Top 7 money-making apps & 2022 guide

What are money-making apps?

Before we get into the ways you can earn with money-making apps or the best ways to do it, we have to clarify what exactly is hiding under this term:

It describes the applications where users can take specific actions or invest to get rewarded.

I bet that all of us have come across slogans like “Make money fast” or “Earn extra money at home” at least once in our lives – am I wrong?

Well… I would like to tell you that it’s not always just clickbait and some options can actually bring you profits. You don’t believe me? Before you say “Yes” out loud, read about possible ways on how you can earn on those and check out the list of the finest ones 😉

Disclaimer: This article does not contain affiliate links. Some of the apps are available in the US only.

How to earn with money-making apps?

Alrighty. We already know that there are some apps out there that can help us earn some extra cash, save the money that we spent on purchasing products, get gift cards or online currency.

However, there are diverse ways on how you can earn on those – let me go through all options one-by-one:

Performing certain tasks

This one is for sure the first idea that comes to mind when you’re trying to figure out how you can make some extra cash or bonuses with the use of get-paid apps. 

Depending on the app, there could be various types of tasks that you have to perform to get paid or gather virtual money. You can get money or rewards by for example:

• filling out a survey or pool (I’d say that those are ‘the classics’)
• adding product reviews
• reading emails
• watching movies
• playing games
• moving – walking or running

Investing through finance apps

In case you already fell in love with investing, there’s another type of real money-making app for you! I mean programs where you can top up your account or use spare change from your online purchases to invest in stocks, bonds, or new businesses.

You don’t feel confident about investing and don’t know how much you should spend to get something out of it, but at the same time, you don’t want to lose all your funds? There are different tools that will help you to take the first steps in this area. 

Some financial investing apps and programs – for example Acorns – include educational resources like articles and videos, that will boost your learning progress 📖

Promoting money-making apps online

Affiliate marketing is performance-based marketing where you can get a commission for promoting other people’s offers or bringing new users to their website (i.e. that register or buy a product). So people that are affiliate marketers can earn on digital marketing, even though they do not own any offer or product on their own.

If you’re an affiliate marketer or you would like to become one, you can also earn money by promoting get-paid apps. Sometimes this can be even more profitable, than being just a user of that kind of application. 

Lots of affiliate networks have money-making platforms in their offer base. For example, the Awin affiliate network has Swagbucks offer in their portfolio for which you can earn a flat fee commission of $2.20 for each user that registered and verified an email address. They also have a selection of banners, creatives, emailers from which you can browse, so you don’t have to prepare them on your own. 

Another money-making program offer – called Survey Junkie– is available through the Aragon Advertising network. Details on those two money-making apps that I’ve mentioned, will be covered in the ranking section.

While promoting money-making apps online, you will need a tool that allows you to gather all data in one place and analyze it to maximize your ROI – software like Voluum, will cover that. Additionally, with the Automizer feature connected to this tracker, you could save time on manual optimization, by setting the rules that will pause or get you notified on unprofitable sources.

Participating in affiliate programs and referring friends

You might’ve encountered referral programs while using different kinds of apps for banking, shopping, gaming, streaming, and more… 

Those usually work like so: you refer friends, they register and start using a platform or app, and you get either a free or discounted subscription, some extra money or rewards. Sometimes even the fact that they’ve signed up is enough to get a commission, while others may require specific actions like making a top-up (if it’s an investing app), playing a game, or filling out a survey – it may differ between applications. 

There can also be affiliate programs that are actually quite similar to referring friends. Read this guide for more in-depth info. In most cases, while participating in such a program, you can also advertise a money-making app online by buying the traffic from different sources and traffic types (pop, push, native). 

For gathering information on your campaigns’ performance you can use the tracker, which supports integration with multiple sources to easily manage every entity from one platform’s level. If the specific money earning platform or app supports postback tracking, thanks to Voluum you will be able to count registrations and commissions that you get from visits made through your affiliate link.

Saving money with cashback

People are switching to online shopping, not just because of the pandemic but also due to the fact that it’s simply more convenient. They don’t have to go to malls and look for the product they want to buy, nor compare prices between shops by physically visiting them. 

