8 Apps That Pay You Real Money in 2026

I'm sharing the best money making apps that you can add to your side hustle arsenal.

Are you interested in downloading the best money making apps that pay you real money?

Today I’m going to show you some new strategies to make some extra money fast simply by clicking a few buttons on your cell phone (in under 5 minutes).

The best part? A lot of these require no effort at all.

I get it.

Life happens.

Sometimes you need some extra cash to pay a bill or you’re trying to save up for something you want.

You don’t want to fall behind on bills and are wondering how to make money today or what apps pay you real money instantly?

Sure, another $100 earned today wouldn’t hurt. We’ve all been there, but what do you usually do when that happens?

This is an exhaustive list of things that anyone can do, today, in order to make money through the best mobile apps I've found.

8 Apps That Pay You Real Money

If you're strapped for time, I'll go ahead and share the best apps that pay you real money that you can add to your side hustle arsenal.

1. Get paid up to $100 per offer

branded

Branded (as seen on CBS) has 200+ game offers where you get paid just for hitting certain levels. We're talking games you'd probably download anyway, like Scrabble GO, Dice Dreams, and Animals & Coins, except now you're earning real money.

Reach Level 10 in Scrabble GO and earn $25. Hit Island 300 in Animals & Coins and pocket $21.60. It's that simple.

Over 3 million members are already cashing in on this. Sign up free, grab your 100-point welcome bonus, and start getting paid to play.

Seen on CBS
Branded
5.0

Get paid to try new apps and games you'd probably download anyway. With 200+ offers paying $3 to $100+, it's one of the easiest ways to stack points. As seen on CBS. Cash out via PayPal or bank transfer.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

2. Get an advance on your payday with Current

current

Current is the future of mobile banking. This bank account has a bunch of compelling features where you can get spotted $750 at any time, get paid up to 2 days faster, and all with no minimum balance or hidden fees. It's free to use and has no monthly fees at all, plus you can get instant access to your paycheck in advance for free.

Advance as much as you qualify for, as often as you need. Current doesn't run a credit check when you open an account, so you don't have to worry about your credit history or FICO scores being impacted.

3. Make $50 Fast Taking Surveys at Survey Junkie

survey junkie

Taking online surveys with Survey Junkie to make that extra money is a no-brainer! You definitely won’t get rich or make thousands of dollars per day with surveys alone, but you won’t waste much time, and you can make some money the easy way.

Survey Junkie pays between $2 and $50 per survey, and many of them take less than 5 minutes to complete. So if you took on average 10 surveys per day, every day for a month, you could make $375+ per month. If you took more surveys a day — the possibilities are endless.

There are a lot of scammy survey sites out there, but Survey Junkie has over 11,000 positive reviews on TrustPilot, the highest of any survey site. It’s legitimate. Sounds like fun? Sign-up for Survey Junkie, take surveys and earn money from your phone fast.

You can also get a registration bonus through here.

4. Get $60 for Installing an App

nielsen

One of my favorite apps that not many people know about is Nielsen. If you have a cell phone or laptop then you can earn $60 fast right now. All you have to do is register for free (they’ll track your browser usage) and you’re set to earn $60 per year passively.

It’s really noninvasive, requires basically no storage, and won’t impact your device performance. After you installed the app, just use the internet as you usually would (but now you’re getting paid — cha-ching!).

Nielsen gives out $10,000 each month so you can win real money for about 60 seconds of work. A no brainer.

Featured on Forbes, Business Insider, and CNBC
Nielsen
5.0
  • $60+ per year just for installing the app and simply keeping it on your phone
  • Nielsen has been measuring internet usage and media trends for decades
  • Runs in the background with no effort required, no tasks, no surveys, just install and earn
  • 100% free to join
SIGN UP FOR NIELSEN

5. Download the Rewards App for Gamers

We all heard the old saying “time is money” right?

Instead of playing games on your phone like everyone else and feeling bad for wasting your time — now you can get paid for it.

Getting paid for playing games sounds like a dream. But if you download a free new app, and then download games from it and play, you earn money.

As you level up you can earn more money for cash rewards or gift cards.

This is a great opportunity for those looking to get paid for something they enjoy, like winning free gift cards and cash for playing games. I use it and it is legit and has over 131,404+ positive reviews in the Google Play store.

