What Apps Pay You For Your Data? Here Are 10 Best Apps (2024)
Nothing beats beer money; making extra cash without actively working is a flex! Do you know some apps are willing to pay just for you to share your data?
After downloading these apps on your devices including smartphones, tablets, and desktops; you let them quietly monitor activities in the background, and you’ll get paid in return.
Maybe you don’t understand what I mean by sharing your data, well let me explain. When you install these apps on your devices, they track activities like your behavior on the internet, including the websites and webpages you visit, the terms you search online, where you shop online, and your interactions on social media.
This data is given to companies to help them create new products and services, and improve their marketing strategies.
Before we delve into the main post, let’s discuss how much you can expect to earn by sharing your data with these apps.
How Much Are You Paid To Share Your Data?
You’re going to earn about $3 to $50 a month sharing your data with these apps. So, you shouldn’t expect to be rich through this side hustle. Nevertheless, this is a legit way to make some money on the side.
Each of the apps I have listed has its payout minimums, once you reach that threshold, you can cash out via:
- PayPal
- Gift cards to Amazon, eBay, Nike, etc.
- Donations, and others.
10 Best Apps To Get Paid For Your Data
If you want some extra PayPal money, install these apps on your devices and make money passively! Here are the best apps that pay for your data:
1. Miles
Miles is an app you can use to get paid to share your data. With Miles, you are paid for every distance you travel. Sailing, flying, walking, running, biking, carpooling, driving, and even when you’re using the public transit.
That means you can earn money with Miles anytime you’re on the move. Making this app one of the best on the list. Signing up for Miles isn’t difficult, you just have to download the app on Google Play or App Store.
Once installed, Miles will track your movement using your phone’s GPS and accelerometer, just like Sweatcoin (which I’ll talk about later).
How much can you earn? Well, this will depend on the mode of travel, but you can expect between $0.20 and $0.60 per 1,000 miles.
While it might not seem like a lot, I still believe it’s worth it since you’re getting paid for a trip you’d be taking anyway. So, this is a good passive income source. Miles pays through gift cards, donations, raffles, and unique offers.
- Coverage: About 40 countries worldwide.
- Potential Earnings: About $20 per year.
- Sign Up: Miles
2. MobileXpression
You can share your internet usage data with MobileXpression in exchange for money. MobileXpression can be downloaded on the Google Play or App Store. After that, install and allow the app to run behind the scenes.
But your smartphone should be a newer model, plus, you’ll need a powerful phone carrier like AT&T Wireless. You must also be at least 18 years old.
What I really like about MobileXpression is how smoothly it runs. So, while I had it on my phone, I didn’t face any issues with lag or slowdowns.
MobileXpression pays about $5 to $10 per month, which can be used for gift cards. Other ways to earn besides data sharing are participating in sweepstakes and taking surveys. In all, MobileXpression won’t make you rich – but a few bucks a month for doing nothing is worth it.
- Coverage: United States, Canada, and the UK.
- Potential Earnings: $5 to $10 a month.
- Sign Up: MobileXpression
3. SavvyConnect
SavvyConnect is a market research company that has been around since 1999. If you want to earn money whenever you surf the internet, this app is for you. When SavvyConnect is installed on your Android or iOS device, it will monitor your internet usage and compensate you fairly.
There are 3 ways you to earn on SavvyConnect:
- Sharing internet data
- Referring others
- Answering surveys.
The average amount you can expect on SavvyConnect is $5. Are you saying this is small? It is, but here’s the catch: it’s $5 per device. That means you can get SavvyConnect on your phone, tablet, and desktop to amplify your earnings. And don’t forget, you can also make money through referrals and surveys.
If you want money right now, install SavvyConnect because it has a minimum payout threshold of just $1. Once you have earned this amount, you can make a withdrawal through check.
- Coverage: United States.
- Potential Earnings: $5 per device.
- Sign Up: SavvyConnect
4. Honeygain
You receive a $5 welcome bonus when you sign up for Honeygain. So if nothing at all, Honeygain is an app for getting free money. Once you have claimed your bonus cash, you can earn passively by allowing the app to share your internet access.
Honeygain works differently from other apps; the app is a node VPN. That means you are sharing your internet bandwidth with users around the world. This is made possible since they will have access to your IP address.
If you have a high internet speed and many IP addresses, you can expect to earn more on Honeygain. Another significant factor that influences your earnings is the number of Honeygain users in your vicinity attempting to tap into your bandwidth. If only a few users are using your bandwidth, your earnings won’t be as high.
All the same, you can earn an average of $10 per month with Honeygain. Honeygain pays via PayPal and crypto, but you’ll need a Tipalti account to cash out successfully.
- Coverage: Worldwide
- Potential Earnings: $10 to $50 per month.
- Sign Up: Honeygain
5. Safe 2 Save
If your daily routine involves a lot of driving to work or you’re working as a delivery driver, Safe 2 Save might be the perfect fit for you. The app was launched to encourage focused driving as it rewards drivers for not touching their phones while driving.
When Safe 2 Save is installed on your phone, you can either manually open the app when you start driving or set it up to automatically reward you with points for every minute that passes without you using your phone. However, you can still use your map and music as they operate through Bluetooth.
