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Sometimes we need extra cash, and fast! And one way to achieve this is by using money making apps in your spare time.
That’s right, I’m going to unlock the secrets to effortlessly earning money with this handpicked selection of the best money making apps and survey sites. Where your opinions are valued and your spare time turns into a gold mine.
Did you know that on average Americans spend over 4.5 hours of time on their smartphones a day? That’s a decent chunk of time!
So while we’re spending that much time on our phones anyway, why not take the opportunity to earn some cash?
I’ve done some thorough research to find the best apps and survey sites to earn fast cash in 2023. And a lot of these I’ve used myself to earn extra cash in my spare time, which I find super handy.
Why pay full price for something when you can earn free cash and gift cards for your purchases?
There are a few different ways to earn from money making apps and sites which include:
- Performing simple tasks on your iPhone for free money
- Apps that help you to save money
- Cashback apps that pay you back on certain purchases you make
- Personal finance apps for automated investing
- Survey sites and user testing
So if you’re ready to start earning some spare cash in fun and entertaining ways, read on!
Why Should I Use Money Making Apps?
You may be wondering why you should bother with money making apps and what’s in it for you.
Well, companies are always on the lookout for people from all demographics to seek opinions from. This helps them to better understand what people want.
Before a new product or service is launched, companies need to conduct a bunch of research in their potential market. Which is why your opinions matter and you become a valuable part of this process.
Companies will pay you in exchange for your valued opinion.
In this article, you will find I’ve sifted through and curated a detailed list of the best money making apps and survey sites for 2023.
Yes, there are too many illegitimate “companies” out there claiming to pay you for your time and never do.
This can be frustrating and a HUGE waste of your time!
To avoid being scammed, I’ve put together some tips at the end of this article, which I suggest you check out.
The best money making apps, survey sites and research groups vary in their rewards systems and you can choose ones based on how you’d like to be rewarded.
Some examples are PayPal cash, cash in hand, vouchers, points systems, charity donations, gift cards and heaps more.
Whatever you’re looking for, there’s something for everyone in my detailed list of money making apps and survey sites.
Now let’s jump in!
1. Swagbucks
Good old Swagbucks is a classic survey site and has been around since 2008.
Swagbucks is a large company where you get paid for things you already do every day online. Swagbucks is fantastic for paid surveys and earning points to redeem for cash and gift cards.
For example, you earn points when shopping at your favourite retailers, watch entertaining videos, search the web, download apps, complete surveys and play games.
You can redeem points in the way of gift cards, coupons, Amazon vouchers and PayPal cash (minimum cash payout is $25).
There are many different ways to reap rewards with Swagbucks so it’s definitely worth signing up with them. It’s completely free, and they have paid their members over 600 million in rewards!
Just imagine you saved up a heap of gift cards in one year, you could spend them on Christmas gifts for friends and family or treat yourself throughout the year. Like I always say, it all adds up!
Want to maximize your earnings with Swagbucks but not sure how? I’ve got you covered! Follow the steps below which is a daily to-do list and earn two bonuses every single day for completing the items listed.
Important: Before clicking on any of the links below, you must first sign up and stay signed in so that the links below take you to the correct area on the Swagbucks website.
⭐💵 Swagbucks is currently offering a $10 sign-up bonus for new members, just for creating a FREE account! Get your $10 bonus here and put it towards your next purchase!
👉 Remember to verify your email with Swagbucks and ‘activate’ your bonus in the Swag Ups section of your account so you don’t miss out!
Daily To-Do List:
Summary:
- Complete Daily Poll: Earning 1 swagbucks (SB for short) from answering the Daily Poll will check off this item.
- Use Daily Search: There are two ways to check off this item. Either earn SB from using Swagbucks Search or click on Daily Search from the To-Do List.
- Deal Of The Day: Click on the Deal Of The Day from the To-Do list to check off this item.
- Do Daily Activity: A login through the SwagButton or Swagbucks Mobile App will check off this item.
- Daily Discover: Earning at least 1 SB from Discover will check off this item.
- Do Daily Watch: Earning at least 1 SB from Watch or nCrave will check off this item.
- Attempt a Gold Survey: Earning at least 1 SB from any Gold Survey on Desktop or Mobile will check off this item.
- Complete A Gold Survey: Earning SB by completing a Gold Survey on Desktop or Mobile will check off this item.
- In-Store Deals Activity: To mark-off the In-Store Deals activity from the To-Do List, add an in-store deal to your Shopping List. (No purchase is necessary.)
- In-Store Cash Back Activity: To complete the In-Store Cash Back activity on the To-Do List, simply click “Add Offer.” If you haven’t securely linked a credit card, you’ll be prompted to do so. No purchase is necessary and your credit card will not be charged.
