Spain has a broad mobile ecosystem, as Expatica’s guide to top apps in Spain shows, but earning apps need a tougher filter. Some work for selling things you already own, while others can start to look like autónomo (self-employed) work once income becomes regular.
This guide compares legitimate options by how people actually earn and what to check before you sign up. If you get paid from abroad, a Wise account can also help you receive, hold, convert, and spend money in euros.
Key takeaways
We shortlisted these apps based on legitimacy, availability in Spain, payout clarity, and expat fit.
- Choose Vinted or Wallapop if you want quick cash from things you already own.
- Choose Fiverr, Upwork, or Preply if you have skills and want more durable side income.
- Treat Glovo as a work-status decision, not a casual extra-cash app, and treat UserTesting as spare-time money only.
The best apps to make money in Spain
| App | Best for | How you get paid | Main Spain watch-out | Best fit for expats |
| Vinted | Quick decluttering cash | Vinted balance, then bank transfer | Repeated resale can look commercial | Clothes and small household items |
| Wallapop | Local same-city sales | Wallapop wallet, then bank transfer | Stay on-platform and price realistically | Furniture, electronics, and bikes |
| Fiverr | Starter freelance services | PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfer options | ID checks and regular income records matter | Beginners with digital skills |
| Upwork | Larger freelance projects | Local bank, PayPal, or Payoneer options | More admin and tax questions if work becomes steady | Experienced freelancers |
| Preply | Tutoring and language work | Tutor balance, then payout method | Trial-lesson economics and steady record-keeping | Bilingual expats and tutors |
| Glovo | Local delivery work | Employment pay, depending on city setup | Work rights and onboarding checks come first | Readers allowed to work locally |
| UserTesting | Occasional spare-time cash | PayPal | Uneven test volume and no tax withholding | Low-commitment side cash |
Vinted
If your main goal is fast decluttering cash, Vinted can be useful.
Vinted works best when you treat it like a smart decluttering tool instead of a mini import business. Clothes, shoes, kids’ items, books, and small home goods are usually easier to list, pack, and ship than bulky products, and clear photos often matter more than clever sales language.
Trust signals do a lot of the work. Use measurements in centimeters, describe flaws honestly, and add brand and size details that Spanish buyers are likely to search for. Payouts usually move from your Vinted balance to your bank account, and withdrawals may involve identity checks.
A quick tax flag: occasional private sales are not the same as repeated buying and reselling for profit. If you start sourcing stock instead of clearing your own wardrobe, the activity may look less like casual selling and more like business activity in Spain.
Wallapop
For sofas, bikes, and local pickups, Wallapop can work better than Vinted.
Wallapop is especially useful in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Málaga, where buyers often want furniture, bikes, kitchen gear, or electronics without waiting for shipping. Local demand can make bigger items easier to move, but only if your price reflects the real secondhand market.
The app also works better when you keep the whole conversation inside the platform. Wallapop routes sale proceeds into your wallet, and from there you can transfer funds to your bank account. If someone pushes you to move to WhatsApp, email, or an external payment link, treat that as a warning sign.
Before meeting a buyer, check these basics:
- Meeting point: Use a busy public place, or choose Wallapop Envíos if shipping makes more sense.
- Item check: For electronics, show that the item turns on and matches the listing.
- Price: Agree the exact amount in the chat before you meet.
- Pressure: Walk away if the buyer tries to rush you or change terms at the last minute.
As with Vinted, repeated flipping for profit can raise the same tax or self-employment questions.
Fiverr
Test demand for your skills on Fiverr by creating fixed-price gigs with defined scopes instead of writing lengthy proposals.
Fiverr suits writers, translators, designers, and virtual assistants, among many other digital workers. Beginners usually do better with a narrow offer, such as proofreading LinkedIn profiles or editing short videos, than with a vague promise to do “anything online.”
Fiverr is legitimate, but it behaves more like freelance work than instant cash. Check the current payout methods, location limits, and identity requirements before you rely on it, because Fiverr may ask freelancers to verify their identity before they can fully use the platform.
If clients pay you in USD or GBP, a Wise account may be useful for receiving, holding, and converting those earnings into euros with transparent fees before you spend them in Spain. It can make cross-border payouts easier to track, although it will not replace a Spanish bank account or any tax or work setup you may need.
