25+ Legit Apps to Make Money in South Africa

There are more and more apps available nowadays that can help ordinary South Africans make extra money.

With rising costs of living, stagnant wages, and high unemployment nationwide, these apps provide opportunities for South Africans to supplement their income.

This article will provide an overview of some of the top money-making apps available in South Africa across different categories:

• Survey & Research Apps
• Gig Economy Apps
• Selling Apps
• Banking & Investing Apps
• Other Money Making Apps

Whether you want to earn some spare cash from your couch or are looking for more sustainable side income, these apps offer flexibility and ease of use.

The money you can make ranges quite a bit depending on the app and how much time you put in. But collectively they provide new ways for tech-savvy South Africans to earn.

Survey & Research Apps

Survey and research apps allow you to earn money in your spare time by sharing your opinion on different topics and products. Below are some top options:

Google Opinion Rewards

• Earn Google Play credit by answering short surveys
• Surveys take just a minute or two
• Credits can be used on apps, games, music & more in Google Play store
• Very popular app with over 100 million downloads globally

How much money can you make?

• Each survey pays from around 50 cents to a few dollars
• Amount of surveys varies but expect around 2-3 surveys per week
• Typical users make around $50 per year

SurveyJunkie

• Take surveys for money and rewards
• Over 6 million members
• Payments via PayPal or gift cards

How much money can you make?

• Surveys pay anywhere from $1-25 each
• Estimated potential earnings of $200-500 per month with consistent use

Toluna

• Get paid to take surveys and test products
• Millions of active members
• Payments via cash, vouchers or charity donations

How much money can you make?

• Surveys range from $0.50 to $30 each
• Product testing tends to pay more, from $5 up to $250 per test

There are many other options like Ipsos, Lifepoints, Opinion Outpost, etc. So give a few different apps a try to see which has the most frequent paid surveys for you.

Gig Economy Apps

Gig economy apps allow you to earn money using your car, motorcycle/scooter or bicycle to transport goods or people. Some top options include:

Ride Hailing Apps

Bolt

• App for ordering taxis and private drivers
• Also allows drivers to sign up earn

How much money can Bolt drivers make?

• Earnings depend on your region
• In Gauteng, drivers report typical earnings of $5-9 per ride
• Top drivers make over $2,800 working 40 hours/week

Uber

• World’s largest ride-hailing app
• Open up the app when you want to earn

How much money can Uber drivers make?

• Earnings range quite a bit by city & region
• In Cape Town typical reported weekly earnings of $200-650+ when driving 20-50 hours per week

Delivery Service Apps

Mr D Food

• Leading food delivery app in South Africa
• Deliver food orders from restaurants to customers

How much money can Mr D Food drivers make?

• Earnings depend on your location & hours
• In Johannesburg drivers report typical monthly earnings around $700-1,000+

Uber Eats

• Food delivery app from ride giant Uber
• Allows drivers/bikers to deliver meals locally

How much money can Uber Eats couriers make?

• Earnings vary by city and region
• In Cape Town drivers report average monthly earnings of $500-1,200

Read also: How to Make Money Daily Doing Food Delivery in South Africa

Selling Apps

Selling apps provide a way to sell your used items locally to earn extra cash. They make selling quicker and easier than traditional classifieds or auction sites. Some popular options include:

Junk Mail

• Most popular online classifieds site in South Africa
• Create listings to sell your used items locally

How much money can you make selling on Junk Mail?

• No listing fees – 100% of your sales proceeds go to you
• Income potential depends on the items you sell
• Many users report making $100s extra per month selling unused items

Facebook Marketplace

• Lets you sell locally to people in your area
• Integrated directly into Facebook app

How much money can you make selling on Facebook Marketplace?

• No fees – you keep all your sales revenue
• Income varies widely based on items sold
• Some frequent sellers make over $1,000 per month

Gumtree

• Top local classifieds and community site
• Create listings to sell your used stuff

How much money can you make selling on Gumtree?

