12 Side Hustle Apps That Might Pay You… If You Survive Them
Who says your phone is just for scrolling social media or watching TikTok? Nowadays in the U.S., your smartphone can actually be a tool to earn extra cash—without leaving your house or picking up a second full-time job. Imagine paying bills, saving up, or even funding a small vacation just from everyday activities you’re already doing online.
From quick surveys you can complete while sipping your morning coffee to instant cashback on online shopping, there are real apps that pay you actual money. Some people are already making hundreds of dollars a month just by using a few spare minutes here and there.
In this article, we’re breaking down the 12 best apps to make money in the U.S., plus pro tips to maximize your earnings—safely and legally. So grab your phone, because some of these tricks could completely change the way you look at “free time”—turning it into cash in your pocket.
1. Survey Junkie – Get Paid for Your Opinions
Category: Online Surveys
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: PayPal, Gift Cards (Amazon, Target, Starbucks, etc.)
Minimum Payout: $5 (500 points)
Official Website: surveyjunkie.com
Survey Junkie is the app that promises to pay you for your opinions—and technically, it does. You sign up, fill out your profile, and start taking surveys that sometimes last five minutes and sometimes get you booted after the first question because your grocery habits are apparently “too average.”
Every survey offers points, which eventually turn into cash or gift cards. Sounds simple, right? But if you’re picturing a stack of hundreds of dollars piling up in your PayPal account, think again. Most surveys pay just enough to buy a cup of coffee—assuming coffee is made of optimism and patience.
Sarah, a mom in Texas, shares her experience: “I spent twenty minutes filling out a survey about snacks, only to get rejected at the last question. But hey, I still made $25 this month. Enough to bribe my kids into cleaning their rooms.”
Survey Junkie is basically a test of persistence and mild frustration tolerance. It won’t replace your 9-to-5, but at least your wasted scrolling hours now have some redeeming value. And let’s be real—there’s something oddly satisfying about seeing those tiny points slowly turn into real money, like watching a snail cross the finish line…
2. Google Opinion Rewards – Quick Cash from Super Short Surveys
Category: Quick Surveys
Platforms: iOS, Android
Payment Methods: PayPal (iOS users) or Google Play Credits (Android users)
Minimum Payout: $2
Official Website: surveys.google.com/google-opinion-rewards
Google Opinion Rewards is basically Google saying, “Hey, we’ll give you a couple of cents if you answer our tiny questions.” And yes, they pay—but don’t get excited about quitting your job just yet. The surveys are super short, sometimes less than 20 seconds, but the rewards are… well, let’s just say they make you wonder if your opinion is worth less than a pack of gum.
You’ll answer questions like, “Which store did you visit recently?” or “How likely are you to recommend X?” And just when you think you’re about to earn a few pennies, the app might politely tell you, “Sorry, you don’t qualify.” Because apparently, your life is too boring to be valuable to Google.
John, a college student in California, says, “I get one or two surveys a day. Usually I earn a few cents each. Enough to buy gum or a cheap coffee—but I’ll admit, seeing the tiny numbers pile up is strangely satisfying.”
Google Opinion Rewards is perfect if you enjoy being paid in microscopic increments while feeling like a human lab rat. It won’t make you rich, but at least your spare minutes are slightly less wasted… and your ego mildly bruised in the process.
3. Swagbucks – Earn Cash for Everyday Activities
Category: Rewards & Surveys
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: PayPal, Gift Cards (Amazon, Target, Starbucks, etc.)
Minimum Payout: $5
Official Website: swagbucks.com
Swagbucks is the app that lets you earn money by doing basically everything you already do online—watching videos, searching the web, answering surveys, or even shopping. Sounds like a dream, right? Except the payouts are so small, you’ll wonder if your time is actually worth more than a few virtual pennies.
Emily, a college student in Florida, says, “I use Swagbucks during study breaks. Usually I redeem my points for Amazon gift cards. It doesn’t pay for tuition, but it buys my snacks.”
The fun part? Some tasks are genuinely entertaining, like watching short videos or trying out apps, but other times you’ll be clicking through surveys that feel like a sadistic game: “Yes, we’ll give you points… if you survive our 10-question trap first.”
