You are a student who has classes, assignments and friends and your wallet is not always full. That is the feeling we are all familiar with. This is good news: your smartphone can earn you some money. Making a few extra dollars can reduce stress, buy a movie during the weekend, or even college tuition.

The internet money-making is booming. A recent survey reflected that almost 60 percent of Indian students seek employment in addition to their study. The opportunity to make money is literally in your hands, as more than 85 per cent of young Indians have a smartphone. The Indian gig economy that consists of freelancers and part-time taskers is rapidly expanding, and more people want to work flexibly. The virtual world has provided us with opportunities we could have never dreamed of ten years ago, and it is your time to step through them. In your mind, consider this guide your well-traveled roadmap to best earning apps for students, guiding you to the right match of skills and schedules.

What to Look for in a Student Earning App

Before you download all the best earning apps for students which promise to pay you money, you should ask yourself: is it legal, secure, and convenient to a student? Consider them as your pre-flight checklist.

• Is it legit?The question of all questions: Search on Google Play Store or Apple App Store, apps that have a good count of downloads and good reviews. All you have to do is to search the name of the app and add the word review or scam to avoid a lot of trouble.
• Zero to low investment: Being a student, you do not want to spend but to make money. The most desirable apps are free to join and utilize. Any app that requires a registration fee or any cash to unlock more earning is highly suspect.
• Easy and flexible:Your studies are first. The ideal earning app must be the one which enables you to work at any time you feel like it, be it on the bus, between classes, or late at night. The activities must be easy to the extent that you do not require a lot of training.
• Easy ways of payment:How are you going to receive your money? You can find apps with the convenient payment methods in India, such as UPI, Paytm, or direct bank transfers. Be sure you are aware of the minimum payout amount (the minimum amount you can cash out) and the time frame in which it takes place.
• It feels your style:Are you artistic? A social media genius? A reasoner? Various personalities have various apps. The decision to use an app that matches your interests will also make it less of a chore, and more of fun in making money.

10 Best Earning Apps for Students in 2025

Earning apps, let us discuss. These are some of the best alternatives to students in India.

1. Swagbucks  

Swagbucks is a large rewards site on the Internet. It is a classic, reliable brand in this arena and it is used by a lot of people across the globe. The application provides a number of earning options. You will be able to earn money on what you probably already do online, such as searching the internet, shopping, and watching videos. The primary earning method is by surveys.

Firms are interested in knowing what people think, and therefore they join Swagbucks to give their views on new products, advertisements, and services. It is one of the best earning apps for students. You get points that are known as SB every time you perform a task. These are convertible either into real money or gift cards. It is an excellent starting application due to its diversity, and you are not likely to lack something that you can do without much fuss to earn some extra money.

Key Features  

• Earn money in several ways (surveys, videos, cashback, web searches).  
• Validated platform that has a long history.  
• Variety of gift cards.  
• Ease of use both on the internet and on the phone.

How Students Can Earn: Taking surveys, watching short video clips, shopping online to earn cashback and using its search engine.  

Payment Methods: PayPal cash, and gift cards of famous brands such as Amazon and Flipkart.

User Ratings: 4.2/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹500 – ₹3,000

Downloads: 10M+

Website: https://www.swagbucks.com

2. Meesho

Have you ever recommended a neat t-shirt or a handy device to a friend? You can earn money by doing just that with Meesho. Meesho is the most popular social commerce platform in India, i.e., a fancy term to describe how you can use social media to sell things, be it WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. The app offers an enormous product catalogue, including clothes and jewellery, to home necessities.

All you have to do is go through the catalogue, identify a product that you feel that your friends or family will enjoy, add your profit margin on the price and share it. In case a person orders with you, Meesho will deliver it and collect the payment. Your profit margin is transferred to your bank account after the order has been fulfilled. It is similar to owning your own online store, but you are not bothered with inventory and shipping.

Key Features:

• No start-up capital needed.
• Massive product inventory of different suppliers.
• Meesho does everything regarding shipping and returns.
• WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram sharing.

How Students Can Earn: By selling items in the Meesho catalogue to their own contacts and getting a commission on every sale.

Payment Methods: Direct bank transfer.

User Ratings: 4.3/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹2,000 – ₹15,000+ 

Downloads: 100M+

Website: https://www.meesho.com

3. Google Opinion Rewards

Google Opinion Rewards is highly simple and credible since it is by Google. All those looking to make easy money are advised to download this app. Install it and set it up first. Then, the app will occasionally ask you very short surveys regarding your recent experiences- such as a visit to a store, a YouTube video you viewed or your view on a Google product. It is one of the best earning apps for students.

All the surveys are under 1 minute and they pay you real money. You might not get rich with the money, but it comes on a regular basis and the work effort is minimal. It can be set and forgotten and the balance will increase with time. Android users can use these rewards to buy apps, games, or movies in the Play Store.

Key features:

• It is legitimate since it is developed and managed by Google.
• Short and very simple surveys.
• Low requirement of time.
• Alerts of new available surveys.

How students can earn: By responding to fast, location-based or preference-based surveys received by Google.

