The best side hustle app depends on what you have to work with: Freecash or Bigcash if all you have is a phone, DoorDash if you have a car, Rover or TaskRabbit if you would rather work with pets or your hands, and Facebook Marketplace if you have things to sell. If you own a car or a garage you barely use, Turo and Neighbor pay you to rent them out.
They pay very differently. DoorDash lists base pay at $2 to $10+ per delivery plus tips, Rover sitters keep 80% of each booking, surveys work out to about $4 to $6 an hour, and Nielsen pays about $60 a year for staying installed. None of them replaces a paycheck by itself.
This page covers 16 apps in five groups: testing and rewards, gig work with a car, pet and home tasks, selling, and renting things out. For each app you get what the work is, what it realistically pays, what you need, how fast the money arrives, the honest downside and one first step. Pay figures come from each company's own pages or from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) wage data. Where a company publishes no number, I say so. For ideas that are not apps, such as freelancing and tutoring, see the full list of the best side hustles.
Best Side Hustle Apps
Here are all 16 side by side. Earnings are before expenses and taxes, and the numbers match the sections below.
| App | Type of work | Realistic earnings | What you need | How fast it pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Freecash | Testing and rewards | Set per offer and shown before you start. $10 sign up bonus | Phone or computer | PayPal from $5 |
| 2. Bigcash | Testing and rewards | $3 to $15 per standard offer, up to $170 for premium ones | Phone | Cash out from $1 |
| 3. Branded | Testing and rewards | Up to $100 per game or app offer | Phone | PayPal after you hit the offer milestone |
| 4. Survey Junkie | Surveys | $0.50 to $5 per survey, about $4 to $6 an hour | Phone or computer | PayPal or gift cards from $5 |
| 5. Swagbucks | Rewards and cash back | $1 to $3 per survey, plus cash back on your own shopping | Phone or computer | Gift cards from $3, or PayPal |
| 6. InboxDollars | Rewards | Cents per video. $5 sign up bonus | Phone or computer | After you reach $30 |
| 7. Nielsen | Background app | About $60 a year | Phone or computer you already use | Builds slowly over the year |
| 8. DoorDash | Delivery with a car, bike or scooter | $2 to $10+ base pay per delivery, plus tips | Age 18+, smartphone, background check | Weekly, or daily for $1.99 |
| 9. Uber | Driving passengers | No hourly figure published. Fare shown before you accept in most cities | Eligible 4-door car, license, insurance, 1 year of driving experience | Weekly, or up to 6 times a day for a small fee |
| 10. Rover | Dog walking and pet sitting | You set the rate and keep 80%. $17.08 per hour median for animal care workers (BLS) | Comfort with animals, free daytime or evening hours | About 48 hours after each job |
| 11. TaskRabbit | Home tasks and errands | You set the hourly rate and keep 100% plus tips | Age 18+, background check, checking account, $25 registration fee | To your checking account after a task. Timing not published on the pages I checked |
| 12. Facebook Marketplace | Selling locally | Depends on what you own. No figure published | Items to sell, a phone camera | Same day for a local pickup |
| 13. eBay | Selling with shipping | Your sale price minus 13.6% plus a per order fee in most categories | Items worth shipping, packing supplies | After the item sells and the payout reaches your bank |
| 14. Turo | Renting out your car | 70%, 80% or 90% of the trip price | An eligible car you can spare | After a trip ends |
| 15. Neighbor | Renting out storage space | You set the rent. No average published | A garage, driveway, shed or spare room | Monthly, to your bank account |
| 16. Fundrise | Investing what you earn | Not guaranteed. Quarterly dividends | $10 to open an account | Quarterly |
The first seven need only a phone and pay the least. The apps after that pay more per hour but ask for a car, a background check, or something to sell or rent.
Testing and Rewards Apps You Run From Your Phone
Start here if you have no car and no free weekend. These apps pay you to test games and apps, answer surveys or simply stay installed, and nobody has to approve you first. The trade is low pay: think gift card money, not rent money. Our guide to apps that pay you real money goes deeper on this group.
1. Freecash
$10 Sign-Up BonusBest for people who want to be paid the same day they start. Freecash pays you to finish app offers, games and surveys, and each one shows its payout before you begin. New users get a $10 sign up bonus. You can withdraw to PayPal from $5, or to crypto and gift cards for less. The larger game offers take days of play, so pick one or two and finish them.
What you need: A phone or computer and a PayPal account. How fast it pays: Offers credit when you hit their milestone, and you can withdraw to PayPal once you have $5. Downside: Many of the larger offers are games that take days of play, and an offer only pays if it tracks. First step: Sign up, sort the offers by the time they take, and finish one small one today so you see a payout before you start a long one.
