Below is a guest post by Evan Mullen.
This article will summarize several income earning apps. Some of these apps are fully passive (no effort after initial setup) while others are active (require daily interaction). Earnings may be taxable, consult your tax advisor. Referral links are provided for each app when applicable.
The apps are categorized into three tiers based on payout type. Feel free to help grow this list by commenting apps not listed. Please format app suggestions in the same format so they can be copied and pasted in directly.
Only apps with guaranteed rewards are considered (no lotteries, scratchers, etc). Apps that earn based on purchases are also not considered (shopping portals, receipt scanning, card-linking programs, etc).
Contents
Cash Payments
This sections is dedicated for apps which payout in cash.
McMoney
Description: Help companies improve the success of sending SMS messages by automatically receiving test text messages. Estimated earnings of $10 earnings per year.
Passive Earning: Earn 5.6 cents per text message received. Texts seem to come roughly every other day.
Active Earning: None.
Payout options: Paypal ($6 min).
Mobile Performance Meter
Description: Help mobile carriers improve service by letting the app run and automatically report service data. Estimated earnings of $18 to $73 per year; additional earnings for surveys available as well.
Earning Unit: 1 meter point = 0.67 to 1 cent, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: Receive 5 to 20 meter points per day, depending on your phone.
Active Earning: Earn extra meter points for surveys.
Payout options: Virtual Visa ($1 min), Amazon ($1 min), many others. Larger payouts give a better rate, so go for at least $5 if you want the best rate.
Panel App
Description: Collects data about your location. Estimated earnings of $6 to $10 per year.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 0.05 to 0.0833 cents, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: Earn 33 points per day for enabling location.
Active Earning: Earn roughly 33 points per day for taking surveys regarding the places you’ve been.
Payout options: Visa Gift Card ($5 min), Amazon ($1 min), Walmart ($15 min). Larger payouts give a better rate, so go for $25 if you think the app will be around long enough.
Sweatcoin
Description: Collects data about your location. Earnings estimate varies widely, depending on steps taken outside and in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 Sweatcoin = 5 cents.
Passive Earning: Earn 1 Sweatcoin for every 1000 steps outside, up to 5 Sweatcoins per day.
Active Earning: Watch an ad for an additional 2.33 Sweatcoins per day (on average).
Payout options: Bank transfer ($1,000 min). Can sell your Sweatcoins to others such as this site. Can also use Sweatcoins to purchase random items and subscriptions in app.
Slidejoy
Description: Get paid to use their screen unlock, take surveys, and install other apps. Estimated earnings of $25 per year from screen unlocks; other in-app activity can increase earnings.
Earning Unit: 1 carot = 0.1 cents.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn carots for screen unlocks, surveys, and apps installs.
Payout options: Paypal ($2 min), Amazon ($2 min), many others.
Screenlift
Description: Get paid to use their screen unlock, take surveys, and install other apps. Estimated earnings of $5 per year from screen unlocks; other in-app activity can increase earnings.
Earning Unit: 1 lift = 0.0667 to 0.1026 cents, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn lifts for screen unlocks, surveys, and app installs.
Payout options: Paypal ($1 min), Amazon ($1 min), Walmart ($1 min). Larger payouts give a better rate, although $200 seems unreachable.
Giftloop
Description: Get paid to enable charging screen, use screen unlock, take surveys, watch ads, and install other apps. Estimated earnings of $15 per year from screen unlocks; other earnings possible from charging phone and in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 coin = 0.00333 to 0.005 cents, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: Earn 1 coin per minute while charging.
Active Earning: Earn coins for screen unlocks, surveys, watching ads, app installs, and login streaks.
Payout options: Paypal ($15 min), Amazon ($1 min), Walmart ($10 min), others. Larger payouts give a better rate, so go for at least $10 if you want the best rate.
Smiles
Direct Link (seems this app is gone now)
Description: Collects driving data. Possible earnings of up to $1,200 per year, depending on miles driven.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn 3 cents per mile when driving, up to $3.30 per day. Need to manually press button in app to start and stop trips.
