3 Legit Apps That You Can Actually Make Money Using Your Smartphone.
Looking for easy side income? These three mobile apps can help pad your wallet while you sleep.
In my ongoing quest to find legitimate ways to make extra cash online, I’ve tested dozens of smartphone apps that promise easy money.
Most turn out to be wastes of time or outright scams, but I’ve found a few gems worth sharing.
In this article, I’ll break down three apps I’ve personally verified that genuinely pay:
I’ll explain exactly how each works, how much you can realistically earn, and the payment methods they offer.
I’ll also share my proven strategies for maximizing your earnings through referrals.
If you’re looking for legitimate ways to generate some side income with minimal effort, these apps might be perfect for you.
👉 DISCLAIMER: Before we dive in, let me drop a quick disclaimer here. Some of the links in my articles MAY earn me a commission if you use a service I suggest — without any surcharge to you. On the contrary, most of the time, you’ll save money or earn bonuses. If you want to support me, signup through my links or buy me a coffee.
1. Pawns App
Pawns App stands out as my favorite mobile money-maker for several reasons.
First, its sleek, professional interface makes it easy to navigate and use.
But what really matters is that it actually pays — I’ve successfully cashed out twice so far.
How You Earn With Pawns
The app offers multiple income streams:
Market Research Surveys: Complete surveys from various companies for quick cash.
Offer Completion: Earn by downloading apps, playing games, and completing other simple tasks.
Passive Bandwidth Sharing: You can earn passive income by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. This runs in the background while you go about your day.
4. Referral Program: This is where things get interesting. When you refer someone, they get a $1 starting bonus plus $1 on each of their first two withdrawals (total $3). You earn a 10% commission on all their earnings forever. More successful referrals = more passive income for you.
Payment Options
Pawns offers flexible payout methods:
PayPal transfers
Bitcoin payments
Direct to Visa card deposits
My Earnings
I’ve already made $131 by using this app on both my mobile phone and for sharing my unused bandwidth.
And because I shared this opportunity with many people I got paid another $344 until now.
Total earnings until now: $475
Realistic Earnings
From my experience, you can expect to make around $50-$100 monthly through Pawns App. While this might seem modest in developed countries, it represents significant income in many parts of the world — potentially half a month’s wages in some regions.
2. Honeygain
Honeygain is another app I’ve thoroughly tested and received multiple payments from. Like Pawns, it has a professional appearance that inspires confidence.
How You Earn With Honeygain
The earning methods are more focused but still effective:
Unused Internet Sharing: The primary earning method lets you share unused internet bandwidth with verified business partners who use it for price comparisons, ad verification, and similar tasks. You earn approximately 10 cents per GB shared.
Referral System: Invite friends to join Honeygain, and when they reach the $20 payout threshold, you receive $5. Your referred friends get $3 just for signing up. Feel free to signup through my link.
JumpTask Mode Bonus: Honeygain also offers a “JumpTask mode” that lets you collect earnings in JMPT cryptocurrency tokens with a 10% earnings boost.
Payment Options
You can get paid via:
PayPal
JMPT cryptocurrency tokens
For the crypto option, you can transfer JMPT tokens to a MetaMask wallet, swap them for USDT on PancakeSwap, then send the USDT to platforms like Nexo that offer Visa cards for spending.
My Earnings
Up until know, I earned $423 from Honeygain. The first payout was made via PayPal but I realised that although it’s the easiest solution you get charged 15% of your payout.
So the next payout was done via JMPT tokens.
I withdrew them to my MetaMask wallet as JMPT tokens.
I swap them into USDT
Send them to my Revolut USDT wallet and
Converted them to Euro and spent them.
Realistic Earnings
With Honeygain, expect about $10-$30 monthly from regular use. If you build a strong referral network of a few hundred people, you could boost this to $50-$80 per month.
3. JumpTask
Yes, it’s the JumpTask I mentioned earlier.
Though I haven’t yet requested a payout from JumpTask, its positive reviews and professional design have earned my trust.
Although, it’s connected to the JumpTask mode in Honeygain it operates as a standalone earning platform.
How You Earn With JumpTask
JumpTask focuses primarily on microtasks:
Task Completion: You can access over 3,500 simple tasks like playing games, downloading apps, searching Google for specific keywords, taking online surveys, and performing social media actions like following accounts, liking videos, commenting, etc.
Token Staking: You can stake your earned JMPT tokens to generate additional passive income, though staking pools aren’t always available.
Referral Program: Like the other apps, JumpTask offers a referral system where you earn a 10% bonus on all tasks completed by people you refer — again, this is a lifetime earnings. Feel free to join via my link and get +10% Bonus Earnings on your 1st task on JumpTask!
Payment Options
JumpTask pays exclusively in JMPT tokens. As with Honeygain’s crypto payments, you’ll need to transfer tokens to a MetaMask wallet, swap for USDT on PancakeSwap, then move funds to a platform like Nexo for spending via a Visa card.
My Earnings
I haven’t withdrawn anything from JumpTask — as of yet. I’m getting there though.. 😎
Realistic Earnings
So, how much money you can earn from JumpTask? Look — if you put on the effort you can easily earn anything from $50 to $100. The more hours you spent on JumpTask, the more video you’ll watch, the more games you’ll play and the more tasks you’ll complete.
How I Build My Referral Networks
Since referrals dramatically increase earnings on these apps, here are the strategies I’ve found most effective based on my experience:
Content Creation on Medium: Articles like this one help spread the word and generate referrals. Just make sure to use a disclaimer at the top of your articles to stay within Medium’s TOS and also inform your potential referrals that your links are partner links. Some may not appreciate your honesty but others will — trust me.
Targeted Advertising: I run ads on networks that offer inexpensive traffic from people specifically looking to make money online. Coinpayou, Faucetpay.io, and Propeller Ads (especially their push notifications) have worked well for me.
Facebook Groups: These are absolute gold mines for referrals. Find groups focused on online earning opportunities and share your experiences. Always include payment proof screenshots — this significantly increases conversion rates.
Smartphone Screen Recordings: Use your phone’s built-in screen recording feature to create quick tutorials showing the apps in action. Post these videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Consistency is key — aim for one video daily to see a steady stream of referrals.
I want you to consider this for a moment: What would happen if you had 1000 referrals? What would happen if you had 3000 referrals? What would happen if you had 10000 referrals.. How much would you earn… PASSIVE.
Are These Apps Worth Your Time?
So, should you bother with these apps? Well, that depends on your situation.
If you’re in a high-income country, the $100-$200 monthly potential might seem like pocket change. But consider this — it’s essentially passive income requiring minimal effort after initial setup, and the earnings compound as you build referral networks.
For those in regions where average wages are lower, these apps provide legitimate supplemental income that could make a real difference.
The beauty of these platforms is their accessibility — anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can start earning immediately. No special skills or qualifications required.
The Bottom Line
While there are hundreds of money-making apps on app stores, these three have proven themselves legitimate through my personal testing and successful payment withdrawals.
They won’t make you rich overnight, but they offer genuine opportunities to generate side income with minimal time investment.
Between the three, Pawns App offers the most diverse earning methods and highest income potential, making it my top recommendation.
Honeygain provides the most truly passive income opportunity.
JumpTask gives you the most active control over your earnings through task selection.
The real power comes from combining all three and building strong referral networks. With strategic promotion, your earnings can grow substantially over time as your referrals generate passive income for you.