7 Best Sites to Get Paid to Download Apps and Games
Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to earn money simply by having certain apps installed on your phone? Many of us, while browsing, see ads and offers promoting the idea that we can get paid for downloading apps, which often sounds too good to be true.
Today, I’m going to explore whether this type of passive income is a real possibility or just another scam. You may have encountered many online job scams and are wondering whether this is just another one of the fraudulent schemes.
It can be that you’re afraid you’ll waste your time adding useless apps on your phone and maybe even get phone viruses. That’s the reason why I did extensive research to find out if websites that pay you to download Android or iOS apps and games exist.
Can You Really Get Paid to Install Mobile Apps?
A few reputable apps do exist that will pay you for keeping them on your phone and occasionally using their services. For example, some shopping apps will give you points or cash back for making purchases through their app.
Market research apps may also reward you for occasionally filling out surveys on your phone. What’s more, these rewards apps also have specific offers where you get paid for downloading an app or game.
As long as the app is from a well-known company and doesn’t ask for sensitive permissions, earning a few dollars per month this way can be reasonably safe and easy. Although you won’t make thousands of dollars, it can be a fun way to make use of the free space on your phone.
All you have to do is find an offer that pays, download and install the app or game, and earn. I’ll also tell you right now that such offers aren’t always as easy as installing and uninstalling right away and claiming your earnings.
You’ll likely have to keep the app on your phone for a particular period, or even be active on it to earn the reward. If it’s a game the requirement may be to reach a specific level within a specified time.
Why Do These Platforms Pay You to Install Their Mobile Apps?
Usually, it will be an advertiser leveraging a reward site’s huge user base to get more app installs and gain traction on their new (or low-performing) product. For example, a gaming company can reach out to a platform like Swagbucks and ask them to feature their game.
They then enter an agreement and the company pays Swagbucks when users take the offer. Part of the money comes to you when you utilize the available app installation deals.
Which Legit Websites Pay You to Install Apps?
Below are my picks for the top platforms to earn extra cash using your phone.
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is among the most legit places where you can sign up for offers that pay you for having certain mobile apps or games. Being a popular rewards platform with millions of active users and thus more advertisers, you can be sure to land several app-installing offers daily.
Simply go to the “Discover” page on the Swagbucks platform and browse the available deals. You’ll find the featured deals as well as others that haven’t been featured but pay higher rewards.
For example, at the time of this writing, Swagbucks had an offer to install and play a mobile game called Club Vegas to earn 10500 SB (points). 100 SB equals $1, making that alone $105!
Now, the deal seems too good. But most of the offers have a requirement that you play for a specified period, reach a particular level, or accomplish something else to earn the reward (or increase your earnings).
Other than that, Swagbucks also offers more ways to make quick money. You can share your opinion through surveys, shop, or even use Swagbucks to browse.
Swagbucks points are redeemable into either PayPal money or free gift cards. There’s a minimum point requirement for the various payout methods included.
2. InboxDollars
Next up on this list of the best platforms that pay you to download apps is another favorite. That’s none other than InboxDollars.
InboxDollars is a great Swagbucks alternative if you want to earn daily rewards from easy tasks. It’s best if you even are a member of both platforms, so you can increase the number of available (and eligible) offers and boost your rewards.
On InboxDollars, you’ll find various app install offers that also involve a specified activity. For example, you may need to get a delivery app, make an order, and earn an amount upon the first delivery.
Or, you could install a banking app and set up an account for rewards. Also, some offers are solely about installing the app on your phone and nothing else, but they pay less than those that include another activity.
Also on InboxDollars, you can earn by shopping for things you like on offer, watching videos, reading emails, and taking surveys. InboxDollars earnings appear in real money and not points, and you can request payment via PayPal.
3. Freecash
Freecash is another interesting rewards app that can pay you for installations. Given its considerable size number of users, the platform attracts some of the world’s best brands.
You can find offers about downloading and playing various games and earn rewards for each level you reach, The more you play, the more you warm, and the amount per game can go up to $20 or more.
As if that’s not enough, Freecash partners with several other brands in the online rewards space. On the Freecash app, you’ll see featured offer partners and survey partners.
One example of an offer partner that I saw on Freecash is TimeWall. This platform offers a wide variety of microtasks, such as surveys, watching YouTube, posting on Facebook, and more.