Payout options: Bank deposit ($25 min), Amazon ($25 min).
Killi
Direct Link | Referral Link (referral gives you a bonus, unsure how much)
Description: Fill out age, gender, email, mobile phone number. You get paid when Killi sells this information along with location data. Also get paid to fill out surveys. Estimated earnings of $15 per year; additional earnings from surveys possible as well.
Passive Earning: Sells data automatically (seems rare).
Active Earning: 3 to 7 cents per single-question survey, occurs almost once per day.
Payout options: Paypal ($10 min), Amazon ($5 min).
Google Opinion Rewards
Description: Get paid to take surveys. Estimated earnings of up to $20 per year, depending on amount of surveys taken.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: 5 to 50 cents per short survey (mostly single-question). Occurs once every few days.
Payout options: Paypal ($2 min). Note: Only the iOS app allows cash payout; Android only gets Google Play credit (and those credits expire too).
Payment That Appeals to Most (Amazon/Walmart)
This section contains addition money making apps. These don’t payout in cash, but their payout form will appeal to most users, e.g. Amazon or Walmart gift cards.
AppOptix
Description: Automatically report data to provide smartphone information and experiences. Estimated $43 per year.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 3.33 cents
Passive Earning: Earn 25 points every week.
Active Earning: None.
Payout options: Amazon ($10 min).
Achievement
Description: App is partnered with various healthcare companies to look at user step data and other data. Estimated earnings vary based on steps taken and other activity.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 0.1 cents.
Passive Earning: Earn roughly 0.0026 points per step, up to 80 points per day.
Active Earning: Track other activities such as tracking sleep or tracking water intake for 6 points each. Infrequent surveys for additional earnings.
Payout options: Amazon ($10 min).
S’more
Direct Link | Referral Link (you’ll get 25 points referral bonus)
Description: Get paid to use their screen unlock, take surveys, watch ads. Estimated earnings of $36.50 per year from screen unlocks; other earnings possible from in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 1 cent.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn 10 points per day for using the screen unlock. Earn more for taking surveys and watching ads.
Payout options: Amazon ($1 min), others.
WinWalk
Description: Pedometer app that pays you to walk. Estimated earnings vary by steps taken and other in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 coin = 0.0625 cents.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn 1 coin every 100 steps. up to 10,000 steps per day, but have to collect earnings daily. Also surveys, watch ads, install apps for additional earnings.
Payout options: Amazon ($10 min), Walmart ($10 min).
Lympo
Description: Companies pay for Lym tokens to be advertised, and users earn Lym tokens for walking. Tokens can be used in-app, or sold on exchanges. Estimated earnings vary by steps taken and other in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 Lym token ≈ 1 cent. See here.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn roughly 1 to 10 Lymp per mile by foot (capped depending on the daily redemption options). Have to manually spend miles earned per day or they expire. Watch ads for additional earnings.
Payout options: Amazon ($5 min), others. Gift cards run out quickly on this app, and get replenished infrequently so far. Buying $5 gift cards seem to cost $7 to $10 in Lym tokens, so selling Lym tokens on exchanges may give you a better rate.
Podcoin
Direct Link | Referral Link (you’ll get get 150 Podcoin referral bonus)
Description: Get paid to stream podcasts. Estimated earnings of up to $82 per year, depending on amount of podcast streaming.
Earning Unit: 1 Podcoin = 0.1667 to 0.25 cents, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: If you listen to podcasts, get paid 1 to 2.5 Podcoin (depending on podcast and streak multiplier) per 10 minutes of podcast streaming up to 6 hours per day.
Active Earning: None.
Payout options: Amazon ($2 min), others. Larger payouts give a better rate, so go for at least $5 if you want the best rate.
Edge / Microsoft Rewards
Edge Link | Microsoft Rewards Link | Referral Link
Description: Make a Microsoft Rewards account and earn rewards. Estimated earnings of up to $100 per year, depending on the number of Bing searches and other web/app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 0.0769 to 0.0893 cents.
