We tested 50+ money-making apps and ranked the top 20. From cashback to investing, these apps actually put money in your pocket.
There are thousands of 'make money' apps — most are garbage. We downloaded, tested, and ranked the ones that actually pay. Here are the 20 best money-making apps for 2026, organized by category.
1. Rakuten — Get 1–15% cashback at 3,500+ stores. Average user earns $150–$300/year. 2. Ibotta — Scan grocery receipts for cashback. Works at Walmart, Target, and most grocery stores. Earn $30–$80/month with regular shopping. 3. Upside — Gas station and restaurant cashback. Save $0.10–$0.25/gallon on gas. Heavy drivers save $200+/year.
4. Swagbucks — Earn points for surveys, videos, and shopping. Realistic earnings: $50–$150/month. 5. UserTesting — Test websites/apps for $10–$60 per test. Best-paying survey-type app by far. 6. Prolific — Academic research surveys. Better pay rate than SurveyJunkie or MTurk. Earn $8–$15/hr.
7. Acorns — Round up purchases and invest the spare change. Great for beginners. 8. Robinhood — Commission-free stock and crypto trading. Earn free stock for signing up. 9. Fundrise — Real estate investing starting at $10. Earn 7–12% annual returns through REITs.
10. DoorDash — Deliver food and earn $15–$30/hr. Flexible scheduling. 11. Instacart — Shop and deliver groceries. Earn $15–$25/hr plus tips. 12. TaskRabbit — Do odd jobs (furniture assembly, moving, cleaning). Earn $25–$60/hr for skilled tasks.
13. Poshmark — Sell used clothing. Trendy brands sell fast. Average seller earns $100–$500/month. 14. Mercari — General marketplace for everything. Lower fees than eBay. 15. Depop — Best for vintage and streetwear. Popular with Gen Z buyers.
16. Honeygain — Share unused internet bandwidth. Earn $20–$50/month passively. 17. Mistplay — Get paid to play mobile games. Earn $20–$40/month. 18. Nielsen Mobile Panel — Install and earn $50/year for sharing anonymous data.
19. Rover — Pet sitting and dog walking. Earn $500–$2,000/month if you love animals. 20. Thumbtack — Offer professional services (photography, tutoring, cleaning) to local clients. Set your own rates.
Stack multiple apps: use cashback apps for everyday purchases, a survey app during downtime, and one gig app for active income. Combined, you can realistically earn $500–$2,000/month. Use the Monthly Income Booster app to build a personalized strategy around these tools.
Most of these apps pay small amounts over weeks. If you need a set sum by a deadline, how to make $500 fast ranks the quicker options by how soon they pay.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.