For those of you that hate shopping – I feel you totally. I can bear a shopping date to hang out or being a window shopper, but it’s a nightmare for me when I have to shop around for a peculiar thing I’ve planned to buy. That’s why I’m an online shopping enthusiast 😉 Instead of spending all day in stores, just a few clicks, and that’s it – all of the above can be done without leaving your home.

Naturally, online shoppers are also looking to save some money on the things that they want to buy, and… here’s where cashback apps come in. There’s nothing surprising about the fact that they’re getting more and more popular these days.

Ok, but… how exactly do cashback applications work? Unlike reward points, virtual currencies, or gift cards and vouchers, that can be used only to buy specific products or services, cashback programs allow you to earn (or save) actual cash. 💸

When you use such an application while shopping online, the percentage of the amount you spent on a specific order is refunded on your PayPal, credit card or is added to your app account’s balance. Usually cashback applications offer between 1% to 5% reward of a transaction.

How much can you get?

Well… there’s no right answer to this one. The best would be to say “it depends”. 

On those apps which are dedicated to saving money on purchases (cashback ones), and those that pay you for watching videos, playing games, filling out surveys – you may earn only a symbolic amount per action. 

In those where you can invest or be in an affiliate program, it’s more likely that you will be able to get a significant amount of money. Similarly, if you promote cash-making apps as an affiliate – as you might have read that one single conversion can bring you for example a $2.20 commission.

Best money-making apps in 2022

Now it’s time to focus on the top apps to earn money.

Those that I listed below are highly ranked in Google Play and Apple Store, but I’ve wanted to include there different types of money-making apps, so it’s rather my personal ranking 😉 Hope that after reading it, you will be able to choose the one that suits you best for either using or promoting it online. 

Survey Junkie

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.5 (with 46K reviews)	4.4 (with 38.2K reviews)

One of the most popular apps where you can earn cash and rewards by filling online surveys. The purpose of this platform is to gather feedback, to help brands deliver better quality products and services. Bigger companies are willing to pay for valuable opinions.

This is how it works: you participate in a survey, you collect points for that, and then you can cash them out. Simple, isn’t it?

Pros:

• you get a few points for participating in a survey even if you do not qualify
• responses are anonymous

Cons:

• there’s no option to sort/search by a survey category
• the system doesn’t check if you qualify for filling out a survey before you take it

Minimum withdrawal amount: $10

Withdrawal options: PayPal, wire transfer, online gift cards

Swagbucks

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.4  (with 51.6K reviews)	4.2 (with 76.9K reviews)

With this cash-making app, you can also get rewarded for participating in surveys or pools, but there are also other ways to earn there. You can make extra money while browsing the internet, shopping online, or by watching videos and playing online games. The other way to earn here is being a mystery shopper – for each scanned grocery receipt, Swagbucks adds points to your account balance.

Pros:

• $10 welcome bonus
• offers gift cards for shopping at popular stores: Amazon, Target, Walmart, PayPal, Groupon, and more

Cons:

• for easy tasks like watching videos and searching the web you get a very low commission
• the platform and app might be overwhelming for beginners

Minimum withdrawal amount: $25

Withdrawal options: PayPal and online gift cards

M1 Finance

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.6 (with 36K reviews)	4.5 (with 16.8K reviews)

It’s time for an investment app. With this one, you can invest your money in stocks, ETFs, and bonds without any commission. Through the M1 Finance app, you can also borrow some money at low rates (2 – 3.5%), manage your wealth, and use the cash back option while shopping. 

If you already have experience in investing, this might be a good option for you, but if you’re not familiar with this topic at all, it’s probably better to focus on other options or learn about investing basics first. M1 Finance also offers intelligent automation that might help you, especially at the beginning of your investing journey.

Pros:

• there are no brokerage fees and commissions
• you don’t have to invest until your M1 balance reaches $100
• you can also borrow money there or get a cashback for your purchases

Cons:

• requires some knowledge about investing
• there is an investment risk 

Minimum withdrawal amount: $1

Withdrawal options: wire transfer

Ibotta

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.8 (with 1.4M reviews)	4.5 (with 569K reviews)

This one is a cashback app that allows you to save some money while shopping online and in-store. To get rewarded while browsing for products online, you have to visit online stores through the Ibotta app, and once you finish a purchase, cashback will be passed to your account balance. 

