31 FREE Fitness Apps that Pay you to Walk, Run, Cycle & Swim

published – Oct 2nd 2023

We first learn how to walk as a toddler. Most of us spend the rest of our lives walking without any reward (which is fair enough).

Other than the physically disabled, most of us can spend our days walking around with ease. It’s something we very much take for granted and can just do for free without thinking much of it.

But what if there was a way to make money just by using our legs? Understandably, it’s easy to believe in the impossibility of monetizing our walking habits.

However, there are ways of earning while walking that manifest themselves in a few different ways. For the most part, we will look at the best walking apps to earn money so let me show you how this would play out.

woman jogging through a forest while listening to music on a smartphone — photo by StockSnap from pixabay

What apps pay you for walking?

What are the best walking apps? There are top rated walking apps for both iOS and Android users so no one is really being left behind. What apps give you money for walking? Mobile apps that pay walkers include:

CashWalk (earn a welcome bonus of 100 coins with my referral code – 9D999)
Sweatcoin
WeWard (referral code – JxEC-0dLZS)
winwalk
macadam (referral code – 94TKZ3)
Runtopia
paidtogo
Walk for Money
Higi
Earth Miles
BetterPoints
StepBet
MapMyFitness
Walking Money
The FIT Potato
Carrot
PK Rewards
Lifecoin
Optimity
Fit For Bucks
Vitality
Weight Loss Bet by HealthyWage
Charity Miles
Street Tag
Evidation (formerly Achievement)
Biscuit Pet Care
stepler
Million Steps
Walgreens
Miles
Strava

On top of fitness, there are mobile apps that also specialize in mindfulness and meditation like Headspace.

Most of the recommended walking apps require you to create an account. Like anything else internet-related, you would do this by signing up and submitting your email address.

Be aware that some of the best apps to track running and walking are both specific and exclusive to certain countries around the world. It should be obvious whether you are eligible or not during the registration process.

This is something that even seniors can do and make money from without much pressure. Keep reading below and I will explain exactly how these apps that I’ve listed work. I will also discuss who can participate and how users can make money.

Are there premium versions of these free walking apps available?

You can get most apps to track walking steps for free. Nevertheless, some companies offer a premium version of their app that you can buy where you have to pay a recurring fee for extra features.

By doing this, you will be able to earn a higher rate of return for your steps (in some cases). Although, you will need to be a frequent walker in order to make this added cost worthwhile.

One should be able to access a few other bonus goodies as well with this subscription if you do go ahead and make the purchase.

Will money for walking apps pay me for other forms of exercise too?

You don’t always just have to walk at a slow, steady pace. The best walking apps to earn money will pay out when you are:

running
swimming
cycling

Any movement seems to be fine as long as there is some sort of physical exertion or expenditure of energy involved. If cycling is your thing then you should check out the Peloton app too.

Can I also make money by performing other tasks on walking apps?

There will likely be other content on these apps but this level of participation is entirely optional. Certain apps will pay you additional rewards if you:

complete surveys
watch videos
play games
track your sleeping patterns
detect heart rate
measure blood pressure
weigh yourself
calculate your BMI (body mass index)
log your food intake

Referral Scheme

Certain apps have a “refer a friend” or “affiliate” feature which offers users another channel to make money. Invite other people and earn yourself a bonus payment for each successful referral.

I would suggest encouraging your friends and family members to join these apps. This also brings a competitive element to the proceedings. You can even be incentivized when you challenge your loved ones (or if they challenge you).

How do free walking apps for iPhone calculate your earnings?

What are walking apps? How do walking apps work? More often than not, your payment will be measured by the number of steps that you take.

For instance, you might get paid a fixed amount of money for every 1,000 steps or make money per mile. Some apps even record your steps by measuring your heartbeat with a smart device.

How much money can I potentially earn with the best walking apps that pay cash?

Don’t expect to earn a fortune by doing this. Many of these apps expect you to rack up an extraordinarily high number of steps before they even pay out a modest amount of money.