2. Bigcash
$15 Sign-Up BonusBest for people who want the lowest bar to a first payout. Bigcash has more than 3,000 app testing offers, and its cashout minimum is $1. Standard offers pay $3 to $15, and premium ones go up to $170. The $15 welcome bonus is added after your first cashout. If an offer does not track, support replies within 12 hours.
What you need: A phone. Most offers are mobile apps and games. How fast it pays: You can cash out from $1, and the $15 welcome bonus is added after that first cashout. Downside: Offers sometimes fail to track, so you may have to contact support to get credit. First step: Pick one standard offer, take a screenshot when you start it, and cash out as soon as you pass $1.
3. Branded
Up to $100/OfferBest for people who like mobile games and can stick with one for a week. Branded pays you to test apps and games, and you get paid when you hit the milestone in the offer. Small tasks, like reaching level 5 in a game, take minutes. The big ones pay up to $100 and take days of casual play. Payouts go to PayPal, and more high-paying offers unlock as you complete them.
What you need: A phone and the patience to stay with one game for several days. How fast it pays: To PayPal, after you reach the milestone named in the offer. Downside: The big payouts take days, and a game you quit halfway pays nothing. First step: Read the milestone and the deadline before you install anything, then start with a task that takes minutes.
4. Survey Junkie
Cash via PayPalBest for people with short gaps in the day, like a commute or a lunch break. Survey Junkie is surveys and little else, which keeps it simple. Many surveys finish in under five minutes. You can cash out through PayPal or gift cards once you reach $5. You will get screened out of some surveys, so expect a slow, steady trickle.
What you need: A phone or computer and an email address. How fast it pays: PayPal or gift cards once you reach $5. Downside: Roughly $4 to $6 an hour once you count the surveys that screen you out. First step: Fill out every profile questionnaire before your first survey so you are matched to surveys you qualify for.
5. Swagbucks
$10 BonusBest for people who shop online anyway. Swagbucks pays SB points for surveys, videos and offers, and it pays cash back when you shop through its portal. The 1,000 SB bonus, worth $10, requires spending at least $25 on a qualifying purchase through that portal within 30 days. Gift cards start at $3, and you can also redeem to PayPal.
What you need: A phone or computer. The shopping bonus needs an online purchase you already planned. How fast it pays: Gift cards from $3, or PayPal, once you have enough SB. Downside: Search and videos pay pocket change. The shopping portal and surveys do most of the earning. First step: Start your next planned online order from the Swagbucks portal so it counts toward the bonus.
6. InboxDollars
$5 Sign-Up BonusBest for beginners who want to see dollars and not points. InboxDollars pays cash for watching videos, taking surveys and reading emails. You get $5 for signing up. Five to ten minutes a day can add up to roughly $50 a month. You need $30 in your account before you can cash out, so the first payout takes a while.
What you need: A phone or computer. How fast it pays: Slowly. Nothing can be withdrawn until your balance reaches $30. Downside: The videos are mostly ads, and a small balance sits unpaid until you hit the minimum. First step: Claim the $5 bonus, then only run videos while you are doing something else.
7. Nielsen Mobile
$60/Year PassiveBest for people who do not want another app to open every day. You register your phone or computer, install the Nielsen app, and keep using the internet the way you already do. It pays about $60 a year. It is the slowest earner on this page and also the only one that asks nothing of you after setup. In exchange, Nielsen collects data on how you browse.
What you need: A phone or computer you already use every day. How fast it pays: It builds slowly over the year. This is the slowest earner on the page. Downside: Nielsen collects data on how you browse, and the pay is small. First step: Register the device you use most and leave the app installed.
If surveys are the part you like, the paid surveys guide compares more sites. If you mostly want the welcome offers, see the best sign up bonus apps.
Gig Apps That Use Your Car
These pay more per hour than anything in the first group, but you pay for gas, wear on your car and taxes out of what you earn. Approval takes days, so apply before you need the money.
8. DoorDash
DoorDash pays you to pick up restaurant and store orders and drop them off. You choose when to go online, and each order shows what it pays before you accept it.
- What it pays: DoorDash lists base pay at $2 to $10+ per delivery, plus promotions and 100% of customer tips. It does not publish an hourly average.
- What you need: You must be at least 18, with a smartphone, and you have to pass a background check. Any car works, and some cities allow a bike or scooter.
- How fast it pays: Weekly by direct deposit, or once a day with Fast Pay for $1.99.
- Downside: Waiting for the next order is unpaid, and a $2 base order with a small tip does not cover much gas.
- First step: Apply tonight so the background check starts. While you wait, our DoorDash review explains which orders are worth taking.
Uber Eats, Instacart, Shipt and Amazon Flex work in a similar way. We compare all of them, with age and vehicle rules, in our guide to delivery app jobs.
9. Uber
Uber pays you to drive passengers in your own car. You go online when you want and accept trips one at a time.
