15 Best Apps That Pay You To Install Them
Believe it or not, there are tons of companies out there that pay users for installing their apps and testing them out. So, if you want a fun way to earn passive income while exploring new apps, this is excellent news!
At WebMonkey, we've also been testing out dozens of different side hustles and ways to get paid to download apps over the years.
And, in our testing, we've found some of the very best and highest-paying apps out there in this space.
So today, I'm covering some of the best ways to get paid to install apps. I’ve used a lot of these apps a few years back and have had quick success cashing out early. And while this won’t make you rich, it’s practically free rewards with very minimal effort to redeem.
The Best Apps That Pay You To Install Them
If you’re new to making money online as a beginner, installing apps for money is an excellent place to start.
By using a few of the apps in this list, you can likely make anywhere from a few dollars to $50 or more per month. And the best part is that all of these real money apps are easy to use, and most are completely free.
1. Nielsen Panel
Nielsen Panel is a passive income app that allows you to connect your phone, tablet, or computer and earn rewards for sharing your data.
The best part about this app is that you essentially get paid for doing nothing. As long as you use your device normally, you begin earning points every month for participating in the panel.
The Nielsen Panel desktop app pays you with sweepstake entries you use to enter monthly giveaways of $10,000. And the mobile panel pays you $50 per year worth of credits.
Credits are redeemable for cash and various gift card prizes. So, at the very least, you can install Nielsen Panel on your phone and make a free $50 per year for your data.
If this isn’t one of the best ideas to install apps for money, then I don’t know what is!
2. Cash Giraffe
If you enjoy playing games on your phone and have an Android, then Cash Giraffe is an excellent way to get paid to install apps.
Cash Giraffe is a paid gaming app that rewards you with PayPal money and gift cards for trying out new games on your phone.
The best part about the app is that you can cashout with just $0.20 through PayPal, which is one of the lowest minimums I’ve seen in this space.
Cash Giraffe also has great game variety, including genres like strategy games, card games, puzzle games, and tycoon games.
Overall, Cash Giraffe is one of the latest but highest-paying ways to play games for money. And it adds new games frequently to keep things interesting.
Start earning with Cash Giraffe!
3. Rewarded Play
Like Cash Giraffe, another way to get paid for installing apps is to use Rewarded Play.
This Android gaming app lets you earn a variety of free gift cards to companies like Amazon, Starbucks, and Target for playing new games on your phone.
The app is free to download and is available in the United States and Canada. And it only takes $5 to cash out, which is easy to reach after playing a game or two.
Game variety is also excellent, and there are dozens of games you can play to earn. So, if you want a fun video game side hustle and to earn money by installing apps, Rewarded Play is worth trying.
Download Rewarded Play or read my Rewarded Play app review for more info.
4. MobileXpression
MobileXpression is one of the best apps that pay you to install them if you want to make money on autopilot.
This app lets you earn money from the moment it’s installed on your phone by paying you with credits every month to share your browsing data. And you can earn about $5 to $10 per month just by installing it.
Tom used this app a lot during his phone farming days, and it even has a $10 sign up bonus if you install MobileXpression and run it for one week.
If you’re comfortable sharing your phone usage and data with MobileXpression, I think it’s worth running in the background while you go about normal life.
Plus, $5 a month can add up when you’re not even paying attention to the app. And while it won’t make you rich, it's a no brainer for anyone who wants to make money in the easiest way possible.
5. Honeygain
Do you have unlimited internet bandwidth at home? If you do, Honeygain is another reliable app that pays you to install it that you can try out.
With Honeygain, you get paid to sell your internet bandwidth to people. You're essentially getting paid to turn your phone or computer into a node in Honeygain's network of IP addresses that it shares with its customers.
Most people who have unlimited internet only use a fraction of it on a daily basis, which is why you should consider an app like Honeygain.
You can cash out your passive earnings through PayPal once you reach $20, and the more internet you share, the more you earn!
Areas with more demand for IP addresses, like North America, generally pay more. But you can run Honeygain on numerous devices like your phone or a laptop to earn more.
Honeygain also has a nice $5 welcome bonus to help get you started. And this is a great passive income idea for students or anyone looking to make a bit of easy cash on the side.
6. Mobile Performance Meter
Mobile Performance Meter is similar to MobileXpression that pays you to install it and then sell your data.
With this app, you earn $0.10 per day for keeping the app installed on your phone. And it's a passive income side hustle Tom has been using ever since college.
I like this idea more than other apps that don’t guarantee any specific amounts that you’re likely to earn. And you can cash out your earnings through PayPal once you earn $5, which doesn't take too long.
Granted, $0.10 per day doesn't sound like much. But this is over $35 per year in free money. Plus, you can stack Mobile Performance Meter with other apps that pay you to install them to maximize earnings.
7. Pawns App
The Pawns App allows you to earn passive income online by sharing your internet with vetted users and by answering surveys for money.
The app is incredibly straightforward, and it's similar to platforms like Honeygain while also offering paid surveys as a way to make even more money.
At the time of writing, you earn $0.20 per gigabyte of data you share. And according to Pawn's website, users earn anywhere from $5 to $140 per month on the platform.
Your earnings depend on how many GBs of data you can share and how many hours you’re sharing it per day. But I think earning $5 to $20 per month is pretty realistic for many people.
As for cashing out, Pawns supports rewards like free PayPal cash, Bitcoin, gift cards, and Visa gift cards. You can cash out once you earn $5. For more information, read our Pawns app review.
