October 16, 2024

The 21 Best Summer Side Hustles: Earn $1000 a Month or More!

Summer is a great time to start a side hustle and make extra money. The question is, which summer side hustles would be best for you?

Check out the list below to spark some ideas and inspiration!

I selected these based on:

Interviewing over 500 side hustlers and entrepreneurs
15+ years of my own side hustle experience

New to the show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here!

Ready? Let’s do it!

1. Be a Lifeguard

In my area, lifeguards earn around $20 an hour — and get to hang out outside all day. Community pools and beaches hire seasonal lifeguards to keep swimmers safe.

You’ll typically need to be a strong swimmer and take a training and certification class to get hired. Look for a certification program like The Red Cross‘, which is accepted nationwide.

2. Pressure Washing

Summertime inspires homeowners to take care of their properties, which could mean an opportunity to offer a pressure washing service.

It’s a simple, low overhead, spring and summer side hustle that’s just plain satisfying to do!

Scott Anderson reported earning $3,000+ per month washing houses part time, and was able to recoup a good chunk of his equipment costs on the very first job.

To get customers, you can advertise online or put up flyers around your neighborhood.

3. Officiate Weddings

Summer season is wedding season! Did you know that professional wedding officiants can earn $100-800 per wedding, for as little as half an hour worth of work?

Maria Romano has officiated over 4000 weddings over the last 10 years, and stopped by to share her advice in this video.

Research your local wedding officiating requirements and get ordained. From there, you can begin to network with other professional wedding vendors and venues to begin booking jobs.

4. Online Surveys

These won’t make you rich, but you can get paid for your opinion on different topics by participating in online surveys. It’s an easy way to make a little money during your downtime or while you’re lounging at the pool.

Here are a few of the most popular (and credible) online survey sites:

Swagbucks – Earn up to $35 a survey with this mega-popular app, and get a $10 bonus just for signing up!
Survey Junkie – Earn up to $40 a month and cash out beginning at just $5.
Branded Surveys – One of the best-rated survey sites with millions paid out.
Pinecone Research – Earn $3 for each 15-20 minute survey. They’ll send you a $3 check after your first one.
InboxDollars – Get a $5 bonus just for signing up!
American Consumer Opinion – Join millions of free members and earn up to $50 per survey.
YouGov – Long-running survey panel, with data often cited in the media.

The average pay for online surveys is $0.50 to $5.00 per survey, which may not be much but it can add up. It’s also convenient because you can do these anytime and anywhere.

5. Car Detailing

mobile detailing side hustle is a great summer side hustle, especially if you’re a “car guy.” Not only can you choose your own hours and work around other commitments, but the job itself is simple yet rewarding.

With the right set-up and some basic knowledge of car care, anyone can get started in this side hustle.

Typical rates are $200-400 per car, and you can stack 2-3 jobs up on a Saturday and make pretty good money. For example, Josh Belk reported earning up to $6,000 a month with the detailing business he started with his brother.

6. Create and Host a Local “Experience”

If your town is a summer travel destination, one interesting side hustle is hosting local tours or “experiences.” That could be things like:

Walking tours
Beer tasting tours
Guided meditation workshops
Cooking classes
Foodie tours

One Side Hustle Show guest had hosted hundreds of guided meditation experiences through Airbnb — at $50 a pop!

The cool thing here is you can set your own rates and availability. Take a look at platforms like Airbnb Experiences to get a sense of what’s already available in your area. What’s missing? What could you improve or pivot on?

A friend of mine posted an “unplugged” (smartphone-free) hiking tour in Tennessee, and began to get $50-100 bookings right away.

7. Yard Sale Flipping

The warm weather brings with it a rush of garage sales and yard sales. A simple reselling side hustle follows the familiar “buy low, sell high” business model.

This side hustle is ideal for people who love the thrill of the treasure hunt — looking for undervalued items and finding those diamonds in the rough.

My friends Rob and Melissa Stephenson of Florida are pros at this, and earn a full-time living finding “odd” items and flipping them for a profit. The cool thing is you can get started with whatever level of inventory investment you’re comfortable with.

Stop by your local flea market or thrift store this weekend to see what’s out there. Have the ebay app handy on your phone to see what items are selling for online.

Check out my latest conversation with Rob or watch their free online training for more.