Upwork
Readers who already have a portfolio will usually get more from Upwork than from lower-commitment side hustle apps.
Upwork differs from Fiverr because you often pitch for posted jobs instead of waiting for buyers to find a fixed service page. That can mean better-value work, but it also means more competition, more proposal writing, and more focus on portfolio proof, client feedback, and specialization.
If you are not sure which is better, the key question is how much structure you want. Fiverr can be easier for testing a small offer, while Upwork fits better when you can show past results and handle ongoing client work.
Upwork also feels more formal on the payout side. Freelancers need to submit tax information before accessing earnings, and payout options can include direct to local bank, PayPal, or Payoneer. If your income becomes regular, it is more likely to raise autónomo questions, along with IRPF, Spain’s personal income tax, and possibly IVA, Spain’s value-added tax, depending on the service you provide.
Preply
Tutoring can be easier to define and record than some gig-app work, and Preply makes it fairly easy to start.
Preply works best if you can teach something specific, not just “chat in English.” Good fits include exam prep, business English, and school subjects, especially if you can explain ideas clearly to non-native speakers. Your profile, response time, and schedule clarity all shape how fast you get bookings.
Lesson income does not move straight to your bank. Lessons must be confirmed first, then earnings go to your tutor balance before you withdraw them. Preply also takes 100% commission on a new student’s trial lesson, so the first class is often more about winning repeat business than making money that day.
If tutoring turns into a regular side hustle, keep clean records of lesson income, cancellations, and payouts from the start to save a lot of backtracking later.
Glovo
Local delivery can pay, but Glovo is not the easiest route for a newcomer.
Glovo’s Spain rider page describes direct hiring with employment contracts in some cities, not a simple low-paperwork cash gig. That makes it more formal than many “make money fast” apps, so check the local setup before you buy gear or plan around it.
Check these points first:
- Work rights: Make sure your nationality, visa, or residence status allows paid work in Spain.
- Admin: You may need a valid work permit, ID documents, and in some cases an NIE, the foreigner identification number used in Spain.
- Costs: Your own vehicle, phone, data, and time all affect whether the pay is worth it.
- Demand: Openings, hours, and contract availability can vary by city.
If your status is unclear, do not guess. Delivery work is not the place to improvise around Spanish labor or immigration rules.
UserTesting
Keep UserTesting in the occasional-money category.
Paid testing platforms can work well if you speak clearly, follow instructions, and have patience for dry spells. UserTesting pays through PayPal, usually 14 days after a completed test, and the company says it does not withhold taxes from your payments. That makes it one of the clearer apps that pay real money in Spain, but not one of the most consistent.
Volume is the weak point. Some weeks you may see several tests, and other weeks almost none, depending on your profile, device, language, and region. A good fit is someone who wants flexible spare-time income and does not mind screening out of many opportunities before one actually matches.
The biggest disappointment is expecting reliable weekly income. This works better as a supplement than as a real side business.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about best apps to make money in Spain
They can be. Spain may treat app income as taxable depending on the type of activity, how often you do it, and whether it looks like occasional private selling or regular paid work. That is why it helps to keep records from the start and read Expatica’s guide to Taxes for freelancers and the self-employed in Spain before recurring income builds up. If you are unsure, check current guidance from Agencia Tributaria, Spain’s tax authority.
It depends on whether the activity looks like regular economic work rather than the occasional sale of your own used items. Delivery work, tutoring, ongoing freelance services, and repeat client work are more likely to raise self-employment questions than selling a jacket or lamp once in a while. If your side income is becoming routine, read How to become an autónomo: freelancing in Spain before it turns into an avoidable paperwork problem.
Not automatically. Whether you can use gig or service apps legally depends on your nationality, visa or residence status, and whether you actually have the right to work in Spain. If your money comes from overseas platforms or remote clients, check Expatica’s guide to Working remotely in Spain and review your own status before assuming that a download button equals work permission.
Common payout routes include PayPal and bank transfers. Some expats that are paid in foreign currencies may also find a Wise account useful for holding, converting, and spending money in euros more clearly.
