The Mega List of 45 Apps That Pay You in 2021

2020 was a tough one for many of us, each of us facing hardship in different ways. But if there’s a constant thread through a lot of the stories I’ve heard and it’s this: we’ve got more time on our hands, but less money in our bank account. 

So who doesn’t want to make money online in a quick and easy way?

The world is a weird and wonderful place there are now hundreds of ways to make money online - some as easy as a few taps on your smartphone.

Whether you’re answering a few questions in a survey, mystery shopping in your spare time, or even watching videos, we’ve broken down 45 ways to make money online with apps that pay you for your participation.

Get Paid to Turn Off Your Lights with OhmConnect

1. Sign up for OhmConnect Here

California residents can earn hundreds of dollars each year (depending on how much energy you can save) by syncing their utility accounts to a energy-sharing program called OhmConnect and agreeing to help reduce energy usage by around one hour per week.

Here’s how it works:

• Sign up for a free, secure OhmConnect account and sync it with your online utility account.
• You must have an online account with one of these three utility companies to participate: Pacific Gas & Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric or Southern California Edison.
• OhmConnect will send you regular payments for reducing your electricity consumption for around one hour per week during events they call #OhmHours. They do this because you’re helping to not contribute to the high demand that prompts unclean power sources to turn on. You have the chance to earn hundreds of dollars per year, plus you’re helping save the planet!

Plus, with OhmConnect’s new referral program, you can get paid up to $20 to help a friend save money and energy.

Get Paid to Take Surveys

2. iPoll

Android and iOS users can earn gift cards, airline miles, magazine subscriptions and more for completing 15- to 20-minute surveys. After downloading the app, you’ll tell the app a little about yourself to help iPoll match you to future surveys. Complete as few or as many questionnaires as you like, but the more you participate, the more you earn.

Most surveys pay $1 each, according to IveTriedThat.com. But you can earn up to $10 on some. You can request a payout when you have $35 in your account.

Lots of companies are looking for input on their products and services and are willing to pay you for your time and opinion.

Love taking surveys? Here are 10 more apps that pay you for your opinion:

3. i-Say

4. Surveys on the Go

5. Google Opinion Rewards

6. Survey.com

7. The Panel Station

8. Quick Thoughts

9. 1Q

10. Toluna

11. My Points

12. InboxDollars

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Get Paid To Take Photos

Handy with a lens? Here are a few apps that pay you to take photos:

13. Foap

14. Snapwire

Get Paid to Watch Videos

15. CheckPoints

Watch videos and scan barcodes to earn points. Redeem your points for free rewards like Amazon and Walmart gift cards, American Airlines miles, tablets and gaming systems or even a donation to a charity!

Get Paid to Mystery Shop

16. Mobee

Get paid to mystery shop at businesses in your area. Simply download the app for your iOS or Android device and search for a mission that interests you. It only takes a few minutes to answer the five to 10 questions you’ll be asked, and within 24 hours you’ll be eligible to receive quality and credit points.

Expect to earn between 150 points ($1.50) and 3,000 points ($30) for each completed mission, according to the book “Easy & Quick Money.”

17. Gigwalk is another in-person, task-based app. You make money by performing activities in your community. You may be visiting a store to see if a brand display is up or something more involved like checking inventory. Your pay will be determined by the involvement and ranges from $3 up to $100 per gig. Once you have completed the gig and it’s been approved by the client, you will be paid by PayPal.

Love a good mystery shop? Here are two more apps that pay for your sleuthing:

These apps will all pay you to visit stores and do things like take photos of displays, answer surveys about what you see, etc.

18. Field Agent

19. Observa

Get Paid to Unlock Your Phone

20. Slidejoy

Get paid an average of $5 to $15 per month, according to CNET, for putting ads on your Android device. Every time you check your phone, you’ll see a card with a news story or promotion. You can slide left to learn more about it, slide up to see another card or slide right to use your phone as normal. You don’t receive any more or less money for engaging with the content, so you essentially do nothing to get paid.

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Get Paid for Purchases You Already Make

21.  Ibotta

Shop for your regular brands and products and earn cash for it! Ibotta pays real cash for buying your favourite products at more than 40 stores including Target, Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, Safeway and more.  Before shopping online, head to Ibotta to unlock cash rewards by completing simple tasks. After shopping at a store, simply scan your product barcodes and send a photo of your receipt to have your purchase verified. Get $10 just for trying it out.

22. Ebates (now called Rakuten)

This is another cashback opportunity that can earn you quite a bit over the course of a year. While we traditionally think of Rakuten as being a website, they also have an app that provides in-store coupons and allows you to check prices. You can even connect your favorite credit card, or apply for an Ebates card, to earn cash back on in-store purchases. Ebates pays quarterly by check with a $5.01 minimum.

