Get Paid for Your Data With These 15 Data Collection Apps
Like it or not, data collection apps, search engines, and various social media platforms are constantly collecting your personal data.
Sure, you can go incognito to avoid it, but if companies are willing to pay you for your own data, why not earn extra cash?
Big companies and data brokers are scrambling to get their hands on a valuable asset – your online activity. Market research companies analyze user data which provides them with valuable insights into the habits and patterns of the average person.
Mobile applications collect data with distinct features across multiple categories, such as:
- Personal details (usage data collection)
- Shopping data
- Driving data
- Workout data
We've put together a list of the top 15 free apps you can download to make extra money selling your data – most are available on Android devices and iOS devices.
The 15 Best Data Collection Apps To Make Money With
Get paid for your data with these top mobile applications; all you need is a mobile device, an email address, and internet access. Click the links, head to the app store, download the app to your mobile device, and start earning passive income.
Online Shopping Apps
1. Pogo
The Pogo app lets users earn and save on every purchase. It offers a simple way to earn free cash. Simply link your cards and accounts to earn cash every time you spend without having to scan your receipts.
Pogo allows you to earn on every purchase you make, save on your finances, and get paid for your data. Download Pogo to your Android or Apple device and start earning.
Available on Android and iOS.
2. Dosh
How you make money: Earn automatic cash back on qualifying purchases.
Dosh will you pay you for your consumer data after you shop. Connecting the Dosh app to your credit card accounts lets you earn back cash rewards for shopping. Your data is safe with their 256-bit encrypted security, plus you can get a $10 sign-up bonus.
What makes Dosh so great is any money you earn is entirely passive. Sign up, connect your credit or debit card, and shop. Dosh will notify you each time you make a qualifying purchase – no searching for offers or scanning receipts.
Tip to boost earnings: Connect additional cards for more options to make qualifying purchases and earn bonuses for referring friends.
Available on Android and iOS.
3. Drop
How you make money: Link your credit card to and choose the five stores you shop at the most. When you make purchases at these stores, you will earn points you can redeem for gift cards.
Drop uses the data it collects from you, but instead of providing your personal information to any third parties, they only present anonymized data.
Think cashback credit card model but without paying interest; as you accrue points, you can redeem them for gift cards. The best part about Drop is that you can combine Drop with other money-saving apps, unlike many other cashback apps.
Tip to boost earnings: Keep an eye out for boosted surveys, premium offers, and monthly point drops.
Available on Android and iOS.
4. Honeygain
How you make money: Earn $1 for every 10GB of data shared
Honeygain will rent out your unused internet bandwidth and use it to gather valuable market research data. According to its website, Honeygain is the first-ever app that allows users to make money online by sharing their Internet connection.
With its unique model, the more traffic you share, the more you earn. While average earnings vary based on location, internet speed, and shared traffic, you can install Honeygain on up to three different devices to maximize your earnings.
Tip to boost earnings: Earn $5 for each friend you refer.
Available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows.
5. MobileXpression
How you make money: $5 after the first week, $5 every few weeks in the form of a gift card.
In serving its mission of “improving the mobile internet,” MobileXpression collects data about your internet surfing habits and wants to pay you for it. Yes, it's that simple. When you download MobileXpression, its data collection systems use your internet data without recording or monitoring your private conversations, photos, or voicemail messages.
Follow these steps:
- Download the software/app on your phone
- Claim earned credits each week
- Exchange credits for gift cards
Tip to boost earnings: Don't delete the app. The longer it remains on your device, the more you earn.
Available on web browser.
Earn With MobileXpression Today
6. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
How you make money: Get $50 annually in points for gift cards
Nielsen Ratings is the original data collector that paid you for your feedback on cable TV shows back in the day. Today, the Nielsen company tracks different kinds of information and is more interested in how you use the internet, TV, and mobile devices.
As a Nielsen panelist, you can help improve the online products and services you use today. Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel combines your device usage with people like you to build a picture of consumer behavior.
According to Nielsen, you can earn rewards as follows:
- For signing up, you will receive opportunities to play scratch-off or spin-the-wheel style games to earn rewards.
- For installing our software on at least one computer and staying connected, you will be entered into our monthly sweepstakes.
- For installing our app on one or more mobile devices and staying connected, you will receive points redeemable for up to $50 a year in rewards.
Tip to boost earnings: Install Nielsen on all your devices to increase earnings.
Available on Android and iOS.
Other Data Collection Apps To Consider Are:
- Data Coup
- Mobile Performance Meter
- PhonePaycheck
- Placed Pane
- AppOptix
- UpVoice
- SurveySavvy Connect (Pays up to $180 per year)
Data Collection & Usage Apps
7. Pawns.app
Pawns.app will pay you for sharing your unused bandwidth on your devices.
Sign up, create your account, and connect your devices. As long as you leave the app running, you'll be earning. The Pawns.app system focuses on privacy, encrypts all traffic, and doesn't access any of your personal information like contacts or emails, so you can feel safe connecting your devices.
Withdraw your earnings when you reach $5.
Tip to boost earnings: Connect additional devices and earn bonuses for referring friends.
Available on Android, iOS, and web browser.
8. Tapestri
How you make money: Earn up to $25 each month for sharing your location
Tapestri pays you for your location data. And because Large retailers like Lowes want better understand your shopping habits, they will buy your data from Tapestri. So as a reward, Tapestri pays you for this detailed information.
According to Tapestri, “We look at broad-scale consumer location data in order to better understand human movement and shopper behavior at points of interest visited.” Don't worry; it's all anonymous, and the retailers won't contact you.