• No listing fees – full sales proceeds go to you
• Earning potential depends on the items
• Many buyers and sellers active, so good distribution

Other Selling Options

There are also dedicated apps just for selling your stuff locally like LetGo, OLX and Raru. Plus sites like BidOrBuy and Loot allow you to list both in classifieds and hold auctions.

Banking & Investing Apps

In addition to making money directly, banking and investing apps can help you better manage your finances and grow your money for the long run.

Money Management Apps

Apps like 22Seven and WalletIQ help you track your spending automatically across multiple accounts. This makes it easier to budget responsibly and find opportunities to save.

GetBucks, Money Lender and similar services provide access to short term loans which can help cover unexpected expenses. Use caution borrowing money but when used responsibly, can be an important financial tool.

Banking & Payment Apps

Innovative new banking apps are bringing advanced financial tools to your smartphone.

TymeBank offers fee-free digital banking with no minimum balance. Convenient for transactions and purchases.

Payment apps like SnapScan, Zapper and Masterpass make sending, receiving and paying money easier than ever through digital wallets connected to your phone. Super convenient for personal transfers or digital/online purchases.

Investing Apps

Investing apps provide easy access to investing opportunities right from your phone.

With EasyEquities you can invest in brands you know for as little as R10. Build a diversified portfolio through fractional share ownership.

Shari’ah compliant investing apps like FNB Islamic Finance provide an opportunity to grow your money in line with your values.

Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) provide tax advantaged investing options to help accelerate your savings. EasyEquities TFSA and similar investment apps make contributing automated and hands-off.

Other Money Making Apps in South Africa

In addition to the categories above, there are a variety of other unique apps that can help you earn extra money.

Micro-tasks & Rewards

Micro-task apps let you quickly earn cash for simple online tasks:

• Google Opinion Rewards (also discussed earlier) – answer super short surveys for Google Play credit
• AppKarma and FeaturePoints pay you to try new apps and answer market research surveys
• PanelClix rewards you for daily viewings & website clicks
• Swagbucks offers many ways to earn rewards from online activities

These apps pay comparatively small amounts for each task but the quick actions can add up over time. Earnings often can be redeemed for gift cards or vouchers.

Online Tutoring

If you have teaching skills or deep expertise in a subject, tutoring apps like LynneApp and Tuta-Me let you set up a tutor profile and get paid for online lessons. Especially popular for academic topics like math, science, languages, test prep, etc.

You set your own pricing and schedule so it is flexible to fit around existing work or school. Provides a way to monetize your knowledge and experience.

Miscellaneous

There are also a variety of niche apps that offer other ways to make money like walking dogs, doing yardwork, data entry, app testing and more:

• Field Agent pays for local audits and inspections like price checking and surveys
• EasyWork posts local jobs like deliveries, promotions, merchandising and market research
• Clickworker offers writing, data entry, transcription, categorization and research jobs you can do online

With so many apps now available, you likely can find several that fit your existing skills, interests and schedule. Try out a mix to determine which are the most worthwhile for your personal financial situation.

Key Takeways

There are now many money making apps in South Africa across different categories:

• Survey & Research Apps pay you for your opinions and let you earn in your spare time.
• Gig Economy Apps like ride sharing and delivery services let you turn your car or bike into income.
• Selling Apps make it easy to sell your used stuff locally. Keep all your proceeds when you sell on apps like Junk Mail, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and more.
• Banking & Investing Apps help better manage your finances plus give access to investment opportunities right from your phone.
• Other Unique Apps offer ways to get paid for micro-tasks, tutoring, dog walking and more niche activities.

With so many options, find the right apps that match your interests, skills and schedule. Collectively apps provide flexible new ways for South Africans to earn money from their phones.

Read also:

• Where To Exchange Old South African Coins for Cash
• How To Make Money Online in South Africa Without Investment