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.
How To Make Money on Your Phone in 15 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 15 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)
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:
- Swagbucks
- QMEE
- Cloudconnect
- Survey Junkie
- Prolific
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.
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
- KuCoin
- TD Ameritrade
- Think or Swim
- Trade Station
- MetaTrader
- Fidelity
- Interactive Brokers
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.
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.
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.
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.
