If there’s one thing everyone has these days, it’s a phone. These magical devices serve as your GPS, camera, connection to family and loved ones, personal shopping device…the list goes on and on.
So why can’t your phone be a source of income too? Whether you want to quit your 9-to-5 or just pick up a side hustle and earn some extra bucks, there are plenty of options. You can make money from anywhere, and getting started only takes a few minutes with Whop.
From online surveys to affiliate marketing to becoming a trader, it’s time to unlock the full earning potential trapped inside your favorite procrastination tool. Here's how to make money on your phone.
Is it possible to make money on your phone?
The short answer to this question is yes, you can absolutely make money on your phone. Honestly, there’s no reason why you can’t get started the moment you finish reading this article.
Making money on your phone is easy, and we're not just talking about a few dollars here and there. It's possible to make a living from it, as long you enjoy the entrepreneur lifestyle. If you're just looking to make a little bit of extra money, that's even more doable.
But, you do need to keep a few things in mind! The internet is full of scams, and you don’t want to get drawn into them. Avoid anything that promises to make you rich with little time and effort. If something feels fishy, it probably is.
You should also be careful about MLMs and pyramid schemes that want you to make money by 'buying into a business' and getting other people to sign up to do the same.
Every option in this article has been vetted to be official and scam-free, but with anything you download onto your phone or sign up for, be careful. You could easily get hacked or scammed.
Find more inspiration with this list of ways to make money online.
How to make money on your phone in 25 different ways
If you want to make money (who doesn't?) and have a little bit of time to spare, then pick up your phone and check these out. These 25 money makers are things we've tried and tested, so we know that they work.
1. Become an influencer
It takes time and persistence, but if you succeed, then being an influencer can be one of the most lucrative ways to make money on your phone.
Here are some skills you want to develop or enhance to give yourself the best shot at those juicy influencer bucks:
- Photography and image editing (Canva, Adobe Lightroom)
- Video editing for TikTok and Instagram Reels (Capcut, iMovie, InShot)
- Writing for captions and text posts (should be concise but relatable and engaging)
- SEO and analytics (important for understanding how successful posts are)
Content creators can make a whole lot of money, but it takes time to start making any serious amount. Things like YouTube and TikTok do pay money, but you're better off using them as a funnel to make money elsewhere.
For example, Whop. You can set up an exclusive Whop community for your followers in just a few minutes, then charge them a fee for joining it, as well as things like extra content or one-on-one calls.
This approach gets you two things. One: your future fans will be happy, because hey, more content from their favorite creator! And two: you'll make way more money and have a more stable side hustle.
2. Play games for cash
Contrary to what some people might have you believe, it is possible to make money playing games. Who knew? If only all those hours on Fortnite were actually worth something…
There are lots of apps that offer you points for playing games, or for hitting milestones within said games. The general intention is for them to show you ads in the game, so they’re getting something from it too—but the points can be exchanged for cash or gift cards, so those ads are worth sitting through. This makes it a mutually beneficial situation for you and the game studios.
Here are some apps to check out if you want to get paid for playing games:
- Fetch
- Swagbucks
- Pogo
- Bridge Money
- Testerup
Be mindful, though. A lot of apps are just scams or won't pay out until you've accumulated some crazy amount of money. Read user reviews before downloading.
3. Sell photos online
Snapping pics left and right is something many of us already do, and surprise—you can actually get paid for that. Study the best photo editing apps and figure out what photography niche appeals to you most, then start making stock photos.
When you get ready to share your photos with the world, do your research and find the best sales platform for you—here's a handy list where you can sell them. Compare the commission rates, audience, and submission guidelines.
Here's where you can try to sell your stock photos:
- Shutterstock
- Adobe Stock
- Getty Images
- Unsplash
- Pixabay
4. Take paid surveys
Much like app games, you can get paid for doing something that only takes a few minutes every day. Survey platforms gather information, from shopping habits to favorite YouTube videos. They then sell this information to companies to help them better understand the demographics they’re marketing to.
If you want to keep your virtual workspace organized, you can make a dedicated email for the surveys to be sent to. You can sign up for one or all of the survey websites, and compound the money you make by doing surveys for all of them.
Here are some websites that will pay you to fill out surveys:
These survey apps definitely rank among the best apps you can make money with, but you're not going to make a living using them. Treat them as a tiny little side hustle to supplement your other sources of income.
5. Make and sell online courses
If you have knowledge or a skill you can teach, then making and selling courses online is a good side hustle that you can do right from your phone. You can create any kind of course online: video lectures, text-based coursework, and even supplemental material like quizzes and presentations. Once your course is out there, it becomes a good source of passive income—you may not need to do much to keep it current and keep getting sales.
Outside of courses, you can also take a community-based approach to teaching, and give your students a chat where they can meet to discuss and expand on the concepts you give them through your courses.