Related: Flipping Books for Profit: How to Make Up to $4000 a Month

Suggested Playlist: Flipping Profits

Buying low and selling high is the fastest way to multiply money. Here’s how to get it done.

Add to Spotify

8. Loan Signing Agent

This summer side hustle has been super popular in Side Hustle Nation the last few years. Nearly every home sale needs a notary to verify the mortgage documents, so during the summer selling season, demand is at its peak.

For their time, expertise, and attention to detail, loan signing agents typically earn $75-150 per appointment.

To become a signing agent, you’re essentially starting a specialized mobile notary business. That means researching the requirements in your state and probably investing in some training.

Once certified, you can begin to accept signings that fit with your schedule through various signing services (databases of other signing agents), or by building your own direct relationships with real estate and escrow offices.

In this video interview, I sit down with a mobile Notary earning $8000 a month to learn more about how the business works.

9. Moving Service

As home sales increase for the summer season, so does demand for movers. Joining or starting a moving service is another way you can make money this summer.

Several startups help match people with trucks to those who need help moving.

For example, Dolly is always looking for Helpers, and pays up to $40 per hour if you have a pickup truck and can shift over 75 pounds. Simply build your schedule by using the app to find and accept jobs.

With Dolly, you even get to keep 100% of your customer tips.

10. Local and Online Gigs

Steady is a cool app and website that consolidates all sorts of “gig economy” opportunities. For example, you can find work from home gigs, flexible “anytime” options, and even regular full- and part-time jobs.

Browsing through the listings, I found the usual array of delivery and rideshare gigs, but was pleasantly surprised by some of the other offerings. There were a number of local opportunities I’d never heard of in:

brand ambassadorship
political advocacy
mystery shopping
transcription
and more

Steady acts as a portal to all these gigs and gives you a convenient central location to browse. After you create your account, you’ll be able to see everything available online and in your local area.

Related: Our Top Money Making Apps of the Year

11. Tutoring

Some students — well, let’s be real … their parents — use the summer to get ahead academically.

To start your tutoring business, first decide what subject(s) you’ll specialize in. Test prep can be particularly lucrative, and there’s a huge demand to learn English worldwide.

Tutors can earn $15-100+ per hour, depending on the subject matter and location.

You can tutor students locally or online. In fact, spending on online tutoring grew 17% in 2022!

Where to Find Gigs

You don’t always need a professional teaching certification, but a TESOL/TEFL certificate can come in handy to get hired by certain online English teaching companies.

Here are some places to get tutoring and teaching jobs:

BookNook – Teach math and writing online and earn $18 an hour plus potential bonuses
Wyzant
Tutor.com
Verbling
EF Education First

For other subjects, you might consider partnering with local school counselors or parenting groups.

12. Window Cleaning

While he was a full-time college student, Johnny Robinson built his window cleaning business to almost $700k a year in revenue.

He and his partner started with just $150 worth of equipment, and landed a mix of commercial and residential customers.

13. Lawn Care

If you like the idea of working outside, you might consider a yard care business.

Of course you could get lawn mowing customers the old-fashioned way, by wheeling your lawnmower up and down the neighborhood and knocking on doors, but that’s old school.

The modern alternative is to sign up as a vendor on GreenPal, “the Uber for lawn care.”

GreenPal has over 11,000 lawn mowers and other yard care providers in 49 states. Per CEO Bryan Clayton, the average GreenPal vendor makes around $55 per hour mowing lawns on its system.

14. Childcare Service

Another good way to earn extra income over the summer is through babysitting, child care, or even elder care.

You can create a free profile on sites like Sittercity.com and Care.com, big platforms that help connect families with caregivers like you. The work hours are flexible and with the nationwide average rates are in the range of $14-18 an hour.

If you love kids and you and have time to spare, babysitting would be a pretty easy side gig to consider.

A teacher friend of mine actually ended up connecting with a celebrity client in New York through Sittercity. You never know!

15. Become a Camp Counselor or Sports Coach

With school out for summer, it’s time for youth day camps and overnight camps. These often have themes like soccer, ballet, acting, science, or basketball.

The hours for day camps may be tricky to do as a side hustle, but you could set up your own sports clinics or group classes after hours.