8. Acorns
Acorns is a popular investment app that helps you invest spare change into the stock market.
I’ve been using Acorns for the last 5 years now and it’s a great app, especially for college students who have a hard time knowing where or how to invest.
I like Acorns since it helps you invest for income by building a regular investing habit. And it offers several portfolios of low-fee ETFs and bonds to match your goals.
Plus, Acorns often has a sign-up bonus of between $5 to $20 to help new members get started. And if you need a helping hand with investing your spare cash, it's one of the most popular apps that pays you to install them out there.
9. Money Well
If you’re into installing new mobile games on your phone, you’re going to love Money Well.
This is yet another Android gaming app that lets you earn money by installing games on your phone and playing it. And it's similar to other popular apps in the space like Mistplay, Cash Giraffe, and JustPlay.
The app pays you for reaching a certain level within the game, playing for a certain amount of time, or achieving other in-game milestones.
You can cash out via PayPal after earning just $0.50. When Tom tried out this app, it didn't take him more than two games to earn this amount, so it's useful for getting quick money.
Plenty of free gift cards are available as well to companies like Amazon, Google Play, Starbucks, and Walmart.
Try out Money Well or read my Money Well review for all the details.
10. Current Music
Do you want to get paid for listening to music? If the answer is yes, then Current is one of the best apps that pay you to install them on the market.
This rewards app lets you listen to thousands of different radio stations and earn small amounts of points just for tuning in. You can then cash out with gift cards or PayPal money.
You can also make money with other methods, like answering surveys, shopping online, using referral bonuses, and installing apps for money.
Tom has used Current for a while, and while the app doesn't pay very much per song, it can add up quickly over time. Plus, the music variety is quite decent, and new stations get added all the time.
11. Pogo
If you want to make money by shopping, the free Pogo app is another way to install apps for money.
This rewards app is available in the United States for Android and iOS. Once you install it and connect your cards to the app, you earn small amounts of PayPal cash whenever you shop.
Pogo pays you because it wants data from consumers about how they shop. And you can also answer in-app surveys to earn even more.
Payments start at only $3, and you can cash out via PayPal or Venmo.
12. Dosh
Like Pogo, another way to get paid to install apps is to add Dosh to your phone.
This shopping app is available in the United States and is basically the same as Pogo. Once you connect your bank to Dosh, you earn automatic cash back when you shop at hundreds of partners.
Apps like Dosh pay a bit more than Pogo, but Pogo works for far more transaction types.
Dosh also lets you cash out via PayPal like Pogo. However, the minimum cash out amount on Dosh is $15, which takes longer to reach.
13. Rakuten
Rakuten is a leading shopping extension that gives you cash back for shopping at thousands of different retailers.
And while this might sound different than most apps on this list, it’s actually a lucrative idea to earn more rewards for doing very little.
That's because you just need to download the Rakuten shopping extension to earn automatically when you shop at eligible partners, so it's very passive.
Rakuten also pays new users $30 for signing up and completing a qualifying shopping offer. If you’re already a typical online shopper, this will be no problem for you.
Plus, this rewards extensions partners with thousands of the most popular brands in the world, making it worth installing on your computer or phone anyway!
Most cashback offers give you 1-5% back, with some brands offering 5-20% back or more. Rakuten then pays you quarterly via check or PayPal as long as you have at least $5 in your account balance.
Make money with Rakuten!
14. Bumped
Bumped is a free U.S. app available for Android and IOS that offers rewards in the form of stock ownership when you shop at participating brands.
Similar to Rakuten, you earn rewards when you shop, except those rewards are in the form of stocks and not other forms of cashback.
Some popular stocks you can earn include:
For example, if you spend $1000 at Apple and earn 2% cashback from Bumped, you receive $20 in Apple stock.
I think this makes it easy for those who don’t care about the small cash back amounts you generally get through other platforms and might as well have it invested for you long term.
15. CashWalk
One final app that pays you for installing it is CashWalk, a free app that pays you to walk.
This app is similar to apps like Sweatcoin and Cash For Steps and lets you earn free gift cards for walking and exercising. So, you just need to install Cash Walk, move, and you begin earning.
If you want to get paid to workout, CashWalk is a fun way to get started. And rewards start at only $5, which is possible to get in a month or two of using the app.
Extra Reading – The Best Apps Like Sweatcoin.
Tips For Installing Apps For Money
Now that you know some of the best apps that pay you to install them, here are a few tips that I've found helpful over the years to maximize earnings:
- Stack Multiple Apps: Using several passive income apps is the best way to make as much money per day as possible with this side hustle.
- Set An Earning Goal: Decide how much you want to make per day or month so you know the right types of pay-to-install apps to use.
- Take Advantage Of Sign-Up Bonuses: Free cash bonuses from these apps can help you hit the ground running, so keep an eye out for different incentives.
Tom also made a YouTube sharing a few more passive income apps and websites that pay you to install them you can use if you want a few more ideas.
Extra Reading – The 15+ Highest Paying Apps.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this guide on apps that pay you to install them helps you gain a few sign up bonuses and long term passive income ideas along the way.
While some of these apps pay a few cents per day or a few bucks a month, it’s important to remember that you’re not tied down to just one app.
Combining a few of these ideas can actually help you earn around $30 to $50 per month or more once you add it all up. And it's a pretty fun side hustle idea once you get started.
Best of luck!
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