To gain perspective, some people only manage to get small payouts every few months. For this reason, don’t expect to earn a consistent income by any means.

The build-up of your collected earnings is a very gradual process. If you want an analogy, think of it as a marathon if you will. This feels fitting seeing as we’re talking about walking and running.

You may also find that you have to pass a payment threshold before you can cash out. This is sort of similar to how survey panels work (if you have any experience with that).

The likelihood is that you won’t earn any more than $1,000 in a year (and that’s being generous). It definitely isn’t something that will replace a full time job that’s for sure.

The low earnings don’t particularly bother me too much as people have generally spent years walking for free anyway. The fact that you can easily make any money at all from something so commonplace is kind of amazing in this day and age.

Is there a limit to how much money you can earn with walking apps?

Companies may put a cap on how many steps you can be rewarded for per day. The limit will likely be different depending on the app.

My best guess is that this limit is in place so people don’t try to abuse the system. Due to this limitation, ensure that you are making the most out of each 24-hour period.

Are walking apps accurate?

Will I be rewarded for all of my steps? Some users have found that some of the steps they have logged have either failed to record or have been mysteriously wiped away for unknown reasons.

These apps aren’t always the most reliable when it comes to tracking your movements so take this into consideration.

How do the best free walking apps to earn money reward users for their steps?

These apps have different payment options available such as:

cash
bank transfer
coupons, vouchers, and gift cards
subscriptions for streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and NOW TV
cryptocurrency
PayPal
currency or points for in-app shop
air miles

Some of the best walking apps to earn money even offer prizes and run competitions so you can earn entries for those too.

In addition, keep in mind that certain apps are specifically built around insurance providers. This is a way of incentivizing customers so that they can lower their insurance premiums. My advice is to prioritize walking apps that pay through PayPal.

Betting on the Best Walking Apps to Earn Money

Certain apps work on a betting system where you are essentially gambling your money. If you hit your walking target you will make a multiple of the amount that you have wagered.

Due to the risk, those who aren’t so fortunate will lose the money they put forward. However, this will only occur if you fail to achieve the goals that have been set. Additionally, this can also work by pitting users against other users.

Raising Money for Charity on Walking Apps

You can choose to donate your earnings straight to charity (which is an option with these apps). Doing this removes the need to scrape up sponsorship money the conventional way.

This process can be quite time-consuming and laborious. One would typically have to ask family and friends for donations if you were ever to take part in a charitable event.

This is especially true if you are planning on running a marathon in the future or something like that.

What kind of electronic device do I need to utilize these earn money by walking apps?

Apart from your smartphone, you can sync some of these apps up with other compatible devices like a:

Chances are that you may already own an electronic device that tracks your steps (like a pedometer or step counter). Most of these apps monitor your activity by utilizing your smartphone’s motion sensors and GPS feature.

Do I need an internet connection & phone service for these walking apps to make money?

Can I use a walking app without internet? It can be tricky as using these apps will sometimes mean constantly being connected to the internet.

This is especially tough if you don’t have a 4G or 5G data plan and instead rely on a Wi-Fi connection. If you are on a contract with a data plan for your phone then you should know that walking apps will severely eat into this.

Moreover, the location where you are walking may be an internet or phone service blackspot which is a negative, of course. If your online capabilities are cut off or disconnected then you may lose progress.

Under these circumstances, you will probably not be compensated for any lost steps. One may also need a decent phone service or signal when you are out walking.

Battery Life

These apps can be notorious for draining battery life on your smartphone so you’ve been warned. They use several of a smartphone’s features at the same time which doesn’t help either.

It’s probably best to fully charge your device before you leave home to go on your walk. The fact that you may need to charge your phone up more often will generally mean that your electricity bills at home will be higher.

Taking all of this into account, this added energy usage may cancel out any earnings you make. This is something you will want to calculate before becoming fully invested in this earner.

“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.”
George Macaulay Trevelyan (English Academic & Historian)

Can I have the best walking apps to earn money running in the background?