Selling courses with Whop is completely free and only takes a few minutes to set up.
6. Try trading
Trading stocks or crypto requires an initial investment, but you can always start small. Once you get the hang of it, you'll have an extra stream of income that's very scalable and doesn't take up a lot of time.
You can use apps such as MetaTrader for Forex and stocks to try out a demo account. These apps let you practice real trades without risking real money. Make sure to also set firm stop-loss orders to limit your potential losses while you're learning the ropes, and diversify your portfolio—it's never good to bet on just one stock to do well.
Here are some apps you can use for trading:
- Robinhood
- E*TRADE
- WeBull
- eToro
- TD Ameritrade
If you want to really give trading a go, join an online trading community. In a trading community you can communicate with other trading enthusiasts, learn from experienced traders, and benefit from trading resources and tools.
If you want to really give trading a go, join an online trading community. This is the safest way to learn. You'll be able to chat with experts and beginners alike, get access to helpful tools, and hear about new trades as soon as possible.
7. Start an ecommerce store
This one might give you pause, but yes, you’re reading that right—you can start an ecommerce store using only your phone. Most web-based ecommerce platforms also have phone apps, which means you can build, manage, and monitor your store easily.
A lot of running a store online is also just marketing yourself. Building a social media presence can help you convert followers into customers, so take advantage of organic marketing and set up all your socials ASAP.
Here are some apps you can use to help run your store:
- Canva for designing visual elements
- QuickBooks for managing your finances
- Whop to sell digital products
- Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Etsy, or BigCommerce for selling physical products
8. Sell eBooks
eBooks are a fast-growing market that is predicted to reach over $21 billion by 2029—and who says you need a PC to write an eBook?
If you’re motivated by making money on your phone as quickly as possible, pick a subject or genre that there’s a proven audience for, such as travel. You can do that by checking out what is selling on platforms like Whop or Amazon.
Once you're done with the writing, use a design app like Canva or Adobe Spark to make a cover.
Remember that eBooks don't have to be novels. Some of the best-selling eBooks are non-fiction and cover topics like marketing, fitness, trading, crypto, and more.
9. Make money on YouTube
The money you can make directly on YouTube comes from Google AdSense, where a video with 5,000 views can earn as much as $100.
Here are some steps to get you started if you want to become a YouTuber on your phone:
- Decide who you want your audience to be
- Learn how to edit using Capcut or iMovie
- Plan on consistency; the algorithm favors a schedule!
- Learn how to optimize your content for SEO
- Engage with your audience
The last one is especially important—you can't be a successful YouTuber without a dedicated audience. Consider also setting up a paid community for your followers. You'll get paid extra and they'll get to hang out with you!
10. Manage social media accounts
If you already run your own social media, then congratulations—you're on the path to becoming a social media manager for other people. You'll work with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and even large companies, helping them build their online presence on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), or Facebook.
Here are some of the skills you’ll need to make money from your phone by managing social media:
- Know how to use social media management apps like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Later
- Understand analytics and be familiar with apps like Google Analytics, Instagram Insights, and Facebook Page Manager
- Use content creation apps like Canva, InShot, and Adobe Spark
- Keep on top of trends. Social media is all about taking advantage of the moment so follow them using apps like Feedly or Flipboard
11. Test apps and websites
In this gig, you'll be helping devs make sure that their apps and games are as good as they can be. Platforms like UserTesting, TryMyUI, Userlytics, and Testbirds exist as intermediaries to connect you as a tester with multiple different testing opportunities.
The tasks usually just involve navigating an app or a website and passing on your feedback on what worked well and what didn’t. Here are some of the things you may be asked to report on:
- Usability and function
- Design aspects
- Bugs you encounter
- General user experience
12. Offer online tutoring
Tutoring no longer means having to go somewhere with a bunch of textbooks and teach in person—all you need is your phone. There are tutoring-specific platforms like Wyzant, Varsity Tutors, and Kadama that you can sign up on through your phone.
You can also take matters into your own hands and sign up with Whop. With Whop, using the Courses, Events, or Chat apps, (or all three!) you can run your tutoring business online at a minimal cost.
13. Take part in affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is the perfect money-making option for someone who already has a following online, or doesn’t mind putting in the work to create one. You can sign up for affiliate marketing programs like Amazon Associates, ClickBank, and ShareASale and start getting paid for each sale.
You could even sign up for Whop's Affiliate Program and make money by recommending whops to your followers, or—if you already run your own whop—entice others to participate and get you more sales.
The key to successful affiliate marketing is just to have an audience that you engage with enough that they’re receptive to your marketing. It's also important to hit the right niche.
Most of all, it's crucial that you're transparent with your audience and give your honest opinion—don't endorse products just to make a sale, as that can only get you so far.
