With the pace of digitization and an ever more connected world, the gig economy has taken the workplace by storm. In recent years, the gig economy has changed the way people work. And it is growing, with more and more people abandoning the traditional employment paradigm and opting instead to work as freelancers or independent contractors.
The types of employment available through the gig economy could include professional services, food delivery, ridesharing, or even running errands. Seeing the pivot towards the gig economy, apps and platforms have mushroomed to help freelancers or independent contractors get more gig economy jobs.
The Gig Economy in 2023
The number of gig workers in the US is around 57.3 million, with people working on average between 11 and 30 hours a week. Gig workers frequently work in temporary or flexible positions. Gig economy workers have many different reasons for starting work in the gig economy and are often attracted to the flexible working hours and extra income that the gig economy offers.
Gig workers can work online from the comfort of their homes or within close range of their current residences. The gig economy is not exclusive to people working part-time gig jobs but also involves full-time positions as well. Looking for a guide on what gig jobs are? Check out our article What is a Side Hustle?
What Is a Gig App?
A gig app or gig economy app is either an app or web-based that helps you to either get a gig job or hire a gig worker. It could be freelance apps that help freelancers get gig jobs; on-demand apps where employers can post jobs; or platform-based apps that let you post your profile and set your own prices for employment as a gig worker. If you want to know more about the gid economy check out our article The History and Future of the Gig Economy
Benefits of Using Gig Economy Apps
Essentially gig apps help to connect gig workers to employers hiring talent for their open positions, additional benefits that gig apps offer include:
Convenience: Gig apps can be accessed from the palm of your hand making it easy for you to browse through and apply for job opportunities.
Offer a variety of job opportunities: gig apps offer gig workers the opportunity to find a wide variety of jobs. By just signing up on gig apps you can offer your services to several businesses.
Offer flexibility: by being a gig worker you can set your own working hours or take up a gig working as your own side gig. This gives you more free reign and not to have to follow a strict routine.
Best Gig Apps to Make Money
There are various gig applications where you may earn real money. Some even provide robust services, while others provide financial services and yet others provide user-friendly services. Here are some of the best gig economy apps:
1. Uber
Why not try Uber if you enjoy driving and want to make some extra money by giving rides? With this ride-sharing gig economy app, you can choose between driving full- or part-time. The standard fare and surge fares are among the prices you can set on Uber. During such times, when there aren’t enough vehicles on the road to accommodate everyone who needs a ride, you can charge more. Peak hours and bad weather conditions also have surge fares.
2. DoorDash
DoorDash is considered the best food delivery service to work for. It allows users to earn money by making food deliveries while keeping flexible hours allowing you to accept or reject the job. However, if you choose to take on a delivery you must pick up the food and deliver it to the customer as soon as you accept the job. Payment is based on each delivery, and the amount you receive will depend on how far you have to travel and how long it takes to deliver the food.
3. Instacart
If offering a shopping service is your thing why not consider using Instacart? All you need is to create an account at shoppers.instacart.com. To finish the sign-up process, simply download the Shopper gig economy app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Once you’ve been given the go-ahead to shop, you can register and start earning money whenever it suits you.
4. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a very well-known task-based marketplace where people looking for work can connect. Some popular job categories on TaskRabbit include odd jobs like domestic cleaning, furniture construction, painting projects, garden work, and general household maintenance tasks. If you find consistent TaskRabbit work, you can expect to make more than minimum wage with some TaskRabbit gigs offering high rates per hour.
5. Qwick
Qwick connects people and businesses planning events with qualified chefs, servers, bartenders, and concession attendants to staff these events. It allows you to pick the shifts you want to work and to receive payment as soon as 30 minutes after your shift ends. To provide gig workers with a consistent flow of available jobs, Qwick collaborates with hotels, catering companies, event venues, convention centers, and restaurants.
This gives gig workers the freedom to choose only the shifts that work with their schedules, receive payment right away, network with companies, and increase their chances of being hired for long-term positions.
6. Airbnb
People looking for short-term rental accommodations frequently use Airbnb. People can earn money from their homes using Airbnb without having to become traditional landlords, allowing them to work for themselves. With this gig app, users can easily manage reservations and rent out their homes, apartment, or even just a single room to make some quick money.
