Microtasking and Gig Apps (Brain or Thumb Required)
What it involves: Doing small tasks on platforms that often only require a phone – things like taking surveys, user testing, captioning short videos, or doing research tasks. While these might not be huge money-makers individually, they can be a flexible way to earn extra cash purely from a phone.
Why you can do it on a phone: Many microtask and gig economy apps are designed mobile-first. For example: - Survey apps (Swagbucks, Toluna, Google Opinion Rewards): You spend a few minutes tapping answers on your phone. - User testing (UserTesting, TryMyUI): Often you record your screen and voice while testing a mobile app or website – typically done on the device itself. - Micro-freelancing marketplaces (Fiverr has a mobile app; Amazon Mechanical Turk tasks can be done on mobile for some surveys/data work; TaskRabbit to find local gigs like taking photos of a storefront, etc.). - Captioning/Transcription (if you have earphones and a quiet spot, you can transcribe audio clips via mobile apps for companies like Rev or GoTranscript).
These tasks tend to be simple and require only basic inputs that a phone can handle: tapping, typing short responses, recording audio, or taking pictures.
Tools: Aside from the apps themselves (which have built-in interfaces for tasks), you might use: - For transcription: a text editor app or the transcription platform’s mobile site. Some transcriptionists use Bluetooth keyboards for faster typing on phone. - For user testing: your phone’s screen recorder (many modern phones can record screen + mic; if not, the user testing app will have one). - For general productivity, setting up a system to track your micro-earnings (even a simple spreadsheet in Google Sheets app) can help you see which apps pay you best for your time.
Earnings: These gigs pay modestly per task, but can add up. For example, surveys might pay $1–$5 each; user tests can pay $10 for a 20-minute test (and sometimes more for longer tests). Clickworker or MTurk tasks might pay cents to a couple dollars each. It’s not unusual for diligent microtaskers to make a few hundred dollars a month in their spare time. According to a 2025 Podbase report, watching ads and doing quick tasks on phones is “easy, no-skills-needed” money, though small per task. If you focus on the higher-paying ones like user testing, you might target $10-$15/hour effective rate when tasks are available.
Tips to succeed: Efficiency and selectivity are key. Skip low-pay tasks that eat time (e.g., a 30-minute survey for $0.50 is not worth it). Stack apps – have multiple sources so you can switch when one has no tasks. Check peak times (user testing invites often come during US business hours). Also, cash out wisely – keep track of payment thresholds and schedules so you don’t leave money idle in the apps. While microtasks won’t make you rich alone, they’re a nice in-between work filler or starter freelance income, and your phone makes it easy to jump in and out when you have a spare moment.