Are you looking for trusted apps that pay you real money in South Africa? You have come to the right place. Oh really? Most people think that how can they make money online without any hard work.
Who would have guessed decades ago that one can be able to earn money through online jobs in South Africa using smartphones only?
In this article, I’ll list 13 apps/websites that pay you real money in South Africa that you can use to make money online.
Besides communicating with friends and family, studying, enjoying entertainment, and shopping, a smartphone gives you access to many lucrative opportunities.
In fact, if you’re creative and hardworking enough you can build an entire online career using your smartphone alone. Not to mention the many online job opportunities that exist today.
From online surveys and task platforms to online peer-to-peer marketplaces, these opportunities present numerous ways to earn a living or at least supplement your income.
Unemployed South Africans will especially benefit from considering these opportunities. Also, if you have plenty of free time outside working hours, you can make good use of it by working for such platforms.
Apps That Pay You Real Money in South Africa
1. ClickWorker
Clickworker gives you an opportunity to earn money easily with your mobile phone at home while on the go. It comes with a variety of tasks including; taking surveys, app testing, making audio and video recordings, writing and proofreading text, categorizing data, and photography among others.
With over a million downloads on Google App Store, it’s clearly a top contender in the micro-tasks online gig economy and a great way to supplement your income.
To join the Clickworker community, download the app from the play store, register and log into your account and start completing available micro-jobs.
You can also visit the website version using your computer to get a holistic experience of the platform and access more advanced tasks such as AI-training data, image recognition, blog articles, lead research, company profiles, and address validation among other jobs.
Clickworker pays through PayPal or bank transfer on the 7th of every month. You must have correctly filled in your tax information and a minimum balance of $10 to get paid.
2. Tinge Marketplace
Tinge is a peer-to-peer online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers. You can buy or sell products on this platform easily with little or no investment. To make money through Tinge, you need a smartphone with a camera and a product you’re selling.
- Download the Tinge App from the Playstore and register an account.
- Take clear pictures of your product and upload them on Tinge.
- Add a good description of the product and its condition then give a quote and publish the ad.
A buyer looking for a similar or related product will stumble upon your ad and if they like the product and your proposition, they’ll give you a call. You can then negotiate with them and plan to meet up so you can trade.
If you’re in desperate need of money, you can sell old devices and products that are in good condition but you no longer use them. Of course, the selling price will be significantly lower than the market price but it’s a good gamble for something you’d consider disposable.
Tinge allows you to get paid by cash or through M-Pesa. You have to meet with the buyer to initiate the transaction. You should therefore be careful to avoid con persons.
3. Uber Driver
Uber is a global app that connects passengers with drivers. It is the most popular logistics app in South Africa despite the fierce competition from other entrants.
To make money with Uber, you need a car and a smartphone with the Uber Driver app installed. You can then sign up to join the Uber community and offer your transportation services.
When you’re free, you can turn on the app to initiate a driver-passenger connection. A passenger in need of a ride will request a cab and if your car is closest to them, you’ll be notified.
The notification comes with information about the passenger’s destination and your pay. If the destination is a place you’re willing to go, you accept the ride and pick the passenger.
On the other hand, if the destination is out of your convenience border, you can reject the ride and wait for another passenger. When you offer great services, your customer rates you well, improving your chances of getting more rides.
Uber takes a cut of 20% of the total fare charged to customers. You’ll be paid each week on Wednesday or Thursday through direct bank deposit. Alternatively, you can accept cash or M-Pesa payments directly to your phone number.
4. Geopoll
Businesses and organizations often conduct research to determine the best products and services for their customers and clients.
They approach survey platforms like Geopoll to distribute survey forms to a well-selected group of survey takers who produce high-quality data. Geopoll is a leader in this market and is home to the best simple tasks and surveys that pay well. You are paid to share your opinion.
You only need a smartphone to join the Geopoll community. Once you register, you can work remotely and earn credit by completing surveys and other tasks. You also earn by inviting your friends and family to join Geopoll
You can withdraw your income by redeeming your credit for airtime, mobile money, Global rewards, and PayPal. This app even pays through M-Pesa.
