When funds fail you, fret not: side hustle apps can help you make money on the side without needing to upend your entire life.
While side gig apps abound, the challenge is figuring out which platform to join. You’ll find hundreds of platforms online where you can get paid to do tasks.
From simple jobs like delivering groceries and answering surveys to more complex gigs like investing in the stock market or selling your skills as a freelancer – there’s something for everyone's lifestyle.
What's more, a creative assemblage of part-time job apps can help you arrange everything. None of them will cost an arm and a leg: joining is frequently free and set up is easy.
If you’re looking for side hustle jobs, we’ve selected 20 of the best side hustle apps on the market, paying close attention to payout, online reviews, and legitimacy. Ready to make money? Read on below.
Table of Contents
Capitalize on your neighborhood with these side hustle apps
Postmates
Earning estimate: Varies widely depending on where you live. Most couriers claim to make around $10-$15 an hour, excluding tips. Meet a minimum required number of deliveries in your first 30 days to get a sign-up bonus of $1,000.
Postmates is an on-demand delivery app by which other people will pay you to deliver food, groceries, or booze. If you're looking to earn more than the average entry-level minimum wage job while having the freedom to work on your own time, being a Postmates courier is a great option.
While you get to choose which hours you work, you’ll earn more delivering during peak times. Sign up is completely free, and you can deliver with a bicycle if you don't have a car.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$9-$14/hour | 100% | Very Good | JOIN NOW | Read Review |
See Related: 12 Best Delivery Apps and Jobs
DoorDash
Earning estimate: The website advertises that Dashers can make as much as $15-$25/hour. Our research reports that most couriers average $7-$10 per delivery with tips and receive about two to three delivery requests per hour.
Doordash is one of the best side hustle apps, and with good reason: Dashers keep 100% of the delivery fee and tips. The app earns money by charging the restaurants a percentage fee for each order.
After customers place an order to any of the partner restaurants, the app sends the orders to any of its couriers who then pick up the order and deliver it to the customer. Dashers must pay for all business expenses, including phone data, car insurance, gas, and self-employment tax.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10-$14/hour | 100% | Excellent | SIGN UP | Read Review |
Instacart
Earning estimate: According to the Instacart website, shoppers can make as much as $25/hour. Our research suggests most shoppers earn between $10 to $20, exclusive of tips.
This grocery delivery app has one goal: pair customers with personal shoppers. Shoppers receive order requests on their mobile phones. They then fulfill these requests by heading to grocery stores and delivering the goods to the customer's door. Flexible hours offer freedom, but you'll have to pay for your own gas and parking fees.
If you're looking to make the most money, know that busier shifts pay more while downtimes pay less. Compensation is computed using a formula that factors in the number of orders per shift and the number of items ordered.
Hourly Pay | Tip % | Delivery Volume | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10-$14/hour | 100% (Check Policy) | Decent | BECOME A SHOPPER |
Rover
Earning estimate: Around $1,000 a month as a dog sitter or dog walker.
Rover is an online marketplace that specializes in buying and selling pet services. If you're looking for a unique side hustle idea, this one tops the list. Pet owners using the app can conveniently locate pet walkers and pet sitters in their neighborhood, and this is where you come in.
There are a number of pet-related services you can offer on this platform: you can walk dogs, feed pets a few times a week, or take care of pets when their owners are away.
All potential walkers and pet sitters must go through a background check. You will also need to provide your own pet supplies, including leashes, poop bags, crates, and toys.
Airbnb
Earning estimate: Depends on how you price your space. On average, hosts can make $945 a month, while Superhosts can earn even more.
Homeowners who have extra rooms to spare or entire houses to rent out can earn from their empty space with the Airbnb app. Getting started is easy: figure out how much your space is worth, list your space on the Airbnb app, approve rental requests, and get paid.
There are few requirements to listing your accommodation: posting high-quality images, setting availability dates, and adding a price. You can create optional house rules for your guests to follow.
Airbnb covers damages of up to $1M, and you may have to pay rental income taxes depending on where you live.
See Related: 10 Pros and Cons of Airbnb Hosting
Get paid for doing simple tasks with these side hustle apps
InboxDollars
Earning estimate: Survey takers may earn around 0.50 an hour, with the potential to earn more through special offers. You can also earn around $.02 for each email read and $.01 for each video watched. New users get a $5 sign up bonus.
If you've got free time and a fully functional mobile phone, you've got what it takes to earn with InboxDollars.
Watch apps, play games, answer surveys, or read promotional emails on your mobile phone to earn a specific amount for each task.
You can also test out a product or a service for free and earn a cash reward. As a cash-only system, InboxDollars offers cash rewards only, which makes it better compared to other paid survey websites that offer points.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Up to $5 | Cash & Gift Cards | $30 | CLAIM BONUS | Read Full Review |
See Related: InboxDollars Review: Can You Make Legit Money?
