If you want to make extra money this month, there are so many different side gigs you can try. However, the sheer amount of options out there can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to gig work.
But with the Steady mobile app, you don’t need to spend hours scrolling through job boards or local classifieds to find your next gig.
Rather, you can use this free app to find new side hustle opportunities in your area and start making extra cash.
Key Features of Steady
Steady is a free app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that’s available in the United States. The company was founded by Adam Roseman and former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal to help people who are living paycheck to paycheck find new financial opportunities.
Currently, the app has over 3 million members. According to Steady, members make an additional $5,500 per year by using the platform.
That’s an extraordinary claim. However, Steady helps its members find local and remote gig opportunities to increase their income. Theoretically, if you find enough gig work with Steady and put in the effort, making this sort of money is possible.
Steady Sign Up Process and Questionnaire
Once you download the Steady app, you create an account by signing up with your email, name, and phone number.
You don’t need to enter payment information or your credit card to sign up. From there, Steady asks you to connect one or more bank accounts to your account.
This is an optional sign-up step, but connecting your bank accounts to Steady lets you track your extra income. Steady uses Plaid to securely connect to your bank account, and this is the same technology many popular fintech apps use. However, you can skip this part if you want to keep things simple.
The next step is where Steady’s magic starts to happen. Once you finish signing up, Steady asks you a series of questions about your personal finances. Examples of questions include if you:
Once you submit your answers, Steady presents a list of offers from its partners that match your financial goals.
For example, if you’re drowning in bank fees and need an alternative, Steady might suggest various low-fee, high-interest savings accounts like Chime. Oftentimes, these offers also come with cash sign-up bonuses so you can hit the ground running if you decide to try out the new service.
Steady also recommends other financial services, like commission-free online brokers and micro-investing apps like Acorns.
According to its Terms of Service, Steady may receive compensation from promoting various partners and sign-up offers. However, this speedy sign-up questionnaire can still help you find new and useful financial services that help you save and make more money.
Side Hustle Questionnaire
Like its sign-up questionnaire, Steady also asks you a series of questions to find the right side hustle idea for you.
This is actually a very important step because different side hustles suit different people. For example, making money with a gig app like DoorDash is viable, but only if you have a bike or vehicle and want to try a delivery gig.
Similarly, if you prefer working online, finding ways to make money from home is a better fit than looking for more traditional gig jobs like being a rideshare driver.
Some questions Steady asks you to help find the perfect side hustle include:
- If you’re looking for full-time jobs, part-time jobs, or remote work
- If you have access to a vehicle or other forms of transportation
- Where you’re looking for work
- Where you currently work
- What languages you speak
- Your level of education
- Your previous job experience
Once you complete this questionnaire, Steady presents a list of dozens of side hustles that are a good fit.
This list typically contains many common side hustles like becoming an Instacart Shopper and using various paid survey sites. However, depending on your preferences, you might find unique work-from-home jobs or in-person gig you would otherwise never hear about.
Each job listing has different tags, like if it’s remote or entry-level, to provide more information about the role. Tapping on an income opportunity displays a bit more information about job responsibilities and also lets you apply to a role if you want to.
Note that applying for a job redirects you to a different application website. For example, if you want to try a survey site like Swagbucks or driving gigs like Postmates, Steady redirects you to a third-party sign up page where you finish your application.
As with its financial service offers, Steady may receive compensation for promoting various side hustles and companies.
Job Search
Steady’s side hustle questionnaire presents you with plenty of side gigs out of the gate. However, you can use its job search feature to look for more opportunities and narrow your options to find the right gig.
Using filters is your best friend here. For example, you can apply filters to only show remote jobs, full-time work, or recently added jobs that are new to Steady. There are potentially thousands of job opportunities depending on where you live, and you can always check out the more tailored list of jobs under the “Jobs For You” section.
The jobs tab also has an employers section where you search for gigs from specific companies. Steady includes a monthly income estimate and how often you get paid for different jobs. You can also add filters for your monthly income goals and payment frequency. Depending on your filters, you should see a diverse range of companies ranging from gig economy apps to retail jobs.
Income Tracker
Another Steady feature you can use to stay on track with your side hustles is its income tracker.
You need to connect the bank account(s) where you receive gig payments to Steady to use this feature. Once you connect your accounts, Steady lets you track your total income with a sleek income chart.