- What it pays: Uber does not publish an hourly figure and says earnings differ by city. In most cities you see the fare and the destination before you accept a trip, and you keep 100% of your tips.
- What you need: An eligible 4-door vehicle, a valid US driver's license, proof of residency and insurance, and at least one year of licensed driving experience in the US, or three years if you are under 25. Uber also asks for a vehicle inspection form, and the minimum age depends on your city.
- How fast it pays: Weekly by direct deposit, usually on Thursdays. Instant Pay lets you cash out up to 6 times a day for a small fee.
- Downside: Every mile costs you gas, maintenance and depreciation, and your personal auto policy may not cover paid driving. Ask your insurer before your first trip.
- First step: Open Uber's driver sign up, enter your city, and check that your car's year and model qualify before you do anything else.
Pet and Home Task Apps
No car is required for most of this work, and you set your own price. The catch is that new profiles with no reviews get few requests, so the first two or three jobs matter more than the rate you charge for them.
10. Rover
Rover connects you with pet owners who need dog walking, drop-in visits or overnight sitting. Owners find your profile, message you and book through the app.
- What it pays: You set your own rates, and Rover says sitters take home 80% of each booking after its 20% service fee. As a benchmark, the BLS reports a median wage of $17.08 per hour for animal care and service workers. That figure describes people who do the work for a living, so do not expect it in your first weeks.
- What you need: Comfort with animals and free time when owners are at work or traveling. Check Rover's sign up page for its current approval steps.
- How fast it pays: Rover says sitters receive their funds about 48 hours after a service is completed.
- Downside: You are responsible for someone's pet in bad weather and on holidays, which is exactly when demand is highest.
- First step: Build your profile with clear photos and price yourself a little under nearby sitters until your first reviews come in.
11. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit clients book you by the hour for furniture assembly, mounting, moving help, cleaning, yard work and errands. You pick the categories you want and set an hourly rate for each one.
- What it pays: TaskRabbit says Taskers keep 100% of the hourly rate they set, plus 100% of tips. Its service fee is charged to the client. It does not publish an average rate.
- What you need: You must be at least 18 and able to work in one of its active cities, with a US Social Security number, a smartphone and a checking account. You have to pass a background and ID check, and there is a one-time, non-refundable $25 registration fee.
- How fast it pays: Payment goes to the checking account you link at registration. The help pages I checked did not state a set number of days, so confirm the timing in the Tasker app.
- Downside: The $25 fee comes before any income, and paying it does not guarantee you bookings. It is only available in certain cities.
- First step: Check that your city is on TaskRabbit's list before you pay the fee, then start with one or two categories you can do well with the tools you already own.
DoorDash and TaskRabbit both require you to be 18. If you are younger than that, our list of side hustles for teens sticks to what you can legally sign up for.
Selling Apps
Selling what you already own is the fastest real cash on this page, and it needs no approval. It also runs out when your closet does.
12. Facebook Marketplace
You photograph an item, set a price, and meet a local buyer who pays you in person. It works best for furniture, tools, bikes and anything too bulky to ship.
- What it pays: No figure is published, because it depends entirely on what you own. Your price is whatever a local buyer will pay.
- What you need: A Facebook account, a phone camera, and somewhere public to meet buyers.
- How fast it pays: The same day for a local pickup, as soon as the buyer hands you the cash.
- Downside: Expect lowball offers and buyers who do not show up. Shipped orders are charged a selling fee, so check the current rate before you offer shipping.
- First step: Pick three things you have not used in a year and list them tonight with clear photos and the measurements in the description.
13. eBay
eBay puts your item in front of buyers nationwide, and you ship it after it sells. It suits small items with a known resale value, such as electronics, collectibles and brand-name clothing.
- What it pays: Your sale price minus fees. eBay gives you up to 250 listings a month with no insertion fee. When an item sells, the final value fee in most categories is 13.6% of the total sale up to $7,500, plus a per order fee of $0.30 on orders of $10 or less and $0.40 on larger orders.
- What you need: Items worth the cost of shipping, a box or mailer, and a way to print or show a shipping label.
- How fast it pays: Slower than a local sale. The item has to sell first, and the payout then goes to your bank account.
- Downside: Fees and shipping cut into cheap items. On a $20 sale the fees alone come to about $3.12.
- First step: Search for your item, turn on the sold listings filter, and price yours near what the same item actually went for.
Need the money within a day? Our list of ways to get paid today covers more options that pay out fast.
Apps for Renting Out What You Own
These pay for something you own, not for your hours. They only make sense if the car or the space is sitting unused. For more low-effort options, see our list of passive income ideas.
14. Turo
Turo lets you list your own car for other people to rent by the day. Guests book through the app, and you hand over the car or the keys.
- What it pays: US hosts earn 70%, 80% or 90% of the trip price, depending on the plan they choose. The plans that pay more leave you responsible for more of any damage. Turo says the share also varies with how far ahead a trip is booked in some cities. It publishes no typical monthly figure.
