Are you interested in downloading the best money making apps that pay you real money?
Today I’m going to show you some new strategies to make some extra money fast simply by clicking a few buttons on your cell phone (in under 5 minutes).
The best part? A lot of these require no effort at all.
I get it.
Life happens.
Sometimes you need some extra cash to pay a bill or you’re trying to save up for something you want.
You don’t want to fall behind on bills and are wondering how to make money today or what apps pay you real money?
Sure, another 100 dollars earned today wouldn’t hurt. We’ve all been there, but what do you usually do when that happens? This is an exhaustive list of things that anyone can do, today, in order to make money through the best mobile applications I’ve found.
If you’re strapped for time, I’ll go ahead and share the best money making apps that you can add to your side hustle arsenal.
How to Make Money with Apps
Ready? I’ll only list legit ways that I’ve personally used to make money, and make it fast.
1. Survey Junkie
Taking online surveys to make that extra money is a no-brainer!
You definitely won’t get rich or make thousands of dollars per day with surveys alone, but you won’t waste much time, and you can make some money the easy way.
Here is my favorite (and highest paying) survey site:
Survey Junkie pays between $2 and $50 per survey, and many of them take less than 5 minutes to complete.
So if you took on average 10 surveys per day, every day for a month, you could make $375+ per month. If you took more surveys a day — the possibilities are endless.
There are a lot of scammy survey sites out there, but Survey Junkie has over 11,000 positive reviews on TrustPilot, the highest of any survey site. It’s legitimate.
Sounds like fun? Sign-up for Survey Junkie, take surveys and earn money from your phone fast. You can also get a registration bonus through here.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
2. Swagbucks
If you browse the internet a lot, this could actually turn your past time into a moneymaking endeavor. Swagbucks ($10 sign up bonus) rewards you for shopping online, watching videos, searching and answering surveys. You are credited with points that you can then redeem for cash via PayPal.
The site has awarded over $577.6 million to its users. Once you have signed up, there will be a list of surveys you qualify for, games to play, or videos to watch for cash.
In fact, you can $600 a month using Swagbucks, according to a Huffington Post report. Finding a survey worth taking is easy too, look for surveys that are higher paying and stick to those.
Once you earn money in your account you can redeem it for a gift card of your favorite retailer or you can take it as cash through PayPal.
How Swagbucks works:
- Sign-up for free, it takes a few minutes
- Choose the highest paying surveys
- Then begin earning money (usually $10-$35 per survey)
Sign-up with Swagbucks and start taking paid surveys.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
3. Dave
Want to get spotted a free $500 without having to take out a personal loan?
Simply sign up for Dave, and the banking app will lend you cash for free, you just relax while it will spot you up to $500 any time.
There’s no catch, and only costs $1 per month.
Dave can spot you up to $500 from your next paycheck. No late fees, no interest, no credit check. No mandatory repayment timeframe. Repay Dave when you get paid or when you can afford it.
This bank account is legit and only takes two minutes to sign up for an account. Now you can get some beer money at any time — for free!
You didn’t have to do anything, other than originally sign up for Dave. It’s as simple as that.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
4. Upromise
Upromise® is a free service with a mission to help families save for college. Upromise provides unique opportunities for consumers to earn cash-back rewards for shopping, dining out, and using the Upromise Mastercard.
Families have saved over $1 Billion for college using Upromise and they currently have a $30 sign up bonus offer for new members. You can join Upromise for free a receive a $5.29 bonus when you sign up and $30 when you link a 529 plan.
What to do:
- Go to the Upromise registration page.
- Enter your email address and create a password.
- Confirm your email address to get $5.29
- Link a 529 account to get $30 instantly
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
5. InboxDollars
Another app that offers you the opportunity to play games for real money is InboxDollars.
If you sign up before the end of this month, they also give you a $5 free bonus just to give it a try.
By spending just 5-10 minutes per day on this (either on your lunch break or during TV commercial breaks) you can earn and earn an extra $50/month just for playing games. They also offer you the opportunity to earn cash for sharing your opinion and completing surveys.
More people should be doing this.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
6. Nielsen Mobile
One of my favorite apps that not many people know about is Nielsen. If you have a cell phone or laptop then you can earn $50 fast right now. All you have to do is register for free (they’ll track your browser usage) and you’re set to earn $50 per year passively.
It’s really noninvasive, requires basically no storage, and won’t impact your device performance. After you installed the app, just use the internet as you usually would (but now you’re getting paid — cha-ching!).
