Get Paid to Exercise: 11 Apps That Pay You to Work Out

There are many benefits to exercising. From weight loss to improved sleep, working out is a vital part of healthy living. But did you know you can get paid to exercise?

If you struggle to find the motivation to work out, there are legitimate apps that pay you to exercise.

Making money can be the incentive you need to stay healthy and earn cash in the process.

Top Apps That Will Pay You to Workout

Is weight loss or living an active lifestyle one of your goals? Thanks to fitness apps, it’s simple to track your progress and make money on the side.

These apps can help you get paid to workout at the gym or exercise at home.

1. HealthyWage

HealthyWage is an app that makes it fun to get in shape. You can earn money and achieve weight loss goals by losing at least ten percent of your current weight.

To get started, you create a bet that you’ll reach a weight loss goal. The amount you bet is up to you, but you will lose this money if you lose the bet.

Common monthly contributions are $20 or $30. The app sends payment via PayPal or check if you win your bet.

This platform is different from most workout apps since team-based competitions are also available.

In this situation, you join a team of five people. The team with the greatest percentage of lost weight can win a grand prize worth up to $10,000.

You can compete in as many as ten challenges at once. The contests can be individual or with a team.

Challenges vary in length, from several weeks to months.

The HealthyWage app allows users from across the world, including:

• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• United Kingdom

If you want to learn more about HealthyWage, read our guide on ways to get paid to lose weight.

2. Evidation 

Evidation (previously Achievement) is one of the best exercise apps that pay you cash. Unlike other apps, this one is free.

The service is simple to use. Once you open an account, you connect it to one of the 30 approved devices to begin earning, including Fitbit and MyFitnessPal.

When you use this health app, you earn points by performing various healthy actions and activities, including:

• Eating right
• Exercise
• Sleeping
• Swimming
• Tracking your steps

Evidation connects with many exercise apps to track how you lose calories. You can also answer health surveys for extra income.

Once you reach 10,000 points, you receive a $10 digital cash reward through PayPal or Gift Rocket.

The app may not be the highest paying platform, but it’s a terrific choice to help encourage healthy living.

3. DietBet

DietBet is another way to bet on yourself to lose weight for a financial incentive. To start a challenge, you set your goal and split the pot with other winners.

After four weeks of the challenge, whoever lost four percent of their body fat earns a portion of the pot.

You can also participate in a six-month contest, but you must lose at least ten percent of your body weight to earn money.

This can be the better option if you find it difficult to lose weight quickly but you want to make money from your long-term fitness goals.

Contestants must weigh in two days before the challenge begins. You must submit two photos of yourself to qualify, and the first must be one of you standing on a scale.

The second needs to show the reading on the scale with your weight written out on a piece of paper. All of your weigh-in photos are private and invisible to other contestants.

DietBet also offers monthly competitions as well as ones tied to maintaining weight loss over an entire year.

Earnings for the challenges and competitions vary. It pays out points that you can use to redeem for cash via PayPal or for merchandise discounts.

The average wager is between $30 and $40 per month. This contribution requirement is competitive with similar apps, but you must be fully committed to avoid losing money.

*Related: Are you looking for other ways to get fit? Read our guide on the top Nutrisytstem alternatives to learn more about the best choices.

4. Rakuten

You may not think of Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) as one of the apps that will pay you to work out, but it’s an excellent choice.

Many know Rakuten as a way to earn cash back while shopping online.

The app also pays you to stay active. It does this by paying you cash for purchasing various exercise products and participating in health-related activities.

Some of these options include:

• Two percent cash back when you buy Bowflex equipment
• Three percent cash back when you buy a Fitbit
• Three percent cash back when you buy shoes from Finish Line, plus cash back on certain equipment
• Five percent cash back when you join Nutrisystem

Rakuten pays you $10 when you open an account. Any earnings are sent quarterly via check or PayPal.

Read our Rakuten app review to learn more about the service.

5. Sweatcoin

Sweatcoin is one of the more unique fitness apps that pay you to work out. It pays out winnings via cryptocurrency. You can redeem earnings yourself or donate to charity if you wish.

You can also redeem earnings for different workout-related merchandise. Gift cards, PayPal credits, and Amazon credits are other possibilities.

Unfortunately, it can take a long time to earn rewards.

This fitness tracker counts your steps using your phone’s GPS and accelerometers. For 1,000 outdoor steps, you’ll earn $0.95 Sweatcoins.

They do charge a five percent commission fee. This goes toward making the app free to join.

Currently, Sweatcoin only tracks outdoor activity, so indoor movements like the treadmill and stair stepper don’t count toward the total.

If you walk a lot outside, Sweatcoin is an excellent choice to get paid to walk.

Alternatively, bike riding outside does count in most cases. However, some users have better luck getting their miles tracked by keeping their phones in their pockets during the ride.

The app is free to use. Plus, like other free workout apps on our list, it is available on both Android and iOS-based phones.

