The best money making apps right now are Bigcash and Freecash for quick cash, Nielsen for money that takes no effort, and Fundrise and Arrived for long term investing. None of them will replace a paycheck, but each one pays real money when you use it for what it is good at.
This page sorts 9 apps by the kind of money they make and how long you wait for the first payout. That matters more than the headline number, because a $15 bonus you can withdraw this week and a real estate account that pays dividends are very different things.
I have tested every app on this list myself. If you only care about apps that send cash to PayPal, see the apps that pay you real money instead.
BeerMoney’s Best Money Making Apps
The 9 apps fall into three groups. Task apps (Freecash, Bigcash, Branded, Survey Junkie, Swagbucks and InboxDollars) pay you for your time. Nielsen pays you for data and takes no time. Fundrise and Arrived pay you on money you invest, so they are slow and carry risk. Each card below says what the app pays for and what it takes to get paid.
1. Freecash
$10 Sign-Up BonusFreecash is the app on this list to open when you want money today, not next month. New users get a $10 sign up bonus, and you earn more from game offers, app tests and surveys. The cash out minimum is only $0.50, paid by PayPal, crypto or gift cards. The platform says it has paid out more than $50 million to its users.
2. Fundrise
Start With $10Fundrise is not a task app. It is a way to put money into real estate from your phone. The minimum is $10, and you do not need to be wealthy or an expert to open an account. Your money goes into a portfolio of properties that can pay quarterly dividends and may grow in value over the long run. Treat it as a slow builder and only use money you will not need soon.
3. Nielsen
Up to $60/YearNielsen pays you for something you already do, which is use your phone and computer. You install the app once and it runs in the background, with no surveys or tasks to complete. It earns up to $60 a year in rewards. In exchange, it collects anonymous data about how you use the internet for market research.
4. Arrived
Start With $100Arrived lets you buy shares of rental homes without buying a whole property. The minimum is $100 per property. Arrived finds the house, places the tenants and handles the maintenance, and you receive your share of the rent. It is backed by well known investors, including Jeff Bezos. This is long term money, so expect your cash to stay tied up for a long time.
5. Bigcash
$15 Sign-Up BonusBigcash has the biggest sign up bonus of the task apps on this page at $15. You earn by testing apps, playing games and completing offers, and there are more than 3,000 offers live. Standard offers pay $3 to $15 each. The cash out minimum is $1, so you can confirm it pays before you put in real time. The bonus is credited after your first cash out.
6. Branded
Up to $300/WeekBranded pays you to try new games and apps on your phone. You pick an offer, reach the goal it sets, such as a certain level in a game, and get paid for it. Top testers earn up to $300 a week, though most people will make far less than that. New members get a $1 sign up bonus, and CBS has covered it as a legitimate way to earn.
7. Survey Junkie
Cash via PayPalSurvey Junkie is the pick if you only want surveys and nothing else. Most surveys pay between $0.50 and $3, and many take less than 5 minutes. You can cash out to PayPal once you reach $5. It will not make you rich, but it is easy money for spare minutes on the couch or in a waiting room.
8. Swagbucks
$10 BonusSwagbucks has been around since 2008 and has paid out over $600 million to its members. You earn points called SB for surveys, videos, games and shopping online. The 1,000 SB ($10) bonus requires spending at least $25 on a qualifying purchase through its shopping portal within 30 days. It is the best fit on this page if you already shop online, because the cash back comes from purchases you were going to make.
9. InboxDollars
$5 Sign-Up BonusInboxDollars shows your balance in dollars, not points, so you always know what you have earned. You get paid for surveys, short videos, games and reading emails. New members get a $5 sign up bonus. You need $30 before you can cash out, which makes it the slowest task app on this page to reach a first payout.
How Long Until Each App Pays You
Cash out minimums decide how fast you see money, so here are the same 9 apps in order of speed.
- Same day is possible: Freecash ($0.50 minimum) and Bigcash ($1 minimum). One small offer can be enough to withdraw.
- A few sessions: Survey Junkie ($5 minimum) and Branded, where the wait depends on the offer you pick. My $45 game offer took about a week.
- Depends on a purchase: Swagbucks. The $10 bonus only arrives after a $25 qualifying purchase through its shopping portal.
- Slow: InboxDollars. The $5 bonus helps, but you still have to reach $30.
- Background: Nielsen builds toward up to $60 over a full year.
- Long term: Fundrise and Arrived. These pay dividends and rent on money you leave invested, and the value can go down as well as up.
- Join Bigcash and Freecash. Both are free.
- Complete one small offer in each app.
- Withdraw as soon as you pass the $1 and $0.50 minimums.
- Install Nielsen and leave it running.
If you mostly want the bonuses, the full list of sign up bonus apps goes deeper on those. If you would rather play than answer questions, see the guide to making money playing games.
My Favorite Pick?
It depends on what you want the money for.
For cash this week, my pick is Bigcash. The $15 bonus is the largest of the task apps here, and the $1 minimum means you find out quickly whether it is worth your time.
For money that grows, my favorite is still Arrived. You can start with $100, Arrived does the landlord work, and you collect your share of the rent. It is a useful way to diversify if you want real estate without managing a property yourself.
The app I would skip first is whichever one you will not open. A short list you use beats nine apps you forget about. For a smaller set built only from apps with payouts I confirmed, read the apps that actually paid me.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the goal. For quick cash, Bigcash has a $15 sign up bonus with a $1 cash out minimum, and Freecash has a $10 bonus with a $0.50 minimum. For money with no effort, Nielsen pays up to $60 a year. For long term growth, Fundrise lets you start investing in real estate with $10.
Yes. The task and survey apps on this page pay through PayPal or gift cards, and Fundrise and Arrived pay out from real estate you invest in. The amounts are small, so check each app’s cash out minimum before you spend time on it.
Think side money, not a salary. In my own testing, using four or five task apps consistently came to about $200 to $400 a month, and some months were less. Nielsen adds up to $60 a year on top without any work.
Freecash and Bigcash have the lowest cash out minimums at $0.50 and $1, so they are the fastest to a first payout. Survey Junkie pays out at $5. InboxDollars is the slowest task app here because you need $30 to cash out.
The task, survey and data apps are free to join. Fundrise and Arrived are investing apps, so you need $10 and $100 of your own money to start, and investments can lose value.
These Apps Are The Real Deal
Money making apps are not gimmicks when you match the app to the job. Use Bigcash and Freecash for quick cash, a survey app for spare minutes, Nielsen in the background, and Fundrise or Arrived for money you can leave alone. Start with two, cash out once, then add more.
If surveys turn out to be your thing, compare more options in the guide to paid surveys. If you want to earn more than apps can pay, look at the best side hustles.
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Good
Great article! The tip about putting money in low-cost funds is spot on. I’ve been following this strategy, and it’s really paid off. I also wrote a guide on how to get started with index funds, which might help your audience. Keep it up!