Nielsen gives out $10,000 each month so you can win real money for about 60 seconds of work. A no brainer.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
7. Robinhood
Are you ready to say goodbye to fees for when you buy and sell stocks and hello to commission-free trades? That’s right, Robinhood lets you do everything for free and takes no fees — ever.
Robinhood is a free investing app for your phone. I really mean free all around – free to join and they don’t charge any fees to buy or sell the stock.
You can get a share of stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint for free when you join through this link.
They are currently offering a free stock promotion and you don’t even have to deposit any money to receive the stock. Just sign up and wait a few days for it to show up in your app. You can also cash out immediately and transfer the funds to your bank account — if you wanted to.
If you wanted to learn you can sign up for information from Robinhood through here.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
8. ZippyLoan
If you actually need money now, then you can opt for a personal loan. When you need money in a hurry ZippyLoan is where to go.
ZippyLoan offers you online personal loans in about 5 minutes on their completely secure website.
This website connects you to lenders which means that waiting times are minimized unlike at a bank. The money is usually deposited in your account the next day you apply for a loan.
You review the loan details and e-sign if you like what you see. No risk in checking what offers you’ll get. You can borrow between $100 and $15,000 as soon as tomorrow.
Loans service for up to 60 months.
ZippyLoan connects borrowers to lenders through their network of lenders. They’ll find you the lowest interest rate and is one of the best no credit check loan. You can visit ZippyLoan here.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
9. Rocket Money
The free app, Rocket Money, lets you save money with automation and within a few days, I saved an extra $50.
I linked my financial accounts and Rocket Money went to work.
It found ways to lower my bills and cancel subscriptions; negotiate my Verizon bill, found subscriptions to cancel, and analyzed my spending habits, and more.
The app is free and was able to save me some money.
Find your savings opportunities
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
10. Grow a Real Estate Portfolio
Want quick money? Arrived lets you easily invest in rental homes. Testing this offer, I was able to buy shares of properties, earn rental income and appreciation — and Arrived took care of everything.
With Arrived, you can get started with as little as $100.
It’s an especially useful tool to use if you want to diversify your portfolio and have someone else handle all the work that comes with being a landlord. All you really need to do is sign up, and collect your rental income each quarter.
If you’re interested, I recommend you sign up for more information from Arrived by clicking here.
Download: iOS | Android | Browser
Best Sign Up Bonuses
Looking for apps that give you money for signing up? These app bonuses will give you free money when you sign up or download its app.
11. Acorns App – Automatic Investing – $20 Bonus
Acorns Bonus Link – Acorns can help you invest, save and spend responsibly for just $3 per month. Get a $5 $20 bonus investment when you sign up.
Acorns is one of the most popular micro-investing platforms. Acorns lets you turn your spare change into investments by stacking up your change over time and with the Acorns “round-up” feature.
With Acorns, you can invest at your own pace in smart portfolios and maximize your growth and costs $3 per month.
Acorns also provides a checking account which has many of the features of a traditional bank account including, direct deposit, mobile check deposit, a debit card for you or your kids and fee-free withdrawal from over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs around the world.
Sounds like fun? Sign up for Acorns, collect your $20 and double your money by investing. You can also get a registration bonus through here after you set up recurring investments.
Best Money Making Survey Sites
I sat down and studied all of the best survey apps to find out for myself which ones are legit (and high paying), and which ones are not.
If you wanted to compare some more, here is the list of the best money making surveys:
12. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie’s interface is super smooth and intuitive (unlike the majority of survey company websites that look like they were built in 1997), and members are paid in cash via Paypal.
Oh, and Survey Junkie also has an 8.9/10 rating on TrustPilot — the highest of any online survey company.
This is one is the more reputable survey companies out there and millions of users have already joined.
- Where it’s available: United States, Canada, and Australia
- Age requirements: 13+ years old
- Average earnings: $0.50 – $3 per survey
- Payment method: PayPal cash in all countries, or gift cards and direct bank transfers in the United States
- Minimum to cash out: $10
- Where to sign up: Survey Junkie Official Site
13. Swagbucks – $10 Signup Bonus
Swagbucks lets you earn money in so many ways like taking surveys, shopping online, or playing games, but many people love racking up money by watching videos in their spare time.
You can cash out your ‘Swagbucks’ as gift cards to hundreds of merchants or get your cash by PayPal (legit cash to your bank account). Many claim this to be one of the best reward sites in 2025 and they are currently offering a $10 sign up bonus.
