So you want your phone to start earning its keep? Fair enough. Between doom-scrolling and re-watching the same three shows, there's a decent window of time each day where your phone could be quietly putting a few extra dollars in your pocket instead.
We've all seen those “50 apps that pay you to breathe” listicles. The problem is most of them are recycled from American blogs, and half the apps either don't work here, don't exist anymore, or were never that great to begin with. So we went through, tested our assumptions, and stripped it back to apps that are actually available to Australians right now, and worth your time.
A quick reality check before we dive in: none of these will replace your income. Think of them as a fun way to turn spare moments — the bus ride, the ad break, the queue at Woolies — into a bit of extra cash, gift cards, or investment top-ups.
Bank Sign-Up Bonuses Worth Grabbing
Get $18 free with Up Bank.
No fees, no foreign transaction fees, best-in-class app. Join 1M+ Australians banking smarter.
Claim $18 Bonus →
Score $30 when you join uBank.
Zero monthly fees and competitive savings rates. Sign up and make 5 purchases to unlock the bonus.
Claim $30 Bonus →Get paid for your opinion (survey & panel apps)
Swagbucks
Swagbucks rewards you for stuff you're probably already doing online: shopping, watching videos, browsing, and taking paid surveys. Points convert to PayPal cash or gift cards, and the platform has paid out serious money to members worldwide over the years. Easy one to start with. Read our full review.
Survey Junkie
One of the best-known names in paid surveys is Survey Junkie, and yes, it's genuinely open to Australians (along with the US, Canada, and UK). Fill out your profile, get matched to short surveys, and cash out via PayPal once you hit the threshold. Don't expect big money, but it's a legit, low-effort way to earn while you're on the couch. Read our full review.
Get Paid For Your Opinion
Join MyOpinions, Australia's top-rated panel.
Earn points for surveys, redeemable via PayPal, gift cards or Uber Vouchers. Free to join in minutes.
Join MyOpinions →
Earn up to $7 per survey with OpinionWorld.
One of the lowest cashout thresholds around, with fast PayPal payouts and flexible rewards.
Join OpinionWorld →Google Opinion Rewards
Straight from Google, this one's been available in Australia since 2014 and is still going strong. You'll get the occasional short survey (a handful of questions, under a minute each) and earn up to $1 in Google Play credit or PayPal cash per survey. Not going to fund a holiday, but it's an easy passive top-up.
NielsenIQ Beauty Panel
If you're a woman 18+ who buys beauty or hygiene products, this one's worth a look. Scan the barcodes of what you buy, rack up points, and redeem for an e-voucher. There's also a $10 e-voucher just for joining.
Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
Nielsen also runs a broader panel that pays you in points just for letting them anonymously track general browsing habits across your devices. It's genuinely passive – install it and forget about it.
MyOpinions, Octopus Group & Ipsos i-Say
Rounding out the survey category, these four are all legitimate, free-to-join Australian-accessible panels. We'd suggest signing up to a few at once, since survey availability varies day to day and having several on the go means more chances to earn.
- Get up to $7 per survey with MyOpinions
- Join one of Australia's highest cash-paying survey sites with Octopus Group
- Earn rewards and enter contests with Ipsos i-Say
Our tip: legit survey sites are always free to join. If anything ever asks for payment or your credit card details to “unlock” surveys, close the app and back away.
Shop and get cash back
ShopBack
This is the big one for Australian shoppers, and it's actually Australian-founded. ShopBack pays you cashback at thousands of partnered retailers, since the retailer pays ShopBack a commission for sending you their way, and ShopBack shares it with you. Sign up and make a qualifying purchase for a $10 bonus, and just keep shopping like normal from there. Cash out via bank transfer or PayPal once you hit the minimum. Don't forget you can do the same with TopCashBack.
Stack Extra Savings With Cashback
Before you price match, shop through a cashback site first - many of the retailers above pay cashback on top of any price match you secure.
Get a bonus with ShopBack, plus cashback on 2,000+ retailers.
Covers many of the retailers in this guide - sign up free and stack cashback on top of any price match.
Join ShopBack →
Join TopCashback for strong rates on big-ticket items.