Swagbucks is perfect for anyone who enjoys the thrill of micro-earning while being gently mocked by a platform that knows your time is technically valuable, but only in tiny, incremental doses. Your wallet won’t get fat, but your patience and sarcasm muscles will get a serious workout.
4. Rakuten – Get Paid to Shop (Because Why Not?)
Category: Cashback & Shopping
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: PayPal, Check
Minimum Payout: $5
Official Website: rakuten.com
Rakuten is the app that basically says: “Go ahead, indulge your shopping habit—we’ll pay you back a little for it.” And yes, it works. Buy groceries, clothes, or gadgets, and a tiny percentage magically comes back to your account. It’s like free money… if you’re patient enough to wait for the quarterly payout.
Jake, a software engineer in Seattle, admits, “I earned over $120 last holiday season just by shopping for gifts I was already buying. I still can’t believe I got paid for my impulse purchases.”
The catch? You have to actually go through Rakuten’s links. Forget that sneaky shortcut you normally take—unless you like watching potential cashback vanish into the void. And don’t expect immediate gratification; Rakuten makes you wait months before seeing your cashback. It’s kind of like training your wallet to be patient while silently mocking your spending habits.
Rakuten is perfect for anyone who shops online anyway and wants to justify it as a “side hustle.” Your bank account won’t explode, but at least you’ll feel like a genius for getting paid to click links—while quietly realizing you’ve been tricked into shopping more.
5. Fiverr – Sell Your Skills… for Fun-Sized Paychecks
Category: Freelance Gigs
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: PayPal, Bank Transfer, Fiverr Revenue Card
Minimum Payout: $5
Official Website: fiverr.com
Fiverr is the app that promises you can make money from literally anything you can do online—graphic design, writing, voiceovers, or even recording someone’s Spotify playlist. Sounds amazing until you realize most gigs pay just enough to make you question why you didn’t just binge-watch Netflix instead.
Signing up is easy: create your gig, wait for buyers, and start earning. The hard part? Competing with a global marketplace where everyone’s trying to undercut everyone else, and the algorithm sometimes seems powered by sadistic robots.
Lisa, a freelance writer in New York, shares, “I spent an hour crafting the perfect gig description, only for my first buyer to pay $5 for a 500-word article. Great… if I was living on sarcasm and instant ramen.”
Fiverr is perfect for anyone willing to trade a little sanity for extra cash. It won’t replace a real job (unless you can somehow write 100 articles a day), but it’s a thrilling reminder that your skills are worth something… just not a whole lot. If patience and humility were currency, you’d be rich by now.
6. Upwork – Freelance Like a Pro… Or Cry Trying
Category: Freelance Marketplace
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: PayPal, Direct Deposit, Payoneer
Minimum Payout: $1 (depends on withdrawal method)
Official Website: upwork.com
Upwork is the “serious cousin” of Fiverr: a platform where skilled freelancers can find legitimate gigs ranging from web development to copywriting. But don’t get too excited—just because it’s professional doesn’t mean it’s painless. Between bidding wars, clients who vanish mid-project, and an endless parade of lowball offers, your self-esteem might take more hits than your wallet.
Signing up is straightforward: set up your profile, showcase your skills, and start sending proposals. The tricky part? You’ll spend more time perfecting proposals than actually working, often competing against people willing to do the same job for half your rate.
Mark, a graphic designer in Chicago, says, “I spent an hour crafting the perfect proposal only to have a client disappear. I earned nothing, but hey, I’m getting really good at rejection emails.”
Upwork is perfect for anyone who wants to freelance seriously—but also enjoys learning humility at scale. The money can be real and significant, but the drama and rejection come free of charge. If patience, persistence, and thick skin were bills, you’d be earning a fortune by now.
7. TaskRabbit – Get Paid to Do Everyone Else’s Chores
Category: Gig Work / Local Tasks
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: $25
Official Website: taskrabbit.com
TaskRabbit is the app that lets you make money by doing things other people can’t—or won’t—do themselves. Whether it’s assembling furniture, running errands, or fixing a leaky faucet, someone somewhere is willing to pay you to save them from adulting.
Signing up is easy: create a profile, list your skills, and start accepting gigs. The catch? Most people are looking for bargains, so your $50 coffee table assembly might take two hours and a lot of patience for a client who expects perfection while you silently judge their IKEA choices.