You’re shopping in store? No worries – you can submit a photo of your receipt, to receive the in-app cashback within 24h. There is also an Ibotta Chrome extension to save on purchases while shopping via your laptop 💻

Pros: 

• for both: online and in-store purchases
• $10 welcome bonus, and additional $5 for each friend that you refer
• cashback verification is quick (24h)

Cons:

• discounts and rewards for online purchases are available only for orders made through the Ibotta app, not directly through the retailer’s website

Minimum withdrawal amount: $20

Withdrawal options: PayPal, wire transfer, coupons and gift cards

Rakuten

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.8 (with 206K reviews)	4.2 (with 71.3K reviews)

Rakuten is quite similar to the Ibotta app, as it also allows you to get a cashback for purchases made online and locally. If you’re a nerd you can save on Apple purchases, if you’re buying in Target or Walmart you can get cashback for your grocery shopping, while traveling you can use discounts and save on tickets. You’re a sports freak? No worries – Rakuten also has options for those; you can get rewarded for shopping at Adidas, Nike, and other stores. Everyone should be able to find there something for themselves, as the Rakuten app offers 3500+ stores to choose from 🤯

Pros:

• available for online and in-store shopping
• $10 welcome bonus

Cons:

• cashback from in-store purchases can be withdrawn once per three months
• you have to be aware, as for some products listed in Rakuten app cashback and discounts are not available (however such products are marked with “Coupons Only” or “No Discounts”)
  

Minimum withdrawal amount: $5

Withdrawal options: PayPal, physical check, online coupons and gift cards

Gamee

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.6 (with 8.1K reviews)	4.4 (with 372K reviews)

It’s a quite interesting get-paid app, that gives you rewards for… playing games and watching videos. So if you’re a ‘gamester’ type, this one is definitely something that you should check out. 

This money-making game app offers different options to choose from, so if you like this kind of entertainment you can earn on similar games that you would play normally, without earning a penny.

Pros:

• you can also earn by referring a friend (if they register and reach 5th level – you get a commission)

Cons:

• the frequency of ads displayed is high, so that can be annoying
• you need to withdraw your money up to 365 days after being added to your wallet, otherwise you lose it

Minimum withdrawal amount: $10

Withdrawal options: PayPal

We already have a pretty cool list to choose from, don’t we? You can earn cash or bonuses thanks to those money-making apps, without even leaving your home, unless… you would like to collect some virtual currency by walking or running.

Yes… that’s also possible 🙂

Sweatcoin

iOS Rating	Google Play Rating
4.6 (with 207K reviews)	4.1 (with 378K reviews)

This is the app that I’ve saved for the end. It does not mean that it’s worse than the others that I mentioned – nothing of that kind… it’s just quite surprising that you can also earn from working out. While you’re walking or running, the Sweatcoin app counts your steps, and converts them to the Sweatcoins – a virtual currency that you can use later on, while purchasing products, services or you can donate them to charity. Why not keep yourself healthy and get some virtual currency at the same time?

Pros:

• it allows you to organize step competition with your friends and family
• pedometer runs in the background, so it’s not wasting a battery that much

Cons:

• low commissions (as 1K of steps converts to approx. 1 Sweatcoin, which is only $0.01)

Minimum withdrawal amount: no minimum

Withdrawal options: discounts and gift cards (PayPal and Amazon), by donating selected charity

Summary

I must admit that I’m personally a cashback freak. 😁 I have several apps installed, and before finishing a purchase, I’m checking if any of the cashback apps that I’m using offers compensation for purchases in the specific online store. Why do I love it?

Because it’s hassle-free, and at the same time allows me to save some money. 

Even though those money-making apps can bring you some extra income, they are not going to pay your rent if you are just performing the required tasks. If you’re using them regularly, the more rational expectation will be one or two gift cards per month. 

If you would like to make some serious amount of money, then undeniably a better option would be participating in an affiliate program they offer or promoting those apps online with the use of a reliable tracker.