30+ Best Gig Apps: Top Job Apps to Make Money in 2023
What if we told you there’s a magical band-aid that can prevent you from bleeding out of cash during a recession, job loss, and most other worst-case scenarios? That band-aid is a financial cushion—liquid investments and saved-up cash for a rainy day.
Sounds great. But how can you build this cushion if you’re living hand-to-mouth?
One way to do this is by getting a side gig.
Don’t know what kind of gig to do, where to look, or how to start? We’re going to help you with our list of 30+ gig apps tailored to your needs.
More articles on side hustles:
30+ Best Apps for Gigs and Independent Contractor Apps in 2024
Here’s a list of the most useful gig apps, and their pros and cons:
1. DoorDash
Doordash offers on-demand delivery or pickup services from restaurants, and nearby convenience stores—and this delivery giant is recruiting drivers by the minute. If you’re over 18 and have any kind of vehicle (car, scooter, or bicycle), you can become a Dasher.
- Earn as high as $15–$20/hour.
- Choose whether to accept incoming orders.
- Meet qualifications, like age, car insurance, and background checks.
- Work opportunities and larger orders depend on your location—you may not earn as much in smaller towns.
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2. Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace for independent artists, crafters, and vintage collectors. You can easily set up an online Etsy store and sell products to make some serious side money.
Sounds great. But what if you don’t want to create new products constantly?
One solution is to create and sell printable—a one-time investment that will keep churning out money month after month—it’s the perfect passive income gig! Gold City Ventures’ course on E-printables can help you get started right away.
- Setting up shop is easy and intuitive.
- $0.20 fee per listing for four months.
- Pay recurring listing fees.
- Your listing may suffer if not properly optimized for SEO.
3. BabyQuip
Does the name ring a bell? You’ve probably seen these folks make a killer pitch on the Shark Tank.
BabyQuip is a leading baby equipment rental service and marketplace that offers thousands of baby gear items in over 1000 cities in the US.
Have baby items lying around at home? Become a “Quality Provider” on BabyQuip and rent out your stuff to other families in need.
- Provides liability insurance—protecting your products against damage.
- Earn as high as $5,000/month.
- Upfront fee of $200, and a high commission rate of 22%.
- Steep competition as the number of providers is steadily increasing.
4. Survey Junkie
Here’s an online market research community that rewards you for simply sharing your opinion. Survey Junkie has a Trustpilot score of 4.3 out of 5—so it’s a legit way of making some easy money.
- Sign up for free.
- Redeem points for Paypal and electronic gift cards.
- $5 threshold for cashing out—difficult to achieve in the beginning.
- Low earning potential—most surveys pay $0.50–$3.
5. Grubhub
Grubhub is a popular food delivery service that lets customers place orders on their website and app. Consider driving for Grubhub to make a good second income. You’ll need to be over 18, have a car (or a bike in select areas), and the necessary documentation.
- Get guaranteed minimum earnings of $12/hour.
- Set your own schedule.
- Bad, moody, shady, customers. You know the drill.
- Some side hustlers say late requests from other drivers can be transferred to you last minute.
6. Shipt
This membership-based grocery marketplace delivers fresh foods and household essentials. Bag a flexible delivery job by becoming a Shipt Shopper—you can set your own schedule and pocket 100% of your tips.
- Make $15–$17 per order after tips.
- Pick your orders. Pro tip—check the “promo pay” section for higher-paying orders before accepting anything.
- Pay for your own gas and car maintenance.
- “Promo pay” may not always apply—you may have to do some low-paying deliveries.
7. Amazon Flex
Flex is a new program from Amazon that allows independent contractors to work as delivery partners for the brand. Sign up for the program as a driver—and deliver using your own vehicle to make some extra bucks.
- Every American uses Amazon—expect consistent work.
- Drop your kids off at school in the morning, and start work at noon—nobody’s keeping tabs.
- Long list of qualifications, including age, driver’s license, insurance, background checks, and a smartphone.
8. Uber
This transportation giant lets customers hail a ride—drivers charge fares and get paid. Signing up to work with Uber gives you access to their feature-loaded Driver app that lets you schedule your work day and track earnings.
- Flexible gig—work as much or as little as you like.
- Uber provides commercial insurance that covers your ride from the start of a trip until it ends.
- You’re an independent contractor—so no overtime pay or benefits.
- The terms and conditions can and will change frequently—you have to keep an eye out.
9. Lyft
Lyft, Uber’s archrival, is another leading ride-hailing app. You can use your own vehicle or a rental and drive for Lyft—you’ll receive weekly payments via the Lyft Driver app.