A 110% rate match guarantee and no minimum withdrawal make it a solid pick for stacking on higher-value price matched purchases.
Join TopCashback →Turn everyday activity into cash or rewards
Sweatcoin
If you're already walking, why not get rewarded for it? Keep Sweatcoin running in the background and it'll track your steps, converting every 1,000 steps into roughly 0.95 Sweatcoins. You can't withdraw them as cash, but you can redeem them for things like headphones, activewear, and audiobooks through Sweatcoin's partner brands.
Foap
Got a decent phone camera and a habit of taking nice photos? Foap lets you sell your pics and videos to brands, agencies, and individuals, with prices ranging from around $5 up to $100 per shot. Upload your best stuff, and if someone buys it, you split the sale with Foap. There are also paid “missions” where brands ask for specific types of content. Payouts land via PayPal.
Drive, deliver, or freelance
Uber & Uber Eats
You already know Uber as a passenger app, but it's also a solid side hustle if you've got a car (or a bike, for delivery). Turn the app on when you're free, off when you're not, and you're paid according to trips completed, with bonuses during peak times and the ability to keep tips. If you're more into ordering than driving, check out Uber Rewards Australia for perks as a customer instead.
DiDi
Another solid rideshare option for Australian drivers is DiDi – worth comparing against Uber to see which pays better in your area. Some drivers run both apps side by side and switch depending on demand.
Upwork
If you've got a skill you can do remotely (writing, design, dev work, admin, whatever), Upwork connects you with freelance clients worldwide, not just locally. You set your own rates, which makes it a genuinely scalable side income rather than just pocket money.
Invest your spare change
Raiz Invest
Raiz (formerly Acorns) is actually an Australian company, listed on the ASX, which makes it a nice change from the sea of US-only investing apps out there. The idea is simple: link a card, and every purchase gets rounded up to the nearest dollar, with the difference automatically invested for you. It's a genuinely low-effort way to start building an investment habit without needing a lump sum to begin with. Plans run at $1, $2, or $3 a month depending on the tier.
Sell what you don't need
eBay
The old faithful. List anything from clothes to old electronics, track your sales, and manage postage all from the app. Some sellers turn this into a proper side business through op-shop flipping or dropshipping, but even casually clearing out your wardrobe can net a surprising amount of cash.
Airbnb
Got a spare room, granny flat, or a whole property sitting empty for chunks of the year? Airbnb lets you list it, manage bookings, and chat with guests all through the app. For hosts who put in the effort, it can become a genuinely solid stream of passive-ish income.
A few we deliberately left out
In the interest of not wasting your time, we cut a bunch of apps that used to appear on lists like this but either:
- Aren't available to Australians at all (several popular US investing and cashback apps, plus a couple of rideshare and freelance-task apps that simply don't operate here)
- Have shut down entirely, in some cases quite recently and rather messily, leaving users unable to redeem points they'd already earned
- We couldn't verify as legitimate — vague apps with no real reviews or track record aren't worth the risk of handing over your data
If an app on some other “best of” list promises the world but you've never heard of it and can't find real reviews, that's usually your answer.
How to spot a dodgy money-making app
A few quick rules of thumb before you download anything claiming it'll pay you:
- Check reviews first. Trustpilot, productreview.com.au, and the app store reviews themselves will usually tell you pretty quickly if something's legit.
- Never hand over payment details unless the app is clearly a shopping or service platform where that makes sense. A survey app asking for your credit card number is a red flag, full stop.
- Avoid paid subscriptions. If an app wants you to pay it before you can start earning, that's backwards. Steer clear.
- Confirm it actually works in Australia. Loads of “best money making apps” content online is written for a US audience and just doesn't apply here, as you now know from the list above.
FAQ
What app makes the most money?
Swagbucks tends to be the most well-rounded, since it stacks multiple ways to earn (shopping, surveys, videos, browsing) into one platform.
What apps pay out instantly?
Uber and DiDi both offer options for same-day payouts to drivers. Most cashback and survey apps take a little longer, usually a few days once you hit the payout threshold.
Are there really apps that pay real money?
Yes, genuinely. Every app on this list pays out real cash, gift cards, or investment contributions, not just points that go nowhere. Just stick to the ones with a track record, and you'll be fine.