In other words, Freecash serves as one hub for finding almost any task you can do using your phone. The platform even offers surveys that pay well.
On top of it all, Freecash offers a daily leaderboard from time to time where the top earners get cash prizes to top their daily earnings. You can withdraw coins through PayPal, VISA, Amazon gift cards, and even cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
4. FeaturePoints
If you want to earn more rewards on your phone by trying new games and apps, FeaturePoints may interest you. FeaturePoints is unique in that you can get offers that require you to just use the app for several minutes to earn points.
Another idea is to complete surveys where all you have to do is answer questions. These surveys revolve around your daily life, such as whether you own a dog, the car you drive, or how often you go shopping for groceries.
The more truthful you are, the higher your chances of qualifying for more tasks and getting credited by FeaturePoints. There are also instant contests to be won.
This platform pays you in gift cards including Amazon, PayPal, AppStore, PlayStation, and more. You can even use your points to purchase things in-app.
5. ySense
ySense is a global community that provides a variety of earning options for users. You download apps for money and more.
With ySense, you even access offers that require you to simply sign up on a website. This is easier than app installation because all you need to do is visit a site address and create an account.
You can also get paid to test websites, apps, and other products. Besides that, you can even watch videos for cash on ySense or take a survey.
The earnings vary depending on the offer you complete. As an example, a 10-minute survey or offer with low effort won’t pay as much as a 25-minute survey or offer that requires more effort to finish.
Also, ySense doesn’t charge you for participation, just like the other platforms I’ve listed. You can take as many tasks as you wish as long as they’re available to you and you qualify.
6. MobileXpression
MobileXpression is a get-paid-to-install rewards platform that differs from the others listed in this article. You earn for being a member of the platform.
MobileXpression is an elite market research community that aims to enhance the Web experience. Joining the platform makes you a part of the people who want to shape the Internet.
To get started, all you have to do is create an account and then install the MobileXpression software on your Android or iOS mobile device. From there, you’ll automatically share your online activity with it.
One thing to note is that although the app can access some of your private stuff, they don’t monitor things like calls or misuse any of your data. You can rest assured that your data is in safe hands.
You can claim your earned credits weekly. These credits are redeemable for electronic gift cards such as Amazon’s, Target’s, and more.
7. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel is a platform quite similar to MobileXpression. You get paid to install the app on your device and earn from your Internet usage.
Nielsen combines your browsing behavior with that of other users like you to create a picture of what happens online. It studies things like the sites you visit and how long you stay there, the apps you download, and the places you shop online.
Almost anyone can be a part of this research as long as you live in a supported region. Also, Nielsen is available both for computers and mobile devices.
You can register one or several devices. For one computer, you get entries into monthly sweepstakes, and for more connected mobile devices, you earn up to $60 a year in rewards.
Since Nielsen is privacy-focused, it separates any identifiable information from the data it collects, including your name. What happens is that the company will combine yours with other panelist’s data and then with research from other sources to create an extensive report.
You also get a chance to take part in other survey and research opportunities as well as instant-win scratch-off games. Some of the games pay prizes of up to $500.
How Much Can You Make from Downloading Apps and Games?
To speak the truth, you can get rich just from your earnings from app installation offers. But they’re a great way to boost your daily income and have some extra cash for small bills and groceries.
Still, the amount you earn varies. You can get offers that pay less than a dollar and others that pay as much as $50 or more.
The ones that pay higher would usually require more effort from you. If it’s a game, for instance, you’ll need to unlock dozens or hundreds of levels to get the maximum reward (depending on the type of game).
Conclusion
While there are certainly shady schemes out there looking to take advantage of people, having reward apps on your phone can be a legitimate way to earn some extra cash. However, you do need to be careful about which apps you choose to install.
In the past, some have collected users’ private data without permission or even installed malware. Of course, the payments tend to be small, often just cents or a few dollars per task.
But if you have several reward apps installed and are active with them regularly, the rewards can add up over time without much effort. Just be wary of any little-known or newer app that promises unusually high payouts for simply installing it – that is usually a sign of a scam.
With the right reward apps used judiciously, getting paid to download and install apps on your phone can be a low-risk way to earn some extra spending money each day.