- Flexible work hours.
- Instant pay with the Lyft debit card.
- Lyft won’t reimburse you for fuel, maintenance, and repairs.
- Surge pricing is always at inconvenient times—you either wake up early or burn the midnight oil.
10. HyreCar
All these driving side hustles sound great. But what if you don’t have a car to drive for Uber or Lyft? Don’t worry—HyreCar is a peer-to-peer car-sharing company that lets you rent a car to drive for a rideshare service.
- Work on multiple ridesharing platforms at the same time.
- You can rent a different car every week.
- Not the best long-term solution if you’re serious about delivery and ride-sharing gigs.
- You’ll have to usually figure out how to pick up and drop off a car from the owner.
11. Getaround
This renowned car-sharing marketplace gives users a cost-effective alternative to car ownership. Getaround can be a perfect gig app if you have a car that you aren’t using much. Rent out your ride, price your bookings—and start earning when guests use your car.
- Earn as much as $10,000/year.
- Save the planet—make Greta Thunberg proud.
- One-time rental fee of $100/car, and ongoing fees of $20/month.
- Getaround has a limited market and isn’t available in all American cities yet.
12. TaskRabbit
Here’s a cool app that connects a “skilled tasker” (aka you) with people who need your help with stuff like cleaning, furniture assembly, home repairs, and more. TaskRabbit lets you pick what services you offer—and set your own rates.
- Decide how to price your services.
- Offer as many services as you want.
- Upfront joining fees of $25.
13. Bellhop
Bellhop is a fast-growing moving company that lets users pick from various local, long-distance, and labor-only moving services. You can become a mover with Bellhop even without prior experience—the company offers on-the-job training to get you up and running.
- Flexibility—cancel a job 24 hours before it starts with no consequences.
- Earn as much as $21/hour.
- Physically-taxing job—you should be able to lift at least 100 pounds.
- Work opportunities can be inconsistent.
14. Dolly Helpers
DollyHelpers is a popular gig app that lets you use your truck, trailer, van, or just your muscle power to help others move. You can use the Helper app to set your schedule and get paid twice a week.
- Flexible work schedule.
- You can pocket all your tips.
- These guys are thorough—their background checking can take up to 10 days.
15. Upwork
As one of the world’s largest marketplaces for digital services, Upwork is a freelancer’s paradise. Join for free, complete your profile—and start looking for freelance jobs.
- Control over who you work with
- Create multiple sources of income.
- 5%–10% commission fee.
- You’ll have to work in isolation.
16. Fiverr
If you’re like me, you’d rather feast on sandpaper than bid on jobs. Thankfully, we anxious folk can turn to Fiverr. The platform puts your portfolio in front of clients looking to hire freelancers for different projects—you don’t go to clients, they come to you.
- Tons of work opportunities.
- You don’t have to bid on jobs.
- 20% Commission rate.
- The platform promotes experienced freelancers—you may struggle if you’re a newbie.
17. Care.com
Care.com is an innovative online marketplace that lets families connect with caregivers. If you’re compassionate and have great communication and observation skills, you can become a caregiver to help families in need.
- Earn $15–$20/hour.
- Get paid instantly via Stripe.
- The background check can take over two months!
- $20/month for a premium subscription.
18. Wag!
If you’re a dog lover, you have to check out Wag! The app connects pet owners with many professionals for on-demand and scheduled pet care services like dog walking, training, and more.
Sign up as a dog walker, set your own schedule, work with adorable clients—and make some great side income.
- You’ll work with dogs—no stress, office politics, or any kind of disappointment you’d expect from humans.
- It gets better—you can earn up to $43/hour with this gig.
- You’ll have to pass a few background checks and pet quizzes.
- You can’t take the dogs home.
19. VIPKid
VIPKid is a pioneer in the online learning space. If you’re a fluent English-speaking teacher, use this app to make money teaching the language through 25-minute lessons.
- Choose to teach live, or record a demo session.
- Access ready-made lesson plans and teaching materials.
- Language barriers.
- Decreasing demand since after the pandemic outbreak.
20. Gigwalk
Here’s a cool micro-job app that pays you to perform small tasks based on your location.Gigwalk lets you pick from gigs that take anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours—or based on how much money you want to make.
- Earn anywhere from $3 to $100/hour.
- Get paid via PayPal.
- Users say the app can sometimes be glitchy.
