If you’re looking for easy ways to make passive income and boost your bank balance, you’re in the right place. There are several apps out there that can help you make money without much effort—whether it’s through investing, watching videos, or completing small tasks.
Passive income means you earn money without actively working for it. You can make money even when you’re not doing anything extra. There are different kinds of apps that can help you make passive income, generally falling into two categories: investment apps and task-based apps.
Investment Apps
Investment apps let you put your money to work without needing to be an expert. These apps help you invest in things like stocks, bonds, and real estate, often with lower risks compared to traditional investment methods. The goal is to let your money grow on its own while you sit back and relax.
1. Acorns
Acorns rounds up your purchases and automatically invests your spare change. For example, if you spend $3.75 on coffee, Acorns will invest that extra $0.25 for you. It’s a simple and effortless way to start investing.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $10
- Referral Bonus: You and your friend both get $5 for each referral
- Minimum Investment: No minimum for round-ups
- Investment Options: Stocks, ETFs, crypto
2. Stash
Stash allows you to start investing with as little as $5, and you can choose from various types of assets based on your risk tolerance. It’s a great choice if you want to get into investing without a huge initial commitment.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $5
- Investment Options: Stocks, ETFs, bonds
3. M1Finance
M1Finance makes it easy to create a diversified investment portfolio. You can set up automatic reinvestments and let your money work for you without extra effort.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $100
- Investment Options: Stocks, ETFs, bonds
4. Fundrise
Fundrise allows you to invest in real estate with as little as $500. It’s a great way to earn passive income from commercial and residential properties without needing to manage them yourself.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $500
- Investment Options: Real estate (REITs)
5. Robinhood
Robinhood is a zero-commission investment app that makes it easy to invest in stocks, ETFs, and even cryptocurrency. It’s beginner-friendly and has no fees, making it a solid choice for those new to investing.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Free stock when you sign up
- Referral Bonus: Free stock for referring friends
- Minimum Investment: No minimum
- Investment Options: Stocks, ETFs, crypto
6. Wealthfront
Wealthfront offers a hands-off approach to investing, with an automated service that handles everything for you. You can set it up and let it grow your investments over time.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $500
- Investment Options: ETFs, stocks, bonds
7. Betterment
Betterment is another great app for passive income, helping you invest your money and grow it over time with minimal effort. It’s perfect for those just starting to invest with low fees and automatic reinvestments.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $10
- Investment Options: Stocks, ETFs, bonds
8. Masterworks
Masterworks allows you to invest in shares of iconic artworks by famous artists. While it’s a more unique option, it can be a fun and profitable way to earn passive income.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Minimum Investment: $500
- Investment Options: Art (shares in paintings)
Task-Based Apps
While investment apps are about putting money in and letting it grow, task-based apps require a bit more participation from you. However, these apps usually pay more and can still be a good source of semi-passive income.
9. Swagbucks
Swagbucks lets you earn money by completing simple tasks like taking surveys, watching videos, and shopping online. It’s a fun way to earn rewards without a lot of effort.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $10
- Ways to Earn: Surveys, watching videos, cashback shopping, playing games
- Minimum Cashout: $10 via PayPal
10. Ebates (Rakuten)
Ebates (now called Rakuten) gives you cashback for shopping online at over 2,000 retailers. It’s a simple way to make money back on purchases you’d make anyway.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $30 if you make a purchase of $25 or more
- Ways to Earn: Shopping online
- Minimum Cashout: $5 via PayPal
11. InboxDollars
InboxDollars rewards you for doing simple things like watching videos, taking surveys, and reading emails. You can also earn extra by referring friends.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $5
- Referral Bonus: 30% of each referral’s earnings
- Ways to Earn: Surveys, reading emails, playing games, cashback shopping
- Minimum Cashout: $15 via PayPal
12. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
This app collects data about your internet usage and pays you for it. Once installed, it runs in the background, and you get rewarded for letting it track your activities.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Ways to Earn: Passive data collection
- Minimum Cashout: Varies
13. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a popular app where you can earn money by sharing your opinion on different products and services. It’s an easy and quick way to make some extra cash.
- Sign-Up Bonus: 100 points ($1)
- Ways to Earn: Paid surveys
- Minimum Cashout: $5 via PayPal
14. Ibotta
Ibotta pays you cashback for making purchases, either online or in-store. Just take pictures of your receipts or link your accounts, and you can earn real money or gift cards.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $10
- Ways to Earn: Cashback on grocery and online purchases
- Minimum Cashout: $20 via PayPal
15. Honeygain
Honeygain is an app that allows you to share your internet connection with others and get paid for it. It’s completely passive income, as you don’t have to do anything other than keep the app running.
- Sign-Up Bonus: $5
- Ways to Earn: Sharing your internet connection
- Minimum Cashout: $20
16. Sweatcoin
Sweatcoin rewards you for walking. Every step you take is converted into Sweatcoin, which you can redeem for products, services, or cash.
- Sign-Up Bonus: Varies
- Ways to Earn: Walking
- Minimum Cashout: Varies (products, services, or cash)
Final Thoughts
There are many passive income apps out there, and whether you want to invest or do simple tasks, there’s something for everyone. If you’re looking for easy ways to make money on the side, check out the apps mentioned above and start earning today!
