Apps That Can Give You Real Money
Here you’ll find a list of the best apps that pay, offer cool stuff, and some that literally give away free food.
Apr 16, 2021 Once you’ve linked your card you just look for places in the app that you can earn cash back either online or at a location near you. For example, one of our favorite local restaurants, Lakeville Brewing, is listed in the app and will give you 5% cash back for dining at their restaurant and paying with your linked card. Apr 02, 2018 If you’re only interested in money making apps, stop here. If you want more, you should check out these 68 apps that pay you. Otherwise, from here onward you’ll only find apps that give away free stuff.
You know the ol’ saying: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Well, whoever said this was completely wrong.
Here you’ll find a list of the best apps that pay, offer cool stuff, and some that literally give away free food. Go ahead and choose a few of your favorites, download them onto your smartphone, then enjoy all the free meals, gift cards, and money they’re giving away.
#1) OhmConnect
Let’s start with possibly the easiest of all of them - an app that pays you whenever you turn off your lights.
First, to use this app you must have an online utility account with one of these three utility companies:
- Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)
- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
- Southern California, Edison (SCE)
If you do, you can earn hundreds of dollars per year depending on your energy savings. All you have to do is agree to help reduce energy usage by one hour per week.
To get started with this money making app follow these 3 easy steps:
- Sync it with your online utility account
- Turn off your major appliances when you're notified about upcoming #OhmHours
It’s that easy. You’ll receive monthly payments and you may even be eligible to receive a free smart plug for your home (learn more about smart plugs).
#2) Fish for Money
Here’s a fun money making app that literally lets you fish for money.
Fish for money is an app that requires you to catch a million pounds of fish before you can cash out. When you catch that much, you can choose between a $15 gift card or a PayPal Payment.
If you like apps that pay by playing games, here’s a few more to get hooked on:
#3) Taps for money - iOS Android
#4) Solitaire - Make Money Free - iOS Android
#5) Blissful Blobs - iOS Android
#6) Lucktastic - iOS Android
#7) Bingozone - Web
#8) Exodus 3000 - Web
Note: these game Apps may require you to watch advertisements to earn free money.
#9) Movie Money
We all know that Hollywood gets paid for making movies, but can you believe that there are apps that pay for watching movies?
Movie Money lets you cash out starting at $5 after you have earn 1 200 points from watching movies.
You can choose between PayPal Payment or an Amazon eGift Card. If you choose to receive a payment, they are sent out a few days after cashing out and can take 7 to 30 days to receive.
Here’s a few more apps that pay for watching stuff:
#10) Mobile Rewards - iOS Android
#11) Viggle (for Hulu Watchers) - iOS Android
#12) AdFun - iOS Android
#13) Paid2Youtube - Web
#14) Paid to Shop
Before you start to think this app (and everything else in this list) is a lie, there really is an app that pays you to shop. It's called COSIGN and it rewards you whenever you share the products you find. Here’s an example, let’s say you go out with your friends and you’re all wearing fly outfits and Pinterest-worthy accessories. With this app, you’ll be able to tag your items and get paid making the images you share on social media, shoppable. You’ll receive 30% commissions and points whenever someone clicks your links. After you collect a certain amount of points, you’ll be moved up to a higher level and earn more commissions and more rewards.
Other shopping-like apps that pay:
#15) iBotta - Cash Back for Groceries - iOS Android
#16) Shopkick - Shopping Rewards - iOS Android*
#17) Receipt Hog - Cash or Receipts - iOS Android
#18) Mobee - iOS Android
*Provides gift cards.
#19) Zap Surveys
Here’s an app that pays you to take surveys. Zap Surveys will pay you for your opinion and you can do them whenever you have time to kill. It’s an easy way to make money and you are guaranteed a minimum of $6.00 on your first survey.
You’ll have access to hundreds of surveys daily and it has location rewards that allows you to earn additional cash when you least expect it. You can also earn money when you refer it to your friends. By the way, for every survey you complete, a full meal will be donated to a child in need.
More money making survey apps:
#20) Surveys on the Go - iOS Android
#21) iPoll - iOS Android
#22) Easy Shift - iOS Android
#23) Survey Mini - iOS Android
#24) Panel App - iOS Android
Warning. If you’re only interested in money making apps, stop here. If you want more, you should check out these 68 apps that pay you. Otherwise, from here onward you’ll only find apps that give away free stuff.