We’ve known friends to teach swimming lessons, piano, and arts and crafts for kids in their spare time.

16. Set Up a Roadside Stand

When Shannon Houchin reached out to share her peach flipping business, I was intrigued! Over the last 10 years, she’s built quite an empire of roadside produce stands — and says you can flip $300 worth of peaches into $1000 in a weekend.

“Nothing puts a smile on a consumer’s face quicker than a good peach,” she explained. She likes to set up in high traffic areas like convenience store parking lots, and relies on roadside visibility for most of her marketing.

What kind of local summer produce could you resell?

17. Pet Sitting

With many families going on vacation during the summer, there’s a high demand for pet sitters and dog walkers.

To set up shop, try Rover.com, the leading marketplace that connects pet owners with pet sitters. Typical boarding rates range from $20-60 per night per dog, depending on location.

Several Side Hustle Nation readers report earning $1000 a month watching other people’s pets!

18. Photography

Between weddings, BBQs, company picnics, and family reunions, there are lots of occasions for photography work over the summer.

This is actually my wife’s side hustle of choice, with her and her partner earning around $4,000 per wedding. Their strategy was to start at a very low cost to build their portfolio, and scale up as their skills and comfort level improved.

One great source of steady business is partnering with local venues as a preferred vendor.

19. Personal Training

Nothing like swimsuit season to make everyone self-conscious about their bodies, right? Up to 42% of people report feeling pressure to have a “beach body” for the summer, which spells strong demand for fitness and diet professionals.

Could you start an outdoor bootcamp, group fitness class, or personal training business?

20. Pool Maintenance

Many homeowners have pools that need regular cleaning and maintenance during the summer months. This can be a a great side hustle because:

Each pool doesn’t take a ton of time
It needs to happen regularly, which means recurring revenue

The average pool maintenance cost is $180 per month. Build a roster of clients around town and knock out the jobs on a weekday evening.

21. Rent Out Your Pool

If you have a pool of your own, Swimply can help you turn it into a money-maker.

The “Airbnb for pools” platform lets you rent out your backyard pool by the hour, with top hosts earning $5,000 a month!

Which Summer Side Hustle Will You Choose?

Hopefully this list of summer side hustles sparked some ideas and inspiration!

And if nothing resonates with you, don’t feel guilty about that. Personally, I like to scale back work during the summer. Here in the Northwest, we wait all year for the weather to get warm and I want to enjoy it!

I find the time away from my business often sparks new creative energy and a renewed sense of purpose.

As with anything, keep your lifestyle goals in mind and choose the path that best serves those goals. Cheers!

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Serious About Making Extra Money?

Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
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47 Apps That Pay You Real Money: The Best Money Making Apps of 2023

We’re hooked on our devices, but did you know there are apps can actually make you money every month?

Yes! Out of the millions of apps on the app store, many will actually pay you real money to use them.

To come up with this list, I:

looked my own favorite money-making apps
cross-referenced the best-rated money apps in both the iOS and Google Play app stores
gathered feedback from Side Hustle Nation readers

For each, we’ll take a quick look at how they work and how you can earn money and get paid for using them. Some are completely passive after you set them up, while others take a little more time.

I’ve broken these down by category, and encourage you to pick and install the ones that make the most sense for you.

12 Ways to Make Real Money on Your Phone

Apps That Pay You to Take Surveys and Play Games

Turns out there are tons of ways to make extra money sharing your opinion with brands.

These apps probably won’t make you a ton of money, but could add $15-30 a month to your bottom line if you use them consistently.

To earn more, consider online focus groups—my personal favorite resource for these is User Interviews. (Feel free to check out our full User Interviews review for more details.)

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a recognized leader in the online survey space. The long-running app has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to users over the years.

You can earn rewards for shopping online, answering surveys, playing games, and watching videos (read: ads). Cash out for gift cards from major retailers.

Sign up through my referral link for a $10 bonus.

2. Bingo Cash

The popular Bingo Cash game app turns classic bingo from a game of luck into a game of speed and skill. Each game only takes about 2 minutes to play, and you can earn real-world rewards and cash prizes (except in AR, IA, LA, SC, and WA).

At press time, the app has a 4.7-star rating on the iOS App Store from 89,000+ reviews, with players calling it legit, fun, and addicting.