6. Rover

If you love four-legged friends, walking dogs is a fun side hustle to make money and get active.

Rover is one of the top jobs that pay you to work out as you walk dogs and earn at least $15 per hour.

The app lets you set your own schedule and avoid dogs you don’t feel comfortable caring for. Additionally, you can offer pet daycare and overnight boarding.

Each gig provides up to $25,000 in emergency vet care, but you may want to consider getting additional liability insurance.

Unfortunately, you must wait for pet owners to contact you to book a walking session.

Your income can deposit into your bank account two days after finishing each task. The platform withholds a 20 percent sitter fee from your earnings.

Read our guide on Rover and other dog walking jobs to learn how to maximize earnings.

7. Charity Miles

Charity Miles is a way to work out while also helping support some of your favorite charities. The app lets you track many different types of exercise, including:

• Biking
• Dancing
• Running
• Walking

This app has helped users raise over $2.5 million for their favorite charities, according to their website.

They work with over 40 charities, including Feeding America, World Wildlife Fund, St. Jude’s, Habitat for Humanity, and Sight for Kids.

You can use Charity Miles on your own. Alternately, you can create a team.

If there’s an organization you’re passionate about, creating a team is a terrific way to raise funds for your favorite charity.

An app partner may also sponsor you and donate money as you walk, bike, swim, or run.

*Related: Want to exercise but not spend a small fortune? Read our guide on how to find cheap gym membership deals to save money at the health club.*

If your favorite non-for-profit charity is not on the list of 42 eligible organizations, you can reach out to the charity to ask them to complete an application for consideration.

8. Higi

Higi wants its users to be smart and make healthy choices. With this app, you can set your fitness goals and get fit to receive points to redeem for health-related discounts and cash prizes.

This app allows users to connect devices like a Fitbit so they can track physical activity. Simply visiting a check-in station and checking in will also earn you points and let you get paid to exercise.

You’ve likely seen their stations in many grocery stores that check your blood pressure.

These stations let you check your vitals and receive an assessment for diabetes as well as high blood pressure.

Completing two check-ins each month puts you in the drawing for one of five $50 gift cards.

Whether or not you win money, these check-ins are an easy way to track your wellness journey in addition to counting your steps and burned calories.

However, you earn major points by connecting your health-related device or phone to their app. By choosing to get off the couch, you can earn more points as you’re more active.

If you choose not to redeem points, you can donate them to charity or save them and enter into drawings to earn a larger prize.

9. MapMyFitness

With MapMyFitness, you join a challenge to start earning rewards. However, not all challenges are worth points.

They currently have one that started back in January and goes through the end of the year.

If you cover 1,023 kilometers (636 miles) in 2024, you’re eligible for exclusive rewards from Under Armour, who is their corporate partner.

There are several ways to earn these miles throughout the year, including:

• Hiking
• Running
• Spending time on a treadmill
• Walking

Up to two walks or runs will count per day. Any more than that won’t register. You can also only do a maximum of 150 miles per day.

Challenges vary in length, from short ones that last several weeks to the aforementioned one lasting an entire year.

While you can get paid to exercise from home, you can earn more by being outside.

You can use their app to track distance, or you can sync your Under Armour shoes to the app for automatic tracking.

The app awards monthly prizes to top performers. It also provides a grand prize at the end of each year.

Unfortunately, it can cost $6 per month or $25 per year to use this app.

10. Strava

If you run or bike, you should consider Strava to track your route and share your sessions with friends.

A paid subscription costs $8 per month or $60 when billed annually. Students can enjoy a 50 percent discount.

You must purchase a subscription to participate in rewards challenges that last one day or up to one month. The winner can win prizes from the fitness brand sponsoring the contest.

Other premium benefits include:

• Custom fitness goals
• Build your own routes
• Advanced tracking metrics
• Training log
• Discounts with fitness partners

The free app version works on Android and Apple devices. Premium subscribers can install it on their GPS watch or head unit.

Other apps can be better if you want more ways to earn money while working out.

11. FitCoin

FitCoin, like Sweatcoin, is one of the apps that pay you cryptocurrency to work out. The app is free to use, and you can connect it to fitness trackers like Fitbit to track activity.

Similar to other choices that let you get paid to exercise, FitCoin tracks activities like walking or going to the gym to lift weights.

It measures the amount of activity and determines a value for that activity.

Your earnings are paid via Bitcoin, NFTs, or items like Amazon gift cards.

Summary

Regular exercise is a vital part of staying healthy and not becoming a full-time couch potato. Unfortunately, it can be a struggle to find the motivation to hit the gym.

Cash is a top motivator for many people, so it makes sense to get paid to exercise. Ultimately, the money is an added benefit since living a healthier lifestyle is the biggest perk.

Regardless if you regularly exercise or avoid the gym, take advantage of one of these creative ways to make money in fitness. Not only will you feel better, but your wallet will as well.

What are your favorite options to get paid to work out?