Apps That Give You Free Stuff
#25) Claim It!
This cool app that gives you lots of free stuff like gift cards, videogames, shoes, designer handbags, movie tickets, gift cards and more. It’s currently only available in New York City but they’re going to be expanding soon.
#26) AppKarma
Consider this the ultimate free stuff app. Whether you like to play games, own a YouTube Channel (with 1000+ subscribers), or simply enjoy referred apps to your friends, you can earn daily rewards. As your rewards start to pile up, you can exchange them for the following:
- $1, $3, $5 Amazon.com
- $3, $5, $10 PayPal
- $10 Google Play
- $5, $10 iTunes
- $5, $10 Xbox Live
- $10 Playstation
- $5 Starbucks
- $10 Facebook
- $20 Steam
#27) AppBounty
This app lets you earn points for downloading and testing apps. You get 500 to 1200 points for each app you download and open. Some apps require you to play or use them to a certain level to earn more. You can convert your points into gift cards for: XBox Live Points, Amazon, and iTunes.
#28) Gift Box
If you like surprises, you’re going to love Gift Box. This app requires you to complete daily tasks which allow you to earn free rewards and treats from a gift box. Your daily tasks may include downloading an app and using it or watching a series of videos. You also get a daily free gift just by going back and using the app each day. Here’s a few of rewards you’ll get from Gift Box:
- Amazon gift card(only for American)
- iTunes gift card
- Google Play gift card
They will soon be adding more rewards for GameStop, playstation, Xbox, Starbucks, Nordstrom and Sephora gift cards.
#29) Free my Apps
Just like the previous apps, Free my Apps offers you gift cards in exchange for downloading, opening, and sometimes playing apps. They have already awarded over $27 million in free gift cards and they have some of the most choices available for exchanging your points into gift cards.
Here’s a few more gift card rewarding apps you might want to try:
#30) GiftWallet - Android
#31) Instant Gift Cards - Web
#32) Listia
Have a bunch of old junk lying around the house? With Listia, you can turn that junk into a new treasure!Listia is a unique app that lets you exchange your old stuff for new stuff. Consider it a trading app that doesn’t require money at all. The way it work is simple, you give away free stuff you don’t need and you can get free stuff you want. You will earn credits every time you give something away and can redeem these for whatever stuff you find on their market place. Go ahead and sort out the garage and give away the things you don’t need.
#33) Free Stuff Times
O.K., this free stuff app should is a must have if you like to get whatever free things you can get your hands on.Free Stuff Times is a place where you can daily listings of people and companies giving away free stuff. You can also sign up for contests, games, and other ways to earn rewards and collect strange items.
Browsing all these free stuff and money making apps must make you hungry…
Apps That Give You Free Food
Hey! We told you there were apps that give you free food. Most of these apps offer you a free item just by downloading their app however there’s enough here to give you more than a few free meals. Bon appetit!
#34) Get a Free Slush or Drink at Sonic - iOS Android
#35) Get a Free Scoop of Ice Cream at Baskin Robbins - iOS Android
#36) Get a Free Donut at Krispy Kreme - iOS Android
#37) Get a Free Milkshake With 1st App Purchase at Steak’n’Shake - iOS Android
#38) Get $30 in Free Coupons at Burger King - iOS Android
#39) Get Free Medium Fries with Any Purchase on Friday at McDonalds (kinda free, but they do offer lots of free food and coupons in their app) - iOS Android
#40) Get 400 Free Points and Exchange Them for a Big Gulp, Medium Coffee or Slurpee, Donut, Fudge Brownie, Taquito, Bag of Chips, 2-Pack of Cookies at 7-11 - iOS Android
#41) Get a Free Taco at Baja Fresh - Web
#42) Get a Free Appetizer at TGIF - iOS Android
#43) Get $2 (and $5 on your birthday) to Spend at Red Manguosa - iOS Android
#44) Get Free Food, Coffee, Drinks and More if You Live in New York - iOS Android
Did you like this list? Tell us about your favorite free money making app and don’t forget to turn out the lights.
We promise - this isn’t clickbait. We’ve done the nitty gritty research and below is a real list of apps that pay money to your PayPal account.
If you’ve got some extra time to spare, you can make money with apps for doing something as simple as turning off your lights.