Geopoll is best for those who’d love to make use of their free time to earn a few shillings.
5. TikTok
Tiktok is the top destination for short mobile video skits. It’s also a social media platform where people share videos and gain views, likes, comments, and followers, just like Instagram.
With over 1 billion downloads in the Google Play store, Tiktok is a powerful platform for market outreach and influencing consumer choices. If you’re a confident and talented content creator, you can publish short videos regularly and build a good fan base which is subject to your marketing campaigns.
To make money on Tiktok, you partner with brands offering products or services that your customers will love. Hence, building a niche fan base by posting content that resonates with a specific group of people is the best strategy to increase income potential.
You earn by promoting products of the brands that approach you and also through commissions from affiliate products.
Alternatively, you can promote your own products and services through your Tiktok handles. Doing so sets up an online business through which you determine your working schedule and prices.
6. Bolt Driver
Bolt is a logistics app that connects drivers with passengers. It has gained ground over the past year and it’s becoming a favorite for part-time South African drivers due to favorable earnings. For instance, it offers fewer discounts for customers and thus guarantees more income to drivers.
To join the Bolt community, download the driver app from Playstore and create an account. You’ll need to provide verification documents during sign-up as a safety measure for Bolt customers.
Once you’re signed up, your cab’s location data will be collected and displayed in the Bolt passenger app. A customer in need of Bolt services will request a ride and the closest driver will be connected.
If you get the connection, you’ll receive a notification with the customer’s destination and fare. You can accept or reject the customer based on that information.
Bolt offers higher earnings, more flexibility, fast payouts, and rewards for drivers. Customers pay you instantly through cash or M-Pesa.
With over 50 million downloads of the passenger app on Google Play Store, Bolt can provide a good supply of clients and reliable income especially when you operate in major cities.
7. Toloka
Toloka app earns you money online by completing online and offline tasks. You don’t need any investments or any prior experience to work for Toloka.
To join the Toloka community, download the app from the Play Store and sign up. Upon successful registration, you can access a myriad of simple tasks that require little effort to deliver quality feedback.
These tasks involve
- Finding organizations and adding information such as photos, entrance to the buildings, and business hours
- Checking if websites match search terms or whether site descriptions are accurate
- Watching videos and marking those that cannot be played on a smartphone
- Evaluating the usefulness of Yandex search results. Among other tasks.
You can take on multiple tasks at the same time. The app also comes with an offline mode where you save tasks and a city map so you can do them when without an internet connection.
Earnings are calculated in dollars after every complete task. You can withdraw your income using Skrill, Payoneer, and PayPal. If you’d like to make use of your free time, Toloka offers the best online jobs in South Africa using smartphones.
8. Lyft
Lyft is a ride-sharing app that earns you money by allowing customers to ride with you. If you’re traveling up-country, you can connect with people heading in the same direction. They pay the fare and you get to fill your gas tank.
If someone has an appointment or needs to pick up some groceries, you can pick them up and use the quickest route to get them to their destination.
Besides vehicles, Lyft also accommodates bikers and scooter riders. So if you have a motorbike, you can make money using Lyft. In addition, you can rent out your vehicle to Lyft and get paid when you’re not using it.
To join the Lyft community, download the app from the Playstore and register. Once you’re accepted you’ll be among a group of riders in your location that potential customers can connect with and seek transportation services.
You set the working hours – be your own boss and get paid instantly. Lyft can be a perfect way to supplement your income.
9. Happy Surveys
Happy Surveys app pays you for sharing your opinions. It partners with top market research companies to aggregate them, monitor the quality, and rank each survey in real-time to offer the best surveys in the market.
Completing a survey can take between 5-10 minutes and you will be paid up to $15 per survey. Besides surveys, you can complete simple tasks such as downloading and testing apps and playing games online.
Happy Surveys has a rating of 4.4 from 15,000 reviewers and over 100K downloads on the Google Play Store which suggests a great reputation for offering what it claims to offer.
Once you create an account, you can complete surveys and accumulate credit rewards which can be reclaimed for cash via PayPal.
It offers no gift cards or discounts. Happy Surveys processes all payments within 3 days ensuring you receive all your money fast and conveniently.