Swagbucks
Earning estimate: Around $5-$9 a month if you use the app regularly. New users get a $10 sign up bonus.
Got spare time? Swagbucks is one of the best apps to make money on the side. Just like InboxDollars, Swagbucks allows you to earn rewards by answering surveys, watching videos, or playing games, with the additional option of earning points by shopping online or making Swagbucks your default search engine.
All users get paid with a virtual currency called Swagbucks, which they may cash out to PayPal or exchange for gift cards from Starbucks, Amazon, Target, or other major retailers. 100 Swagbucks earns you $1, and each survey will earn you around 40 to 100 Swagbucks.
You can also earn cash back by shopping through the Swagbucks app. For example, a 5% cash back deal on Amazon may earn you around 5 Swagbucks for every $1 you spend.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$0.4 - $2 | PayPal or Gift Cards | $3 | CLAIM BONUS | Read Full Review |
See Related: Swagbucks Review: How Much Money Can You Make?
Pinecone Research
Earning estimate: Around $3 for each survey answered and $6 for testing products.
If you're looking for one of the highest paying survey sites, you're in for a treat. Pinecone Research pays really well, but it has one drawback: the platform is highly exclusive.
While other paid survey sites are open to just any subscriber, only those who sign up through Pinecone Research's targeted website ads can join the survey panel. If you're lucky enough to sign up through a banner ad, the payout is exceptional.
Pinecone Research pays its users a minimum of 300 points for each survey, which equates to $3. Each survey will take around 15 to 30 minutes to complete. If the platform deems you worthy, you may be selected to test out a new product.
Rewards can be claimed through Paypal cashout, check, prepaid virtual visas, gift cards, or Amazon e-Cards.
See Related: Pinecone Research Review: Make Money with Surveys
MyPoints
Estimated earnings: Users report earning anywhere between $1-$3 dollars an hour, although some reported less.
Since 1996, MyPoints has been rewarding its members in the US and Canada for answering surveys – even longer than InboxDollars and most paid survey websites on the market.
As one of the first online rewards clubs, the platform has already built a variety of creative ways for its users to earn, including answering surveys, shopping online, reading emails, participating in local deals, watching videos, searching the web, printing coupons, playing games, and referring your friends.
The platform uses a points reward system, and once you earn 480 points ($3), you can exchange them for a gift card of your choice for more than 70 brands or cash them out via PayPal or Visa prepaid card.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$2.5 | PayPal or Gift Cards | $3 | CLAIM BONUS | Read Full Review |
Survey Junkie
Estimated earnings: $1 – $10 for each survey answered with a 5-10 minute survey completion rate.
With over 10 million members, this paid survey site is one of the most popular among survey platforms. Just like InboxDollars or Pinecone Research, Survey Junkie utilizes its army of survey takers to collect market research for various brands.
If you have spare time, you'll find that Survey Junkie is one of the best side hustle apps for making money on the go. The sleek and organized mobile app allows users to easily answer surveys no matter where they are.
Survey Junkie uses a points reward system, so each survey you answer earns you a certain number of points.
100 points will earn you $1, and you can cash out your earnings via PayPal once you've earned 1,000 points, or exchange them for a gift card.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$1 - $40 | PayPal & Gift Cards | $5 | SIGN UP | Read Full Review |
See Related: Survey Junkie Review: Can You Earn Legit Money?
Nielsen Mobile Panel
Earning estimate: As long as the Nielsen app is installed in your phone, you can easily earn $50 annually.
If you're looking for passive income, the Nielsen app allows you to earn just by doing your everyday mobile activities. While known for tracking TV ratings, Nielsen also conducts market research through its browser extension and mobile app.
Simply install the Nielsen app on your phone, answer the registration form to qualify your device, and you'll get the chance to earn every month.
In the background, Nielsen collects data about your website visits, app usage, and time spent viewing content (it does not collect user IDs or passwords). Your activity is anonymized and collected along with thousands of other panelists before reports are shared.
Weight Loss Bet by HealthyWage
Estimated earnings: Winners can receive a cash prize of up to $10,000. You'll also get $40 for each friend you refer to the program.
HealthyWage was created with the aim to motivate weight losers to reach their goals. Users may bet on their weight loss and compete against other weight losers individually or with a team. If you reach your target weight at a specified time, the platform pays your prize.
If you lose, your money is used to support the platform or pooled with other bets and offered to people who win. The minimum weight loss goal is 10% of your current weight.
Users must verify their weight using the HealthyWage mobile app, where referees witness your weigh-in remotely, or you can also submit a weight-in video and upload it to the website.
Make money through investments with these side hustle apps
Webull
Earning estimate: Widely varied. Depends on your stock market savvy.
Webull is one of the most popular online brokerage platforms, and this comes as no surprise. Apart from offering zero commissions and free trades, this platform features a powerful mobile app with comprehensive insights.