- What you need: An eligible car that you can go without while it is rented. Vehicle rules are on Turo's host pages.
- How fast it pays: After a trip ends. Check Turo's current payout schedule before you count on a date.
- Downside: Strangers put miles and wear on your car, and your personal auto policy may not cover rentals. Ask your insurer first.
- First step: Look up cars like yours on Turo in your city to see what they list for per day before you create a listing.
15. Neighbor
Neighbor lets you rent out a garage, driveway, shed, basement or spare room as storage or parking space. A renter books the space by the month.
- What it pays: You set the monthly rent. Neighbor does not publish an average that I could verify. Listing is free, and Neighbor deducts a processing fee of 4.9% plus $0.30 from each payout.
- What you need: Unused space that you own or have permission to rent out, and a way for the renter to reach it.
- How fast it pays: By direct deposit to your bank account for each monthly rental period.
- Downside: Someone else's belongings sit on your property for months, and demand depends heavily on where you live.
- First step: Measure the space, photograph it empty, and compare your price with other Neighbor listings in your zip code.
An App for the Money You Earn
Fundrise is the odd one out. It is not work. It is a place to put side hustle money so it does not just sit in PayPal.
16. Fundrise
$10 BonusBest for people who already earn a little on the side and want it to grow. Fundrise is the odd one out here because you invest money, you do not complete tasks. You can open an account with $10, and new users get a $10 bonus. Your money goes into real estate funds, so plan to leave it there for years. Returns are not guaranteed.
What you need: $10 to open an account, and money you can leave alone for years. How fast it pays: Dividends are paid each quarter. They are not guaranteed. Downside: It is an investment in real estate funds, so the value can fall and you cannot treat it like a savings account. First step: Open the account with the $10 minimum and add to it only from money you have already cashed out of the other apps.
Which Side Hustle App Fits You
You do not need all 16. Pick one from the row that matches your situation, get paid once, then decide whether to add a second.
- You only have a phone and a few spare minutes: Freecash or Bigcash. Both have low cashout minimums, so you find out quickly that they pay.
- You have a car and free evenings: DoorDash. Dinner hours and weekends are the busiest, and you can cash out daily.
- You need cash today: Facebook Marketplace. A local sale is the only thing on this page that reliably pays the same day.
- You like animals more than driving: Rover. Price low until you have reviews.
- You are handy and own basic tools: TaskRabbit, if it operates in your city and the $25 fee is worth it to you.
- You have a spare car or an empty garage: Turo or Neighbor.
- You want to do nothing: Nielsen. About $60 a year for leaving it installed.
- You already have some savings: Fundrise. It is investing, so only use money you can leave alone.
The sign up bonuses that need no purchase add up to $30: $15 from Bigcash, $10 from Freecash and $5 from InboxDollars. Bigcash adds its bonus after your first cashout, and the InboxDollars $5 stays in your account until you reach its $30 minimum.
- Sign up for Bigcash and Freecash and finish one small offer on each.
- Cash out as soon as you pass each minimum, $1 on Bigcash and $5 to PayPal on Freecash.
- Install Nielsen once so it earns in the background.
- Add Survey Junkie or Swagbucks only if you still have spare time.
Frequently Asked Questions
A local sale on Facebook Marketplace pays the same day, because the buyer hands you cash. Among the phone apps, Bigcash lets you cash out from $1 and Freecash from $5 to PayPal, so one finished offer can be enough for a first withdrawal. DoorDash pays weekly, or once a day with Fast Pay for $1.99.
It depends on the type of app. Survey apps work out to about $4 to $6 an hour, and Nielsen pays about $60 a year. DoorDash lists base pay at $2 to $10+ per delivery plus tips, and the BLS puts median pay for animal care workers, the closest match for Rover, at $17.08 an hour. Gas, fees and taxes come out of the gig numbers.
The apps where you do physical work or use something you own pay the most: DoorDash, Uber, Rover, TaskRabbit and Turo. Testing and survey apps are the easiest to start and pay the least per hour.
Freecash, Bigcash, Branded, Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, InboxDollars and Nielsen need only a phone. Rover and TaskRabbit can work without a car if clients are close to you, and Facebook Marketplace buyers can come to you.
They are worth it for small, flexible money and not much more. Phone apps bring in a few dollars to a few hundred dollars a month depending on the app and your time. Gig apps can pay more, but you cover your own gas, wear and taxes. If you need a steady income, treat an app as a bridge and not the plan.
Best Side Hustle Apps to Make Extra Cash
Start with one app that matches what you have: a phone, a car, spare time or spare stuff. Cash out once so you know it pays, then add a second.
When the apps start to feel small, the next step up is charging for something you are good at. Our guide on how to sell your skills online walks through finding a service to offer.