If you have plenty of free time and would love to earn using your smartphone, Happy Surveys is the platform to do so with little time investment.
10. Facebook Marketplace
Like it or not, Facebook has taken over South Africa’s internet usage and is still the most popular social media network in the country. It has leveraged that popularity in several ways with its Marketplace function being one of the more popular with locals.
Posting regular ads on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to leverage social media traffic and convert it into eCommerce sales at a very low cost.
11. Airbnb
Another app that pays you real money in South Africa is Airbnb, it is an online marketplace for lodging, vacation rentals, and tourism activities.
It easily connects travelers with homeowners giving the latter an opportunity to make money with their smartphones.
If you have a big home with extra rooms, you can rent out the space for travelers who need a place to rest.
A traveler will open the Airbnb app and look for accommodation around their intended destination. For instance, if they’re traveling to Cape town, they can check all available Airbnb homes in Cape Town and choose one that’s good and within budget.
To earn as an Airbnb host,
- Optimize your interior design for aesthetic purposes and ensure all amenities function.
- Take 10 well-oriented pictures of the rooms.
- Enhance the images using filters and upload them to your account on Airbnb.
- Set the price for accommodation on a nightly or monthly basis and promote it on social media
Airbnb is a great way to earn extra income using a smartphone and requires little investment of time once it is well set up.
If you’re located in an area that’s a favorite tourist destination and can match the prices of available accommodations, you can make a killing through this app.
12. Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social media platform. It has billions of members across the globe making it a popular platform with huge access to customers from all walks of life.
Hence, it offers numerous ways of making money online using your smartphone alone but here are some of the most popular ways to make money with Instagram.
Influencer marketing – By far the most dominant way of making money is through Ig; you build a large fanbase and use it to influence customer decisions. For instance, if you’re a fitness enthusiast, you acquire many followers by posting photos and videos of your workout routine showcasing your skills and expertise.
Once you reach over 80K followers, health and fitness brands will approach you to market their products. Businesses know they can find customers in your fan base and hence pay you handsomely to market their products.
Affiliate marketing – A very lucrative way to make money online using your smartphone. Again, you need to build a huge fan base to earn well.
If you’re a professional in the finance sector with thousands of followers, you can use your Instagram platform to market affiliate products from insurance companies or banks and earn a commission for every new customer.
There are numerous other ways to earn through Instagram and it depends on your creativity. The best part is that you choose who to work with, your schedule and how you get paid.
13. Triaba.com
Triaba.com is also one of the trusted sites in South Africa that pays more for doing less. Just you have to complete the surveys and earn points. Once you earn points, you can redeem them through Paypal or any other local bank transfer.
All you have to do to get started is to fill out a short signup form on the homepage of our website and click “Submit“. Then, check your email and confirm that you have subscribed to Triaba.com by clicking on the link provided in the email that they will send you. It’s that simple.
You should receive your first paid survey shortly after you have submitted your information through our signup form. The survey will be sent to the e-mail address that you provided on the signup form. You are eligible from the very moment you sign-up to receive surveys.
Therefore you could receive an invitation right away. Generally, though, you should get your first survey within two or three weeks. It really depends on your profile information and the current needs of the organization.
The money you earn to complete the survey depends on the survey and the company for which you are completing the survey. In general, the longer the survey, the higher the salary. In general, the amount you complete for each survey varies between 0.13$ and 3.25$ or more.
These are apps that pay you real money in South Africa and where you can make money using your smartphones. All you need is a good smartphone and a reliable internet connection to exploit every opportunity on this list.
For some, such as online survey platforms like Geopoll and Happy Surveys, you need little prior investments. For others, such as Uber and Airbnb you need to have assets; a car and a house respectively, to get started.
All in all, if you want to make money online in South Africa using your smartphone only, the apps we have discussed should suffice to get you started.
In addition to the above, to take legitimate surveys and to start earning rewards, begin by signing up with the sites that appeal to you most (just click the green ‘Join Now’ buttons below and fill out the free application forms). From there, complete the paid surveys that will be e-mailed to you, and when ready, cash out your earnings for PayPal cash, Amazon gift cards, and much more.