Wondering how to profit from the gig economy? In this article, we’ll talk about the gig economy and ultimately share the best gig economy apps out now.
You might have heard the phrase “gig economy” get thrown around in recent times — but what exactly is it?
Even though there isn’t a fixed definition, the gig economy can be briefly summarized as “an economy in which temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace, and companies tend toward hiring independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees.”
Even if you aren’t directly familiar with the term, you might have come across the gig economy in other ways — think freelancers, independent contractors, or that one friend of yours who is traveling the world and sustaining themselves by juggling various odd jobs.
57.3 million people freelance in the U.S. It’s estimated that by 2027 there will be 86.5 million freelancers. Why?
With the rise of laptops, mobile devices, and high-speed internet, you can access work from anywhere in the world or even on your couch. Millennials and freelancers are taking to the freelance market and using gig economy apps to cash in.
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Earn around $500 per week
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Our pick for best gig app
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5.0
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The Best Food Delivery Driver Apps
Most food delivery apps are similar, you can deliver food to others by car or bike and get paid. You likely make more depending on how much tip you get, but overall each service provides a similar experience.
According to Morgan Stanley Research, the best food delivery apps are:
- Uber Eats
- GrubHub
- DoorDash
- PostMates
- Delivery.com
- Eat24
- OrderUp
If you wanted to start delivering today and make great money on your own schedule, check out the following best delivery apps jobs to make money:
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1. DoorDash Driver
DoorDash is a food delivery service that allows you to deliver food via car or bike. Delivering with DoorDash, you get flexibility and financial stability. Dash for a living or for a goal, all on your schedule and on your own terms.
Sick of clocking in? Become your own boss and make your own schedule with DoorDash. Start earning now, it can pay as high as $30 per hour which you can see in the video below.
If you are interested you can take a look at the application page for DoorDash.
- Flexible schedule
- Keep 100% of customer tips
- Choose which orders to accept
- Peak Pay and hotspots make it easy to maximize your earnings
Download DoorDash Driver App: iOS | Android | Desktop
2. Instacart Grocery Shopper
Instacart pays you to pick up and deliver food from customers who opt to order groceries from home. You can deliver groceries from shops like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, CVS, Costco, Fairway, and more. Grocery shopping can now be fun if you’re getting paid. Instacart pays around $15 to $20 per hour in many markets, including tips.
- Get paid to shop for others
- 2 different types of work are available
- Work as much or as little as you want
Download Instacart Shopper App: iOS | Android | Desktop
3. Uber Eats
Uber Eats aims to expand the opportunities for diners to get immediate access and order the food they crave, from a variety of restaurants, at their fingertips. You can earn lucrative receive commissions as a new delivery partner. My niece does it and made over $100 in a day with just 4 hours put in, (tips help). If you’re interested in learning more, you can learn more about delivering with Uber Eats.
4. Postmates Fleet
Postmates has been acquired by Uber Eats, however, still runs under the Postmates brand. Here, you can deliver food or small items like home and office supplies. It’s free to sign up and fast to get started. There are no fees or time commitments, so you take home 100% of what you earn every time you complete a delivery. You can drive, bike scoot, or walk. If you are interested you can take a look at our review of what it is like working for Postmates.
The Best Ridesharing Apps
You already know that you can drive for apps like Uber or Lyft, but did you know that you can rent a car to use for any gig economy job (rideshare or delivery app), with no contracts or commitments? Hyrecar lets you do just that.
5. Uber
Uber allows you to be a driver and you can drive and even deliver packages for money and earn as much as you want. And, the more you drive, the more you’ll make. Plus, you’ll get paid weekly and your fares get automatically deposited. It’s similar to Lyft, and they are huge competitors so most drivers use both apps and drive when there is surge pricing to make the big bucks.