These apps are legit and they make payments directly to your PayPal account. You don’t have to exchange points for coupons or other rewards you’ll likely never use. This is a list that gives you the good stuff: money to spend on the things you want to spend it on.
Let’s get started, beginning with our favorite one.
#1 OhmConnect
Here’s a money making app that doesn’t make you watch boring ads or waste any of your time.
OhmConnect lets you save energy and earn money at the same time. Before signing up for the service, you must be registered with any of the following electricity companies:
- Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)
- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
- Southern California, Edison (SCE)
If you are with one of those companies, you can sign up and start earning points that can be converted into a PayPal payment. The points you earn will depend on how much energy you save during peak periods and you can hundreds of dollars per year.
Try it. It only takes 3 easy steps to get start:
Step 1. Go to OhmConnect.com and connect your utility account
Step 2. Save energy during #OhmHours (they'll notify you when one is coming by sending you an email or SMS)
Step 3. Send money to your PayPal
#2- Ibotta [US ONLY]
Ibotta is an app that pays you for shopping. If you buy your groceries or beauty products online, you can choose from a select number of items listed in the app.
After you make a purchase of those items, you’ll have to upload your receipt. Afterward, you’ll receive a rebate that ranges from $0.25 to $3 (or more). You’ll be able to get payment to your PayPal account after you’ve accumulated $20. When you submit your payout, you should receive your cash in just a few minutes.
Download Ibotta - iOS Android Web
Other Apps that Pay to Shop:
#3 - Receipt Hog:iOS Android Web
#4 - ShopKick:iOS Android Web
#5 - Mobee App:iOS Android Web
#6 - CashPirate
If you enjoy playing games, completing surveys, or watching videos, CashPirate is a money making app you may want to check out. You can choose which money making options you like best and earn extra cash whenever you have the time.
If you invite your friends to join, you can get an additional 10% bonus from their earnings. When your friends refer another friend, you’ll get 5% more.
For every 1000 coins, you earn $1. You must earn at least 2500 coins before you’ll be able to cash out and send money to your PayPal account. You can expect to earn 50 coins for downloading an app.
Download CashPirate - iOS Android Web
Money Making Apps Similar to CashPirate:
#7 - AppKarma: iOS (Invitation Only) Android Web
#8 - Make Money:iOS Android
#9 - Panel App:iOS Android Web
#10 - FeaturePoints:iOS Android Web
#11 - SwagBucks
Free App To Win Money
If you enjoy taking surveys, you can earn as much money as you can answer with SwagBucks.
SwagBucks is one of the top known money making apps that actually pays users through PayPal. They have endless surveys to take and you can also earn money by playing games, shopping online, weekly contests and more.
You don’t have to cash out through PayPal, you could also accept some of their other rewards with Amazon or another gift card to a location of your choice.
Download SwagBucks - iOS Android Web
Survey Taking Apps That Pay Similar to SwagBucks:
#12 - GlobalTestMarket:Web
#13 - PaidViewPoint:Web
#14 - InstaGC:Web
#15 - Toluna:iOS Android Web
#16 - CashCrate:iOS Android Web
#17 - SlideJoy
Get paid just for locking your screen. SlideJoy is an app that pays you to place ads or news on your screen. It’s one of the most simple ways to get paid and you can even choose to see trending news tailored to your interest.
Download SlideJoy - Android Web
Apps that Pay like SlideJoy:
#18 - Fronto:Android Web
#19 - AppTrailers
AppTrailers lets you get paid for watching videos and you can put real money into your PayPal account.
Whenever you watch videos Google play or any other web based browser, you’ll get rewarded. You’ll be watching ads and you may you be participating in market research from Nielson’s TV Rating. You can learn more about this in their privacy policy.
Download AppTrailers - iOS Android Web
Get Paid with Apps Similar to AppTrailers:
#20 - Viggle: iOS Android Web
#21 - SwagBucks Watch (TV): Android Web
Apps That Can Give You Real Money Free
A Word of Caution About Apps That Pay
When you’re downloading unfamiliar apps that pay, be sure that you trust the source. The list above was carefully selected, however not all that claim to give you free money live up to their claim.
We’ve written an article that should serve as a fair warning about downloading apps on your phone and what precautions you should take.
The most important thing is to protect yourself and use your time effectively when making money with apps on your phone.