Earnings per survey: Up to $50
Reward method: PayPal cash, gift cards, coupons, Amazon vouchers
Perks: Great rewards for free, friend referral program (earn 10% of their earnings), reliable
2. Toluna Influencers
Toluna Influencers are much more than your regular survey site and have a great reputation. They work with market research companies who create the surveys you complete and they really do value your opinion.
For instance, their promise is to ensure your opinion has a direct impact on how companies market, distribute or advertise new products and services to consumers like you.
So, if you like surveys that are fun and engaging and care about giving a valued opinion, I recommend signing up with these guys.
Lets take a look at the different ways you can earn rewards with Toluna:
- Completing surveys
- Earn extra points by keeping your profile up to date
- Interact with community members
- Playing games
- Refer a friend
- Stay active for a chance to win 1 million points
Toluna’s rewards system consists of PayPal cash, gift cards and Toluna points. While it’s great feeling part of a community and knowing that your opinions matter, the rewards you earn can be slow on delivery.
On average, you can expect to earn between 3000 and 9000 points per survey, which equates to about $1 -$3.
Once you have earned at least 29,500 points you can redeem for a $10 gift card to spend at popular retailers. When you have reached 61,000 points you can redeem $20 PayPal cash.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Average $1 – $3
Reward method: PayPal cash, gift cards, sweepstakes
Perks: Valued opinion, huge variety of ways to earn rewards, be part of a community
3. MyPoints
MyPoints and Swagbucks are owned by the same company. They’re also a legitimate, trustworthy website to use for completing surveys.
Like the sound of completing questionnaires when you’ve got some time to kill? Don’t want to put too much energy into them? Then MyPoints is perfect for this!
Say you’re waiting at the doctors or enduring long transport times, you can jump onto your phone and complete surveys for Amazon gift cards.
You’ve probably guessed that you earn points for completing surveys with MyPoints. And once you earn enough you can cash out (minimum $10) for goodies like Amazon gift cards, VISA gift cards or redeemable offers at online stores.
If you join up today, MyPoints is currently offering a $10 welcome bonus. You do, however, need to spend a minimum of $20 on a merchant through the MyPoints site in the first 30 days of membership. You will then receive 1750 points redeemable for a $10 gift card.
Some other ways that MyPoints reward you are:
- Watching video clips and movie trailers
- Shopping at retailers through the MyPoints website
- Reading emails
- Interactive online activities
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Up to $50
Reward method: Gift cards, Visa gift cards, PayPal
Perks: Get paid to do fun activities online, some surveys pay up to $50
4. Vindale Research
Vindale Research have been around for over a decade. They have paid out almost $8M in cash rewards to their members.
It’s completely free to join and you can earn anywhere from 50c to $50 per survey.
Vindale rewards you in cash, rather than points, and you also get $5 for every friend you refer. Imagine if you got ten of your friends to sign up, that’s a quick way to earn $50!
Another cool way you can earn with these guys is by getting paid to open promotional emails. Once you sign up, just opt into the Reward Mail in your email preferences. From there, you will be able to open and view paid promotional emails.
If you like watching videos then this is another way to earn rewards with Vindale. Watch videos and give your feedback, however you will need to check your eligibility first.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Up to $50
Reward method: Cash
Perks: Generous friend referral program, pays cash, fun ways to earn
5. InboxDollars
If you’ve never heard of InboxDollars you need not worry, they have excellent reviews on Trustpilot and have been around since 2000.
They have a good reputation and have given away over $80M to their members. Which is pretty amazing!
So how do you earn rewards with InboxDollars?
Well, aside from completing surveys you can:
- Take short polls
- Watch the latest trending videos
- Search the web
- Shop online
The way they work is that brands pay them for consumer input, they recruit members like you. You complete online activities and get rewarded in cash or gift cards.
Joining is free and easy and you get a free $5 bonus just for signing up. You may sign up online or download their app on your smartphone.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Variable
Reward method: Cash, gift cards
Perks: $5 sign up bonus
6. Survey Junkie
No doubt you’ve heard of Survey Junkie before, one of the biggest and most popular survey sites out there. And my personal favorite!
People love Survey Junkie because you can cash out after earning just $5. Which is pretty cool when you need cash ASAP.
I don’t know about you but at times you can feel so strapped for cash you’re scraping coins together for groceries or gas (or a cookie craving!). This is one reason why Survey Junkie is the way to go for fast cash.
They offer two ways to earn rewards. The first being sharing your opinion via surveys, the second being participating in focus groups.