As with all gaming apps, practice for free first. Then, never put more money at risk than you can afford to lose.

3. Solitaire Cash

I played my fair share of Windows Solitaire growing up, so Solitaire Cash got my attention.

The well-rated Android and iOS (4.6-stars from over 200k App Store reviews) game app pits you against similarly-skilled solitaire players. Everyone receives the same deck, and top 3 players who finish with the most points win.

Of course, I recommend practicing for free first!

Solitaire Cash is free to download and play, but real money tournaments aren’t yet available in AZ, IN, IO, LA, ME, MT, SC, and WA.

4. Rewarded Play (Android)

With over 150,000 reviews and a 4.1-star rating in the Google Play store, Rewarded Play is another free, legit, and fun, “get paid to play” app.

Rewarded Play is your one-stop app for casual games like Solitaire, Mahjong, Wheel of Fortune, Yahtzee, and more. As you play, choose your rewards and get your gift cards within 48 hours.

5. Survey Junkie

With Survey Junkie, you get to be the influencer — and give your opinions to hundreds of partner brands.

As one of the highest paying survey apps, Survey Junkie offers popular gift cards and cash outs via PayPal. Join the 3+ million members and get started today.

6. InboxDollars

Most InboxDollars surveys pay between $0.50 and $5, but occasionally you’ll see offers up to $20 or more. You can also earn by watching TV, shopping, or completing offers through the app.

InboxDollars pays you in real dollars—not points—and offers a free $5 sign-up bonus.

7. Mistplay (Android)

Mistplay is a popular app (10+ million downloads!) that rewards you for discovering and playing new games on your phone. (Android only)

The more you play, the more “units” you earn. Then you can cash in those units for gift cards to your favorite stores.

As far as Mistplay strategy, check out the games with 3x or 4x unit multipliers to earn gift cards faster.

8. Lightster

You can earn $1 per minute sharing your opinion and feedback with brands through Lightster. The market research app matches you with paid studies based on your profile.

To get started, you’ll add some demographic information about yourself and answer some questions about your experience and interests.

After that, you may see some questions pop up in the app. Answer those to qualify for paid sessions.

I got invited to my first half hour brand conversation within a couple weeks of downloading the app, and got paid (via Amazon gift card) right away.

9. Toluna Influencers

Get paid to speak your voice and leave feedback on top brands with Toluna Influencers. The highest-paying surveys pay around $15, which you can redeem for gift cards or PayPal cash.

Apps That Pay You to Invest

10. Fundrise

I’ve been a Fundrise investor for years, and like their long-term outlook and consistent quarterly dividends. With just $10, you can start building a portfolio of commercial real estate.

(Disclosure: when you sign up, I earn a commission. All opinions are my own.)

11. Robinhood

Robinhood is an online brokerage that gives new customers a free stock when you sign up—worth up to $200.

It’s a random draw–not your choice, unfortunately. I got Groupon (currently worth about $6), but Microsoft, VISA, and Johnson & Johnson are options.

Apps That Connect You With Money-Making Gigs

12. Steady

The popular Steady app is your gateway to dozens of “gig economy” jobs and other money making opportunities.

Fun stat: Steady users make an average of $5,500 more per year after they join!

Plus, when you link your bank account details you’ll see personalized Income Boosters — quick ways to make extra money.

Download the app and create an account to find gigs in 4 different categories:

Gigs
Part-Time and Full-Time Work
Work From Home
Recently Added

There are some low-paying options to sort through, but I found several new-to-me platforms to explore. Check out our full Steady app review to learn more.

13. Sharetown

Not many people know about Sharetown, but I’ve connected with side hustlers earning $3,000+ a month with this app.

Sharetown matches you up with gently-used mattress and furniture returns from direct-to-consumer brands.

Since the items aren’t new, the companies can’t really take them back and resell them — but you can. The Sharetown reps I’ve connected with report earning $150-250 per item.

And the cool part is the inventory doesn’t cost you anything until it sells.

But you can’t just download the app and get started. You have to apply first to make sure the company needs additional reps in your area.

Check out our full Sharetown review to learn more about how it works.

