These 7 Side Hustle Apps Will Make You Extra Cash

If you’re looking to earn some extra cash without having to compromise your schedule, there are several side hustle apps you may want to consider. With these money-making apps, you can get started quickly with little to no initial costs. While these apps may not make you rich, it’s worth taking a look at some of the easy ways of earning money that you can access with your phone.

Read: How to Build A Financial Plan From Zero

7 Best Side Hustle Apps for Extra Cash

Looking for the best app for side hustles? Here are seven apps that let you make extra cash in your free time.

1. Best for Shopping: Instacart

If you love shopping, you can get paid to shop for other people’s groceries. Instacart is a grocery delivery service where you can sign up to become an in-store shopper or a full-service shopper and get assigned tasks through their mobile app. You receive and manage all requests on the app.

The tasks assigned may vary depending on the shopper role you choose. For an in-store shopper, there’s no delivery involved 一 you only need to shop and place the groceries on a staging area for pick up.

If you sign up for a full-service shopper role, you’ll need a car to deliver the items to customers. Your work is to fill the orders at the customer’s preferred stores and then deliver them.

The best thing about Instacart is that you can work whenever you want. Whichever role you choose, you’ll get paid weekly via direct deposit or else cash out your earnings to a debit card and access your funds immediately.

To get started with this side hustle, you need:

• A smartphone

• To be at least 18 years old

• Clearance to work in the U.S.

• To be able to lift 50 lbs

• A car — if you are a full-service shopper

2. Best for Travel: Airbnb

If you have an extra room in your house or an apartment sitting empty, you can rent it out and earn extra cash each month. Being an Airbnb host is one of the best side hustles that can generate income without spending too much money.

All you need to do is equip your house for guests and decide how you’ll handle cleaning and maintenance. Then list your house on Airbnb with high-quality images and set a price you feel good about. You can set space rules that guests must agree to before booking. You can also coordinate calendars to avoid being overbooked or booked when you don’t want to host.

Before you list, check your local zoning regulations to find out if short-term rentals are restricted or require a rental license. Depending on where you live, you might be responsible for collecting and submitting your own sales tax. However, Airbnb offers up to $1 million protection for property damage.

3. Best for Food Delivery: DoorDash

DoorDash is another side hustle app that pays you to deliver food from local restaurants to customers. Once you sign up to become a dasher, you can see customers’ requests on the app, which shows you what you’ll order and where to deliver. You’ll also see how much you’ll make before accepting the order.

As a DoorDash driver, you work on your own terms, meaning you have the flexibility to work whenever you want. You can earn anything between $2 and $10 per delivery, depending on the desirability of the order, distance and estimated time. What’s more, you can maximize your earnings when DoorDash has promotions, such as “peak pay” and challenges.

To get started as a dasher, you need:

• To be at least 18 years old

• A smartphone

• A car, scooter or bicycle

• A valid driver’s license

• Your Social Security number — only in the U.S.

4. Best for Ride Sharing: Uber

Uber is a popular ride-sharing service that offers flexible opportunities to earn extra cash. If you have spare time, you can get paid to drive people. Through their mobile app, you connect with passengers you’ll need to drop off at their preferred location.

Driving for Uber is a great side hustle because it offers a flexible schedule, letting you set your own hours. How much you can make varies based on the distance, base fare, number of trips you make, incentives and other factors.

To drive with Uber, you must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age to drive in your city

• Valid driver’s license

• At least one year of driving experience

• Proof of residence

• Own an eligible car with insurance

• Own a smartphone

5. Best for Selling: Etsy

If you like vintage and artsy-crafty handmade things, you might think of selling them on Etsy. You can start making money on Etsy within days, provided that you have the right product.

To get started, you need to set up a shop on Etsy, create a listing and choose how you want to get paid. How much money you can make depends on how successful your shop becomes.

6. Best for Surveys: Swagbucks

If you enjoy taking surveys, Swagbucks might be the right side hustle app to make money. The app rewards you with points called “SB” when you do tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos or ads, playing games, discovering deals, referring other people to Swagbucks and much more.

There’s no limit on how much you can make and the earnings vary based on the tasks you do. As you earn SB you’ll be able to cash out with gift cards or your PayPal account. While it won’t replace your monthly income, you can make extra money with little effort just by using your smartphone.

7. Best for Pet Lovers: Rover

If you love pets, this is probably the best side hustle app for you to make extra cash. You can sign up for Rover to become a pet sitter and set your schedule and prices. Some of the services you can offer include dog walking, doggy daycare, pet boarding or drop-in visits.

You can accept as many tasks as you like. Plus, Rover offers insurance and 24/7 veterinary support. Although Rover collects a service fee of 20% of your earnings or 25% with RoverGO, you’ll still make cash doing what you love. Your funds will be available for withdrawal two days after you complete the service.

FAQ

Side hustle apps are a great tool for anyone who wants to be self-employed. Here's more information to help you get started.

• What apps can I make extra money on?

  • You can use many apps to make extra money. The simplest might be Swagbucks, which pays rewards for online activities you can do while you watch TV or browse social media. For actual side gigs, where you offer services for hire, Instacart lets you earn money by grocery shopping and is among the easiest gigs to start.

• How can I make $2,000 a month with a side hustle?

  • You can make $2,000 per month by providing a service that pays well and is in high demand. One way to increase your earnings is to stack gigs -- drive Uber and DoorDash at the same time, for example -- to minimize down time during your working hours.

• Which side gig app pays the most?

  • It's important to remember that apps don't pay, per se. They simply provide platforms where you can connect with customers who want to purchase your product or service. Generally speaking, ride-share gigs are among the best paying. The median hourly rate -- meaning half earn more and half earn less -- is $15, and you can make up to $3,000 per month, according to Monster.

Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of April 13, 2023. 

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These 7 Side Hustle Apps Will Make You Extra Cash