The Best Types of Money-Earning Apps

Over the past decade, the number of people who have opted to earn money by freelancing or working online has multiplied. Exacerbated by the 2020 pandemic, the traditional model of working 9 to 5 has diminished as people seek jobs that allow them a better quality of life and work/life balance.

Aiding this exodus are numerous tasks and ways to make money online. And for mobile users, plenty of these can even be found in app form for their smartphone—making earning cash on the go easier than ever.

Among the vast array of apps available to earn money, there are specific categories they generally fall into. Below, we’ve found the best types of these apps to help you earn cash using only your smartphone.  

Freelancing

As of 2023, 73.3 million freelancers are living in the United States. These individuals aren’t tied down to any particular job but, instead, perform various tasks or jobs online for clients from around the globe.

Although many see freelancing as a modern approach to work, it actually dates back to the late 1800s. Since then, many people have identified as self-employed and worked for whomever they choose, doing whatever they choose.

Apps like Upwork and Fiverr have helped grow the number of freelancers significantly since they launched. In 2023, Upwork had more than 18 million freelancers registered that use the dedicated mobile application to keep in touch with clients, find new jobs, and get work done. Fiverr, typically specializing in graphic design and like industries—but also less creative tasks like data entry—has over 2.5 million users.

These apps allow users to earn impressive sums of money as either side income or even the sole source of income. Best of all, they can be on the move as much as they want. However, it should be noted that a great deal of work is required to earn this money.

Other money-making apps that fall into this category include Uber and DoorDash—where users can register as drivers. While these also require a significant amount of work between transporting passengers and making deliveries, they can still be a good source of income.

In the US, the average annual salary of an Uber driver is around $38,302. This equates to just over $3,000 per month and is a respectable chunk of change when you consider it is generated via accepting rides through the Uber Driver app.

Casinos

Online casinos have been around since the late 1990s. Since then, the accessibility of these gambling websites has skyrocketed—with thousands of casinos now being available to players internationally.

Evolving from this, the first proper casino apps launched in 2008. Fast forward to today and casino apps, like those reviewed by Top Kasyna Internetowe, are commonplace—with most reputable online casinos offering them.

While these types of apps require an outlay of cash on your part, they can offer the opportunity to earn impressive prizes and even massive windfalls. While we generally don’t recommend playing games based strictly on luck if your primary motivation is making extra cash, games like poker that require skill are a much smarter option if you know what you’re doing. Furthermore, many of the best casino apps also offer bonuses like free spins that allow you to stand a chance to win without paying a cent.

Casino operators like Caesars and MGM Resorts International, both of which have their own casino apps—namely Caesars Palace Online Casino App and BetMGM—have vastly accelerated the growth of these apps, leading to even more chances to get cash on your phone.

Investment

Apps that allow you to invest money you already have are also among the best to use to grow your wealth. Using these, you can safely put your money to work and almost entirely forget about it as it earns more.

For beginners, there are apps like Fidelity Spire and E*TRADE. Both have built-in guides that will show you how to use the app and where to invest. More than this, however, they both also offer excellent educational tools so that you can learn more about investing until you’re comfortable making decisions without aid.

If you already know enough about investing to go solo, apps like TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim give you access to a wide range of investment options and ways to trade. You can also use an app like Betterment, which allows you to go alone or rely on the included robo-advisor if you are uncertain.

Crypto investments on mobile devices have also become immensely popular, with Coinbase having over 108 million verified users in 2023. Binance.US is one of the leading apps (aside from Coinbase) in this arena and can help you put your money where growth is most likely to occur.

Play to Earn

Another application you can use to earn money is a play-to-earn app. As the name suggests, this type of app allows you to play games and earn real money in return. However, as with most things in life, there is a catch.

Rather than just allowing you to play games, these apps come with a slew of advertisements you’ll need to view between playing. If ads don’t bother you, these are a great way to earn some extra cash—but don’t expect to become rich.

Games like Mistplay can grant you up to $5 in Amazon gift cards. However, you’ll need to exchange 1,800 in-game units to get this. These units could take days to accumulate—especially since you are limited to only two hours each day to earn units.

Other apps in this category include ones like Swagbucks, which give you simple tasks to perform online, such as subscribing to a newsletter or completing a survey. While this can earn you up to $5 per day, the tasks can quickly become repetitive and tedious.

That said, it is still a decent way to earn some extra cash if you have free time. However, you should be careful when installing such apps, as some are malicious ones that will infect your device with viruses and unwanted code—and never pay you a dime.