Over the past several years, I’ve earned extra income by taking advantage of various types of gig economy apps. There are a couple of obvious apps that you’ve probably heard about before – think food delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats or grocery delivery apps like Shipt and Instacart. But there’s also a subset of smaller apps out there that you might not have heard about before. One app I’ve used on-and-off over the past few years is the Observa app. Â
Observa is in a category of app that I like to call “picture-taking” apps. These are apps that pay independent contractors to visit businesses, answer a few questions, and take pictures of specific products. Generally, you do these assignments surreptitiously, without letting anyone at the business know what you’re up to.
The assignments usually don’t take long – 5 or 10 minutes at most – and typically pay you $5 to $10 for your work. It’s not enough to make a full-time income or even a significant income, but it’s something that you can do to earn a little extra money while you’re out and about. And importantly, apps like Observa are pretty easy to fit into your daily routine.
In this Observa app review, we’re going to look at what the Observa app is, how it works, and whether it makes sense to use this app to earn a little bit of extra income. I’ll also look at some of the strategies I’ve used to maximize my earnings with the Observa app.
What Is The Observa App?
Observa is an app that partners with brands to audit their product shelving at businesses. Brands spend a lot of money to get their products in front of customers. As a result, they like to make sure that their products are being properly displayed and are correctly priced.
To do this, Observa pays independent contractors to visit businesses and take photos of certain products on the shelves. The brand can then use this information to make appropriate changes to their product, if necessary.Â
For the side hustlers out there, Observa is a way you can make a little extra money by taking pictures and answering questions for these brands.Â
Here’s a video from Observa that gives some more information about Observa and how it works:Â
How Does The Observa App Work?
Observa is an on-demand gig economy app where “Observers” can complete short assignments and get paid for them. I’ve done Observa gigs sporadically for the last four years. It’s not a lot of money and I don’t go out of my way to do these gigs, but they can sometimes work out well depending on what I’m doing.Â
Here’s all the information you need to know about how Observa works.
How To Sign Up For Observa
The first thing you need to do to become an Observer is to sign up for Observa. Signing up for Observa is very easy. Simply download the app and follow the instructions to sign up. You can sign up to be an Observa Observer using this link.Â
Once you’ve downloaded the app, simply follow the instructions to sign up for Observa. When you open the app, you’ll see a button at the top that says join. You’ll then enter your email address and create a password for your account. That’s it! Once you do that, you’ll be able to log in and see available assignments in your area.Â
How Do Observa Assignments Work?
Observa assignments are straightforward and most of them are easy to complete. After you’ve created your account and logged in, you’ll see a map that shows you all of the available assignments around you. If the assignment is available, you’ll see it as a red dot. If the dot is yellow, it means that the assignment has already been picked up by another Observer.
When you click on an assignment, you’ll see information about what the assignment is and what it pays. The app will also tell you how long you have to complete the assignment (I believe that every assignment gives you 5 hours to complete it once you’ve accepted it). Â
There are two types of assignments in the Observa app. The first is your typical secret shopper-type assignments where you take photos in the store without making yourself known. Some only require you to take photos. Most will also require you to gather some other information, such as entering pricing information into the Observa app. A few may require you to buy products and get reimbursed for them.Â
The second type of assignment is one where you speak to a manager and see if they would be interested in adding a particular product to their inventory. To do this, you’ll have to print out a sell-sheet and give it to the manager. This is basically an order form that the business can use to order a product.
I only do the secret shopper-type assignments because I don’t want to interact with any store employees when I do these gigs, but if you’re comfortable with it, you can try either of these types of Observa assignments.
How Much Does Observa Pay?
After you complete your assignment, you’ll submit it to Observa. The app will then review your assignment and either approve or reject your assignment. This process is quick – usually within 24 hours. In all my years of doing Observa gigs, I’ve never had an assignment rejected, although admittedly, I haven’t done that many Observa gigs either.Â
As for pay, each Observa gig typically pays at least $5. Looking at my own Observa history, most of my gigs have paid $5 to $7.50. When I look in the app now, I see a lot of gigs that pay $7.50 or more. I don’t know how the pay is determined, but it seems that the more you have to do for an assignment, the more they tend to pay.Â
Payment is made via PayPal, so you’ll need to have a PayPal account if you want to sign up for Observa. I assume most people have a PayPal account already. It’s free to create a PayPal account, so there’s no downside to doing that.Â
Downsides With The Observa App
Observa is far from perfect and indeed, there are a lot of downsides with this app. If you’re going to use this app, you have to go into it understanding what it’s for and what it’s not for. Here are some of the big downsides that you need to think about if you’re using Observa.