Passive Earning: If you use Bing to perform searches, earn 5 points per search, up to 4 searches per day through the Edge app, up to 20 searches per day on mobile, and up to 30 searches per day on computer.
Active Earning: Earn extra points by performing daily tasks such as quizzes, and login streaks.
Payout options: Walmart ($5), others.
Dabbl
Description: Get paid to watch ads and take surveys. Estimated earnings varies by activity.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 0.1 cents.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Watch ads, surveys. Ads seem to give between 10 and 100 points.
Payout options: Amazon ($5), Walmart ($5), others.
PK Coin
Description: Pays you to exercise. Estimated earnings varies by activity.
Earning Unit: 1 PK Coin = 0.9 to 2 cents, depending on payout amount.
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Earn up to 20 coins per day, up to 100 coins per week. Need to manually press button in app to start and stop exercise tracking.
Payout options: Amazon ($50 min), others.
Payment Type Won’t Appeal To All
This sections contains additional apps whose payment options aren’t as appealing.
Miles
Direct Link | Referral Link (you’ll get a 1,500 miles bonus)
Description: Tracks location to earn rewards by accruing miles. Estimated earnings varies by the distance you travel by foot, car, train, plane, etc.
Earning Unit: 1 mile = 1 to 20 cents, depending on what you redeem.
Passive Earning: Earn rewards for tracking miles by foot, car, train, plane, etc.
Active Earning: None.
Payout options: Random items and subscriptions. The most useful reward on here for now seems to be a Vudu credit. It can currently be redeemed every 2 weeks.
LifeCoin
Description: Collects data about your location. Estimated earnings varies by steps taken outside and other in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 lifecoin = 2 cents.
Passive Earning: Earn 1 lifecoin for every 1000 steps outside, up to 5 lifecoins per day.
Active Earning: Watch an ad for an additional 1 lifecoin per day.
Payout options: Ebay ($50), Uber ($50), various streaming services ($50), random items.
FIX
Direct Link | Referral Link (you’ll get 200 points bonus)
Description: Link a music streaming account and earn rewards. Estimated earnings varies by amount of music streaming and other in-app activity.
Earning Unit: 1 point = 0.714 cents.
Passive Earning: If you use Spotify, Deezer, or last.fm to stream music, earn 1 point per song up to 50 songs per day.
Active Earning: Earn more points by looking for bonus points in news articles, listening to clips and guessing the artist, purchasing Ticketmaster tickets through the app, login streaks, and opening app notifications.
Payout options: Ticketmaster ($25), merchandise and other music related items.
Paytime
Description: If you have an edu email (college students), get paid to watch ads. Website states support for non-college students coming soon.
Earning Unit: 1 ad minute = 2.5% of 1 monthly subscription cost (40 ads = 1 monthly subscription)
Passive Earning: None.
Active Earning: Watch up to 10 ads per day.
Payout options: Various subscription services such as Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, and others.
Sample Setup
Examples with rough earnings per year are shown below:
Purely passive setup
- McMoney – $10 / year (estimate)
- Mobile Performace Meter – $18.25 to $73 / year (phone dependent)
- Panel App – $6.02 / year (not waiting for the best rate)
- Sweatcoin – $21.90 / year (assuming 3,000 outside steps per day and 2 cents per coin)
- Giftloop – $8.76 / year (charging 8 hours per day, waiting for the best rate)
- AppOptix – $43.33 / year
- Achievement – $5.69 / year (assuming 6,000 total steps per day)
- Miles – $52 / year (assuming $2 Vudu redemption every 2 weeks)
- LifeCoin – $21.90 / year (assuming 3,000 steps outside per day)
Total: $179.09 to $233.84 per year.
