month, it’s not bad because you practically do nothing.
You can buy yourself a drink or pay for a streaming subscription for a whole month.
On some platforms, you can make decent money, but it will take some time.
On apps like 1Q or McMoney, you can work your way to getting enough messages to make anywhere from ten bucks to 50 bucks.
Only work with platforms that are legit and pay money through PayPal or direct deposit. Otherwise, your number or email address you used to sign up will simply end up in lists for sale.
Conclusion
It’s very much possible to make money with text messages. We’ve shared some worthy apps to earn money by:
- Sending messages only
- Receiving messages only
- Doing both
Either way, this is one of the easiest ways to make some money doing something you already do all the time.
We spend anywhere from three hours to five hours on our phones, which is more than enough to allocate just a few minutes on these apps. That’s a good way to earn some extra money.