14. Moderate an online community
Big online communities, be they Discord servers, Telegram channels, or whops, need mods to keep the peace and help everyone out. That could be you!
Before applying, familiarize yourself with your platform of choice. Mods are expected to be the pinnacles of any community, so you'll need to know your stuff. You can even set your resume apart with certifications from organizations like Community Roundtable or HubSpot Academy.
Here are some websites where you can look for paid content moderation opportunities:
- ModSquad
- The Social Element
- Upwork
- Freelancer
- Fiverr
15. Start your own paid community
Instead of moderating someone else's community (and helping them collect all the profits), why not build your own? Not only is it more fun, but it's also way better money.
The benefits of running a paid community are plenty. People will join your server to interact with others who share the same interests, or even just to chat with you directly if you're an established content creator.
You can make your community more enticing with things like:
- Exclusive tips
- Weekly or monthly meetings
- Live events
- Access to content like downloadables, SaaS, trackers, courses, and more
With Whop, you can set up your community and get paid for it in just a few minutes. Whop also handles the invitations and the payments, giving you time to scale your community instead.
16. Offer coaching services
Becoming an online coach doesn't require much else than your phone and internet access. Coaches and trainers of all kinds can easily meet up with their clients online, which means that you're good to go with just your phone.
Depending on your area of expertise, you could offer coaching services in any of the following fields:
- Fitness
- Nutrition
- Finance
- Trading
- Career
- Parenting
- Life advice
- Business
- Health and wellness
- Relationships
- Arts and music
- Spiritual coaching
- Weight loss
As long as you're a pro at something, you can easily set up a whop and start offering coaching services. This includes one-on-one calls, webinars, Q&A sessions, online courses, ebooks, and downloadables—all of which can be prepared on your phone.
17. Teach languages
If you're bilingual, why not share with the rest of the class? Your class, in this case, because you can easily make money by teaching people languages using only your phone.
There are lots of apps that help you make this happen. Some will require qualifications, such as a college degree, or even a background in teaching. Others pay less, but are also much less restrictive when it comes to what they expect from you in order to get started.
Some of the most popular language-teaching apps include:
Of course, if you're feeling more entrepreneurial, you could take matters into your own hands and start your own business. Teaching languages is easy with Whop: You could sell online courses, one-on-one sessions, and video content for people to review and study along.
18. Become a graphic designer
If you asked me a few years ago, I'd have told you that you needed a PC, or at the very least a tablet, in order to become a graphic designer.
Good news: You don't need either of those things anymore. Graphic designers get by just fine with only using their phones.
There are plenty of useful apps, such as Canva, Adobe Photoshop Express (and just Express), Procreate Pocket, Sketchbook, Pixlr, Desygner, and Figma Mobile that can help you create all sorts of graphic design projects. This includes logos, social media templates, photo editing, UI/UX design projects, wallpapers, brand assets, and more.
As a graphic designer, you can either create pre-made projects—such as PLR bundles that other people can resell—or you can work on a per-order basis. Graphic designers often offer their services through platforms like Whop or Etsy.
19. Buy and resell PLR products
Those PLR products I just mentioned above? That term stands for Private Label Rights, and it refers to digital products that you can buy, customize, and then resell at a premium. Doing this on your phone is just as easy as it'd be on any other platform, so you're in luck.
PLR products are often sold in massive bundles. These bundles can include anything, such as courses, ebooks, journal templates, ChatGPT prompts, graphic design assets, and more. It's not unusual to find bundles of 10,000 products or much, much more. Here's an example where you can buy over 250,000 products in one bundle.
These products are nice enough on their own, but the whole idea is that you'll make them better. Let's say that you buy a bundle of 10,000 digital planner templates. From there, customize them to add your own branding and to fit certain niches. Change colors, themes, and use cases to add value and thus be able to charge more.
Once you've customized a bunch of these products, put them up for sale. Whop is an excellent place to do this, as you can list as many items as you want without paying any fees.
What's next? Keep on truckin' and start accumulating that sweet, sweet passive income.
20. Sell nutrition and fitness plans
You don't have to become a full-on personal trainer to sell fitness and nutrition plans.
Many people want tailored plans that suit their lifestyles, while others are content with a cookie-cutter plan that's somewhat suited to their situation. In any case, you can make these on your phone and sell them.
For nutrition, check local laws to make sure that you're allowed to offer nutrition advice, as some places may need you to have certain certifications. Otherwise, you're good to go.
A good idea here is to niche down a little. Instead of a typical weight loss plan, try to create one for people with insulin resistance or PCOS, as an example. Alternatively, set up shop on Whop and let people reach out to you for custom fitness or nutrition plans.
21. Make money with dropshipping
Dropshipping refers to selling products online without holding inventory or doing any of the shipping. As such, it's a gig that can be done entirely on your phone, and it's highly profitable if you pick the right niche.