Pros:

Low startup costs

Great earning power

No hunting for inventory

Cons:

Requires a truck or SUV

Bulky items to store

Not available in all areas

14. TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is one of the largest gig economy platforms. You can create a profile specializing in everything from running local errands, assembling furniture, local admin temp help, and even virtual support jobs.

Rates vary widely based on what service you’re providing, but I’ve seen tasks anywhere from $15 an hour all the way up to $100 an hour or more for specialized handyman skills.

Apps That Give You Money for Using Your Phone

Because we give so much of our data away for free to companies like Facebook, it’s probably not that far a stretch to actually get paid for the data you share. Here are some options to do just that.

15. MobileXpression

MobileXpression is a market research panel that pays you for data from your mobile phone.

After you download the app, it works in the background recording your browsing habits. You’ll earn weekly credits redeemable for gift cards to popular retailers.

Realistically, this is an un-intrusive background app that will probably earn you around $20 a year in passive income. And you’ll earn a free $5 gift card after your first week.

16. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel

Nielsen pays you for sharing Internet usage behaviors. Just download the app to all of your registered devices and earn up to $60 per year.

The app isn’t intrusive and won’t slow down your devices.

17. Pogo

The free Pogo app is one of my latest finds. By sharing your location and credit card transaction data, Pogo gives you points that you can cash out to PayPal or Venmo.

Just enable location tracking and link your bank account credentials when you sign up. Based on my results so far, I expect Pogo to be worth around $5-20 a year.

Check out my full Pogo app review to learn more.

18. Honeygain

I’ve seen a lot of buzz lately around a new app called Honeygain. According to the site, you can earn up to $50 a month when you share “your unused net traffic with data scientists.”

Just install the app (available on Windows, MacOS, and Android), connect it to the Internet, and earn rewards passively. On average, it takes users 48 days to reach $20.

Get a $5 bonus to start.

Before you get started though, make sure you’re truly on an unlimited plan—it sounds like this could chew through a lot of bandwidth in hurry!

19. Tapestri

The interface is a little frustrating, but Tapestri actually does pay you for sharing your anonymous location data.

The app automatically rewards you ($.03 – $0.25 per day) traveling around town, and you can earn more by checking in and completing surveys.

The Best Cash Back Apps

Many cash back apps will basically give you free money just for tracking the spending you’re already doing.

20. Fetch Rewards

The Fetch Rewards app is a favorite of mine because it’s super easy. You earn points by snapping pictures of your grocery receipts, which you can cash in for gift cards.

21. Upside

Use the free Upside app to get up to 25¢/gallon cash back on gas at thousands of locations all around the country. Plus, get a 25¢/gallon bonus on your first fill-up with promo code SHN25.

Many major brands like Shell, BP, Exxon, Marathon, 76, Valero, and Sunoco are available, and you just have to tell the app where you’re filling up and what credit card you’re using.

The company is expanding to groceries and restaurants, and opening up in new areas as well.

22. Marble

Marble is the first and only “rewards program” for insurance. Marble lets you sync your home, renters, auto, and pet policies in one dashboard, and then pays you up to 5% cash back on your premiums.

Since you have to have many of these coverages already, getting paid for them is like getting free money.

23. Rakuten (formerly Ebates)

The Rakuten shopping app is an established leader in money saving apps—the company’s been paying users back for over 20 years!

The app offers cash back, in-store cash back, and a cash back button extension for online shopping. Shop almost every retailer on the planet and earn up to 40% cash back.

I look forward to my “Big Fat Checks” every quarter!

Join through my referral link and get a $30 sign-up bonus.

24. Ibotta

I use Ibotta every week to check for extra cash back on our grocery purchases.

The drawback is you still have to scroll through each store’s listing and choose the products you bought. Then, you snap a picture of your receipt and watch the cash back hit your account.

Ibotta Savers who use the app every month earn over $130 a year! I’ll take it. (You can cash out via gift cards or PayPal.)

25. Dosh

With Dosh, there are no codes to scan or receipts to upload. You’ll earn automatic cash back at lots of nearby locations.

Where Dosh is perhaps most interesting is in booking hotels. When you book through the app, you can get up to 40% cash back at 600,000 hotels!

Apps That Pay You to Drive

26. Instacart

Get paid to shop for and deliver other people’s groceries with Instacart. Enjoy weekly payouts and a flexible schedule.

