More and more people are picking up side hustles these days—sometimes purely for financial gain, and sometimes because they’re looking to fill their time or monetize one of their hobbies.
If you’re interested in entering the gig economy, there’s never been a better time to do so. There are dozens of side hustle apps that make it very easy to find work opportunities that you can pursue in addition to your primary job.
To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of more than 30 popular apps that you can use to earn money on the side. Without further ado, let’s take a look.
01.Uber
You’re probably already familiar with Uber. As a ridesharing app, it will connect you with people who need taxi services, which you’ll provide using your personal vehicle.
Several factors affect how much Uber drivers can earn, including where you live, how far you drive, and what tips (if any) your customers give you. After expenses, you’ll probably earn around what you’d make with most entry-level retail jobs—not all the money in the world, but a respectable wage for a gig that almost anybody with a car can do.
02.Lyft
Lyft functions more or less the same as Uber. Whether you should drive for it or Uber depends on your neighborhood; while Uber is currently the largest rideshare app on the market, Lyft is still more popular in some regions.
Bear in mind that you don’t have to pick just one app. You can install both Uber and Lyft and use whichever one happens to be paying more at any given time. Many gig app drivers do this, and neither app prohibits it.
The requirements to drive for Lyft vary by region. It’s important to check Lyft’s city and state requirements to make sure you’re eligible before applying to be a driver.
03.Uber Eats
Uber Eats is one of the most well-known delivery driver apps out there. You can usually find plenty of food (and grocery) delivery orders on the platform every day.
However, the flip side is that you may have to compete with many other drivers for work, so consider using it in tandem with some of the other delivery gig apps listed below.
04.DoorDash
DoorDash is even more popular in the US than Uber Eats, so the competition on it can also be quite stiff. As with ridesharing, the trick to maximizing your earnings is to use at least two apps simultaneously. This way, you can accept orders with higher pay and will have less downtime.
05.Grubhub
A former giant in the delivery space, Grubhub’s best days are behind it. Still, it doesn’t hurt to use it as a secondary gig app in addition to whichever you pick as your primary source of jobs.
06.Instacart
If you want to become an Instacart shopper, you need to decide if you want to work as an “in-store shopper” or a “full-service shopper.”
In-store shoppers are regular employees who work exclusively in stores (and don’t drive). Conversely, full-service shoppers are independent contractors who deliver items to their customers’ locations.
Instacart may pay slightly higher rates than many other delivery apps, so it’s a decent addition to your roster. The downside is that it’s also more physically demanding, since it requires walking around large grocery stores and carrying potentially heavy orders up stairs.
07.Amazon Flex
As an Amazon Flex driver, you’ll schedule “delivery blocks” (periods in which you make deliveries) in advance. Each block typically lasts 3–5 hours, and you can schedule as many as you like, as long as Flex has work available.
The pay on this app isn’t bad, although it doesn’t have the same flexibility that its competitors do. Note that you’ll fetch packages from Amazon’s warehouses, so be sure there’s one within a reasonable distance of your home before you go to the trouble of signing up.
08.Spark
Spark is run by the retail giant Walmart. In addition to picking up items for delivery at Walmart stores, Spark drivers can also shop at other affiliated retail outlets through the feature “Walmart GoLocal.”
Unless an order is “deliver only,” you’ll need to collect the items in the shop yourself before delivering them, which makes this app a lot like Instacart. If you’re comfortable with that, it’s worth signing up for.
09.Shipt
Shipt is owned by Target, but you won’t only pick up items from their stores. Many retailers partner with them and have Shipt drivers deliver items to their customers.
When you sign up with Shipt, you’ll have to choose between being a “shopper” and a “driver.” Both deliver items to customers’ homes; the main difference between the two is that shoppers collect items from stores themselves, whereas drivers simply pick up packages with pre-collected items at designated locations.
10.TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is an app that you can use to find a wide variety of jobs, with a focus on physical labor, such as handyman and electrical work. Check if your preferred type of work is included in TaskRabbit’s list of services before signing up.
The downside of TaskRabbit is that the competition on it can be fairly stiff, but as you may be gathering, that’s the case on many gig apps. Regardless of what side hustle you prefer and what app you pick, landing work is often a numbers game—you have to be persistent to succeed.
11.Gigpro
Gigpro connects shift workers with businesses in the hospitality industry that need help. You can find food service and bartending gigs, barista work, and so on.
As a “pro” (aka a shift worker), you can browse and apply for gigs that match your skills and schedule.
The platform claims that its jobs pay an average hourly wage of at least $17, although we haven’t independently confirmed this. As of the time of writing, there are gigs available in 29 cities and 12 states, but this is subject to change at any time. Check out this list of cities and markets where GigPro operates for the latest information.
The only fee you’ll have to pay to use Gigpro is an “Occupational Accident Insurance” (OAI) fee, which provides insurance if you get injured on a gig. The fee is $0.38 per hour and is deducted from your earnings (meaning you don’t have to pay it ahead of time). If you get injured on a shift, visit GigPro’s Pro Injuries on Gigs page to start your claims process.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download Gigpro
12.Qwick
Another work-on-demand app for people in the hospitality industry, Qwick lets you pick your own shifts, like Gigpro. It doesn’t charge its workers any fees at all (although employers pay fees equivalent to 40% of their gig workers’ hourly wages).