Emma, a college student in Boston, shares, “I helped assemble a 12-piece wardrobe and the client criticized my technique. I made $60 but walked away questioning humanity.”
TaskRabbit is perfect for anyone who enjoys physical work, human interaction, and small doses of existential crisis. The money can be decent, but the real reward is the constant reminder that someone out there really can’t do their own chores—and apparently, that someone is willing to pay you to point it out.
8. DoorDash – Deliver Food and Your Sanity, One Order at a Time
Category: Food Delivery / Gig Work
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: Depends on account settings
Official Website: doordash.com
DoorDash is the app that lets you make money by delivering other people’s meals—because apparently, cooking or picking up food themselves is just too much effort for some humans. Sounds simple: pick up the order, drive, drop it off, and get paid. In reality, it’s a chaotic ballet of GPS glitches, angry customers, and the occasional “Where is my sushi?” text at 10 PM.
Mike, a delivery driver in Los Angeles, admits, “I’ve navigated traffic, dodged rain, and sprinted through apartment complexes—all to deliver a $15 order for a $3 tip. I’m basically an unpaid stuntman.”
DoorDash is perfect for anyone who enjoys flexible hours, fast cars, and mild frustration with humanity. You might not make a fortune, but at least you’ll have plenty of stories about entitled customers and forgotten orders—priceless entertainment while earning a few bucks.
9. Instacart – Shop for Others and Question Humanity
Category: Grocery Delivery / Gig Work
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: Varies
Official Website: instacart.com
Instacart is like DoorDash’s grocery-obsessed cousin: you shop for other people, bag their items, and deliver them while praying nothing leaks or breaks. On paper, it sounds easy. In reality, you’re dodging spilled milk, searching for the “one organic avocado” in a sea of normal ones, and trying to interpret notes like “get the freshest thing possible” without being fired via review.
Samantha, a shopper in Chicago, recalls, “I once spent 40 minutes hunting for kale for a customer who texted mid-shop, ‘This looks sad, try again.’ I got paid $12. I also lost a piece of my soul.”
Instacart is perfect for anyone who enjoys multitasking, mild existential dread, and questioning why strangers trust you to grocery shop for them. Your bank account won’t see a miracle, but your patience and sarcasm muscles will get a serious workout.
10. Rover – Get Paid to Walk Dogs (and Possibly Regret It)
Category: Pet Sitting & Dog Walking
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: Varies
Official Website: rover.com
Rover is the app that lets you make money by walking other people’s dogs or pet-sitting, because apparently some humans can’t be trusted to even feed their pets. Sounds fun if you love dogs—until you realize some of those pups have more energy than a toddler on espresso.
Jamie, a dog walker in Portland, says, “I agreed to watch a Great Dane for the weekend. He ate my favorite shoes, shredded a pillow, and still looked at me like I was the problem. I earned $150. My sanity? Not so much.”
Rover is perfect for anyone who loves animals, long walks, and the occasional adventure in chaos management. You won’t get rich, but you will get plenty of stories about chewed shoes, runaway pups, and clients who think your life revolves around their pet 24/7.
11. Airbnb – Make Money by Letting Strangers Crash at Your Place
Category: Short-Term Rentals & Experiences
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: Varies
Official Website: airbnb.com
Airbnb lets you turn your home—or just a spare room—into a mini hotel. Sounds amazing until you remember that strangers might leave the place looking like a frat party exploded. And if you host experiences, be ready to pretend you’re a tour guide, chef, or guru while people silently judge your skills.
Alex, a host in Los Angeles, recalls, “One guest left a note complaining that the Wi-Fi wasn’t ‘inspiring enough’ for their meditation retreat. I got paid, but my self-esteem did not.”
Airbnb is perfect for anyone willing to clean obsessively, smile constantly, and occasionally explain why the blender isn’t magical. It can be lucrative if you’re organized and lucky—but mostly, it teaches you patience, thick skin, and the joy of charging people to use your bathroom.
12. Turo – Rent Out Your Car and Hope It Comes Back in One Piece
Category: Peer-to-Peer Car Rental
Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
Payment Methods: Direct Deposit, PayPal
Minimum Payout: Varies
Official Website: turo.com
Turo is basically Airbnb… but for your car. You rent it out to strangers, pray they don’t spill coffee, scratch it, or try to test the limits of physics, and hope insurance doesn’t give you a headache. The payout can be great if you have a desirable car, but the stress level? Off the charts.