Tip to boost earnings: Increase monthly earnings by completing surveys and referring friends.
Available on Android and iOS.
Fitness & Step Data Collection Apps
9. Sweatcoin
How you make money: Get a Sweatcoin for every 5,000 steps or refer new users. One Sweatcoin is about .05 cents.
The best apps are the ones that pay you for things you are already doing – or should be doing, such as exercising consistently. For example, Sweatcoin is a free app that rewards your daily steps with their Sweatcoin currency.
The cool thing about Sweatcoin is that it is free to join, it's international, and you get paid to work out. Full transparency: to get fully rewarded for your steps, you'll have to level up by paying in Sweatcoin.
Put another way, you are limited to being rewarded for 5,000 steps a day which is only about $.05. You can use the ‘Sweatcoin' to spend with their marketplace, donate, or exchange.
Tip to boost earnings: Refer friends to sweat with you.
Available on Android and iOS.
10. Runtopia
How you make money: Redeem coins for Paypal cash or gifts.
Runtopia is another app that will reward you for exercising. Runtopia is a GPS-based running app that tracks your runs and converts your steps into currency units called SPC coins. Redeem the coins you earn for cash, discounts, or other prizes.
Tip to boost earnings: Compete in daily challenges to earn more rewards.
Available on Android and iOS.
11. Evidation
How you make money: Earn points and redeem them for cash.
Evidation, formerly called Achievement, will pay you every time you walk, log meals, or complete other forms of healthy activities. Redeem your points for PayPal payments, gift cards, and even charitable donations.
The way it works is simple:
- Fill out surveys for 200 points or earn up to 80 points for each activity per day
- Accumulate 10,000 points and get a $10 PayPal payment. 1,00 points = $1
Tip to boost earnings: Answering surveys, participating in health programs, and completing screenings for research opportunities will all earn you extra points.
Available on Android and iOS.
12. PK Rewards
How you make money: Earn coins to redeem for gift cards.
The way it works is effortless. Like some of the apps mentioned above, PK Rewards will track any workout you do in any location. Then, convert your effort into coins, allowing you to trade for rewards from brands like Lululemon, Amazon, Nike, and more.
Track all of your workouts to earn rewards such as Amazon gift cards, apparel, and even trips; you can achieve your first prize within your first week.
Tip to boost earnings: PK Rewards scores you on your effort; workout harder to earn more.
Available on iOS.
Mileage Data Collection Apps
13. OnMyWay
How you make money: Paypal cash or gift cards.
OnMyWay is a mobile app that pays you not to text and drive. Once installed on your phone, the app automatically activates when driving over 10 MPH and disables text and app alerts.
You can earn up to $0.05 for each mile you drive safely as a reward for not texting and driving. So if you drive 20 miles to work and 20 miles back, that is $2 a day. It is estimated (not quite sure how) that the app has saved 188 lives, which is a win-win.
Tip to boost earnings: Earn even more when you refer friends.
Available on Android and iOS.
14. Mobilio
How you make money: Earn Mobilio coins for use in their marketplace.
Perhaps it is conscious capitalism on their part. Still, Mobillio's mobile data collection app promotes safe driving, or as they put it, “Do not use your phone while driving, and we reward you with our currency MOBILIO.”
When using Mobilio, you will earn one point for every driving minute you do not use your phone. Conversely, Mobilio will deduct one point for every minute you use your phone. In addition, Mobilio promises their app won't drain your battery life as it only accesses your phone's sensors “when necessary.”
Mobilio is a cryptocurrency, and it is hard to discern how much you can make when you use their app. However, when they launched in 2020, one Mobilio token was worth 3 cents USD. Their marketplace isn't exceptional, but consider downloading Mobilio if you feel like free earning when driving.
Tip to boost earnings: Put your phone in your purse or glove box to reduce the temptation to use it while driving.
Available on Android and iOS.
15. Safe 2 Save
How you make money: Collect points and redeem them for food and coffee in your local area.
According to Safe 2 Save, an estimated 660,000 drivers use devices while driving every day. The founder of Safe 2 Save wanted to promote undistracted driving after a student lost her life in College Station. While you might not earn a lot of money, driving safe can help you earn points that can be redeemed. However, it isn't clear how much points are worth when translated into currency.
Tip to boost earnings: Drive for Uber or Lyft and collect Safe 2 Save points, wrap your car for the money, and drive simultaneously to triple drip your earnings!
How Much Can You Make With Mobile Data Collection Apps?
Depending on how much data you are willing to share, you could earn a few dollars to $20+ per week.
Consider combining the efforts of several apps that use mobile data collection to pay you to increase your earnings without increasing your effort. For example, if you download SweatCoin, PK Rewards, Dosh, and MobileXpression, you can easily make $20 in your first 1-2 weeks, depending on how active you are with working out.
Another quick way to make money is to use a survey app and complete online surveys. These are great survey options:
Note: The real key to making money with all of these apps is referring others to use the apps you love – most of the apps on this list offer bonuses for referring your friends and family.
The Bottom Line
Used in different ways, your online data helps companies better target their online advertising and marketing campaigns, make better projections for future products, and gauge trends.
In addition, big tech companies use this valuable data to improve their products and create the best experience for their customers.
While the thought of multiple different companies having access to your digital data may make you uncomfortable, the reality is that most apps, social networks, and devices you use today (or have used in recent years) are likely collecting or storing anonymous data about you.
While making a few extra dollars a month sounds nice, whether using these apps is a good option depends on your comfort level with how your data is collected, stored, and utilized. Understanding the value of data is good, but remember to do your own research before signing up for any data collection apps.