Webull is made for tech-savvy intermediate and experienced traders who know their way around the stock market, but it also offers tools that beginners can use to make lucrative trades. The paper trading feature allows you to make simulated trades with play money so you can sharpen your stock market skills.
Among its powerful tools are comprehensive stock charts, important metrics, market tabs that monitor market activity in primary markets, and a screener for data monitoring.
As mentioned, Webull allows you to trade stocks without fees or commission, but stocks are limited to major markets.
See Related: Webull Review – Is It Safe and Legit?
YieldStreet
Estimated earnings: As an investment platform, earnings vary widely.
For investors looking for opportunities outside of the stock market, the Yieldstreet app is a great option. The platform offers high-yield asset-based investments to all users – not just those with deep pockets.
You'll find a wide array of investment opportunities here across asset classes such as real estate, commercial finance, consumer finance, and litigation finance. The platform's low minimum of $5,000 per offering allows you to diversify your holdings with the possibility for higher returns compared to other types of investment.
The only downside to the app is that you must be an accredited investor able to demonstrate at least $200,000 or a net worth higher than $1 million in order to participate.
See Related: YieldStreet Review: Is It Legit or a Scam?
Fundrise
Estimated earnings: Around 8.7%–12.4% in annual returns.
The Fundrise app lets you invest in private real estate deals. Anyone with $500 can invest, and the offer is available to all types of investors.
The process is easy. Average investors who want to buy into private residential or commercial properties can pool their funds together through the investment platform, which gives them access to bigger investments. Fundrise gives you access to a diverse portfolio of real estate projects, each specially tailored to grow your net worth.
Those who are not familiar with real estate investing may need to take extra precautions as they need to do their own due diligence.
Min To Invest | Accredited Only? | Fees | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$500 | No | 1%/year | Sign Up | Read Full Review |
See Related: Fundrise vs. RealtyMogul
Find a freelance job with these side hustle apps
TaskRabbit
Earning estimate: While the pay varies depending on your location, most users report earning from $8 to $43 an hour.
If making money doing odd jobs is your thing, TaskRabbit is the best side hustle app for you. The platform connects independent contractors with people who need help with jobs like making deliveries, cleaning houses, repairs, and other household tasks.
“Taskers” can use the app to find jobs, contact clients, and collect payment for their work. TaskRabbit takes a 20% service fee for every task completed.
As opposed to avenues like Craigslist, working with TaskRabbit assures that you get paid for your work because payments are held in escrow.
See Related: 9 TaskRabbit Alternatives – Similar Apps & Sites
Fiverr
Estimated earnings: Depends on your skillset. Most users earn $5 an hour or more. Fiverr takes a 20% commission from each transaction.
Fiverr is similar to other gig economy apps like Upwork or Craigslist where you can offer your skills to people looking for services that you offer.
When Fiverr started, all independent contractors would offer their services for $5 (hence, the name), but today freelancers can charge more.
If you're exceptional in your craft, the sky's the limit on how much you'll earn. The platform accepts professionals skilled in graphic design, digital marketing, business, writing, video and animation, programming and tech, and music and audio, among others.
Check out these other top gig apps to earn on your own terms.
See Related: Fiverr vs Upwork – What is Better?
Thumbtack
Estimated earnings: Depends on how much you price your services.
Just like Fiverr or Upwork, Thumbtack is an online marketplace that matches contractors with clients looking for a particular service. After signing up, you can list what services you offer, communicate with your potential clients, set up appointments, and get straight to work.
Listing your services on the platform is free, but you can opt to shell out a little for more exposure.
A lot of big businesses use Thumbtack to hire independent contractors, so it's possible to land a big-money job.
Sell stuff online with these side hustle apps
Poshmark
Estimated earnings: Depends on the items you sell. Poshmark takes a $2.95 commission on all items sold under $15, and a 20% commission on those above $15.
If you're looking to let go of some clothes and accessories, consider selling them on Poshmark rather than going through the hassle of holding a garage sale.
The Poshmark app allows you to sell used clothing and accessories – very much like eBay or Craigslist but with a unique emphasis on social media and mobile-friendliness. Here's more about what you can sell on Poshmark.
While the website focuses on hand-me-downs, it specializes in higher-end name brands like Adidas or Zales. All sellers have a time window to cancel a transaction with a requirement to ship items within seven days.
BookScouter
Estimated earnings: In most cases, less than $1 for each book. Not much, but better than having old books lying around and gathering mold. Or, you can try your hand at flipping books for profit.
BookScouter is a unique type of search engine that compiles the most recent book selling prices from over 30 book buyers, so you can easily choose one that pays the most.
If you have books lying around that you're looking to let go of, just submit the ISBN number using the app and the platform provides you with a price listing of all available offers.
Most vendors will offer you a box that you can use to ship the books to their store, shipping fees covered.