21. Steady
Here’s a mobile app that connects you to side hustle opportunities that match your interests and budget needs. The app also has unique Income Boosters—hand-picked opportunities for you to earn cash incentives through Steady’s trusted partners.
- Most jobs pay $10–$25/hour.
- Affordable premium plan—at just $1.99/month.
- 10% commission on your earnings.
22. Handy
Handy is a convenient home service app that lets customers book home cleaners and handymen across 20 cities in the US. This is a great pick if you’re looking for side hustle apps that pay on the same day—you get direct deposit payments as soon as your job is done.
- Earn up to $60/hour.
- Work as little as two hours or as much as 10 hours a day.
- $10 penalty for canceling 24 to 48 hours before the job ($50 penalty for no show).
- Customers can cancel with no penalty (insert Zendaya eye-rolling gif).
23. Lawnlove
Here’s an app that lets you run your lawn care business like a breeze. Lawnlove connects you to thousands of local homeowners, across 110 cities in the US, looking for lawn care services.
- Earn $20–$40/hour.
- Fellow side hustlers are loud about this company’s “family-like culture”.
- Inconsistent work opportunities.
24. Wonolo
Wonolo is a user-friendly app that lets you hunt for temporary and side hustle opportunities near you. You can sign up, create a profile—and sort through jobs by industry, location, and so on.
- Flexible work schedule.
- No resume or interviews to join.
- Available in limited areas.
- Users have reported issues with customer support.
25. Jobble
Jobble is one of the largest gig marketplaces in the US for independent workers. You can filter the gigs based on factors like how much time you’re willing to spend, how far you’re willing to travel, and the like.
- User-friendly app.
- No payout threshold.
- Limited earning opportunities.
26. Lugg
Lugg is a unique on-demand moving and delivery service that lets users book movers and trucks within an hour. You can pick your work schedule, get paid daily—and make more income through tips when you work as a Lugger.
- Set your own work hours.
- Pocket all your tips.
- You’ll have to pay for vehicle wear and tear.
27. Hellotech
Hellotech is a cool app for booking same-day on-site and 24/7 online tech support services such as computer repair, TV mounting, smart home installations, and more. Pick the gigs you want to work and get paid twice a week.
- Earn anywhere from $10 to $100/hour.
- Grow your skill set by joining the app’s tech community.
- Long application process to become a technician.
28. YourMechanic
YourMechanic is disrupting the car repair industry by creating a marketplace for mobile mechanics.
As a mechanic, you’ll provide door-to-door service to customers with car problems. Working with YourMechanic lets you set your own schedule and decide how much work to take on.
- Earn up to $70/hour.
- Set your own schedule.
- You’ll do your own taxes, and get no benefits, as you’ll be an independent contractor.
29. Zeel
If you’re a qualified yoga, physical therapy, nursing, or massage practitioner, the zeel app can connect you to customers needing your service.
Joining the network lets you earn high pay on a weekly basis, set your schedule—and access unlimited referral bonuses.
- Flexible work.
- Grow a loyal clientele.
- You may come across non-tippers, resulting in lower pay.
30. Job Spotter
Here’s a unique app from Indeed.com that rewards you for simply spotting jobs.
Submit signs of ”help wanted” or ”we are hiring” on Job Spotter and earn Amazon store credit.
- Fun way to earn rewards.
- You can only cash out in Amazon gift cards.
32. Neighbor
Have an empty storage space you aren’t using? The Neighbor app lets you list your space and rent it to strangers on a monthly basis.
You’re in control of when and how a renter uses your space—the app also provides several property protection plans.
- Consistent high demand for storage spaces in the US.
- It’s easier to maintain storage spaces than rental cars or vacation homes.
- You’ll need to trust strangers with your space.
Key FAQs on Gigs and the Gig Economy
Let’s answer some of the common questions you may have about gigs and the gig economy.
1. What is the gig economy?
2. How do freelancers benefit from the gig economy?
3. Do gig workers owe taxes?
4. Do gig economy workers receive benefits?
Key Takeaways
From an economic standpoint—with an impending recession and huge tech corporations leading layoffs—stepping outside the box to solve your financial needs is critical.
One of the best ways to do this is to use gig apps. The right app can fetch you temporary or freelance jobs that best suit your goals.
Go through this list of the best gig apps, shortlist your favorites, and get started!
SOURCES
Atske (2021, December 8). The State of Gig Work in 2021. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/12/08/the-state-of-gig-work-in-2021/
Gig Economy Tax Center | Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.irs.gov/businesses/gig-economy-tax-center