Everyone talks about money making apps like they’re going to change your life. Download this, earn that, cash out by Friday. So I decided to actually test five of the most popular ones for a full 30 days — tracking every minute I spent and every dollar I earned — to give you a real picture of what works and what wastes your time.
No sponsored reviews. No inflated numbers. Just honest results.
Here’s exactly what happened.
The Rules I Set Before Starting
To make this a fair test, I set three ground rules:
- Time limit: Maximum 30 minutes per day per app — realistic for a busy 9-to-5 worker
- No cherry-picking: Whatever tasks were available each day, I did them. No waiting for high-paying offers only
- Document everything: I tracked time spent, tasks completed, and money earned in a spreadsheet every single day
The five money making apps I tested were: KashKick, Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, InboxDollars, and Freecash.
Here’s how each one performed.
App #1: KashKick
Time spent: ~25 minutes/day average
Total earned in 30 days: $87.40
Hourly rate: ~$7.00/hour
KashKick was the clear winner of this money making apps experiment — but not for the reason most people expect.
The surveys on KashKick are fine — nothing special. They pay $0.50 to $2.50 each and I got disqualified from roughly 30% of them, which is frustrating but normal for any survey platform.
What made the difference was the game offers. I downloaded two games through KashKick’s referral links and played them consistently throughout the month. By day 27, both game milestones had cleared from pending, adding $64 in one hit to my balance.
The honest reality: most of that $87 came from those two games. Without them, my 30-day KashKick earnings from surveys alone would have been closer to $23. So if you’re not interested in mobile games, KashKick becomes a much less compelling money making app.
One frustration — I couldn’t cash out my game earnings until the 14-day pending period cleared. For anyone who wants fast access to their money, this is worth knowing upfront.
Verdict: Best money making app in this test, but mainly because of games. Survey-only users should temper expectations.
→ See the full breakdown in our KashKick app review.
App #2: Swagbucks
Time spent: ~20 minutes/day average
Total earned in 30 days: $31.20
Hourly rate: ~$3.10/hour
Swagbucks is the most well-known money making apps on this list and the results were… fine. Not exciting, but consistent.
The best earning method for me was the cashback shopping feature. I was already buying things online during the month, and by routing three purchases through the Swagbucks shopping portal, I picked up $14 in SB that required literally zero extra effort.
The surveys were hit-or-miss. My disqualification rate hovered around 40% — worse than KashKick — and several surveys ate up 10 minutes before kicking me out with nothing to show for it. That’s a known issue with Swagbucks that frequent users complain about regularly.
The video-watching feature earns so little it’s almost insulting — a few cents for 20 minutes of watching ads. I stopped doing it after day 5.
The $25 minimum for PayPal cashout is also a real barrier. I hit it on day 26, which felt slow. If you’re using gift cards, the $3 minimum makes Swagbucks far more accessible.
Verdict: Solid if you already shop online. Surveys are inconsistent. Good for passive cashback, not for active earning.
App #3: Survey Junkie
Time spent: ~20 minutes/day average
Total earned in 30 days: $28.50
Hourly rate: ~$2.85/hour
Survey Junkie does exactly what it says — pays you to take surveys. Nothing more, nothing less. And in its lane, it does it reliably.
The qualification rate was noticeably better than Swagbucks. Out of the surveys I started, I completed about 65% — significantly above the industry average. The interface is clean, survey availability was consistent, and I cashed out twice during the month (thanks to the low $5 minimum) without any issues.
The earning rate is modest. At roughly $2.85/hour, Survey Junkie won’t blow you away. But for people who want a dead-simple, no-nonsense make money on phone experience with no games or offers cluttering the interface, it’s the most honest app in this category.
Verdict: Best pure survey app. Low cashout minimum, decent qualification rate. Don’t expect to get rich, but don’t expect to get burned either.
App #4: InboxDollars
Time spent: ~25 minutes/day average
Total earned in 30 days: $22.80
Hourly rate: ~$1.82/hour
InboxDollars had the most confusing experience of any money making app I tested — not because it doesn’t pay, but because the range of earning methods varies so wildly in value.
The dollar-based system (no points) is genuinely refreshing. I always knew exactly where I stood. The $5 sign-up bonus got me halfway to my first cashout before I even started.
But the hourly rate was the lowest of the five apps. Reading promotional emails earned fractions of a cent. Video watching was similarly painfully slow. The surveys were better — usually $0.50 to $2.00 each — but the $3 processing fee on PayPal cashouts stings when you’re trying to cash out $15.
