I’m all about squeezing extra money out of small apps, but not every one is worth your time or effort. Here are three side hustle apps I personally tried and quit (or might retry) and why they didn’t work for me.
One Pulse
A modern survey app that pays you small amounts for sharing your opinions through micro polls.
It looks great, is easy to use, and has a really clean interface. I loved that the surveys (called “pulses”) are super short, some are just a single question, and the topics are fun. Sometimes they’re introspective, sometimes they’re about pop culture, animals, or seasonal stuff (hello pumpkin spice fans). It’s honestly refreshing for a survey app.
The difference with One Pulse is that each pulse gives you experience points. When you level up, you qualify for paid surveys that pay a little more. You’ll get notified when a paid survey is available, usually on weekdays, but they close fast, so you have to be quick!
I really wish One Pulse worked out for me. It has a lot going for it and feels different from other survey apps. But it just takes forever to reach cash out. After a whole year, I’m still sitting at $12 and you need $20 to withdraw. It’s also incredibly buggy.
While I was checking my account for this post, I noticed they’ve added a new daily streak feature. So I might give it another shot and see if things have improved.
Verdict: Maybe worth testing if you love short, interesting polls — but don’t expect fast cash.
If you want to give it a whirl, here’s my referral code: AVETNJ
Pogo
Pogo is an app that pays you small cashback rewards for sharing your transaction data and receipts.
My take? It’s not for me. You have to link your debit card or bank account for it to work. It’s part of the sign-up process and not optional. Personally, I’m trying to save money, and I don’t feel comfortable linking my card for a few extra bucks. The tiny payout just isn’t worth the potential financial risks, in my opinion.
Verdict: If you don’t mind linking your card, it might be worth trying. But for me, it didn’t fit my money goals. I’d rather stick to receipt apps like Fetch, which don’t need full banking access.
Sweatcoin
A fitness app that rewards you with Sweatcoins for your steps; in theory, free money for walking.
I walk a lot at my retail job, so stacking walking apps just like I do with receipt apps sounds perfect. Unfortunately, you can’t cash out Sweatcoins for real money or gift cards, you can only spend them in their marketplace and the marketplace wasn’t great. Rewards were limited or needed huge coin amounts. It felt like I was earning points I’d never really use.
Fun if you want a little boost to walk more, but not great for real gift cards or cash.
Verdict: Fun if you want a small boost to stay active, but not great for real gift cards or cash. If you want actual gift cards for your steps, I’d stick with Cashwalk instead.
Not every app will help you pad your side cash, some just waste your time (or your data). I’ll keep testing so you don’t have to.
Got an app you want me to try out? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading — Laurel 🪴
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