6. Lyft
Considering Uber vs Lyft? You should know that Lyft matches passengers with you (the driver) as they request rides through the smartphone app, and passengers pay you automatically through the app. Being a Lyft driver gives you that flexibility where you can prioritize the things you need to prioritize at a moment’s notice and earn a liveable wage just driving people around. When you drive for Lyft, you earn money for whatever you need, for example, offsetting the costs of your car, covering this month’s bills, or funding your dreams, Lyft will get you there. So, go ahead. Be your own boss.
The Best Apps for Dog Walkers
7. Wag
Wag! is the #1 dog walking app to book a dog walker on-demand, or at your convenience. Experience every step of your dog’s walk through text updates, live GPS tracking, pee/poo notifications, and photo report cards. Wag! dog walkers are thoroughly vetted and tested on dog handling experience. Wag! services are insured and bonded with customer support around the clock. Your pup is sure to love all of the amazing Wag!
8. Rover
Rover is better known for its pet sitting (dog and cats now) and dog walking features. Tasks on this app are traditionally more professional than Wag! The app is really easy to navigate and the application process does require an interview and a background check. Then once you’re in, you have to make sure your profile is top notch in order to get any seller traction. This one may not be for someone who isn’t ready to put in the work (even part-time gig economy workers).
Why not start your own business instead? When you list your services on Rover, you get access to thousands of dog owners near you who are looking for the perfect dog walker.
Rent Out Your Stuff Apps
9. Turo
Turo is a car rental marketplace where travelers can rent any car they want, wherever they want it, from a nationwide community of local car owners. What’s this mean for you? Turo allows you to share your car and you can earn up to $6,500 a year. Check here to see if Turo is available in your city to start sharing your car to start making money.
10. Getaround
Getaround is a peer to peer car sharing service has a wide range of cars which can be rented on an hourly or daily basis. Getaround boasts that you can turn your car into a second paycheck with no driving necessary. You’re paid monthly. Earn $1,000s per year actively sharing your parked car.
The Best On-Demand Apps
11. Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the easiest ways to make money in the gig economy. No matter what skills you have, with a little creativity you sell your services to a platform of motivated buyers. The catch? Gigs start at 5 dollars but you can charge more as you build your feedback and clients. This is a great gig economy app to have in your arsenal of making money from home.
12. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit (iOS) is a great way to make money in the gig economy. Extra bonus points if you have any skill sets that you can leverage on the app. But if you don’t, you can still get paid to do a variety of home services, from assembling IKEA furniture to moving help. Download the app, list your skills, your hourly rate, and hope for requests to pile in.
13. Handy
Handy is can get you paid for being a home cleaner and handymen, covering over 20 cities in North America, Canada, and the UK. Just tell the app what you’re good at, get paid, then get booked for a gig. Everything is done on the app, and it sounds easy because it really is that easy. Start earning today and build a relationship with customers in your area who will book and book you again.
Other Gig Economy Apps
If you wanted more ways to search for gig economy opportunities, here are some highly rated gig economy websites and apps that didn’t make the cut (we’ll call them honorable mentions).
14. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a favorite gig economy app for many people and has over 3 million users. Sign-up for free, it takes a few minutes, then begins earning money. The survey options to choose from is extensive, with short or long surveys. You can review just about every retail product, and even music as it considered one of the best paid surveys available.
Longer surveys pay more. Each survey is worth a number of points. You get paid $10.00 for every 1,000 points awarded in cash via PayPal. When you qualify for a survey, it tells you how long the survey will take (approx.) and the number of points awarded. Then you can calculate what each survey is worth and maximize your time.
Sounds like fun? Sign-up for Survey Junkie, take the surveys and earn money with this gig economy app.
15. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is probably the best-known gig economy app and is actually offering a $10.00 sign up bonus right now. Swagbucks rewards for more than just surveys, you can also get paid to download apps, play games, do web searches, watch videos and a lot more. The site has awarded over $195 million to its users. Once you have signed-up, there will be a list of surveys you qualify for. Finding a survey worth taking is easy. But you should look for surveys that have a point-to-minute ratio of 20.
The number of SBs (Swagbucks’ version of points) divided by the time for the survey equals the ratio. Once $1 is earned you can redeem it for a gift card of your favorite retailer. When $20.00 of SBs are earned, you can take it as cash through PayPal.
