I have played various ‘money-making’ phone app games – I figured out was a scam – got to $98.03 – but then my ‘congrats was you get $.0 x 4, etc. – so I only played a minute or so then stopped playing. But money-making apps do actually exist and we use them daily. If you haven’t used them before then you’re a great candidate to make an extra $200 (yes making $200 fast is a thing) this week! While you won’t get rich alone by using apps to make money, you can earn some decent cash with your smartphone. Best Money Making Apps for 2021.
Thanks to the power of money making apps, you don’t need to be in an office–or even in front of a computer–to make money today.
All you need: a smartphone and apps that pay.
That’s it. Although we don’t have any spare smartphones laying around the Careful Cents office, we do have a list of the best money making apps for you.
And the good news is, these aren’t some sketchy “fly-by-night” app companies either.
Try them risk-free: these money making apps have millions of satisfied users.
Some of these companies are valued at $200M or more. Meanwhile, others have some of the smartest people on the planet, like former Google and Amazon employees, working behind the scenes on them.
From the best cash back apps to the latest and greatest surveys for money, here’s the definitive list of the best money making apps.
Some of the best money making apps are cash back apps. Why? Because they require virtually no effort on your part, aside from linking your card or, depending upon the app, taking a quick picture of your receipt.
Once you sync your credit or debit cards with these apps, all you have to do is shop as normal. From there, just sit back, relax and collect 10% or more of your money back on any eligible purchases. (If only everything in life could be so easy, right?)
Doshis one of the top money making apps.
- Earn up to 20% cash back on offers.
- Straight cash in the bank, no points.
- Thousands of participating stores
- No scanning receipts or barcodes.
- Earn $5 bucks for every card you link
- Plus, another $5 for referring friends.
Get Cash Back–Fast
No points, coupons, or receipts. Link a card today to start getting up to 20% cash back + a $5 bonus.
$5 Bonus
It works everywhere from grocery stores to restaurants, and you can withdraw your cash at anytime to your PayPal or straight to a bank account (they have a low $25 payout limit).
How does Dosh work? Simply download the app, link your credit and debit cards to it (you get $5 for every card you link, by the way) then you’re all set and ready to start earning!
Is Dosh legit? With executives from Google and PayPal, merchant partners like Walmart, Forever 21 and Applebees, and millions of active users (plus an A rating with the Better Business Bureau) well… you decide!
Want to learn more about Dosh? Check out our new, in-depth 2019 Dosh review.
Another cash back app that save you money on auto-pilot (and you don’t even need to install it on your smartphone) is Paribusby Capital One. Paribusearns you money on auto-pilot.
- It earned me $10.64 for a late Amazon delivery–all without lifting a finger.
- Earn money back on late Amazon deliveries and on price adjustments
- Put $29M+ back in shopper’s pockets
- No work: runs 100% on auto-pilot
- No battery draining apps to install
Get Paribus Today
Get money on price drops and late Amazon deliveries. Just connect your email for passive income.
Best of 2019
How does Paribus work? Unlike Dosh, which you link with your credit cards, this app scans your email inbox for receipts. Once Paribus finds an item you’ve purchased is available for cheaper, it sends an automatic refund request on your behalf for the difference.
How does Paribus make money? If they get a partial refund for you, you keep 75% of the refund amount, while they pocket the 25% difference. But, if their refund request is unsuccessful, you pay $0. It’s 100% risk-free.
Want to learn more about Paribus? Check out our comprehensive Paribus review.
Ibotta (pronounced “I bought a”) is the largest consumer tech company in Denver. Since they launched in 2011 its been downloaded over 30M+ times and they’ve paid $375M to users.
Their partners include Coca Cola, Nordstrom, Best Buy, Heineken, Rite Aid, and others, and with 45M+ sessions a month, it’s one of the most popular money making apps of 2019.
Get Paid To Shop
Earn up to 10-20% cash back plus get $10 just for signing up with us.
$10 Bonus
If you sign up today, you’ll make $10 plus another $5 for every friend you refer, too. Your payments deposit straight to your bank account, via PayPal or as a gift card.
Want to learn more about Ibotta? Check out our in-depthIbotta review.
Started in 1999 by two former California deputy district attorneys, eBates has since helped over 10,000,000 people earn over $1B in cash back.
When you shop at an eligible store–and there’s thousands of them–you can earn up to 40% cash back. If you sign up today, you’ll get $5 free, too.
Best Money Making Game Apps 2019
It sounds too good to be true at first, I know, but because eBates is such an established name in the cash back world, they’ve been able to secure some of the best offers–which they pass along to you.
How does eBates work? If you’re shopping online, just find the store on the eBates website, click “Shop Now” and shop like normal. Otherwise, you can download the free apps on either
After you make an eligible purchase, you’ll either get a check or a PayPal payment. eBates does pays quarterly though, so use it as a quasi-savings rather than for a quick buck!
The iPoll app (available for iOS and Android) is a customized market research app that allows you to earn money through taking market surveys, writing down diaries (of dairy consumption over three days, for example) and completing missions around retail (e.g. going to the grocery store).
You register and are asked some basic information, such as your preferences and consumer habits, to determine your fit for missions, and then you receive alerts when there are new missions available based on your preferences and location.
The beauty of this particular market research app is that it’s customized, so you get alerts for tasks and missions that are suited to your interests and what you may actually enjoy.
Best Money Making Apps Iphone
Users like iPoll, too: It’s rated 4 out of 5 stars on iTunes — and less glowing 3.1 out of 5 on Google Play. One reviewer wrote, “I like that there’s usually not any technical difficulties or ‘glitches’…and that the selection of topics are interesting and fun. … Most of the time, surveys [are] easy to start and complete; also they’re not exceedingly long!”
For each survey, mission or diary completed, you earn rewards that can be redeemed for gift cards, or you can cash out using PayPal. You need only have accrued $10 to do so.
Another perk: get automatically entered into a quarterly sweepstakes to win $10,000 in cash.
Just by signing up.