You will need to experiment with your chosen app. It may operate in the background while you are doing other things. On the other hand, you might be forced to have the app open constantly while you are walking.

This is a very passive earner as you can really just set it up and then get on with your life. You only really need to take action when it comes to collecting and withdrawing your earnings.

However, some of these apps are monetized in such a way that they force you to open the app in order to perform certain actions. A lot of these companies need you to look at ads in order for them to turn a profit.

Which occupations benefit most from walking apps that pay real money?

You will obviously benefit most from this if you do a lot of walking in your regular day-to-day life. This won’t be as effective for those who drive everywhere or for someone who works from home.

If you have a job that requires a lot of sitting down (like me) then you can’t expect your earnings to be huge. Just picture someone working in an office building as an example.

In order to earn double the amount of income, you could combine this money maker with other minimum wage jobs where you do a lot of walking like:

flyer distributor
dog walker
gardener
mystery shopper
food delivery person
litter picker
park ranger
garbage man
personal trainer
fitness instructor
post/mail man or woman

If you can juggle the load, you could even combine 3 or 4 different activities together. There are actually specific money-making apps for the job titles that I have just mentioned (like dog walking apps to make money such as Rover). Stringing work together on these apps simultaneously might not be a bad idea either.

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Walking Income Opportunities when Commuting

If you have to commute for work then why not walk instead of taking the bus or driving a car? You will be raking in money before you’ve even arrived at your job. The same goes for the return trip.

Will get paid for walking apps encourage me to venture outside more often?

Breathing in the fresh air and being out in nature can be thoroughly therapeutic. You will get your dose of vitamin D as you feel the sun on your face. It can force you to take walking up as a hobby (and one that pays).

Will the best walking apps for money pay me to exercise indoors?

This depends on the app in question. If they see that you are exercising while stationary inside a building (perhaps using weight lifting equipment, for example) then this may not count.

However, some apps where you earn money for walking are fine with you walking or running inside the home if you own a treadmill, let’s say. Search for “treadmill walking apps” if this applies to you.

How do I check my progress on these paid walking apps for beginners?

An app where you walk and earn money should provide you with a graph or chart. Having this to look at can easily demonstrate how your walking habits fluctuate over time.

Users will be able to track their progress so that they are then encouraged to increase their steps over:

days
weeks
months
years

Abusing the System with Paid Walking Apps

Lots of these apps where you can make money walking have quality control safeguards in place. This is primarily for dealing with the more unscrupulous users who try to hack or cheat the system.

For this reason, I would advise against this practice as you will probably be found out eventually. This might mean attempting to use tricks to record an extortionate number of steps that you genuinely haven’t taken.

If you do get caught doing something you should be doing then you can be severely punished. This can result in your account being suspended or terminated altogether in the worst cases.

Data Collection from the Best Walking Apps to Earn Money

How do walking apps make money? If you have any interest in protecting your data then you will need to proceed with caution. Some legit walking apps that pay are primarily monetized by collecting your data.

Signing up for an account will likely involve granting the app permission to track your movements. For those paid for walking apps that do collect your data, this information is extremely valuable.

Market research and healthcare companies are the main groups that would be interested. Information about the public’s walking habits can ultimately go towards improving and refining products or services.

Conversely, other money making walking apps promise that they won’t sell any of your information. Instead, they make money through other methods like advertising. You can check the terms and conditions independently once you find an app that you like.

Have you personally used any free walking apps for Android before?

Good question. Personally, the majority of my job involves sitting at a desk and staring at a laptop screen while typing away. For this reason, earning money to walk might not be the most effective earner for my particular circumstances (as you can imagine).

However, it’s not all bad. I personally make multiple earnings by using several of these walking apps with rewards when I go for my morning run.

This financial incentive even encourages me to leave the house and exercise more often. It’s true even when I don’t necessarily feel like it on that day.

The weather might be windy and rainy outside but I will go running anyway. After all, I know that I will be financially incentivized for it.

Are walking apps legit?

