Best Apps to Make Money in 2026: 9 Apps Compared

Fetch is the easiest place to start if you just want a little extra without changing how you shop. You snap a photo of a receipt and earn Fetch Points, then trade the points for gift cards. The App Store listing says you can redeem for gift cards from Amazon, Apple, Walmart, Target and others, or for Visa Cash Cards.

The rules matter more than the marketing. Fetch's FAQ says a minimum of 3,000 points is needed to redeem most rewards, and that your first redemption is limited to the $10, $25 and $50 rewards. You can scan up to 35 receipts in a rolling 7-day period, and paper receipts must be snapped within 14 days of the checkout date. Return receipts, utility bills, medical bills and airline tickets are not scannable.

Fetch does not publish a simple points-to-dollar rate in the pages we read, so check the rewards tab in the app before you count on a number. The app is rated 12+ on the App Store, with minor advisories for simulated gambling and contests, which relate to its games.

Ibotta's pitch is that it pays cash, not points. Its App Store listing says you can deposit earnings into a bank account or PayPal, or cash out as gift cards. You add offers in the app, shop, then upload a receipt or link a loyalty card to get paid. The listing names partners such as Walmart, Kroger, CVS, Best Buy and Walgreens, and Ibotta's homepage cites 50 million registered users.

The listing also says top users earn over $100 per month. Treat that as the ceiling for people who plan every shop around offers. Typical savings will be smaller, and the app works best when the offers match items you would buy anyway.

The catch is effort. Offers are brand specific, so you can end up buying a product you would not normally choose. The App Store rating is 4.8 from about 2 million ratings, and the age rating is 17+ because of alcohol-related offers.

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a shopping-first app. You click through to a store from Rakuten, buy as usual, and earn a percentage back. The homepage lists 3,500+ brands and says rewards are sent every 3 months by PayPal, Bilt Points or check. It also says you can convert cash into gift cards from more than 50 brands, including Amazon and Starbucks.

Because the payout is quarterly, this is a slow earner. It makes sense if you already do a lot of online shopping, and it makes no sense if you want cash this week. The App Store listing says it is free to join, has a 4.82 rating from about 362,000 ratings, and carries a 17+ age rating.

One honest warning: the only way to earn is to spend. If you start buying things only because there is a cash back rate attached, you lose money.

Swagbucks, run by Prodege, bundles surveys, trivia, games, offers and shopping cash back. The App Store listing advertises a $10 welcome bonus with terms attached, and says rewards come as gift cards. It is rated 12+.

The breadth is the appeal. You can fill a spare ten minutes with a survey or earn from shopping you already planned. The listing says game rewards come from reaching gameplay goals on your phone, so read the requirements before you spend time on a game.

Swagbucks has about 148,000 App Store ratings averaging 4.39, which is the weakest score among the nine. That fits what you would expect from survey sites in general, where users complain about time spent and rewards earned. We could not load the official help pages, so we are not stating the point-to-dollar rate or payout minimum. Check those inside the app.

Survey Junkie is a dedicated survey site from DISQO. Its App Store listing says members must be 18 or older and live in the United States. You earn points for surveys, profile questionnaires and other rewardable actions, and you can redeem at 1,000 points for PayPal cash, e-gift cards or direct bank transfer.

If surveys are your thing, this is a cleaner option than the all-in-one apps because it does one job. The listing says the community has over 11 million members, and the app is rated 4.55 from about 87,000 ratings.

Expect to be screened out of some surveys, because brands want specific audiences. Survey income is best thought of as pocket money.

Google Opinion Rewards is the lowest-effort app here. You get a notification when a short survey is waiting, answer a few questions and collect a small reward. The App Store listing says surveys usually take under 20 seconds and pay up to $1 each into PayPal. Google's own page says the credit comes as Google Play or PayPal credit.

Google's listing explains that your answers are aggregated and shared with the market researcher who wrote the survey, and that answers are anonymous unless a survey says otherwise (location-based surveys are an example). That is clearer than most survey apps.

You cannot control how often surveys appear, and the reward ceiling is low. Think of it as a few dollars a month in store credit, not an income plan.

Upwork is a different kind of app. It is a freelance marketplace, and what you earn depends on your skills, your profile and how many clients you win. The App Store listing says you can post jobs, buy Connects and submit proposals, message clients, track projects and manage contracts in the one app.

The listing is clear on one point that new freelancers miss: some features, including submitting proposals, require Connects, and Connects are sold as in-app purchases. Upwork also charges service fees on freelancer earnings. We could not load Upwork's fee page, and third-party sources disagree about the exact percentage, so check the fee article in your account before you quote a rate to a client.

It is the right pick if you already have a marketable skill and can wait several weeks to land your first job. It is the wrong pick if you need money this week. The App Store rating is 4.64 from about 71,000 ratings.

The Dasher app is how you earn by delivering orders for DoorDash. The App Store listing says you keep 100% of your tips, get paid right after each dash with no deposit fees, and can start with a smartphone and a bike, car, scooter or motorcycle. It says DoorDash is available in 7,000+ cities, and the app has about 2.5 million ratings averaging 4.68.

This is the fastest way on the list to turn spare hours into cash, because there are no surveys to complete or points to wait for. It is also real work. You pay for gas, wear and tear and insurance, and as an independent contractor you are responsible for your own taxes.

We did not find a trustworthy average hourly figure from DoorDash, and we will not give one. Earnings change with your city, your hours and the orders you accept. Track your costs for a few weeks before you decide it is worth it.

Rover connects pet owners with sitters and dog walkers. The App Store listing says every sitter joining the platform is background-checked and profile-verified, and that bookings are backed by the Rover Guarantee, which covers up to $25,000 in vet care for eligible claims. It has about 516,000 ratings averaging 4.89.

For animal lovers it is the most pleasant way to earn here, and you set up your own services, such as boarding, drop-in visits or dog walking. The listing is written for pet owners, so check the sitter sign-up pages on Rover's site for the current application steps.

Rover keeps a share of each booking, and the percentage differs by country and by when your profile was approved. Sources we found disagreed, so look up the fee in your own account. The other catch is that bookings are uneven, with busy holiday periods and quiet weeks.