Low-effort setup
- McMoney – $10 / year (estimate)
- Mobile Performace Meter – $18.25 to $73 / year (phone dependent)
- Panel App – $6.02 / year (not waiting for the best rate)
- Sweatcoin – $21.90 / year (assuming 3,000 outside steps per day and 2 cents per coin)
- Slidejoy – $24 / year (estimate)
- Screenlift – $5 / year (estimate)
- Giftloop – $14.24 / year (charging 8 hours per day and using lock screen, waiting for the best rate)
- AppOptix – $43.33 / year
- Achievement – $5.69 / year (assuming 6,000 total steps per day)
- S’more – $36.50 / year
- Podcoin – $21.90 / year (assuming 2 hours of podcast streaming per day, waiting for the best rate)
- Edge – $75.81 / year (assuming reaching max searches on computer, mobile, and Edge app per day)
- Miles – $52 / year (assuming $2 Vudu redemption every 2 weeks)
- LifeCoin – $21.90 / year (assuming 3,000 steps outside per day)
- FIX – $130 / year (assuming listening to 50 songs per day)
Total: $486.54 to $541.29 per year.
Full effort Setup
Since the amount of surveys, ads, and other tasks could vary significantly, no estimate is made regarding using all features of all apps in this list.
Other Apps
Some other apps not listed in detail:
- Phonepaycheck – currently not accepting new users.
- Smart panel – need VPN, which violates other apps terms of service.
- Mobilexpression – need VPN, which violates other apps terms of service.
- Savvyconnect – need VPN, which violates other apps terms of service.
- WHAFF Locker – Screen unlock app.
- Cash Magnet – Takes control of your phone to browse the web and play games.
- Walgreens Balance Rewards – Get Walgreens points for tracking steps. Couldn’t get the app to link to a step tracking app.
- BetterPoints My Referral – Get points for tracking steps and car rides. Doesn’t seem to work for me. Maybe it’s because I’m in the US.
- Fitfetti (iOS only) – Get rewards for meeting step goals. I have android.
Thanks to Evan Mullen for the guest post. He also wrote guest posts reviewing the Digs Savings Account and the GasBuddy app.
Google Opinion Rewards is shutting down.. 🙁 damn that was a money maker for me for almost 10 years
Disregard, mistake
Fix is dead 🙁
thx for this post. Does anyone know of any app where u can earn or redeem as a reward a coupon for $ off at chewy.com? such as $15 off $49 (not limited to new customers). I thought The miles app getmiles had this offer, but I cannot find it. Any ideas appreciated
The world is going the way of the series Maniac. Eventually we’ll be able to get the basics paid for if we just agree to let someone follow us around all day constantly bombarding us with advertising and documenting everything we do.
A few weeks ago I noticed a huge ad on the side of someone’s car. Is this a common thing now?
Was it digital? I’ve heard branding and ads do help call your car a 100% business expense for tax purposes. Full time ride shares in urban areas I’ve seen rolling around with digital signage as well.
there is a few cars near the entrance of my community with ads on them. im sure the residents get a free car because of where their driveway is
Wow, impressive list. A lot of work. Thanks Doc & Chuck!
Of course active income apps are mostly not worth it.
But passive income, however small, is good. I’m in.
Plus, no work needed sifting through these apps. Info is laid out beautifully.
Although it is an impressive list you do realize this guy is going to make decent money from all of the referrals, correct?
I have no issue with that but some of the people commenting are acting like this is some charitable act.
Yeah it’s a great reference page to read through and learn about it. Looks like it was a guest post by Evan so thanks to Evan as well!
Might be useful to note what platform they are available on. A lot of the above are not available on iOS probably due to stricter security.
I didn’t know there were so many crypto coins for fitness.
Once you are on a 3 day streak of using the app, your earnings double to 2 podcoin per 10 minutes, so it would only take 33.3 hrs if you listen daily.
That is SOO much better to earn that $1! 🙂
If I had an extra device that I didn’t really use for anything super personal, I’d probably install some of these data tracking apps. I already use quite a few of the other kinds that are listed, and definitely plan on installing more once I get my new phone later this month.