Payment Methods: Google Play Credit (for Android users) or PayPal cash (for iOS users).

User Ratings: 4.5/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹100 – ₹500 

Downloads: 50M+

Website: https://surveys.google.com/google-opinion-rewards/

4. Roz Dhan

Roz Dhan is a famous Indian application that is both an entertainment service and an earning tool. It occupies you with various mini-tasks that can be completed in exchange of coins, which later can be converted into Paytm money. Roz Dhan is a name that translates to daily money and the app attempts to keep its name by offering you the opportunities to earn daily.

Some of the ways in which you can earn include reading news articles and horoscopes, playing simple games, walking (including an in-app step counter), completing puzzles, and installing recommended apps. Its referral program is one of its largest money-makers. It is one of the best earning apps for students. You receive a bonus upon a friend using your code to sign up, and you will also receive a commission on the profits of the person. In general, it is designed to be casual and fun and not serious and high-paying work.

Key Features:

• Multiple earning options as games, news, and simple tasks.
• High consideration of referrals to increase profits.
• Check in awards every day to promote regularity.
• Material in various Indian languages.

How students can earn: Through various minor actions such as reading articles, playing games and by inviting friends.

Payment Methods: Paytm Wallet.

User Ratings: 4.1/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹200 – ₹1,000

Downloads: 10M+

Website: https://rozdhan.app/

5. TaskBucks

TaskBucks is similar to Roz Dhan but it is a simplified version. Your primary task is to test apps only within a few minutes. As one of the top earning apps without investment, Businesses pay TaskBucks to acquire users and TaskBucks pays you some of that money to download and use the apps. You may also make money by taking quizzes and competitions daily, which is an entertaining method to exercise your knowledge and obtain larger prizes. An effective referral program will allow you to make money on attracting friends to the platform. The site is neat and user-friendly in that you can tell at a glance what tasks are available and how much you can make on each one.

Key Features:

• Installation and exploration of new applications are the main priorities.
• Cash prizes in daily quiz and contests.
• Easy, minimalistic interface.
• Good referral program.

How students can earn: Downloading and utilizing certain apps, taking part in quizzes, and inviting friends to the service.

Payment Methods: Paytm cash and mobile recharges.

User Ratings: 4.2/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹200 – ₹800

Downloads: 10M+

Website: https://www.taskbucks.com/

6. Fiverr

Fiverr is a disrupter. It is a lot superior to micro-task apps, and it is something that sells your skills. The name is based on the historic concept that all jobs, or Gigs were originally priced at $5. The prices have changed, yet the site is still welcoming to newcomers. In case you possess a talent, you can post it in Fiverr. This could be in form of writing articles, creating logos, editing videos, voice-overs, social media management pages, or even data entry services.

What students can do is to package something they are already doing such as making presentations or editing photos of friends into a service. You make a profile, list your Gig and clients worldwide may employ you. It is a good option to create a portfolio and make serious money depending on your talents in Fiverr.

Key Features:

• Huge international market place of freelance services.
• You price and service yourself.
• Excellent to create a professional portfolio.
• Protective payment system which safeguards the buyer and the seller.

How Students Can Earn: By producing and selling Gigs based on their talents: writing, design, programming or video editing.

Payment Methods: PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer (via Payoneer).

User Ratings: 4.5/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹4,000 – ₹25,000+ 

Downloads: 10M+

Website: https://www.fiverr.com

7. Upwork

Upwork is the more corporate cousin to Fiverr in case the latter is the friendly marketplace of beginners. It is among the greatest and most credible freelance websites in the globe. On Upwork, you normally go through job postings by clients and place proposals instead of posting Gigs and waiting to get clients. This model is slightly more demanding since you have to create a persuasive pitch on every job that you want to apply to.

The Upwork projects are way bigger and long-term compared to Fiverr. There, you will find customers in search of part-time virtual assistants, long-term content writers, or developers of complex projects. Although this may appear to be scary, it is a good avenue to students in their last years who have mastered good skills and wish to secure better, higher-paid jobs that may even guarantee them full-time employment after graduation. It is a serious place for serious freelancers.

Key Features:

• Huge variety of professional projects, both short-term and long-term.
• Clients include small start-ups, and large corporations.
• Powerful messaging and project management.
• Hourly, and fixed-price project alternatives.

How Students Can Earn: By designing a professional profile and bidding on freelance projects that are deemed to be relevant to them.

Payment Methods: PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer.

User Ratings: 4.6/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹8,000 – ₹40,000+

Downloads: 5M+

Website: https://www.upwork.com

8. EarnKaro

EarnKaro simplifies affiliate marketing and it is accessible to all. In affiliate marketing, the commission is paid to you when you sell a product belonging to someone. The majority of systems are difficult to install, yet with EarnKaro, the entire work becomes easy. The app is also connected to numerous big Indian e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and Ajio. This is how you do it: identify a product you want on one of these sites, copy the link and use the EarnKaro application to make it a special profit link.