You can easily sign up with Swagbucks and take paid surveys and more.
16. Branded Surveys
At 12 years Branded Surveys is one of the oldest gig economy sites. It is one of the only online gig economy sites that is listed with the Better Business Bureau. It also offers an easy sign-up and once on the site, you will be shown an extensive list of surveys to choose from. Each survey will tell how much you will make once completed, so you can decide if it is worth taking.
If you are wondering if you should take the plunge and sign-up with Branded Surveys just remember that surveys are not going to make you rich, but you can make some money and have fun doing it.
Your best bet is to only surveys that are worth taking, with a high-point-to-minute ratio.
Complete a survey every free moment you have. Sign-up to more than one survey site and have fun and make some extra money with Branded Surveys.
17. Albert
If you’re an Albert user, you can get a cash advance of up to $250 from your next paycheck. Albert Instant is a feature from the Albert app that allows you to get an advance on your upcoming paycheck to help manage short-term expenses.
To qualify, you need to have a verified income source and a linked bank account. The app analyzes your financial patterns to determine your eligibility and the amount you can borrow, which is usually up to $250. Once eligible, you can request the advance through the app, and it will be automatically repaid from your next paycheck. This service helps you avoid high fees and interest rates typically associated with payday loans.
You can learn more about Albert here.
18. Fundrise
If you are looking for a gig economy app to make real wealth then you should know about Fundrise. Fundrise offers short-term real-estate deals with annual returns of 8.4% to 12.7%.
You pick your investment objectives, and Fundrise helps you allocate your funds.
You don’t have to be a millionaire to invest in real estate anymore. You can now invest in large-scale real estate for as little as $10 with Fundrise.
19. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is a convenient, easy way to make money on the internet. Like the other gig economy apps on this list, you take surveys, watch videos, play games, and much more. This online rewards club has over 1 million Facebook fans and has paid out $50 million in 2020.
If you sign up before the end of this month they will give you a $5.00 instant bonus. Inbox Dollars is highly respected is accredited with the Better Business Bureau. For some spending cash and having fun earning it, sign up for InboxDollars.
20. Nielsen Mobile
Nielsen has been around 90 years and is trusted as a research leader and great gig economy app. Register your devices and earn rewards with the Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel. By participating in Nielsen research, you can improve the products and services you use online today. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel combines your unique internet usage with people like you to build a picture of internet behavior. By using the internet as you do every day, Nielsen invites you to make a difference – and you can win prizes! Nielsen gives away $10,000 each month.
By installing the app, you receive up to $50.00 a year. There are dozens of rewards that can choose from their website.
Information Nielsen app collects:
- Names and types of apps or games.
- Addresses of websites you visit with content.
- The date and how long you were on the site.
- Date, time, and how long you were on phone calls.
- Date, time, or numbers/codes for texts.
- Much more information can be obtained from a cell phone.
To qualify you must live in the U. S. be between 18 and 45 years of age. It’s a really passive gig economy app. Click here to sign up for Nielsen.
21. LifePoints
What’s your opinion? Surfers who sign up to take surveys at LifePoints can earn rewards. It has been on the web since 2001 and is one of the most trusted survey sites.
For taking surveys, you can be compensated with cash, Amazon gift cards, and PayPal payouts. LifePoints uses the points to the cash-out method (1,000 points = $10.00). The surveys pay from $0.50 to $1.25 and vary in length from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and points vary from 30 to 300.
LifePoints is ranked high among its users and is in the top 5 paid survey sites on the web. For extra cash, LifePoints is still a good go.
22. Fetch Rewards App
Get paid for shopping by scanning the receipt and uploading it to Fetch. Fetch does not pay cash; instead, you get rewarded with gift cards. You earn $.10 for every dollar spent and can redeem 3,000 points for a $3.00 gift card.
The great thing about Fetch is it pays for everyday activities like shopping. Fetch is new it will take time to determine if it is a good payer or a scam. This is one app that you should at least try out and decide for yourself.
