Legit apps to make money from your phone (and the ones to skip)

Yes, there are legit apps to make money from your phone, but they pay in dollars and cents, not the “$500 a week” you see in ads. The honest ones fall into four groups: survey and research apps, cash back apps, selling apps, and delivery gigs. Below you’ll find seven that really pay, what each one asks of you, and the red flags that tell you an app is a scam.

I spent four years as a bank teller and later delivered for Instacart and DoorDash on weekends, so I’ve seen both sides: the small, steady money and the people who lost their savings to a “job” app. Let’s do the math on what’s real.

Legit apps to make money at a glance

Want more apps like these? Browse our money apps guides and the side hustle section.

Survey and research apps

These are the easiest to start: no car, no background check, just your opinion. They’re also the lowest-paying. Think coffee money, not rent money.

Google Opinion Rewards

How it works: Google sends you short surveys, often just a few questions about stores you’ve visited or ads you’ve seen. It’s made by Google, it’s free, and it has 4.7 stars from about 210,000 ratings on the App Store (as of October 2026).

What you can expect: Survey rewards depend on how long the survey is. On iPhone, Google sends a PayPal payment each time you reach $2, according to Google’s Opinion Rewards help page. On Android, you get Google Play credit instead.

The catch: Android users can’t cash out. Play credit only buys apps, books, movies, and subscriptions in Google Play, and it expires one year after you get it.

Download: Google Opinion Rewards on the App Store or on Google Play.

Prolific

How it works: Universities and companies pay you to take part in studies: questionnaires, decision games, and tests of AI tools. Prolific says researchers must pay at least $8 an hour and recommends $12 an hour or more.

What you can expect: Once you have $6, you can cash out to PayPal, per Prolific’s cash-out rules. Prolific pays in cash, never points.

The catch: It’s a website, not an app, and some studies may only work on a computer. Popular studies can fill up fast, so you’ll find more if you check often. Sign up only on Prolific’s official participant page.

Cash back and receipt apps

These don’t pay you for your time. They pay you back a little on what you already spend. That’s why they belong in your money-saving toolkit more than your side hustle plan.

Ibotta

How it works: You add offers before you shop, then buy the items in a store or online. Ibotta matches your purchase and adds cash to your account.

What you can expect: You can withdraw once you reach $20, through PayPal or a gift card, according to Ibotta’s withdrawal guide. Ibotta has 4.8 stars from about 1.97 million ratings on the App Store (as of October 2026).

The catch: $20 can take a while if you only buy store brands. Don’t buy something just because it has an offer. Saving $1 on a $6 item you didn’t need is losing $5.

Download: Ibotta on the App Store or on Google Play.

Fetch

How it works: You snap a photo of any receipt and get points. Some brands give bonus points.

What you can expect: Most rewards start at 3,000 points, which gets you about a $3 gift card. Check the details in the Fetch FAQ. Fetch has 4.9 stars from about 7.7 million ratings on the App Store (as of October 2026).

The catch: Rewards are mostly gift cards, not cash. It’s a nice bonus for receipts you’d throw away, not a way to pay bills.

Download: Fetch on the App Store or on Google Play.

Selling apps: Mercari

How it works: You list clothes, electronics, toys, or anything else you don’t use. When it sells, you ship it with a prepaid label.

What you can expect: Listing is free. When an item sells, Mercari keeps a 10% selling fee on the item price plus buyer-paid shipping. Direct deposit to your bank is free, and Instant Pay costs $3 per cash-out, per Mercari’s fee page.

Let’s do the math: you sell a jacket for $40 and the buyer pays $8 shipping. The fee is 10% of $48, so $4.80. You keep $35.20 for the jacket, and the $8 covers the label.

The catch: You can only sell what you have. It’s great for clearing out a closet, not for steady income.

Download: Mercari on the App Store or on Google Play.

Delivery and gig apps

This is where the real hourly money is, and also the real costs. Here’s what I actually earned: after gas, I averaged about $15 an hour on weekends. Some nights were better, some were a lot worse.