There aren’t many assignments. I’ve used the Observa app for several years and even though I’ve had it on my phone for a long time, I haven’t done very many assignments. Often, you’ll open up the app and see a handful of assignments at most. If you’re looking for something that will be a consistent source of income, this is definitely not the app for you to use.Â
It’s not a very lucrative app. The Observa assignments only pay $5 or so for each assignment, which isn’t very much. The assignments don’t take long – a $5 assignment, for example, should take you 10 minutes to complete at most. When you break it down, $5 for 10 minutes is a solid $30 per hour for your time, which can be worthwhile. At the same time though, $5 isn’t that much money. You’re not going to get rich from this app.Â
Many assignments require travel time. The biggest downside with an app like Observa (or any picture-taking app) is your travel time. Even if an assignment only takes you 5 or 10 minutes to complete, it’s not going to be worth your time if you’re spending 10 or 20 minutes traveling to the location. In my experience, most Observa gigs are too far away to spend your time doing them.
The app interface isn’t great. Observa has a pretty dated-looking interface compared to many other apps. I’ve found the app to be glitchy and slow. And it definitely isn’t optimized for the latest version of iOS (I have an iPhone, so that’s the phone operating system that I use). Â
Some assignments are unrealistic. There are occasional Observa assignments I’ve noticed that are unrealistic for anyone to complete. For example, you’ll sometimes see assignments that ask you to take photos in a small convenience store. That’s going to be difficult to do since most business owners aren’t going to be happy with you walking into their store and taking photos. In a larger store – like a grocery store or a big box store – it’s no problem, but in a small store, you’re going to have trouble taking photos without being noticed. I always avoid any assignments in small convenience stores, even if they’re close to me.
Strategies To Maximize Your Observa Earnings
Observa isn’t a lucrative gig economy app. You won’t make a lot of money from it. But there are strategies you can use to make it more worthwhile for you. Here are the main strategies I recommend.Â
Combine Observa with other gig economy apps. The most important thing you can do to make Observa worthwhile is to combine them with other gig economy apps you might be using. For example, I also do a lot of food delivery using apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. If you’re doing one gig that takes you past an Observa gig, it can make sense to quickly run in, snap some photos, and then continue on your way.Â
Do Observa gigs while you’re running errands. In my opinion, the best way to use Observa is to do these gigs while you’re doing errands. For example, if you’re going to be at the store anyway, then it would make sense to do an Observa gig that is at that store. Not too long ago, I had to run an errand that took me past a couple of Observa gigs. It was easy enough for me to stop by these stores and complete these gigs along the way.Â
Do not go out of your way to complete Observa gigs. This is fairly obvious, but worth mentioning. Observa gigs are not worth doing if you have to travel out of your way to do them. Even though the gig itself might pay a decent amount for the time it takes to complete it, the travel time will destroy your earnings, making your real hourly wage very low. Instead, only do Observa gigs if you’re already at the store, it’s very close to where you are, or you’ll be going in that area anyway.
Final Thoughts On The Observa App
Observa is an app that will allow you to make a little bit of extra income while you’re out and about. You won’t make a lot – but it’s at least some extra income you can use, especially if you can incorporate Observa into the activities you’re already doing.Â
In addition to Observa, there are a variety of other similar types of apps that you should download and keep on your phone. If earning extra income in this way makes sense to you, then I recommend you download the following apps and keep them on your phone:Â
- Gigwalk
- EasyShift
- Field Agent
- Observa
- IVueIt (you can read my in-depth review on IVueIt here)
- Merchandiser
- Pickl
All of the above apps work similarly to Observa, so download all of them and keep them in a folder on your phone. Of all of these apps, Field Agent is the best one, in my opinion.
I hope you find this Observa app review helpful. And if you’re interested in signing up for Observa, you can do so using my Observa referral link.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks and 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (12 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 12 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($150) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
I did the same Bridgestone one but they upped the payout to $35 since nobody was compiling the $20 job. I seen it out there for days I was not doing it for $20 but thought I would complete the 3 $35 jobs.. so I had to be “approved” by Observa and contact them directly for this $35 Bridgestone job. They approved me within seconds then I completed the job and it was validated and paid within 5 minutes HOWEVER, they only paid the original $20 and just keep saying over and over they will pay the additional $15 but they won’t. That was literally weeks ago and I emailed them multiple times which they said said each time they would pay me but the responses got nasty saying they don’t want me to do anything else for them Lol so THEY never paid me the posted amount they owe me then suspended MY account because I asked for the payment! I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. They should not be allowed to operate. It’s $15 but it’s the damn principal of the situation! It’s almost worth it to pay my lawyer $100 to fire off a nasty letter to them over this stupid $15.
Hilarious isn’t it!! As soon as you tell them you want to be paid for the job you worked for them, they call it “abusing their staff” and ban you!! Personally, I believe they are taking all the work “we” perform, deny us or reject us, or have a “technical issue” and keep the photos and notes WE did for themselves. I reached out to Bridgestone to let them know who they hired and what kind of company is representing them. Might not be a bad idea if others do the same!
Observa is garbage. Ive signed up for the recent project with Bridgestone. Afrer performing the audit their app went down. They refused to pay me. They didnt even offer to pay half. Its an issue they are working hard on to fix. Thats what they said. Ive worked for them almost a year ON and off and its always an issue with them and a fight to be paid qhat you worked.
Observa is a waste of time. Don’t do the observations, your wasting gas and time.i spent 3 hours and $20 in gas only for all 3 ($75) to be rejected. They are so kind and said I can do them again……KISS MY ASS