When the points accumulate, you can use them to redeem items at any of Safe 2 Save’s partner stores, including Wendy’s, Smoothie King, McDonald’s, and Pure Barre.
- Coverage: United States
- Potential Earnings: 2 points for every minute of focused driving.
- Sign Up: Safe 2 Save
6. PermissionResearch
Another online market research site you can use to share your data in exchange for money is PermissionResearch. Unlike other platforms that pay you a certain amount per month, PermissionResearch only pays those lucky users who get picked for monthly prizes, which are worth about $2,500 to $100,000.
Let me shoot straight with you—don’t expect a reliable monthly income from this platform. It’s a bit unpredictable. I only brought up PermissionResearch because it’s available globally, and if you happen to snag a prize, the payout can be quite nice.
- Coverage: Worldwide
- Potential Earnings: Unpredictable.
- Sign Up: PermissionResearch
7. National Consumer Panel
Once installed, National Consumer Panel runs on all devices including smartphones, tablets, and desktops. It tracks your internet usage and pays you for that.
National Consumer Panel is owned by NielsenIQ and IRi, the same companies behind NCPMobile, a mobile app you can use to scan barcodes and shopping receipts for cash.
Apart from sharing your data, you can earn through surveys and sweepstakes. If you are looking for extra cash in your downtime, the National Consumer Panel is an app to try.
You won’t be earning much, however, making around $50 yearly with less effort is a flex!
- Coverage: United States
- Potential Earnings: $40 to $60 per year.
- Sign Up: National Consumer Panel
8. BrandBee (formerly Mobile Performance Meter)
BrandBee, also known as Mobile Performance Meter is a market research data software that collects data for mobile carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular.
When installed on your devices, BrandBee will run in the background without interfering with your activities. Making it one of the easiest apps to earn free money. BrandBee also lets you answer surveys for rewards.
BrandBee is available only in the US and Canada. However the app is not on App Store, so iOS users can’t use it (it’s only for Android). All the same, BrandBee requires that you have a SIM card and plan before you can use it on your phone.
As a BrandBee user, you can expect to make between $0.10 and $0.50 per day. Once you have accumulated a minimum of $5, you can make a withdrawal as a gift card.
- Coverage: Canada and the United States.
- Potential Earnings: About $40 per year.
- Sign Up: BrandBee
9. Dosh
Dosh is different from apps like MobileXpression since it doesn’t work in the background to reward you. Instead, the app gives you cashback rewards whenever you shop. However, this is a form of data sharing.
To earn cashback rewards with Dosh, you just have to sign up and link your debit or credit card to it. Thereafter, you will receive cashback anytime you shop, book hotels, or dine at any of Dosh’s partner brands.
Some of the partner stores where you can shop for rewards on Dosh include:
- Costco
- Expedia
- Sam’s Club
- Blue Apron
- AT&T.
These are just a few since Dosh has more than 10,000 partners. So, there will be no shortage of places to shop for cashback. By the way, you can snag up to 40% in cashback rewards. This means you can save huge money if you’re an avid shopper.
After you have accumulated a minimum of $15 in cashback, you can cash out via PayPal, Venmo, or bank transfer, or if you’re feeling generous, donate it to charity.
- Coverage: United States.
- Potential Earnings: It depends on how often you shop.
- Sign Up: Dosh
10. Sweatcoin
If you have ever heard of apps that pay you to walk and work out, Sweatcoin is one of them. So even though you’re not getting paid to mainly share your data, it’s still a cool way to earn some money. If you are never motivated to work out, I guess this will leave you pumped.
Getting started is easy, download Sweatcoin on your Android or iOS, and allow it to track your outdoor movement or steps. This is possible with your phone’s GPS and accelerometer sensor, therefore, your phone must always be inside your pocket.
Sweatcoin pays in sweatcoins and every 1,000 steps equals 0.95 sweatcoins. In all, Sweatcoin doesn’t pay much. Moreover, the sweatcoins you accumulate can’t be withdrawn as cash. You can only use them for physical products or gift cards to the partner stores of Sweatcoin.
- Coverage: Many countries worldwide.
- Potential Earnings: About $20 per year.
- Sign Up: Sweatcoin
Final Words
Now you know the apps that pay for your data. While these apps won’t make you a fortune, they can supplement your main income.
If you are looking for side hustles to earn huge money, you may want to try gig economy apps like DoorDash, Instacart, and Shipt. With these delivery apps, you can earn $1,000+ per month.
Remote sites like Appen and Remotasks can also be used to take transcription, translation, and voice recording jobs, provided you have a laptop and a strong internet connection.
To wrap it up, I hope this post has given you valuable information, and now you’re all set to venture into the world of generating passive income!
Manuelo is an entrepreneur and a personal finance nerd. He is the founder of Dollars And Freedom. An expert in side hustles, online gigs, and everything about making money. His works have been featured on major financial publications, such as Business Insider, GoBankingRates, Investopedia, Entrepreneur, and more. When he’s not busy with his blog or writing for others, you’ll catch him hanging out with loved ones or reading books on stoicism and self-development.