My advice: treat InboxDollars as a slow-burn supplement, not a primary earner. Let your balance build to $40–$50 before cashing out so that $3 fee barely matters.
Verdict: Honest and transparent, but slow. Best used alongside faster-paying apps.
App #5: Freecash
Time spent: ~20 minutes/day average
Total earned in 30 days: $41.30
Hourly rate: ~$4.13/hour
Freecash surprised me the most. As the newest money making app in this test, I expected it to underperform. Instead it came in second place overall.
The offer volume is excellent — there were always 15–20 active tasks available when I logged in, ranging from quick surveys to app installs and brand signups. The higher-paying offers (some paying $8–$20) do require more steps, but the payout-to-effort ratio was consistently better than Swagbucks.
The best feature is the speed. Several tasks credited to my account within minutes, and my first PayPal cashout (at the $5 minimum) arrived in under 20 minutes. For a make money on phone app, that’s genuinely impressive.
The one drawback — some of the higher-paying offers require you to try free trials or download services, which can get you on mailing lists if you’re not careful about unsubscribing. Read the offer terms before accepting.
Verdict: Best for fast cashouts and high offer volume. A strong alternative to Swagbucks for anyone who wants quicker access to their money.
30-Day Results Summary
| App | Time/Day | 30-Day Total | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| KashKick | 25 min | $87.40 | ~$7.00/hr |
| Freecash | 20 min | $41.30 | ~$4.13/hr |
| Swagbucks | 20 min | $31.20 | ~$3.10/hr |
| Survey Junkie | 20 min | $28.50 | ~$2.85/hr |
| InboxDollars | 25 min | $22.80 | ~$1.82/hr |
| Total | ~110 min/day | $211.20 | ~$3.80/hr avg |
$211.20 in 30 days, averaging about 110 minutes of phone time daily. That’s less than 2 hours — spread across a lunch break, a commute, and 30 minutes before bed.
Is that going to replace your income? No. But it’s real money that required no special skills, no investment, and no quitting your job. For the time put in, that’s a solid result.
What I’d Do Differently
Use KashKick and Freecash as your core. The hourly rates are meaningfully better than the others, and together they cover both the gaming and offers categories. That combination alone generated $128.70 of the $211 total.
Add Survey Junkie for surveys only. Its clean interface and low cashout minimum make it the best survey-only option. Use it when you want something brainless to do during TV time.
Skip InboxDollars unless you love the dollar-based system. The honest tracking is genuinely useful, but the slow hourly rate means it’s better as a passive add-on than a primary earner.
Don’t bother with Swagbucks video watching. The time-to-earnings ratio is terrible. Stick to cashback shopping and targeted surveys if you use Swagbucks at all.
The Bigger Picture
Money making apps are a real way to earn extra cash — but they have a ceiling. The most I can realistically sustain long-term from this stack is about $150–$200 a month with 60–90 minutes of daily effort.
If you want to push past that ceiling, the next step is building something that compounds — like a blog that earns from traffic, or a freelance skill that earns from clients. Check out our amateur blogging tips if you’re curious about turning your side hustle interest into something that grows month over month.
But for now? If you want to start making real money from your phone this week — without building anything, without investing anything, and without quitting your job — these five apps are where to start.
Start with KashKick and Freecash. Add Survey Junkie for surveys. Build from there.
You can also explore our guide to games that pay instantly to Cash App if the gaming side of this experiment appealed to you — there are platforms beyond KashKick worth knowing about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do money making apps actually pay?
Yes — all five apps in this test paid out real money during the 30-day period. Total verified earnings: $211.20.
Which money making app pays the most?
KashKick delivered the highest total in this test ($87.40), primarily from game milestone rewards. Freecash had the best hourly rate for pure offer completion.
How long does it take to earn $100 from money making apps?
With KashKick and Freecash combined, $100 in a month is very achievable for someone spending 30–45 minutes daily. Pure survey apps like Survey Junkie and InboxDollars alone would take closer to 6–8 weeks.
Are money making apps safe?
The five apps tested here are all legitimate, established platforms with millions of users and verified payment histories. Always use a dedicated email address and read offer terms carefully before accepting free trials.
Tried any of these apps yourself? Drop your results in the comments — I update this article regularly with reader experiences.
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