23. Shopkick

This iOS and Android app shows you popular products and rewards at popular retailers and gives you kicks (points) for walking in the door, more for scanning items and even more for making purchases. Most rewards are worth 250 kicks, and 500 kicks equals $2. Create an account to set up your profile and then you’re ready to start.

Love getting paid to shop? Here are three more apps that will give you cash back when you buy certain items:

24. Receipt Hog

25. FetchRewards

26. Receipt Pal

Get Paid to Lose Weight

27. GymPact

Got fitness in your schedule anyways? Download GymPact, make a weeklong pact to work out, get paid for every day you go and pay a penalty for every workout you miss. You’ll earn between $0.50 and $0.75 for every workout of 30 minutes or more.

28. HealthyWage

If you are trying to lose weight and need some motivation and accountability, check out HealthyWage. This app allows people to place “bets” on their weight loss and earn up to $10,000 for meeting their goals. Additional prizes are available for keeping those pounds off long-term.

Get Paid to Try New Apps (or even just watch the trailer for one!)

29. AppTrailers

Watch trailers of new apps of usually 30 seconds or less on your iOS or Android device and get paid for it. Earnings start at 500 points (50 cents) and can be redeemed for gift cards or cash via PayPal, according to Dailybucks.info. Another way to earn cash with this app: Upload videos and get likes.

30. Feature Points

31. AppKarma

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Get Paid To Sell Your Stuff

32. BookScouter

Got old books lying around the house taking up space? Earn money by selling them online. This iOS and Android app allows you to scan or enter the barcode number to instantly compare buyback prices from leading book-buying websites. Choose the buyer offering the highest price and ship your book for free.

Registration is easy. Simply use your email address to create an account or log in through a host of eligible social networks.

Didn’t find a buyer? Check out seven more apps you can use to quickly and easily list your stuff for sale.

33. Poshmark

34. Carousell

35. Vinted

36. Mercari

37. Gone

38. Tradesy

Other Apps That Pay You, But Didn’t Fit In A Category

39. SwagBucks

Accumulate points called SB by searching the Web, completing surveys, watching videos, referring your friends, shopping in the app’s mall, completing special offers, voting in daily polls, finding swag codes and entering fun contests via social media and the Swagbucks blog. These points can be redeemed for gift cards from stores like Amazon, Target and Walmart or for PayPal cash. At time of writing, Swagbucks has given out $97,751,668 in distributed rewards. Download the app on your iOS or Android device.

40. UberEATS

Did you know you can earn money with Uber by simply doing deliveries?

What’s great about it:

• You set your own schedule, and earn when you want to.
• You don’t even necessarily need a car – depending on the laws of your city of residence, you may be able to make deliveries using your bike or scooter.
• Deliver with Uber also lets you make deliveries using a wider variety of cars than permitted with UberX – 2-door and 4-door vehicles are both accepted and just need to be model year 1997 or newer.
• You can deliver packages, flowers, or even food for Uber, and listen to whatever music you wish during the ride!

You still must be over 19, have a valid driver’s license and insurance, and pass background screening. Uber advertises that most deliveries are door-to-door, meaning you’ll walk into the restaurant or other business, pick up the items for delivery, and then take that delivery right up to the customer’s door. Peak times – meaning the best times to make money! – tend to be around lunch (11 AM – 2 PM), dinner (5 PM – 9 PM), and late night (after 12 AM). Fees are calculated based on a pickup fee, drop-off fee, and a per-mile fee, and reportedly there’s a $10 minimum.

42. ESPN Streak for the Cash

Users have to predict the result for each game and try to get the longest winning streak of the month. The longest winning streak for a team or player will win a monthly grand prize of $50,000.

43.  Trim

Trim automates saving money, which is awesome. The service analyzes your spending and looks for ways to save you money – it’ll keep you up-to-date on what active subscriptions you have (such as your gym membership or Netflix) and even negotiate with your cable or Internet provider to lower your bill! It also activates relevant cashback deals for you, and flags your recent Amazon purchases for price drops in case price protection applies and you can get the difference credited back to your account. Their services are mostly free, though they’ll take a small percentage of the money they save you if they successfully lower any of your bills (like your cable bill).

44 and 45. Make money with your car and drive for Uber or Lyft

Driving with Uber or Lyft are easy ways to earn extra money anytime. And with more riders and trips than ever before, there’s more money around every corner. Where a traditional job might limit your hours and pay substantially, driving for Uber or Lyft makes it possible to work when you want.

And that’s it! Know of other apps that will pay you? Drop them in the comments!