One drawback of the app is that, as of August 2024, it’s only available in 13 states (and Washington, DC). Check Qwick’s list of US markets to see if you live in an eligible location.
13.Wonolo
Wonolo, which stands for “Work Now Locally,” is another app you can use to pick up shifts. It offers a broader range of jobs than some of its competitors; you can find shifts in the hospitality industry, but also in warehousing and other manual labor work.
Instead of searching for shifts, you’ll select them from a curated list of positions that the app will send you every day. You can customize your profile to receive options that match your skills and schedule.
14.Upwork
Upwork is a popular platform for freelancers of all types. Whether you’re a graphic designer, a programmer, a virtual assistant, or something else entirely, you can find work on the platform.
While Upwork is free to sign up for, it charges a 10% service fee on all earnings. For $20 per month, you can upgrade your account to “Freelancer Plus,” which waives the service fee and gives you access to more tools that you can use to find clients and land jobs.
15.Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the most popular job boards you can use to find remote work. The platform’s original gimmick was that all jobs cost just $5, but these days, you can set your rates freely, and, as with Upwork, you can find practically any kind of gig on it.
16.UrbanSitter
UrbanSitter is one of the top babysitting apps on the market. You can apply directly for jobs on the platform; clients can also proactively reach out and contact you.
In addition to babysitting gigs, you can also find other types of caregiving work on UrbanSitter, including household cleaning, pet care, and senior care.
17.Care.com
Care.com is another caregiving and sitting platform. It’s one of the few gig apps that offers opportunities to find full-time jobs.
Similar to UrbanSitter, you can accept booking requests from employers or actively apply for jobs on Care.com. Visit the Care.com job directory to view all the jobs you can do on the platform.
Care.com fully mediates all bookings and charges a service fee for each one (which means it isn’t free to use). You can see the fee for each job before you accept the booking (fees vary from gig to gig)
18.Sittercity
Sittercity is yet another app you can use to find caregiving and sitting jobs (e.g., babysitting, pet sitting, etc.).
As an open marketplace, it’s a bit more hands-off than sites like Care.com, which do more to facilitate the job-hunting process. Upon connecting with you, clients will typically schedule an online or in-person interview to determine if the role is a good match on both sides.
19.Rover
Rover is one of the go-to apps for pet sitters and dog walkers looking for jobs. If you want to become a pet sitter and are just starting out, looking for clients on Rover is a good way to establish your client base and promote your business.
The way it works is that potential clients can browse your profile and peruse your services and rates. If they’re interested, they can send you a request, which you can then accept or decline.
20.Wag!
While the main service on Wag! is dog walking, the platform also offers other pet care services, such as pet training and pet boarding. If you want to become a dog walker full-time, you may want to use Wag! in tandem with other dog-walking apps.
Similar to Rover, pet parents will message you on Wag! upon viewing your profile if your services, schedule, and rates match their expectations.
21.Cambly
Cambly is a site that you can use to teach English online. You can teach both adults and children; in fact, it has separate platforms targeting each demographic. Consider which age group you’d like to teach before you become a tutor on Cambly so that you know which platform to sign up with.
The general Cambly app mainly targets adults, whereas Cambly Kids is for students aged 4-15 years old. That said, minors can still sign up for lessons on the general Cambly platform; it’s just less common.
22.iTalki
iTalki is another global language-learning platform that offers 1-on-1 lessons. Unlike Cambly, you can teach any language on iTalki.
The platform categorizes teachers into two types:
- Professional Teachers: These teachers must be certified or have prior teaching experience.
- Community Tutors: These are native or near-native speakers who are interested in teaching informally. They don’t need any formal qualifications or to have previously taught.
To become a teacher on iTalki, you must record and upload a 1-to-3-minute-long video introduction that demonstrates your teaching style and personality. The platform lets teachers set their own rates, and charges a 15% commission fee.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download iTalki
23.VIPTeacher
Formerly known as VIPKid, VIPTeacher used to be an English-teaching platform that targeted Chinese students. However, it’s expanded its focus, and is now a job board that offers varied roles in both teaching and adjacent fields (such as lesson planning).
This means you can find education-related work opportunities on VIPTeacher even if you don’t want to become an ESL teacher.
That said, VIPTeacher is still a decent place to find teaching gigs. To do this, you must be eligible to work in the US or Canada, have a bachelor’s degree, and hold some sort of teaching certificate.
Age requirement: There’s no listed age requirement, but you must have a bachelor’s degree.
Where to download VIPTeacher
24.Etsy
If you’d rather sell things online than do gig work, there are more than a few apps that you can use to do that.
Etsy is probably the first platform that comes to mind when you think about selling handmade items online. However, it’s worth noting that physical products aren’t the only thing you can sell on the platform; you can also sell printables on Etsy, as well as other digital products.
