Download These Apps to Earn Extra Income

At the time of this article, we are in an unprecedented time. We are amid a worldwide pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and has put millions out of work. Here in the U.S., about 12.5 million people are unemployed, which equates to about 7%-8% of the American workforce (people who are working or looking for work). Millions of people struggle to make ends meet as they have been laid off from their job or their business has outright failed. With no immediate end to the pandemic in sight, these people are forced to find alternative ways to make money. Fortunately, with better technology and widespread use of the internet, people have new opportunities to earn money through money making apps. 

Money making apps are a great way to make some cash while searching for a new, full-time job. While money making apps should not be your primary source of income and should not replace a regular job, they are an excellent way to earn some extra cash to help make ends meet or just to have passive income on the side. 

Mobile Apps have changed how people budget, send money, shop, consume, and take care of their finances. Apps like Uber and Lyft have changed the way people are transported. Apps like InstaCart, Postmates, and GrubHub have changed the way we get food. Rakuten and Ibotta have changed the way we shop, while Poshmark and Etsy have changed the way we sell. The emergence of apps that make money has opened up new work opportunities that almost everyone can do. The vast majority of these come from a free mobile app and are available on both the iOS app store and the Google Play store! Let’s take a look at some of the best money making apps so you can start making the extra cash you need.

Apps that earn you money overview: 

• Uber
• Lyft
• Postmates
• Doordash
• Instacart
• Fiverr
• Ibotta
• Rakuten

Uber / Lyft 

For the sake of this article, we are going to put Uber and Lyft together. We will not be comparing Uber and Lyft, but will instead be discussing how driving service apps like this can make you money. 

Uber and Lyft are the two largest driving services and highest paying apps in America. Instead of calling a taxi, customers can use the Uber and Lyft app to request a driver to take them from point A to point B. Drivers of Uber and Lyft use their own cars and gas to drive around customers, and they receive part of the payment of the ride and tips from customers as a reward. 

Uber and Lyft played a large role in kicking off the “gig economy” where workers can work whenever they want, for however long they want, and wherever they want. This has opened up great opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people to work. There are reportedly 5 million drivers for Uber alone! The flexibility of these “gig economy” driving apps allows drivers to work as little or as much as they need to, something not every money making app can provide. Both apps are also on Google play and iOS. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of these successful apps. 

Pros

• Best replacement for a full-time job: Compared to the rest of the apps on this list, driving based services are arguably the best replacement for a full-time job. Working for Uber or Lyft as a full-time job can bring in the type of income you need to make that next rent payment or utility bill. You can work whenever you want and for however long. However, you may need to work some serious hours for these apps to replace a full-time job completely

• Seamlessly switch between apps: Since Uber and Lyft provide the same service, you app users can open both and accept any rides that might come your way. There are few requirements to work for both companies, so you can maximize the amount of rides you get by using both apps. 

• Get paid instantly: With other apps and even with normal jobs, you must wait to get the money you need. However, with Uber and Lyft that is not an issue. You can get real money instantly and transfer money into your bank account while driving with Uber. With Lyft, and you can have the same ease of payment once you reach $50 of earnings. 

Cons

• Isn’t consistent income: While these apps can make you good money, the very nature of them does not allow you to make consistent income. You can work 8 hours on one day and 8 hours another day and make completely different amounts of money. This unreliability can be difficult. Likewise, while you may be making enough money, this lack of a “consistent income” is not acceptable for many loans, and your loan application could be denied because of it. 

• Need a license/car/insurance: This seems obvious, but you need a driver's license and a car to begin driving with these companies. Not everyone has these and they can be difficult to come by. You are also responsible for gas and any other additional costs. You will also need to have commercial rideshare insurance, which can take a chunk out of your earnings.  

Similar apps: Gett, Curb, Wingz, Via

Postmates /  Doordash / Instacart 

We will guess that you have at least heard of these apps before if you don’t regularly use them anyway. Apps like Postmates, Doordash, and Instacart are the next closest thing to Uber and Lyft. All three apps are on the Google Play store and iOS. With these apps, customers order meals from restaurants or groceries from markets and drivers pick up the order and deliver it to them. Drivers get paid through service and delivery fees as well as tips from customers. 

These apps are the next best thing to Uber and Lyft. While these may not serve as a replacement for a full-time job, drivers often work these apps in addition to Uber and Lyft. You can work whenever you want for however long you want, so you control how much money you earn.

Pros

• Use alongside Uber and Lyft: While demand for these apps increases, especially during the pandemic, they may not have as much need as Lyft and Uber at any given point. Thankfully, you can use all of them simultaneously and switch between Lyft  or Uber and these three apps as demand changes throughout the day so you can ensure you are always working.

Cons

• Less efficient: Obviously, delivering food is a longer process than picking up a driver and driving them somewhere. As a driver, this can mean that you are spending more time waiting around for food at a restaurant or in a drive-through. You may not necessarily be compensated for this wasted time, and it can cost you money. 

• Need a license / car : This is the same drawback as Uber and Lyft we mentioned above. You need a driver's license and a car to even begin making money through these apps, which might prevent many people from being able to work.. 

Similar apps: GrubHub, UberEats, GoPuff, ChowNow

Fiverr

Fiverr truly embodies the term “gig economy.” With Fiverr, you are literally searching for real side-jobs or “gigs” online that you can do to make you some cash. As said on Fiverr’s website, “Fiverr is the world’s largest marketplace for digital services.” Fiverr is a free app that you can set up in minutes and be on your way to making money. 