Do these cash for walking apps have a good reputation? Better yet, do walking apps work? On the whole, the majority of these walking apps to earn money are pretty well reviewed.

You will typically find an average score of 3 or 4 stars. This is relevant for both the Apple app store and the Google Play store reviews.

Writing Books about Walking

There are a few alternative monetization methods rather than using apps. One could write and sell books about the places you have walked.

You can then submit your manuscript to a traditional publisher (doing it the old-fashioned way). Alternatively, just self-publish it online as an ebook as this has far fewer barriers to entry.

If you’re more of a talker than a writer then you could start a podcast or YouTube channel instead.

Earn Cash for Steps Walked with Competitive Sports

Perhaps the most obvious (and difficult) way of making money while moving your feet is by becoming a professional athlete.

Most sports involve some level of walking or running. Specifically, you can do this by being a competitor in running or track events. Funnily enough, racewalking is actually now considered a sport at the Olympic Games.

How to Get Paid to Walk as a Tour Guide

If you have the right level of charisma and are good with people then why not organize walking tours? You can earn money to walk as a tour guide if you live in or around an especially interesting location.

Doing a walking tour also involves being a confident public speaker. You also need to have a deep knowledge of the area where you will be walking. Your customers will want to feel as though they are being led by an expert who knows their way around.

Are there any full or part time walking jobs near me? If you search, you may find walking tour guide jobs that you can apply for (rather than doing it self-employed).

How to Walk and Earn Money by Starting a Walking Business

An entrepreneur can start a business where the work mainly involves doing a lot of walking. This includes a lot of the occupations that I’ve mentioned previously.

If you want to make the really big money from walking then this is probably the route to take. Many examples of these businesses are very successful and turn over $10,000s (sometimes even $100,000s) per year.

How often do people go walking?

According to one UK survey, Brits individually walked an average of 210 miles in 2021 alone (gov.uk). Just imagine the money that you might be missing out on while clocking up such a high number of miles. Chances are that you may cover even more ground than this.

You also have to bear in mind that this statistic was recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of people were locked down at home during this time so walking would have been vastly reduced anyway.

If you are planning to take up walking or running long term then you will need the right gear such as:

You should consider placing an order online so you can get the best price. I bet you can find a good deal for sale on the internet somewhere.

Does walking improve my personal health?

On top of everything, we can’t discount the health benefits that you will receive by attempting to make money from walking. All of this exercise will have a very positive impact on your physical fitness and well-being. It will be like killing two birds with one stone.

At the end of the day, being healthy will save you money. One may be faced with potential medical bills that might come from leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Walking is an affordable way of keeping fit.

Will walking a lot help me lose weight?

This earner is especially relevant for people who would like to lose some weight. Does walking work to lose weight? Walking is one of the best and cheapest ways of dropping a few pounds.

Consider how many calories you will be burning while doing this. Specifically, try to find the best walking apps for weight loss.

The Environment

More polluting modes of transport give off greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. This isn’t the case with your own two feet. You will be helping to preserve the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.

man riding a racing bicycle on the road next to a line of traffic cones — photo by farishamza007 from pixabay

Conclusion

Maybe now you can buy into the idea of getting paid to put one foot in front of the other. It initially seems like a silly and unrealistic way to earn money. However, if you can make this a reality then why not give it a go?

Being able to make money while walking is something that almost anyone can do no matter what their lifestyle. Although, the number of steps in one’s daily routine will vary from person to person.

As you can see, there are a few mobile apps that will pay you to walk. I suggest downloading and installing at least one of these walking apps that pay money on your electronic device of choice.

You may also need to sign up for an account before you can start earning. There is no harm in testing this out for a short while. In fact, try a handful so that you can compare.

You might discover some more paid walking apps that I have failed to mention by checking in with Dollar Break and Yahoo Finance.

How often do you walk in your daily life? Where do you like to go walking and why do you prefer that location in particular?

Please don’t forget to share this with your friends and like it on social media. You can subscribe to our newsletter and comment below too. Thanks for reading!

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