If you’re interested, I recommend you download the app from the Google Play store for free by clicking here.

swagbucks

If you want another quick way to make $100 then give Swagbucks a shot. You’d be silly not too as the site has already paid out $441.9 million to its users.

Plus, you won’t be limited to only surveys with this rewards site — in fact, you can earn $100 fast simply by watching entertaining videos, searching the web, and even playing games. You earn ‘points’ that you can redeem for gift cards or for cash through PayPal.

They have an excellent rating on TrustPilot with over 14,144 reviews!

swagbucks trustpilot

Simply sign up and score a $10 signup bonus then start watching videos or playing games and earn your other $10 to get your $150 fast. Don’t believe me? A Huffington Post report says users are earning $600 per month with this site.

To chalk it up, Swagbucks is one fun way to score $100 fast.

7. Be Rewarded for Watching Videos

inboxdollars

One of the best apps that offers you the opportunity to get paid to watch videos is InboxDollars.

If you sign up before the end of this month, they also give you a $5 free bonus just to give it a try.

By spending just 5-10 minutes per day on this (either on your lunch break or during TV commercial breaks) you can earn and earn an extra $50/month just for playing games. They also offer you the opportunity to earn cash for sharing your opinion and completing surveys.

More people should be doing this.

$5 bonus
InboxDollars
5.0
  • Get paid real money (not points) for surveys, games, and more
  • Join and start earning with an instant bonus after confirming email
  • 2M+ active members with $80M+ paid out and a 4.2 Trustpilot rating
CLAIM $5 BONUS

8. Join the Website that Has Paid Out Over $17,000,000 for Taking Surveys

branded surveys

Did you know that sharing your opinion can also make you some extra cash? Branded Surveys offers paid surveys from Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart, Apple, and FedEx. Your honest feedback is crucial for these companies to innovate and develop new products and services.

By completing these surveys, you can earn a decent amount of money. Already, more than 2,000,000 people have taken advantage of this opportunity, and Branded Surveys has paid out over $17,000,000 so far! The best part? It's completely free to join, and as a new member, you'll receive 100 bonus points.

Signing up takes less than 30 seconds, and you can start earning money right away, even today!

Need More Money Making Apps?

A ton of people are searching online for the best money making apps. Well, look no further, because if you wanted more ways to make money online then these are literally the best free money making apps that'll pay you real money. So consider scrolling back up and taking a second look. Also, cash in on the following signup bonuses that pay cash on the spot and you will be on your way to making an extra $100:

  1. Swagbucks: $10 welcome bonus! Swagbucks is a legit rewards site with lots of different ways available to earn money. You can take surveys, play games, watch fun videos, and search the internet.
  2. InboxDollars: $5 welcome bonus! Earn dollars for small tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos, and playing addicting games.

Signup bonuses offer a great way to kick start your earnings with quick cash rewards. Good luck with making money with your phone!

Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs
Brian Meiggs is a personal finance expert, and the founder of Smarts, a personal finance site helping you easily explore your best money options. He helps readers follow the smart money in order to increase their earning potential and start building wealth for the future. He regularly writes about side hustles, investing, and general personal finance topics aimed to help anyone earn more, pay off debt, and reach financial freedom. He has been quoted as a top personal finance blogger in major publications including Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, NASDAQ, Discover, and more.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
6 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
trackback

[…] and where to execute until you have expanded your operations. When you think about the websites, apps, or software tools that you use to solve problems in your everyday life, they all add tangible […]

Afolabi Sunday

You do good to our people .I love as you reveal this for us I thanks a lot. But i am in Nigeria.

Eno
Eno

Which of the apps pay in Africa

NoChoice
NoChoice

The sad thing about all this opportunities, it is only for people of “developed countries”.

Where I live, we have the same level of education and degrees, same job description, with a minimum of 45h a week, yet earn 10x less.

I mean, what to expect from a socialist government. I can’t do anything though, I didn’t choose this and don’t have money to live elsewhere.

Then come the “social-democrats” from developed countries wanting to work less with 4 days a week? Guess who will have to work for them? While they are expending the little money that in their country is worth nothing and yet at my country it’s a fortune. Making us the “modern slaves” they always talk about. Hypocrites.

Sorry for the rant, I will keep looking here for new deals. tks.