Steady also highlights your different income streams so you know how much you’re making from your main job and from various side hustles. You also see your daily and weekly earnings average. Steady lets you edit different time-frames to get snapshots of your finances at different periods.
This income tracker isn’t too different from budgeting apps like Mint or You Need A Budget. And these budgeting apps are more useful if you’re trying to reduce your spending and want to focus more on saving money rather than making more of it. But it’s nice that Steady helps you track your progress with real numbers so you know if you’re on track to hit your monthly income goals.
Income Boosters
Finding new side hustles is the main reason to use the Steady app. But you can also leverage its Income Boosters tab to score freebies while trying out new financial services.
Your Income Boosters tab is essentially a list of bonus offers from various Steady partners. If you decide to try out a product or service, you usually get a cash bonus or free gift cards.
Examples of Steady Income Boosters include:
- Getting $50 for switching to Aspiration Bank
- Earning $30 for opening and trading with a new Coinbase account
- Getting a $15 bonus for trying the Acorns app
- Getting a $50 bonus for opening an account with Chime
Granted, these incentives aren’t always a great fit if you’re not looking for a new bank account, cash-back credit card, or investing app.
However, periodically checking in with the Income Boosters tab is worthwhile since you might discover a new financial offering that’s useful and also pays you.
Advantages of Steady
For a free app, Steady certainly packs in a lot of features to help you find new income sources. The range of jobs you get and the tailored job recommendations both stand out.
- Diverse Job Categories. Steady does an excellent job at suggesting a range of job types. Full-time, part-time, and remote jobs are prime examples, and you can use different filters to only display jobs that match what you’re looking for.
- Best Of Both Worlds: Steady is similar to remote job websites like FlexJobs and regular job boards like Indeed. And the questionnaire aspect of the app and filtering options make finding the right gig job for your circumstances that much easier
- Personal Suggestions. Steady’s questionnaires let the app find work opportunities that make sense for job seekers. In other words, you won’t get bombarded with driving gigs if you don’t have a car or in-person opportunities if you’re just looking for remote jobs. Overall, this streamlines the job search process, saving time while helping you find gigs that are the right fit.
Disadvantages of Steady
Since Steady is a free app, you can try it risk-free to see if it helps you land a job. However, the app still has notable downsides.
- Income Boosters Are Very Specific. Steady’s Income Booster tab is useful if you’re on the market for new bank accounts, investing platforms, and finance apps. But if you’re happy with your current banking situation, it’s unlikely this section will have offerings you’re interested in.
- Mostly For Beginners. Steady excels at helping people find local gig opportunities if they need quick cash. However, if you have a lot of work experience and are looking for more senior jobs with higher earning potential, Steady isn’t as useful. In this scenario, you’re better off searching on various remote job boards or regular job boards to find more senior positions.
How Steady Stacks Up
Steady is one of the best side gig apps if you don’t know what you’re looking for. This is because Steady is basically a job board for the gig economy.
However, Steady is far from your only option if you want to start a side hustle. And, some of Steady’s competitors might be a better fit if you already have some experience and know the type of work you want.
For example, here’s how Steady compares versus TaskRabbit, a popular gig marketplace where side hustlers can find work.
| Steady | TaskRabbit | |
| Hourly Pay | Many Steady gigs pay minimum wage or around $15 to $20 per hour. | Taskers set their own rates and many complex gigs like handyman work can pay $25+ per hour. |
| Available Countries | United States. | Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. |
| Best For | Brand new side hustlers. | Experienced side hustlers and service professionals looking for extra work. |
In short, you can use the Steady app to kickstart your side hustle search. As you gain experience, you can then list your services on marketplaces like TaskRabbit to find even more opportunities to make money.
Final Word
Navigating the sharing economy is complex, especially if you’re brand new to side hustling and don’t even know what jobs are out there. In this case, apps like Steady are incredibly valuable because they save time and provide personalized gig recommendations that match what you’re looking for.
That said, Steady is just one tool you should have in your financial health toolkit. Online job boards are another way to find income opportunities, and certain websites like FlexJobs are superior if you just want remote work.
Additionally, always remember the importance of saving money in addition to making more of it. Finding new gigs with Steady is great if you need to boost your income, but you should still stick to a budget to keep more of your hard-earned money.