Losing weight and getting fit can be challenging. Most of us know that it’s good to work out, stay active in the gym, and eat healthy for weight loss. But oftentimes, that’s easier said than done. Distractions come up, life gets busy, and even physical or dietary restrictions and certain health conditions can hinder weight loss.
If you’re looking to lose weight and/or increase your exercise and could use help with motivation and discipline, one popular option to consider is apps that pay you to exercise. Yes, there are real fitness apps out there that will incentivize you to get healthy and pay you for reaching certain wellness goals.
Each platform is different, so here’s what you need to know about these top eight apps that will reward you to lose weight and how to get started with each.
1. Charity Miles
Charity Miles is a little different in that it lets you use your fitness goals to earn cash for your favorite charities. This is still such a worthy cause, especially if you have organizations you want to support but may not currently have the financial means to do so.
How it works is you download the free app, then choose your form of activity, whether walking, biking, or running. Next, you choose a charity that is important to you, and earn charitable donations from your friends, family, or your employer to raise money for the charity based on your activity. You can get as creative as you want here – you can change your sponsors, set daily step goals, train for an upcoming 5k, or simply stick with weekly activity benchmarks.
- Charity Miles has a 4.8-star rating in the Apple App Store.
2. DietBet
If you’re looking to improve your consistency, nutrition, and overall fitness, DietBet is a popular app that can help you stay motivated and accountable. It allows you to join challenges by placing a ‘bet’ or bets to enter (typically ranging anywhere from $35 to $100). From there, you work to meet the goal and win a cash prize. The challenges vary, but for example, you may enter a challenge to lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. Others challenge you to lose 10% in six months.
It’s very flexible, and there are tons of challenge options to choose from. While results and prizes aren’t guaranteed, it can be a good way to stay motivated and get competitive with your health goals.
- Dietbet receives a 2.3-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
3. Evidation
The Evidation app works a little differently from other apps on this list. The company partners with top universities, medical institutions, and public health organizations to conduct research on chronic health conditions and disease prevention. So, as a user, you’ll receive real earnings by sharing information like your daily steps, sleep patterns, weight, and heart rate.
You can sync your health data through tools like an Apple Watch, phone GPS, and fitness trackers like FitBit, Samsung Health, and Oura. You can also answer health surveys about your physical activity, health data, and wellness routines to get rewards.
- Evidation gets a 4.6-star rating out of 5 in the Apple App Store.
4. Healthy Wage
Similar to DietBet, Healthy Wage is a free app that lets you enter weight-loss challenges and earn money to meet specific goals. Unlike other options, you can actually earn real money for your success. How it works is that you can sign up and join one or more challenges by pledging a monthly amount and committing to a specific weight-loss goal.
Each person’s pledge money goes into one big ‘pot’ which makes up the cash prize for the winner. For example, one challenge may ask you to put up $20 or $50 per month and bet on losing 6% of your body weight to earn a prize by the deadline.
Challenges vary, as do the rules for participating. You may have to submit weekly updates on your body weight and build a fitness routine that best supports your goals. The app even provides 24/7 access to a health coach so you can discuss building better habits, tracking your daily calories, and more.
- Health Wage gets a 4.6-star rating out of 5 in the Apple App Store.
5. Paceline
Paceline reminds me of a credit score app, but for your fitness level. You can use it to track your health and activity levels, which are then combined into a single score that represents your progress. This is a great app for building consistency and tracking your progress over time. Plus, you’ll also get rewarded with access to various products and services from various athletic brands that can help enhance your fitness journey.
Normally, when you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you naturally consider products to help, whether it’s electrolytes, protein powders, or fitness equipment. Using Paceline can help you earn many of those items for free once you build up your Paceline score.
- Paceline gets a 3.2-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
6. Runtopia
If you’re interested in running and monetizing those workouts, Runtopia is a great app to consider. With this app, you can track your workouts, analyze the results of each run, and keep up with your personal goals to earn rewards. You’ll earn virtual coins from your activity that can be redeemed for products and services from partners.
You can also participate in challenges, take part in weekly events like online races, and get community support to keep you connected and motivated.
- Runtopia gets a 3.8-star rating out of 5 in the Google Play Store.
7. StepBet
StepBet is another betting app where you pay a fee to enter a challenge and gain a chance to win the grand prize based on your results. This can be a fun way to increase your daily step count and overall physical activity. Most users improve their fitness and commit to daily walks to have a shot at winning a challenge and getting healthier.
Even if you don’t win the grand prize, you can still win smaller amounts based on your achievement throughout the challenge. The app works with fitness trackers like FitBit, Apple Watch, Garmin, Google Fit, and Apple Health.
- StepBet has a 4.8-star rating in the Apple App Store.
8. SweatCoin
SweatCoin is another app that pays you to get back in shape, but its main focus is walking. As you track your daily steps, you’ll earn coins that can be cashed in to redeem prizes from partners. You can also compete in challenges and track your progress streaks along the way.
The app currently has more than 200,000 users, and Sweatcoin users tend to walk 20% more due to the partner discounts and incentives, including things like digital subscriptions, travel vouchers, and more.
- Sweatcoin has a 3.4-star rating on Trustpilot.
Summary: Apps That Pay You to Exercise
While most mobile apps usually aim to keep you entertained or spending money, fitness and nutrition challenge apps like these can help give you the financial motivation to maintain an active lifestyle.
While some apps like DietBet and HealthyWage require an entry fee to join challenges, this could help you stay committed and motivated to reach your end goal. Building a habit of getting healthy takes time and is hard work, so you might as well be rewarded for it by using some of these additional apps to track and acknowledge all your accomplishments.