Mark, a car owner in Miami, says, “I rented my car out to someone who returned it with a dent in the bumper and zero apology. I got paid for the rental, sure, but my blood pressure didn’t get reimbursed.”
Turo is perfect for anyone who loves money but also enjoys the adrenaline rush of trusting strangers with your vehicle. It can be lucrative, but mostly it teaches you lessons in patience, hope, and why maybe you should have just kept your car in the garage.
Making Extra Money Isn’t Glamorous, But It’s Entertaining
Let’s be honest: none of these apps are going to make you a millionaire overnight. Survey Junkie will reject your “perfect” opinion, Google Opinion Rewards will pay you in microscopic cents, Swagbucks will keep you clicking videos for pennies, and Rakuten will make you wait months to see your cashback.
Fiverr and Upwork will test your patience, TaskRabbit and DoorDash will remind you that other people’s chores are your problem now, and Rover will have you dodging dog chaos like a ninja. Airbnb will show you the joys of hosting strangers, Instacart will challenge your grocery navigation skills, and Turo will teach you why trusting strangers with your car is a gamble.
But here’s the thing: all of these apps share one undeniable trait—they turn your spare minutes into something mildly productive (and mildly infuriating). They won’t replace your day job, but they’ll give you cash, gift cards, or stories that make your friends laugh. Think of it as a side hustle adventure: part money-making, part patience-testing, and part comedy of errors.
So if you’ve got extra time, a little patience, and a sense of humor, pick an app—or twelve—and start earning. Just don’t expect to quit your 9-to-5 anytime soon… unless your tolerance for chaos and tiny payouts is absurdly high.
FAQs – The Truth About Making Extra Money With Apps
Q1: Can I really make a full-time income from these apps?
A1: Let’s be real—unless you’re a superhero with infinite free time and nerves of steel, probably not. These apps are better for side cash, gift cards, or bragging rights that you survived micro-earning hell.
Q2: Are these apps safe to use?
A2: Yes, all the apps listed here are legitimate. But just because they pay doesn’t mean they won’t test your patience, humility, and occasional sense of self-worth.
Q3: How much can I realistically earn?
A3: It varies. Some people make a few extra bucks a week, others rake in hundreds—usually if they’re strategic, persistent, or lucky. Don’t quit your job based on a few survey points or a dog-walking gig.
Q4: Do I need special skills for these apps?
A4: Some do (Fiverr, Upwork), some don’t (Survey Junkie, Google Opinion Rewards). But even no-skill apps will test your ability to tolerate rejection, micro-payments, and chaos in the form of picky clients or strange survey questions.
Q5: Which app is the fastest to earn a little cash?
A5: Google Opinion Rewards and Survey Junkie are quick but tiny payouts. TaskRabbit, DoorDash, and Rover pay more per task—but you’ll also sweat a little more (literally or figuratively).
Q6: Are tips included in app earnings?
A6: Depends. Delivery and gig apps often include tips, but don’t count on them—they’re a bonus, not a guarantee. And sometimes, tips come in the form of guilt or existential reflection instead of cash.
Q7: Is it worth using multiple apps at once?
A7: Sure, if you enjoy juggling multiple minor frustrations at the same time. More apps = more opportunities for pennies, lessons in patience, and hilarious stories to tell your friends.
So, you’ve survived the wild ride of apps that pay you tiny fortunes, dodge survey rejections, deliver strangers’ food, and trust strangers with your pets—or even your car. You might be thinking: “Great, I made a few extra bucks, but what if I could earn a little money while actually spending it?”
Enter the world of cash back credit cards—the slightly more glamorous, less chaos-filled cousin of side hustle apps. Instead of dodging traffic or assembling IKEA furniture for strangers, you get rewarded for the stuff you’re already buying. Think of it as passive micro-earning: the credit card companies hand you points or cash back, and you don’t have to battle GPS glitches, picky clients, or judgmental dogs to get it.
Curious which cards in 2025 will maximize your rewards while making your wallet feel a little fatter? Check out our 9 Best Cash Back Credit Cards in 2025, and start letting your spending pay you instead of just your time.