Their surveys aren’t complicated, I really enjoyed doing them and you will be treated with care and respect for your valued opinion.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Variable
Reward method: Earn points and redeem for PayPal cash or e-gift cards
Perks: Cash out after earning $5
7. Opinion World
Opinion World is a well known market research site that has a huge variety of surveys.
This company works on a badge system, starting at Bronze through to Diamond. You unlock badge levels once you have reached what they call ‘achievements’.
Their rewards system pays you in Flexi eGift Cards or PayPal cash (maximum is $10). For instance, to earn a $10 Flexi eGift Card you need to have earned 500 points. To earn a $20 one you need 1000 points and to earn a $50 one you need 2500 points.
Rewards can also include entries into quarterly sweepstakes to win $10,000. Have to be in it to win it as the saying goes!
After you have signed up with them, they will likely already have surveys in your feed ready to be completed.
These will include the topic, how many points the survey is worth and how long it will take to complete.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Variable
Reward method: Flexi e-Gift Card, PayPal cash, quarterly sweepstakes entries
Perks: Variety of topics, friend referral program, reliable
8. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys was founded in 2012 and they have over 2 million members. They offer a hassle-free way to earn extra cash.
There are no sign up fees and completing their surveys is perfect for stay at home parents, busy students and everyone else! So basically, anyone can sign up.
I will note here that you may not qualify for many surveys they have to offer. But you won’t know unless you give them a go.
With a ‘Survey Matching Machine’, they do their best to match their members with as many surveys as possible. The more surveys you do, the more you earn. I know I’m stating the obvious there!
The main four ways to earn with Branded Surveys is:
- Taking surveys
- Daily polls
- Partner Surveys
- Branded Elite
If you complete 10 surveys a week you can really reap the rewards with the Branded Elite program.
This means advancing through 3 badge tiers, bronze, silver and gold and earn even more points through bonus opportunities.
If freedom and flexibility sounds enticing to you then definitely sign up with these guys. They believe that by treating their members well, their clients benefit and vice versa.
You will receive a 100 points bonus upon signing up.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Up to $3
Reward method: PayPal cash, gift cards, Branded Pay (US members only), charity donations
Perks: Branded Elite Program
9. GrabPoints
GrabPoints is a very popular survey site and after signing up you will soon see why!
They have a huge variety of fun ways to earn such as:
- Watching videos
- Liking videos
- Subscribing to YouTube channels
- Following Facebook and Twitter pages
- Completing surveys
- Downloading apps
And these are just to name a few! They have over 100 gift cards to choose from when you redeem your points. Or, if you prefer cash they have PayPal cash payouts too.
Some of their most active members earn 10,000 to 20,000 points in a day. You will need at least 5000 points to redeem an offer.
So, once you have earned 5000 points you can redeem for a $5 Amazon gift card or $5 PayPal cash.
Imagine earning an extra $35 a week for playing around on the web!
I think it’s pretty incredible being able to earn money from home this way.
Please note that they currently don’t offer membership to Cuba, Hong Kong, Iran, North Korea or Syria.
See what all the fuss is about and sign up with GrabPoints, you won’t regret it!
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Earn 5000 points to redeem $5
Reward method: PayPal cash, gift cards
Perks: Huge selection of gift cards, potential to earn a lot daily
10. MOBROG
MOBROG is a German Market Research Institute but accept most countries (but not all) to sign up with them.
To see if you can sign up with your country, head over to their website and you will see a drop down box on the top right listing all the countries they accept.
They have a good reputation for paying their rewards quickly and on time. Which I think we can all appreciate when giving our time in exchange for something.
The two ways you can complete their surveys is by doing them online or by downloading their app on your smartphone.
On average they pay between $0.50 and $3 per survey.
Summary:
Earnings per survey: Average between $0.05 and $3
Reward method: PayPal cash
Perks: Fast payouts, good quality variety of surveys
My Top 3 Survey Site Picks:
Tips To Avoid Scams
If a survey site is asking for a joining fee, be very wary of this. The best paid survey sites I have joined have been FREE to sign up with.
Remember they are paying you for your opinion, so you shouldn’t need to be paying a fee to sign up with them.
I will only ever suggest the best money making apps and paid survey sites that are trustworthy and have a good reputation. And of course that are free to sign up with.
If you come across survey sites that are telling you you can quit your job and earn a full time income from taking surveys, this is far from the truth!
Taking surveys online is for some extra pocket money, not to make thousands of dollars per month. So be careful of sites who are making big claims like this.
As long as you stick to legitimate survey sites like the ones I have listed above and always do your research before joining new sites you will be fine.
Have you joined any sites after reading this article? Do you already make some decent side income from money making apps and survey sites? Let me know in the comments!
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