If you find yourself wishing you had a little bit of extra money each month, you may have heard of passive income apps. These are apps that allow you to earn some money without doing anything other than what you already do on a daily basis. When used correctly, using passive apps to earn money can help line your pockets when you need some help between paydays.

With so many passive income apps out there, it can be hard to determine which ones are the best ones for you. There’s honestly a huge variety of passive income apps, and this list is designed to help you find a passive income app that fits your lifestyle.

Most Passive App Options

These app options require the least amount of effort from their users. You simply download the app and let it run in the background – the app does the rest!

Nielsen Mobile Panel

Nielsen is a company that has been around for a long time and is well versed in gathering and utilizing information. With fewer people using cable television, which is where Nielsen has gathered a lot of information for decades, they have now designed an app to collect data.

All you have to do is download the app and let it run in the background. Nielsen then gathers information based on how you use your phone, including data usage, phone call lengths, and the number of text messages you send and receive. Don’t worry though! If safety is a concern for you, Nielsen never keeps records of the contents of your text messages or records phone calls so you can feel safe using it!

You can expect to receive about $50 a year from the Nielsen Mobile Panel, which you can use to get gift cards to some of your favorite companies.

Ember Mobile Performance Meter

This passive income app is a lot like the Nielsen one. In fact, they actually send the data they collect to Nielsen, but without recording phone calls or storing any messaging content. This app also runs in the background, but it collects information about how your network is performing and how you use your phone.

The Ember passive income pass sends small payments (usually $0.10-$0.40 a day) and you can cash out once you hit $5. Ember has gift card options, or you can send the cash directly to your PayPal account. This is a great option for a passive earning android app but is not currently available on Apple devices.

Mobile Xpression

This app is much like the other two before it, as it is a data collector app. You can expect to receive about $5 a month from Mobile Xpression for the data they collect from your phone, which you can use to cash out for various gift cards. Like the others, Mobile Xpression doesn’t collect your personal data, so you can feel safe using it.

Cash Back for Shopping

Some passive income apps offer you the ability to earn cash back by simply shopping with the retailers you normally do. If you do a lot of online shopping, or even in-store, these apps are a great option.

Rakuten

Rakuten is one of the most well-known cash back apps today. You simply check their website or app for their current cash back offers and then shop through their link, just like you normally would. Rakuten then gives you cash back in your account, which you can cash out via PayPal or a check in the mail. With over 2,500 retailers that work with Rakuten, you’re sure to earn some cash back on what you’re already buying!

Rakuten also offers a $10 bonus for new users and a browser extension to automatically alert you to any cash back offers for websites you are on.

Ibotta

Ibotta is like Rakuten in that they pay you cash for items you’re purchasing. However, instead of paying cash back on the total, Ibotta will offer cash back on certain items (though sometimes you can earn cash back on your whole retail purchase).

The easiest way to use Ibotta is to simply connect your favorite store’s loyalty account to your Ibotta account so that they work together to check for offers. Another option is to upload photos of receipts where you purchased qualifying items. With more than 100 stores, including grocery chains, you will find lots of opportunities to get cash back on items you’re already purchasing.

Ibotta lets you cash out once you earn $20, and you can receive your money via PayPal or Venmo. If you prefer gift cards, you can choose one of those as well!

Dosh

Dosh pays you cash for shopping, eating out, or booking hotels. To start earning, you simply connect a card to your Dosh account. Once you make a qualifying purchase with that card, Dosh gives you cash back. You can send the money you earn to your bank, PayPal, or Venmo accounts.

The average cash back rate is 2%-3%, but you may find up to 10% back from time to time.

Drop

Drop allows you to earn cash back on online stores from specific retailers. When you sign up for Drop, you will choose five retailers or brands that you shop at the most. From there, simply make your normal purchases with these brands and Drop will do the rest by giving you points on those purchases.

Once you have a decent sum of points, you can turn them into gift cards from a variety of different retailers.

Other Passive Income App Options

Depending on what your day-to-day life looks like, there is a variety of passive income apps out there for all kinds of different activities. We’ve found some great ones to get you started!

Sweatcoin

Sweatcoin is an app that pays you for the steps you’re taking every day. Since most smartphones today track your steps, you may as well get paid for them! Sweatcoin simply tracks the steps you take and then pays you one Sweatcoin for every 1,200 steps.

You can store up these Sweatcoins and then redeem them for various offers with their partners, including Audible, the Calm app, and many more. The only downside to Sweatcoin is that it doesn’t offer cash back in the traditional way as many other apps do.

Swagbucks Search

With most people making many searches on the internet a day, wouldn’t it make sense to start making some money for doing it? Well, the Swagbucks Search Engine was designed to do just that. Instead of using your regular search engine, simply download the Swagbucks Search Engine and make your internet searches through there instead. Swagbucks will then pay you for every search you make.

Swagbucks Search is one of the higher paying passive income apps on this list and you can expect to make as much as $50 a month if you are an active user. Plus, Swagbucks offers many other ways to make extra income, though not all of it is passive in nature (surveys, playing games, and things like that).

FAQs

Can Anyone Use Passive Income Apps?

Different apps have different requirements for who can use them but, if you own a smartphone or a computer, you will be able to find a variety of options you can use. Some apps only let you make passive income with Android phones or a browser extension for your internet browser of choice. So not everyone can use every passive income app, but most people can find a variety of them to use!

Are Passive Income Apps Worth It?

Any extra money is nice to have, which is what passive income apps promise to give you. Now, don’t expect to be able to quit your full-time job and only make a passive income. However, if you like to have a little bit of extra money between paychecks or enjoy being able to earn money to spend at your favorite retailers, then passive income apps are a great option for you.

You will get out of them what you put into them, and you will be more likely to make a good sum if you are using multiple passive income apps at once. However, note that some apps won’t let you use two at once. For example, the browser extension for Rakuten will not work at the same time as Ibotta for an online shopping trip. If that’s the cash, check and see which is offering more money and use that one.

Summary

Passive income apps offer an easy way to earn a little extra money. Regardless of what your daily routine looks like, what smartphone you have, or where you shop, you’ll be able to find a wide variety of ways to make passive income with phone apps. Plus, don’t forget that you can download and use a variety of these apps, letting you earn passive income in a ton of different areas of your daily life. Before long, you will be making sure to earn cash back with every trip to the store, online search, or text message you send!