Airbnb makes it incredibly convenient for people to rent and pay because everything is handled through the platform. Guests will pay you through the Airbnb app, and the money will be directly transferred to your bank account. You can set your own rates as well as your own schedule for renting out your home.
7. Freelancer
More than five million people have downloaded the freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace Freelancer. By working as a freelancer, you can connect with employers and find work from anywhere while doing what you love. It provides a flexible work schedule and a large employer pool.
You can simply create a free account to get started, then browse the available jobs and submit a bid on any projects that fit your skill set.
8. Amazon Flex
Amazon Flex is an on-demand shopping service targeting gig workers. By signing up to drive for Amazon Flex, you can use your car to deliver packages for Amazon to customers. You’ll perform deliveries as a freelancer on your own business and schedule. If you’re up for the challenge, you can set your schedule, and it appears that you’ll have a lot of packages to deliver.
The app will assist you with handling all the tasks drivers must complete, including scheduling, scanning package barcodes, mapping out the delivery route, scanning the package once more at the delivery location, and providing visual delivery proof through the use of photos.
9. Rover
Rover is an app that connects dog owners who need services for their pets with service providers. With it, you can connect with nearby pet owners using the Rover app and get paid for dog walking, boarding, or drop-in visits. Sign up for a Rover account and complete the profile to get started.
When a dog owner views your Rover profile and decides to request your services, the request will show up in your ‘Pending Requests’ section. You can click the request to view the necessary information and opt to take it on it if it’s a good fit.
10. Etsy
Etsy offers an online marketplace where people can sell their handmade, vintage, or original goods. With it, you can easily run your e-store business while on the go and sell items. Powerful tools and services to manage and expand your business are among the extra benefits. For each item listed, Etsy charges $0.20 and keeps a 6.5% commission as a transaction fee.
Payments will be received by Etsy sellers through Etsy Payment, which is the website’s own payment processing system. It enables merchants to accept a variety of payments, including bank transfers, credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and gift cards from Etsy.
11. Grubhub
Customers can use the Grubhub delivery app to order food from their preferred restaurants through the Grubhub food delivery service. It collaborates with a range of eateries, including small neighborhood joints and major national chains.
Your base pay and any potential bonuses are combined to determine how much you make per delivery. Your base pay is adjusted for things like mileage, delivery type, delivery time, and your local market.
12. Dolly
Dolly is an on-demand delivery app that links people who need help moving things and movers. Depending on the type of vehicle you drive, you can either drive as a ‘Helper’ or a ‘Hand’. Helpers must be physically able to lift more than 75 pounds and have their own pickup trucks.
On the other hand, hands are only there to provide additional assistance. Prices on Dolly are set based on dumber and type of items, distance covered, service level (standard or curbside), and other factors.
13. Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelance gig software platform that helps professionals find work. Fiverr allows you to offer freelance services and connect with potential customers all on one platform.
You can have one setup or multiple gigs depending on how much time you’re willing to put in. It claims to have job openings in over 116 different service sectors. Fiverr will charge a 5.5% service fee for its services.
More Popular Apps for Gig Economy Jobs
Looking for more popular gig economy jobs? These apps allow you to do small tasks and jobs and get paid on the side.
14. Survey Junkie
If you want to make money while sharing your views, why not consider accepting payment? For completing surveys and answering survey questions, brands will pay you to do surveys online utilizing Survey Junkie. After completing surveys, you receive points that may be redeemed for PayPal cash or gift cards.
15. Lyft
Lyft is a gig network that connects drivers with consumers looking for rides. This app also allows riders to arrange rides up to a week in advance. It alerts the driver’s arrival and offers the passenger an anticipated fee, just like other rideshare apps.
In select markets, drivers may also opt-in to deliver items like groceries, medical supplies, and home necessities. With this gig app, drivers get additional insurance policies, at no cost and can even earn more money if they work during peak periods.
16. Uber Eats
The ridesharing app Uber offers a food delivery service called Uber Eats. As an Uber Eats driver, your duties will include gathering food orders from nearby restaurants and delivering them to customers. You may sign up as a food delivery driver on the Uber Eats app and work whenever you want; there is no set schedule.
Open the food delivery app, then look to see if there are any orders for meal delivery nearby. You can approve the request and go to the restaurant to pick up and deliver the food.