What is the Gig Economy?
Based on the idea of temporary jobs, as opposed to long-term positions, the gig economy has gained much traction over the years. In fact, over one-third of US workers (36%) participate in the gig economy, according to a new survey by Gallup.
Think about it: would you prefer working at your own time, from a location of your choice, or working for a corporation from a tiny office cubicle?
Not surprisingly, most people find the first option more appealing. In a hurry? While we will go over all of the popular gig economy apps in this article, these are three of the most popular gig economy jobs:
There’s no denying that the gig economy has heavily influenced the way traditional workplaces function. For one, due to the growing number of people appreciating the idea of “gigs”, traditional businesses seem to be losing consumers to these efficient and relatively cheaper service providers.
Take Airbnb or Uber (well-known models within the gig economy) for example. Airbnb is a success story that completely defies traditional notions of the workplace. Even individuals can learn valuable lessons from Airbnb’s business model, and incorporate the values of personalized service and intimate focus into their own freelancing models to be more successful.
Furthermore, businesses that distance themselves from technology such as the internet tend to be left behind by the benefits of the gig economy. Experts at Rutgers University advise businesses to accept and embrace the trend and its benefits, as the freelance market is predicted to rise to 40 million workers by 2021.
For these and other reasons, an increasing number of businesses have started to adapt their business models to better suit the needs of employees, allowing for remote working, flex time and more — reminiscent of the gig economy, but still centrally controlled. In fact, allowing for flexibility was named one of the top three workplace trends in 2021.
Is The Gig Economy For You?
But is the gig economy for everyone? More often than not, freelancers themselves are their own worst enemy. When working independently, it’s easy to forget to take breaks, work irregular hours, and leave tasks until the last minute.
Freelancers are often guilty of saying yes to every gig that comes their way, resulting in an overwhelming amount of work that doesn’t get completed efficiently and thoroughly. It’s important for freelancers to make sure they are not susceptible to these issues, so that they can maintain a relatively stable inflow of gigs (and, therefore, income). Freelancing comes with its own share of problems, such as overscheduling, not getting bills out on time, and filing freelancer taxes.
Some critics believe that only people with certain types of personalities are poised to succeed within this sort of working environment. In an article on Forbes, Mark Murphy claims that the three traits that are integral to success within the gig economy are enjoying risk and adventure over security, being goal driven and outcome-oriented, and being motivated by the achievement — rather than power or affiliation. It’s important to know oneself well enough and think about whether you would succeed as a freelancer before quitting your day job to take up various gigs.
While some people are forced into the gig economy due to loss of job or unfortunate circumstances, a large number of people choose to freelance out of their own volition.
A study by Freelancers Union and Upwork found that 60 percent of freelancers said they started freelancing by choice. And half of all freelancers say they wouldn’t stop freelancing for any amount of money.
So if you think you might be cut out for it, consider taking a chance with the new and uniquely growing gig economy — you might be pleased with what you find!
Want To Earn with Gig Economy Jobs?
There are many online gig economy apps and other passive income opportunities to make money online.
You should be aware that you are not going to get rich from most of these gig economy apps. However, they serve as a chance to live without a real job and pay rent.
Whatever your taste there seems to be plenty of ways to rake in extra cash online and enjoy the process with the best gig economy apps and gig economy jobs.
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From an Instacart Shopper:
Our base pay is $7 to $10. A typical shop takes 1 hour from begin to drop off, often longer. Our overhead is high. We have no benefits. $20 to $25 per hour, supplemented by a tip is my requirement.
Tip $13 for up to 35 items, then keep adding money as you add items. If you cannot tip this amount, having this information, you are being abusive to essential workers.
The comparison to servers is not correct; servers generally have 4 to 6 tables per hour and rarely get stiffed. We have one order we are handling (wouldn’t you prefer a well-tipped shopper to one knowing she is going to get a crappy tip handling your food).
The exception is very small orders (3 to 6 small items). Tip $5 minimum or more if you live far away). Thank you to our customers who don’t need lessons on etiquette.