Top 3 Reward Apps & Legit Ways to Make Money Online
Looking for a more realistic alternative to the usual game-and-survey reward apps? Here are three platforms with very different earning models, followed by a more important question: what happens if you want to build something that can grow beyond small task-based earnings?
These aren't "get rich quick" apps. Prolific pays people for research studies, UserTesting pays people to test websites and apps, and Rover connects pet owners with people who provide pet-care services. They are included because the underlying activity is much easier to understand than the typical "download a game and unlock a reward" model.
Prolific
Prolific is probably the closest match if you want a straightforward way to earn money online without playing games or completing advertiser offer walls.
The platform connects participants with researchers, academics, organisations and companies conducting online studies. Once you're eligible for a study, you can see what it pays and how long it is expected to take before deciding whether to participate.
How Prolific Works
- Create your participant registration and complete the required verification when invited.
- Browse studies that match your profile and eligibility.
- Before starting, check the expected time and payment.
- Complete the study and wait for the researcher to approve the submission.
- Once you reach the withdrawal threshold, cash out through PayPal.
What Makes It Different?
The Catch
Prolific currently uses a waitlist for many new participants. The company says invitations depend on demand for particular demographics and expertise, so there is no guaranteed waiting time.
It is also not designed to replace a full-time job. The number of studies you see depends on your profile and the research demand at any given time.
UserTesting
UserTesting takes the idea of "making money online" in another direction. Instead of completing advertising offers, you provide feedback that companies use to improve their websites, apps, prototypes and other experiences.
Tests can involve completing tasks while speaking your thoughts out loud, answering questions, or taking part in a live conversation with a customer.
How It Works
- Create a UserTesting participant account.
- Complete the applicant checklist and practice test.
- Once approved, browse tests available on your dashboard.
- Complete the tasks and provide the requested feedback.
- Receive payment through PayPal for completed paid tests.
What You Actually Do
The Catch
Not everyone qualifies for every test. UserTesting uses screeners to match participants with particular customer requirements, and the number of opportunities depends on customer demand, your profile and your background.
The company says most participants take around one or two tests per week on average, although individual experiences can differ considerably.
Rover
Rover is the biggest departure from the traditional "make money online" category on this list. You aren't being paid for clicks, surveys or app installs. You're using the platform to find customers for an actual local service.
Depending on what you offer, you can provide dog walking, boarding, house sitting, drop-in visits and other pet-care services.
How Rover Works
- Create your sitter profile.
- Choose the services you want to provide.
- Set your availability, rates and pet preferences.
- Accept suitable requests from pet owners.
- Complete the service and receive payment through the platform.
The Catch
Rover is not passive income and it isn't purely online work. You need to be comfortable caring for other people's pets and meeting the responsibilities that come with the service.
Your earnings will also depend on your location, prices, availability, the services you offer and how much demand there is from local pet owners.
How These Three Actually Compare
Calling all three "reward apps" can be a little misleading because the earning models are quite different. That difference matters when you're deciding whether something is worth your time.
Prolific: get paid for your participation
Prolific is closest to a traditional paid-research platform. You create a participant profile, qualify for studies, see the expected payment and time involved, and decide which studies you want to take. Prolific currently uses a waitlist for many new participants and requires researchers to pay at least £6/$8 per hour, while recommending £9/$12 or more. Once you reach £6/$6 in a currency, you can cash out to PayPal.
UserTesting: get paid for your feedback
UserTesting is more like freelance usability work. You test websites, apps and other experiences, usually while explaining what you're thinking. You first have to complete the application and practice test. Once accepted, the dashboard shows available tests and the amount each one pays. UserTesting says most participants complete one or two tests per week on average, although opportunities depend heavily on customer demand and your profile.
Rover: get paid for a real-world service
Rover is different again. You're not being paid for answering questions or completing digital tasks. You use the platform to offer services such as dog walking, boarding, house sitting, daycare and drop-in visits. You choose your services, rates, availability and pet preferences. In other words, the income comes from providing a service that a customer actually needs.
What they are — and what they aren't
- Prolific: useful for spare-time research participation, but study availability is limited and a waitlist may apply.
- UserTesting: useful if you're comfortable testing digital products and speaking your thoughts, but you won't qualify for every test.
- Rover: useful if you want to turn pet care into paid work, but it is a local service business rather than passive online income.
So if your goal is simply to make a little extra money in your spare time, these platforms can make sense. But if your goal is to eventually build an income stream that isn't tied directly to the number of studies, tests or pet-care bookings available to you, there is another route worth considering.
The Bigger Opportunity: Build Your Own Online Business
There's nothing wrong with using reward platforms for extra money. In fact, they can be useful precisely because they are simple: you complete a study, test a website, walk a dog or provide another service, and you get paid.
But there is an important limitation: your earning capacity is still closely connected to the amount of work or opportunities available to you.
That's why, if you're serious about making money online over the longer term, I think it's worth learning how to build something you own.
Content Marketing + Affiliate Marketing
One model I find particularly interesting is content marketing. Instead of getting paid for each individual task, you create useful content around a topic people are already searching for.
That content can attract visitors through Google, YouTube, social media and other channels. If those visitors are interested in a product or service you genuinely recommend, you can earn a commission when they make a purchase through your affiliate link.
This is obviously much harder than signing up for a reward app. You have to learn content creation, search optimisation, audience building and affiliate marketing, and there is no guarantee that a new website will succeed.
The difference is that you're building an asset rather than simply completing another task. A useful article or video can continue attracting visitors after you've published it, while your affiliate relationships can give that audience a way to generate revenue.
When I started this site back in 2015, this was the model I ended up learning, mostly through trial and error rather than any perfect plan. Along the way I tried a platform called Wealthy Affiliate, which teaches this content-and-affiliate approach step by step. I wrote up what it actually covers, what I think it does well and where its limitations are, so you can decide for yourself whether it's worth your time before spending anything.
No pressure either way. Reward apps and building your own content site solve different problems, and it's worth being clear on which one you're actually trying to solve before committing your time.
Earnings are not guaranteed. Platform availability, eligibility, demand and individual results vary. Affiliate relationships may provide compensation when you use certain links.