Send that link to your friends or on social media. It is the best earning apps for students. In case any person purchases the product by following your link, you get a commission in real cash. It is awesome when it comes to students who are the opinion leaders in their peer groups, and enjoy recommending products in general.

Key Features:

• Makes the process of affiliate marketing easier.
• Collaboration with all leading e-commerce companies in India.
• Supported by major investors such as Ratan Tata.
• Clicks and earnings in detail.

How Students Can Earn: Students can earn by generating and distributing affiliate links to products and getting a commission on each successful sale.

Payment Methods: Direct bank transfer.

User Ratings: 4.0/5 on Google Play Store

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹500 – ₹10,000+

Downloads: 10M+

Website: https://earnkaro.com

9. Dream11

Dream11 is the largest fantasy sports site in India. It is to the students who are passionate about any sport such as cricket, football or kabaddi and are familiar with the players and the game. The concept is to get your own virtual team of real-life players prior to a forthcoming match. You are assigned a fixed amount of credits and have to select a balanced team (batsmen, bowlers etc.) within your limit. It is the best earning apps for students.

Your team will score points based on the real performance of your players in the actual match (runs, wickets, goals, etc.). You will participate in games against other users, and in case your team will be among the high-scoring teams, you can receive real money. Dream11 pays off skill, research, and sports knowledge. It is not passive income; it requires involvement and thought, but the opportunities can be huge to those who are good at it.

Key Features:

• The biggest fantasy sports hub in India.
• Large diversity of sports to select.
• Tournaments having varied entry fees and prize pools.
• Interesting and competitive format.

How Students Can Earn: Students can earn by making fantasy sports teams and winning cash prizes in contests with the performance of the players.

Payment Methods: Direct bank transfer.

User Ratings: 4.3/5 on its website 

Estimated Monthly Earnings: Can range from ₹0 to ₹20,000+

Downloads: 150M+ (from website)

Website: https://www.dream11.com

10. YouTube Shorts / Instagram Reels Creator

It is not a single app. It is a means through which one can make money by posting on various platforms. On the occasion of TikTok ban in India, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels became popular. The great opportunity is to become a creator. You can make short and attractive vertical videos in case you are funny, a great dancer, a good teacher, or possess any other special talent. In the beginning, you only aim at creating an audience and views. The moment you pick up, there are a number of ways you can make money.

YouTube has a Shorts Fund which rewards popular creators. On both sites, you can earn money by having a decent following: brands may offer to pay you to post about their products (sponsorships). You may also use your platform to refer traffic to your affiliate links (such as EarnKaro). It is not short-term money but a long-term game, but to creative students, it can be very rewarding and even a career path.

Key features:

• Huge following and the possibility of going viral.
• Various ways of monetization (creator funds, brand deals, affiliate marketing).
• Freedom of creativity to show your talents.
• Creates a personal brand and online image.

Payment Methods: Direct Bank Transfer (from YouTube/Instagram), Direct deals with brands.

User Ratings: N/A

Estimated Monthly Earnings: ₹0 – ₹50,000+

Website: https://www.youtube.com/shorts, https://www.instagram.com/reels

Tips for Maximizing Your Earnings

It is not enough to have the best earning apps for students, this is how you can get the best out of them:

• Be regular: Take a little bit of time daily. A half an hour a day is preferable to five hours a month.
• Combination of applications: Do not use a single application. Experiment with a few of them- Google opinion rewards as a passive income stream, Meesho as an active seller and Fiverr if you have a skill.
• Do what you are good at: In case you are an excellent writer, do Upwork or Fiverr. In case you own a large WhatsApp network, master Meesho or EarnKaro.
• Fill in your profile: A fully filled professional-looking profile with a good picture is essential on sites such as Fiverr and Upwork.
• Be patient: You are not going to begin earning thousands in a day. Learning the ropes and gaining momentum is time consuming.

Final Thoughts

There has never been a better time to make money at your studies. With your phone, you will be able to acquire new skills, become financially independent, and learn the worth of money. It is aimed at supplementing (adding to) your pocket money, not to substitute your studies. You still have your education as your primary investment. Use the best earning apps for students as a little side hustle. Smart, safe, and consistent. Find an app you like now and begin your experience of earning. Your purse will love you!

Also Read:- Daily 100 rupees earning app Without Investment

FAQs

Are these money-making applications safe?  

The applications in this guide are quite popular and reliable. Nevertheless, beware. Never share any personal information that is not required, never pay any fee before you start and always download apps via official stores and read reviews.

What is a realistic income?  

You can win various sums. Applications such as Google Opinion Rewards or Roz Dhan can provide you with a handful of rupees every month. Apps that rely on skills or sales like Fiverr or Meesho can earn thousands of dollars but it is up to you how many effort, skills, and time you put in.

Will I have to pay tax on these earnings?  

The government provides a basic exemption limit to all individuals in a financial year and when you have exceeded this basic exemption limit through your total income of all sources, you are legally bound to file an income tax return. 

Is it possible that I can do all this on my phone?  

Yes! All of the mentioned apps are designed to be pleasant to use on a phone. Although some tasks may be more comfortable on the laptop, such as the ones on Fiverr or Upwork.