- Where it’s available: Most of the Americas, Asia and Europe, and some areas in Africa.
- Age requirements: 13+ years old
- Average earnings: $0.40 – $2 per survey
- Payment method: PayPal cash or gift cards
- Minimum to cash out: $3 in gift cards or $25 in PayPal cash
- Where to sign up: Swagbucks Official Site
14. InboxDollars – $5 Signup Bonus
InboxDollars pays members to read emails, take surveys online, playing games, and search the web!
Overall, Inbox Dollars is super easy to navigate. I’ve tried other paid survey sites and just end up overwhelmed.
They also do a nice job of breaking down the offers into categories. And you’ll always see the amount of money you’ve earned at the top of your window, which is exhilarating.
Right now they are offering a $5 cash bonus just for joining.
- Where it’s available: United States
- Age requirements: 18+ years old
- Average earnings: $0.50 – $5.00 per survey and up to $10 and $20 or more for people in certain demographics
- Payment method: Gift cards, prepaid Visa card, or a check in the mail
- Minimum to cash out: $30
- Where to sign up: InboxDollars Official Site
15. Branded Surveys – $1 Signup Bonus
Get paid to take online paid surveys with Branded Surveys.
Here, you’ll take surveys for money about products created by some of the world’s most famous companies – including Disney, Volkswagon, Amazon, Nike, Samsung, and more.
For each survey you complete, you’ll earn money. They pay you straight cash and you can see your earnings on the dashboard.
Payout is through PayPal or check.
To get started, simply create your free account. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll receive a nifty 100 points ($1) bonus when you do.
- Where it’s available: United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
- Age requirements: 18+ years old
- Average earnings: $0.50 – $3.00 per survey
- Payment method: PayPal or a check in the mail
- Minimum to cash out: 500 points or $5
- Where to sign up: Branded Surveys Official Site
Once You Have $1,000 in Your Checking Account, Do These Things
Once you built some cushion in your bank account — you’re on the right path. Money making apps can only get you so far, it’s time to think about longer-term financial goals. What’s the next step you should take? Here are ways to take your finances to the next level:
16. Leave Your Family $5M
Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? While we don’t all have trust funds waiting for us, there is still a way to provide protection for your loved ones with up to $5 million in term life insurance.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could do this for as little as $8 a month without dealing with all the hassle of wasting your time or money?
You don’t have to have money in your pockets to get a free quote from Fabric.
If you’re interested, I recommend you sign up for more information from Fabric by clicking here.
17. Build an Emergency Fund
Having money in the bank for emergencies can help you improve your financial standing. You’ll want three to six months’ worth of expenses in your emergency fund.
Be sure to stash your money in the right savings account that’ll grow your money.
With interest rates on the rise, it’s no secret to start with a high-yield savings account like Quontic High Yield Savings.
This account will pay a great APY and still give you instant access to your money in case of an emergency.
You can open an account online in just 3 minutes and with only a $100 opening deposit.
18. Get Free Stocks Instantly
While you’re at it, why not increase your net worth with a free stock?
Robinhood is a free investing app for your phone. I really mean free all around – free to join and they don’t charge any fees to buy or sell the stock.
Better yet, if you join through this link you can get a free stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint when you join (must complete signup).
19. Start Building Passive Income
Arrived is definitely one of the best passive income apps. By downloading this app, you can start start earning rental income from all around the US in as little as 30 minutes and it’s super easy to get started.
Then you can literally beat the stock market year after year and start making money in your sleep.
If you want to earn the big bucks then you can learn how to get started by getting more information from Arrived here.
Need More Money Making Apps?
A ton of people are searching online for the best money making apps. Well, look no further, because if you wanted more ways to make money online then these are literally the best free money making apps that’ll pay you real money.
So consider scrolling back up and taking a second look. Also, cash in on the following signup bonuses available through us and you will be on your way to making an extra $100:
- Swagbucks: $10 welcome bonus! Swagbucks is a legit rewards site with lots of different ways available to earn money. You can take surveys, play games, watch fun videos, and search the internet.
- InboxDollars: $5 welcome bonus! Earn dollars for small tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos, and playing addicting games.
- MyPoints: $10 welcome bonus! MyPoints offers a daily rewards program and is another cashback website that works similarly to Rakuten.
Signup bonuses offer a great way to kick start your earnings with quick cash rewards. Good luck with making money with your phone!
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