DoorDash (Dasher app)

Requirements: You must be at least 18 in most states (19 or 21 in some), pass a background check, and have a car, scooter, or bike in select cities. Car and scooter drivers also need a license, insurance, and registration, per DoorDash’s Dasher requirements.

The catch: Gas, oil changes, and tires come out of your pocket. Track your miles from day one. You’ll need them at tax time.

Download: DoorDash Dasher on the App Store or on Google Play.

Instacart Shopper

Requirements: You need to be 18 or older, be allowed to work in the U.S., pass a background check, have a bank account and a car, and be able to lift 40 lbs, according to Instacart’s full-service shopper page.

The catch: Big orders mean heavy lifting and long store runs. Read the fine print on each batch before you accept it: distance, number of items, and the tip.

Download: Instacart Shopper on the App Store or on Google Play.

Red flags: money apps to skip

The scams look like apps too. The FTC says reported losses to job scams topped $220 million in just the first half of 2024, driven by “task scams,” in its data report on gamified job scams. Skip any app or “job” that does one of these:

• Asks you to pay to start. A “starter kit,” “training fee,” or “membership” before you earn anything.
• Asks you to deposit money to unlock your earnings. This is the classic task scam: you like videos or rate products, the app shows a growing balance, then you have to “charge up” your account to withdraw.
• Pays in crypto or gift cards you have to buy. Legit apps pay you, not the other way around.
• Has a minimum payout you’ll never reach. If you earn pennies per task and need $50 or $100 to cash out, you’ll likely quit before you ever see a dollar.
• Promises big money for little work. “Make $300 a day from your phone” is an ad, not a job.
• Found you by text or WhatsApp. Real apps don’t recruit strangers with “online work, flexible hours” messages.
• Isn’t in the App Store or Google Play. If a “recruiter” sends you a link to download an app from a website, stop.

“Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job.”

The FTC’s guide to spotting task scams walks through more examples. You can also follow the FTC on X for new scam alerts, and learn more ways to stay safe in our scam protection guides.

How to sign up for a money app safely

1. Download only from the App Store or Google Play, or from the company’s official website.
2. Check the developer name under the app title. Fetch is made by Fetch Rewards, LLC; Ibotta by Ibotta, Inc. Copycat apps often use similar names.
3. Read the payout rules before you start. Look for the minimum cash-out, how you get paid, and any fees.
4. Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-step verification if the app offers it.
5. Share your Social Security number only with gig apps that need it for a background check or tax forms, like DoorDash or Instacart. A survey app shouldn’t ask for it.
6. Cash out early and often. Don’t let a big balance build up in any app.

Do you pay taxes on money from apps?

Yes, if it’s income. Delivery pay, paid studies, and profit from selling things for more than you paid are taxable. The IRS says you must report gig income even if you never get a 1099 form, according to its gig economy tax center. If you deliver, save about a quarter of what you earn for taxes and keep a mileage log. When in doubt, ask a tax professional.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most legit app to make money?

There’s no single best one. For no-risk pocket money, Google Opinion Rewards and Prolific are run by well-known companies and pay small amounts reliably. For more money per hour, delivery apps like DoorDash and Instacart pay more, but you take on car costs.

Can you really make money by watching videos or playing games?

Be careful. Many “get paid to watch videos” apps pay so little you never reach the minimum cash-out, and the ones that ask you to deposit money are scams, according to the FTC.

How much can I make with money apps?

It depends on the app and your time. Survey and cash back apps usually add up to a few dollars a month. Delivery apps can pay more per hour, but after gas and car costs, the real number is lower than the ads suggest.

Is it safe to link my PayPal or bank account?

With well-known apps from official stores, yes, that’s how they pay you. Never give your bank login or a one-time code to anyone who contacts you about a “job.”

My take

• If you have a car and free weekends: try DoorDash or Instacart, and track every mile.
• If you only have spare minutes: install Google Opinion Rewards and sign up for Prolific.
• If you already shop for groceries every week: Ibotta and Fetch pay you back a little for it.
• If your closet is full: list a few things on Mercari this weekend.

Start with one app, cash out your first payment, and only then add another. And remember: earnings vary, and no legit app will ever ask you to pay to get paid.