Makes sense when you think about it. A forced ad view isn’t worth much to an advertiser. A new player in their game is, so that’s where the reward money goes now.
Here’s what still pays for videos, what pays better, and the dead apps that still show up in old lists.
The one that still pays for watching videos
InboxDollars
Best for: people who just want to watch
- What it is
- A US rewards site and app that pays in dollars, not points, for videos, surveys, games, shopping and emails.
- What you do
- Watch video content when it shows up on your daily list or in the video section. Surveys, games and PaidEmails earn too.
- How much it pays
- No per-video rate is posted, which tells you most of what you need to know. New members get a $5 welcome bonus after a short profile survey. Cash out to PayPal, a gift card or Visa: its payment help page says $15 for the first request and $10 after that, though its terms of use still list $30.
- The catch
- Payments can take up to 10 business days. If you don’t log in or confirm a PaidEmail in the 10 days before your payment processes, the request gets removed. US only, 18 and up.
Worth it? Only if you want something mindless and you’ll mix in surveys and games. Videos alone will take forever to reach a cash-out.
What pays way better for the same screen time
Same phone, same couch. But instead of watching a 30-second ad for a fraction of a cent, you install a game an advertiser wants players for and play it to a goal. That’s where the real money in these apps is.
1.Freecash
Best for: the biggest list of offers
- What it is
- A rewards app and site that pays for games, app trials and surveys. No ad-watching required.
- What you do
- Browse the offers, pick a game, and play it to the milestones listed for coins.
- How much it pays
- A $10 welcome bonus unlocks after your first completed offer. First cash-out: $5 to $20 based on your country, with ID verification. From then on PayPal starts at $5, and most withdrawals go through instantly.
- The catch
- You’ll need to be 16+ and send a selfie with your ID before you’re paid the first time.
Worth it? Yes if you’re on your phone at night anyway. One game offer here beats hours of video ads.
2.Testerup
Best for: seeing the payout before you start
- What it is
- A game testing app. You play new mobile games, and you can take surveys too.
- What you do
- Pick a game, check what it pays up front, then play toward its goals. Short tasks are 15 to 20 minutes.
- How much it pays
- Sign-up comes with a $10 welcome bonus. Payouts go to PayPal, Venmo (US), a Visa virtual card or an Amazon gift card, typically within 24 hours and 3 business days at most.
- The catch
- PayPal and Venmo payouts come with a 5% cut. Must be 18, plus a face check before the first payout.
Worth it? Yes if you like knowing exactly what you’ll get before you put the time in.
3.Bigcash
Best for: short breaks
- What it is
- A coin rewards app for games, app installs and surveys. 250 coins makes $1.
- What you do
- Do a quick offer. Most take 5 to 10 minutes, about the length of a commercial break or three.
- How much it pays
- PayPal, gift cards or Bitcoin, with payment sent within 36 hours. Bigcash advertises up to $170 for a single offer.
- The catch
- Your cash-out threshold isn’t fixed, and coins can be reversed if an advertiser decides you didn’t really play. Desktop visitors get sent to Freecash.
Worth it? Yes if you want something to do during the commercials instead of watching them.
Want money for doing nothing at all?
That’s Nielsen. You don’t watch anything special: it runs in the background and measures how you use your phone and computer, and you get points for gift cards. It’s small money, roughly $50 to $60 a year at most. The Nielsen Mobile Panel review has the details, and the passive income apps page covers the rest of the do-nothing options (there aren’t many).
Watch-ads apps that are dead or gone
Old lists still push these. Don’t waste a download.
| App | What happened |
|---|---|
| Swagbucks Watch | The Watch section and the Swagbucks TV app are gone. Swagbucks still pays for surveys, games and shopping, just not videos. |
| Viggle | Gone. Its old site now shows casino spam. |
| Irazoo | Gone. The domain forwards to a backgammon site. |
| Perk TV | Gone. The domain is parked. |
| SuccessBux | The site loads a blank page and the login is gone. |
If an app you find today promises $20 an hour for watching ads, it’s either paying you in points that never reach a cash-out, or it’s after your data. Read the cash-out rules before you put in an hour.
Can you get paid to watch YouTube?
No. YouTube pays the people making videos, not the people watching them, and none of the legit rewards apps pay for YouTube views. If you want YouTube money, you have to be on the other side of the camera. Here’s how to make money on YouTube.
FAQ
What app pays you to watch ads?
InboxDollars is the big one still paying for video content. It doesn’t publish a per-video rate, so treat it as a filler. For real money, game offers on Freecash or Testerup pay much more for the same time.
Is getting paid to watch ads legit?
The few that still do it are, but the money is tiny. The red flags: a high cash-out you’ll never reach, a fee to join, or a promise of hourly pay for watching. Skip those.
How much can you make watching ads?
Not much. Advertisers don’t pay much for a forced view, so the apps don’t either. Mix in surveys or a game offer if you actually want to hit a cash-out.
Does Swagbucks still pay you to watch videos?
Not anymore. Its Watch section and TV app are gone. You can still earn on Swagbucks with surveys, games and shopping.
Want TV specifically? The guide on how to get paid to watch TV covers Nielsen’s TV ratings panel. For more ways to fill dead time, see game apps that pay you or the full list of apps that pay real money, and browse side hustles for bigger stuff.
Next step
Check what is paying right now and start with the top offer.
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