25.eBay
A global online marketplace giant, eBay is far and away one of the most popular apps you can use to sell your stuff. The platform has 123 million active users and lets you sell most types of everyday goods, as long as they aren’t on eBay’s list of restricted items (e.g., alcohol, firearms, and live animals).
It isn’t difficult to start selling on eBay. Just create an eBay account and list your products on the platform. Of course, if you want to boost your sales, you’ll need to promote your business, such as by using eBay’s Promoted Listings feature or advertising your store on social media.
eBay charges an insertion fee when you create a listing and a final value fee when you sell an item. The fees vary for products in different categories. Find out the exact fees for your products on eBay’s “Selling fees” page.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download eBay
26.Poshmark
Poshmark calls itself a “social marketplace,” which essentially means an e-commerce platform with social media elements. Buyers can follow their favorite brands and “closets” (curated listings) and like, share, and comment on items.
While Poshmark is one of the most popular apps to sell clothes, you can also sell a few other items on it, including shoes, select home goods, and unused personal care products.
Poshmark charges selling fees:
- For sales under $15: Poshmark charges a flat fee of $2.95.
- For sales of $15 or more: It charges 20% of the sale.
Age requirement: 13+ years old (requires parent or guardian consent for those under 18 years old)
Where to download Poshmark
27.Facebook Marketplace
You can access Facebook Marketplace through the ordinary Facebook app. It’s possible to ship items to buyers, but this platform is mainly meant for buying and selling locally.
As is usual for selling apps, you can sell most everyday goods on Facebook Marketplace, from furniture to clothes to garden tools, but there are prohibited items you can’t sell (e.g., weapons and healthcare products). Visit Facebook’s “Commerce Policies” page to see the full list of banned products.
Listing items on Facebook Marketplace is free, but you need to pay a 5% fee when you ship a package. You can bypass this by handing the item to your buyer in person.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download Facebook
(Again, you can access Facebook Marketplace through the regular Facebook app.)
28.Decluttr
Decluttr is an app for selling used items. The platform primarily focuses on electronics, but you can also sell certain media and entertainment goods, such as games and Blu-rays. Their FAQ explains what items Decluttr does and doesn’t accept.
This isn’t an open marketplace, meaning you won’t be selling to other users on the platform. Instead, Decluttr will make offers to you, purchase your items, and then resell them on their own. This makes the platform relatively easy to use, but it also means you may earn less money than if you sold to customers directly.
When you accept an offer from Decluttr, the platform will email you a free shipping label. Each order must include at least 10 media items or 1 tech item, and its total value must be at least $5.
Where to download Decluttr
29.Airbnb
You’ve probably already heard of Airbnb, which is an app that you can use to rent out a spare room (or an entire property), usually on a short-term basis.
To start a profitable Airbnb side hustle, you first need to ensure that your local regulations permit short-term rentals, then thoroughly clean and furnish the property so that your guests have a good experience.
Airbnb has two different types of service fee structures:
- Split-fee: This is the most common type of fee structure, with the host typically paying 3% of the booking subtotal and the guest paying approximately 14%.
- Host-only fee: On the other hand, this structure deducts the entire fee from your payout as the host.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download Airbnb
30.Neighbor
Neighbor is another app that lets you rent out spare space, which is one of the most convenient side hustles you can do from home.
In contrast to Airbnb, you won’t host actual people on Neighbor; instead, you’ll rent out space for storage. This means that in addition to spare rooms, you can rent out other spaces, such as your garage, shed, or driveway.
Neighbor collects payments from renters and ensures you’re paid at the end of each rental period. However, it charges a 4.9% + $0.30 processing fee on each monthly rental payout.
Age requirement: 18+ years old
Where to download Neighbor
31.Turo
Turo is an app you can use to rent out your car for money. Doing this is fairly simple—you just need to create a listing and wait for guests to make a booking.
You don’t need to manually approve all booking requests; Turo will automatically approve them. However, Turo won’t arrange vehicle pickups. Upon scheduling each booking, you need to figure out when and how to hand over the vehicle to the renter on your own.
32.Swagbucks
If you want to earn money without doing much actual work, it’s possible to take online surveys and play free games that pay real money. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, Swagbucks is a decent option.
You can earn a few dollars per hour with “microtasking” apps like this. This is a fairly low hourly rate—you can earn more with almost any other side hustle app on this list—but it requires very little effort, and there’s something to be said for its convenience. You can use Swagbucks while commuting or waiting for appointments, and there are virtually no barriers to signing up.
33.InboxDollars
Another widely used rewards app, InboxDollars also lets you earn small amounts of money by performing microtasks that require very little effort.
InboxDollars has the same parent company as Swagbucks, and the two platforms are very similar. However, we compared Swagbucks with InboxDollars and found that InboxDollar offers a slightly higher average hourly rate.
If you decide to try your hand at microtasking, keep your expectations realistic; you won’t earn much with this side hustle. However, if you use one or both of these apps strategically, you can earn at least a few extra dollars per week by spending just an hour per day on them.