Check out our full Instacart Shopper review, with a side hustler earning an extra $450-500 a week.

Pros:

Easy to get started

No marketing or sales required

Can earn money quickly

Cons:

Limited earning power

Wear and tear on your vehicle

Income may be inconsistent

27. Uber Eats

A friend of mine reported earning $25-30 an hour making takeout deliveries with Uber Eats.

Uber’s mega-popular tech platform connects your with nearby restaurant orders. Then you go pick up the order and bring it to the customer.

28. DoorDash

DoorDash “Dashers” make up to $25 an hour* as food delivery drivers.

Check out our full DoorDash driver review, where I sat down with one Dasher earning $250-500 a month in his spare time.

29. Lyft and Uber

These two ridesharing services are some of the most popular apps to make extra money.

With millions of users, they pay you to drive your neighbors around. Your earning potential varies by city, but you can set your own hours and earn tips for providing a great, safe passenger experience.

One potential “hack” is that both Uber and Lyft have a feature called “destination mode.” This allows you to tell the app where you’re going, and only accept rides from passengers heading in the same direction.

Several Side Hustle Nation readers report using this setting to offset the costs of their regular commutes.

30. Shipt

Deliver fresh food and household essentials to Shipt members. Drivers can earn up to $22 an hour shopping for and delivering these products.

31. Hurdlr: Optimize Your Ridesharing and Delivery Earnings

If these gigs appeal to you — or you’re already a rideshare or delivery driver — you might consider adding Hurdlr to your arsenal. Hurdlr is a cool app that helps drivers find an average of $5,600 in tax deductions!

The app automatically tracks all your mileage, expenses, income streams, and tax deductions in real-time. That means you keep more of what you earn.

Mystery Shopping and Audit Apps

32. Field Agent

Field Agent presents a list of tasks you can do based on your location.

Most of these gigs involve evaluating product displays or checking on inventory. They typically pay $3-10 apiece, depending on complexity and the time involved.

No purchase is necessary, unless specified in the task, in which case Field Agent will reimburse you.

For more, check out my full Field Agent review.

Apps That Pay You to Exercise

33. Cashwalk

Cashwalk turns your step activity into gift cards, with power users earning $5 every 3 weeks, or around $85 a year. (Available in the US only.)

Check out our full Cashwalk review to learn more.

34. Miles

The new Miles app gives you “frequent flyer miles” for all the travel you do, whether you’re walking, biking, driving, riding, or flying. (And walking is worth 10x as much as driving!)

By letting the app track your location, you’ll earn free points to redeem gift cards. You’re going to have to cover a lot of ground to get paid though — it takes 1,000 miles to earn a $0.50 Amazon gift card — but every dollar counts and the app just runs in the background.

At press time, you can get 150 bonus miles when you join through my referral link.

Here’s our full Miles app review to learn more.

35. Rover and Wag

With the Rover and Wag apps, you can get paid to walk dogs. Both have large databases of dog owners looking for help from people like you.

According to Rover, top dog walkers are earning $1000 a month.

36. Evidation

Evidation is another app that pays you for walking. The Evidation app partners up with health companies for market studies. You get to be a part of cutting edge medical research, and get paid for it.

You can earn money by tracking steps, sleeping, logging meals, opting into challenges, completing surveys, tweeting, and more.

Evidation connects with apps like Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, Strava, MyFitnessPal, and Garmin.

Earn $10 for every 10,000 points, and cash out through PayPal or straight to your bank account.

Apps to Make Money Selling Stuff

Many people earn quick extra cash selling items part-time. Here are the top apps to list and sell items locally and online.

Suggested Playlist: Flipping Profits

Buying low and selling high is the fastest way to multiply money. Here’s how to get it done.

Add to Spotify

37. Bookscouter

Bookscouter makes it easy to see how much your books—especially textbooks—are worth.

When you scan the book’s barcode, the app will show you how much your book is selling for on various sites. You can then decide which vendor site is the best place to sell your book for the maximum value.

38. ScoutIQ

If you want to get serious about flipping used books, ScoutIQ is the go-to app to get up-to-date price information. This is a paid app (after 14-day free trial), and you can punch in your own custom filters to speed up your ISBN-scanning process.

To learn more, I sat down with a professional book flipper who reported earning $4,000 a month.