17. Upwork
Freelancers can find employment across all industries and skill sets with the Upwork app. This app is the go-to app for gig work for people with a variety of occupations, including authors, graphic designers, web developers, data entry clerks, and virtual assistants.
It has a good selection of open positions, the ability to work remotely, screen clients, aid in payment collection, and frequently offers higher-paying projects than other gig economy apps.
18. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a well-known paid survey site where you can get rewards for online shopping, playing video games, doing web searches, and responding to surveys. When you have accumulated enough points, you may exchange them for gift cards to online stores like Amazon and Walmart or for PayPal cashback.
19. Grabr
Grabr assists with connecting customers looking for items they can’t get locally with travelers who are headed in their direction and can deliver these items while traveling. With it, you may also finance your international travel by purchasing treats, gadgets, watches, shoes, and cosmetics for others. Grabr charges customers a service fee to pay development costs, including operating and support costs.
20. EasyShift
With EasyShift, you may find shifts to work in neighboring retailers and businesses. EasyShift’s gig app pays you when you snap product images, verify prices, and review special deals. You usually get paid for finishing quick tasks within 48 hours for jobs that commonly have fifteen-minute shifts. There are no restrictions on experience, and you can choose from a variety of flexible hours.
21. iVueit
iVueit is an app that helps you to make money taking photos with your smartphone With this app, you can earn money by taking pictures of and learning about commercial properties nearby. It’s that easy. You only need to take pictures of the architecture, scenery, and commercial spaces.
Every time your vues are approved, payment is made through the iVueit wallet, which is credited. Simply choose to withdraw in the wallet, and money will be sent to your PayPal account in 24 hours. In an ever-connected world, there are plenty of ways to make money on your phone.
22. StreetCrowd
You can rent out your car on the StreetCrowd app by the minute and leave it in a designated spot. City dwellers should find it simpler to access dependable, hygienic, and secure shared transportation options thanks to the app. The app also allows you to get a free ride while sending cars to busy locations.
23. Google Opinion Rewards
Through the Google Opinion Rewards app, you can complete quick surveys to earn Google Play credit. After downloading the app and providing some basic personal information, you will receive surveys once a week; however, they may come more frequently or less frequently.
You’ll get a notification on your phone when a quick and relevant survey becomes available, and you could win up to $1.00 in Play credit. Possible questions include which promotion is the most effective, which logo is the best, and when you intend to take your next vacation.
24. Wonolo
Wonolo is an on-demand staffing app that helps you find consistent, flexible work. It can help you find shifts as well as temporary and permanent job opportunities in your area. Wonolo will assist you in finding your next gig job in warehousing, food production, and merchandising, as well as washing and cleaning. You can work when you want, where you want, and get paid when you want with it.
25. CoinOut
CoinOut is a receipt app that lets users earn cashback for uploading their receipts. For snaps of your receipts, CoinOut pays you a few cents for each receipt and allows you to cash out at any time. The advantage of CoinOut is that it rewards you in cash rather than points.
All you have to do to get cashback is submit any receipt into the app. You don’t have to look for specific bargains or spend time checking to see if a certain merchant participates in the program. Simply snap and earn. Receipts must be uploaded within two weeks of the original purchase date and must include the date, retail name, products purchased, and bill amount, and be legible.
What Is the Best Paying Gig App?
DoorDash has enticing rewards. In addition to the base income, you will receive 100% of the tips and will be rewarded more through promotions such as Peak Pay and challenges.
What Is the Best App for Finding Side Gigs?
Qwick is considered the best gig economy app for finding side gigs This hospitality and event industry staffing service matches qualified individuals with flexible shifts. Freelancers seeking work as dishwashers, bartenders, baristas, line cooks, or banquet servers may find it with Qwick and get paid as early as 30 minutes after the job is done.
What Gig Apps Pay the Same Day?
There are many gig economy apps that offer same-day pay such as DoorDash, Instacart, Uber Eats, Qwick, and Survey Junkie.
Are Gig Apps Worth It?
Yes, they are. More and more individuals are seeking flexibility in their employment due to the growth of the gig economy, and gig applications are living up to their promises. Gig applications aid in connecting contractors with customers and in arranging working conditions, payments, reservations, and other aspects of gig labor.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "Best Gig Apps for Making Money in 2023" was first published on Small Business Trends
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