The idea is to find a supplier who will handle everything, and then sell the products at a premium. You're essentially the person who connects the buyer with the seller. Digital dropshipping is a thing, too, and it can be less involved than dealing with physical items.
Before you dive into this one, it's important to remember that dropshipping trends can change at the drop of a hat. That's why it's best to start by joining a dropshipping community and learning from experts.
22. Start making downloadables
If you don't fancy the idea of buying other people's digital products and reselling them, you could always be on the other end of that chain and start selling downloadables.
You can sell highly customized products one at a time or in bundles, or you can create lots of different templates that people can then go on to resell.
Some of the most popular downloadables that you can make on your phone include:
- Canva templates
- Digital journals
- Fitness trackers
- Weight loss trackers
- Figma templates
- Social media post templates
- Planners
Much like with graphic design, you can make these on a pre-made basis or let people order them based on what they want.
Once you've got a bunch, make your own whop and sell them—you can even set up a pricing tier that lets people order some customizations from you at an extra fee.
23. Become a freelance writer
I won't lie—typing on your phone for hours isn't too enjoyable, but it's possible, and many people are better at it than I am.
In addition, many phones and tablets let you connect a keyboard, which makes the career of a freelance writer totally viable with just your phone and nothing else.
Freelance writers can fill many niches. You can be a copywriter and work with brands and companies on various marketing efforts. You can be a content writer and create useful blog posts. You can be a journalist and cover news and write op-eds.
The sky is the limit, so long as you enjoy writing and are a good researcher.
It can be hard to break into these days, but it's not impossible to make money writing. Your best bet is to create a portfolio of work to send to potential clients. Even if you haven't done any paid work, create samples that suit the niches you want to target. It's important to have something to show off your writing chops.
Freelance writers often find gigs on websites like Reddit, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
24. Make money with AI
Making money with AI is a good way to embrace the changing times while padding your bank account. This involves using various chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, to create something that would otherwise take you ages to do.
You can use AI for things like:
- Writing
- Making apps
- Creating websites
- Graphic design
- Editing and proofreading
- Social media content
Depending on what it is that you decide to do, your approach will vary. In general, stick to things you already kind of know. AI still makes lots of mistakes, so if you ask it to do something you're unfamiliar with, you might end up with a subpar product.
You could even get a job (or a side hustle) as a prompt engineer. This involves mastering the art of communicating with AI and using that to get the best possible responses.
25. Start your own podcast
When many people think of podcasts, they usually imagine a set with cameras and huge microphones. But it's really more important that you have something to talk about, and it's totally fine to start a podcast using only your phone.
Start by deciding on a niche. Unless you already have a large following, most people won't come to you for just day-to-day chatter—you need to talk about something specific. Write scripts or outlines to stay on topic and cover everything.
Next, recording. I recommend buying a tripod for your phone, and if you can afford it, a high-quality microphone that pairs with a phone. It's okay to skip this step at the beginning, though.
Apps like Anchor by Spotify, Spreaker Studio, and Podbean are useful for recording, while Audacity Mobile and Adobe Podcast can help you with the editing.
To make some serious money off of your podcast, you should try to monetize it. A good idea is to create an exclusive community for your listeners, offer extra content, or even one-on-one calls through Whop.
What’s the best way to make money with your phone?
The best way to make money with your phone is the one that aligns with your time and your interests. If you only have a few minutes to spare a day, you can make money through things like paid surveys or testing apps. If you're willing to commit more time, though, the world is your oyster, with options like running a paid community or creating eBooks and courses.
You don’t have to pick just one! Having recurring revenue from multiple streams leaves you in a good position, even if one of them isn’t landing as well on a particular month.
Things like eBooks or online courses also create passive income that requires less continual effort and may be worth the initial time investment.
Sure, you'll have to spend a bit of time setting them up, but once they're out there, you can go on to work on the next ones while the ones you already have are bringing in money.
In short: the best ways are ones that you enjoy doing, fit into your schedule, and give you some passive income to let you work on more projects.
Make money online with Whop
Whether you want to make passive income through your phone or you’re ready to jump in with both feet, Whop is the first place you should look.
With Whop, getting started is as easy as pie. Signing up takes a couple of minutes, and after that, you'll create your own whop. Next, you can pick and choose the features that you want to offer, such as Chat, Forums, Courses, eBooks, Events, or Discord access. Set up your products and services and you're good to go!
You can set up as many streams of income as you like, and with pricing tiers and various options, you'll achieve true flexibility. Subscriptions, freemium tiers, one-time payments—it's up to you how you get paid.
Making money has never been easier.
You don't need a PC to earn money, and you don't need a desktop or laptop to use Whop, either.
Pick your favorite option from our list, sign up with Whop, and get started today.