Everyone has individual skills that can separate you from many other people. On Fiverr, you can post your skills and connect with buyers that are looking for your specific skills and work expertise. You can make your customized profile and advertise your unique skills to the entire internet. Some of the popular categories include “writing and translation”, “music and audio”, “digital marketing,” and so many more. Within these categories, there are tons of specific jobs and industries that you can pick from. You can even learn skills like coding too if you feel that you may not be ready to put your skills to the test. 

With Fiver, there is bound to be a place where you can utilize your skills. Seriously, check out Fiverr’s website and you will be amazed at the amount of opportunities available. 

Pros 

• Work variety: With Fiverr, there are roughly 10,000 different jobs that you can work. You may not be the right fit for even half of these jobs, but this means that there is bound to be an opportunity for you to work for someone. 

• Make money on your terms: With Fiverr, you can set the price of your services or skills, which none of the other apps offer. You can charge as little as $5 or charge much higher than that if you so please. You can also accept as many requests as you want. There is a constant demand for many of these services to work as much or as little as you want and charge the price you feel is fair.

Cons

• Difficult for beginners: While you can likely find a place for your skills to be utilized on Fiverr, a lack of skill or experience in these categories may cost you. Buyers will want the best bang for their buck, so they will be looking for sellers with low costs and high skill level. If you are a beginner, it can be difficult to separate yourself from so many other sellers. 

• No guarantee of steady income: With Fiverr, you are essentially a freelancer, which means you get work as people need it. However, the demand for your job is likely much less than the demand you might find for services like Uber, Lyft, and Postmates. You may strike gold and make good money with your skills on Fiverr, but you may find some of these other apps to be more reliable sources of income. 

Ibotta 

The Ibotta app allows you to earn money by making regular purchases that you make every single day. With Ibotta, you are not earning money as much as you are saving money, but using Ibotta can end up saving you a great deal of money.

Ibotta is essentially a couponing app. Instead of clipping and filing hundreds of coupons like your mother and grandmother did back in the day, you can seamlessly get coupons digitally for your everyday purchases.

When using Ibotta, you scan the app for something you are interested in purchasing. You then complete specific tasks to get the coupon for that purchase. The easy and quick tasks include reading a fact, taking a poll, participating in a survey, or watching a video. You then purchase your item, show proof of purchase to Ibotta, then get your cash. 

Pros

• Make money buying things you already would have bought: Ibotta is a great way to make money from doing things you already do anyway. By completing painless and straightforward tasks, you can accumulate some good money from something you already do. It’s basically free money!

• Wide selection of stores: There are over 300 stores you can use Ibotta with. This means that you will be able to make money at the majority of the places you shop with. There is no need to go out of your way to make strange purchases with companies you don’t usually buy from.

Cons

• No sizable income: While Ibotta is a speedy and straightforward way to make some cash, it is by no means something that could replace your job. You likely won’t make enough with Ibotta to sustain yourself. Ibotta should be used as an additional money-saving-side-gig alongside a greater source of income like Uber and Lyft.  

• Proof of income: One of the few things Ibotta users complain about is the proof of purchase. Naturally, you need to prove you bought something if you want Ibotta to reward you. This process can be annoying and take away from the quickness and simplicity you get from using the rest of Ibotta. 

Rakuten

Rakuten is an app and web browser that is somewhat similar to Ibotta. It is an app that lets you make money by getting cash back for purchases you make anyway. Rakuten allows you to get up to 40% cash back on purchases from 2,500 different retailers. Like Ibotta, Rakuten is an app that is not meant to replace your income but is an excellent way to accumulate money overtime. 

Rakuten partners with these retailers to make commission any time you buy an item through Rakuten. Rakuten then shares some of this commission with you at no additional cost. 

To use Rakuten, just download the mobile application on iOS, Google Play, or web extension. You can then search for deals at your favorite stores. You can also browse and click on the Rakuten extension to see if you qualify for cash back. At your store, buy these items that qualify, and you can accumulate a pile of cash over time. 

Pros 

• Access to more stores: Rakuten partners with nearly 2,100 more retailers than Ibotta. This means that even more of your purchases will have the ability to earn you some cash back. This can translate to you making more money than if you were to use Ibotta instead of Rakuten. 

• Ease of use: Rakuten is easier to use than Ibotta, and you barely even have to do any work to redeem your cash back. No need to fill out surveys, take polls, or watch videos. Simply buy things you were already going to purchase using the Rakuten app or Rakuten browser extension. 

Cons

• Quarterly payout: The biggest drawback of Rakuten is that you can only get paid quarterly. While you are likely to get a big sum of money when it comes, you likely need access to money faster than that. If you are out of a job and need money, Rakuten is in no way able to replace that income. Rakuten is not a side-gig, but is instead just a way to make some extra money. 

• Sometimes limited offers: Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the purchase you were already going to make will be able to earn cash back through Rakuten. You can expect to find coupons on your more everyday purchases from Ibotta rather than earning money back on your everyday purchases through Rakuten. 

Overall, trying out a money making app is a great way to subsidize some of the income you may be losing due to unemployment. While they may not replace a full-time job, they are an effective way of earning money. Even if you have a job, an earning app can be a great way to make some extra cash or to save money. So what are you waiting for? Start making some money!