39. Decluttr

Make money selling your used CDs, DVDs, and video games using this app.

Decluttr will tell you how much your items are worth and even give you a pre-paid shipping label to send them all in.

(Usually it’s a depressingly low amount!)

But what Decluttr lacks in high payouts, it makes up for in ease-of-use. It’s definitely easier than attempting to photograph, list, sell, and ship all your items one-by-one.

40. Amazon Seller App

The free Amazon seller app is your gateway to the world of Amazon FBA — fulfillment by Amazon. The app will let you scan the barcodes of various products and see what they’re selling for on Amazon–and what your profit would be after fees.

I used this app, along with a lot of shopping, to earn over $600 on the side.

Reselling on Amazon is a serious side hustle that many have turned into full-time businesses.

41. Poshmark

With the Poshmark app, you can make extra cash selling clothing, accessories, and home goods. (Used designer clothing is a big seller on Poshmark.)

The app does take a 20% fee, but has a large audience of buyers and makes the selling process as easy as possible.

You can take pics straight from your phone, pick categories, and write a description of your item.

Once you sell something, they send you a free prepaid shipping label for USPS Priority Mail.

Similar Option: 

Mercari — A Poshmark competitor, with lower fees.

The App That Pays You For Your Extra Space

42. Neighbor

The Neighbor platform connects people who have extra storage space with people who need it. If you’ve got some excess storage capacity in your garage, attic, or side yard, list your space here to fill it and get paid.

Top hosts are earning up to $10,000 a year running their own mini self-storage operations. Check out our full Neighbor review to learn more.

Apps That Pay You Real Money To Share Your Stuff

43. Getaround

Getaround is a leader in the peer-to-peer car rental space. Your car probably sits idle most of the time and the Getaround app helps you turn that idle time into $500 a month or more.

Naturally, nicer and newer cars in popular travel destinations earn the most. I’ve actually heard of people taking out leases on cars specifically to rent them out on Getaround.

Similar Options:

Turo – Turo is a similar concept to Getaround, and has car owners earning up to $10,000 a year. Check out the free “carculator” to see how much you can earn or check out our full Turo review for more.
RVshare – Rent out your RV for $200+ per day on RVshare, “the largest and most trusted RVing community.” Top renters earn $15-30k a year.

44. Airbnb

Airbnb is one of the most well-known “sharing economy” platforms and has disrupted the entire hotel industry.

If you have an extra room and don’t mind meeting a rotating cast of house guests, it’s a fantastic way to offset your living expenses.

Your rates will depend on your local competition, but could be anywhere from $40 to $300 a night. And if you have any hotels in your city or town, you know there’s at least some demand.

Overlooked Money Making Apps

45. Twitter

No, Twitter won’t pay you to tweet, but you can use the app to build an engaged audience like Dickie Bush did. In 12 months, he went from zero to 50,000 followers and built a multi-6-figure online business as a result.

46. TikTok

Unlike Twitter, TikTok actually does pay creators who publish creative viral videos. The TikTok Creator Fund has paid out millions of dollars so far, and I expect the company to introduce an advertising profit-sharing model like YouTube soon.

47. Your Phone Itself!

While these apps are great, the most overlooked money making app that’s already on your phone is … wait for it … the phone itself!

As in, call a prospect, figure out their pain points, and make a deal to help them.

Conclusion: There Really Are Apps That Pay You!

Yes, you can turn your smartphone into a money making machine by installing a few apps.

Hopefully a few on this list were new to you and you decide to give them a shot. Feel free to report back on your results in the comments below to help future readers!

Just a handful of these apps have already netted me well over $1000 in benefits. I think with a little effort and attention you can have a similar experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there really apps that pay you?

Yes! I’ve turned my phone into a money maker by installing several of these, and many work automatically after you set them up. Check the full list on Side Hustle Nation for more info.

What are the best cash back apps?

My favorite cash back apps are Fetch, Dosh, and Ibotta. Fetch is great because it works at tons of locations and you can earn extra cash back on tons of popular brands. Check the full list on Side Hustle Nation for more info.

What apps pay you to play games?

Several apps pay you to play games, including Swagbucks, Blackout Bingo, and others. Still, there are other apps where you can make more money so be sure to check the full list on Side Hustle Nation for more info.