📌 TL;DR:
If you’re already glued to your phone 24/7, you might as well let it earn its keep. These passive-ish income apps won’t make you rich — but they’ll give you a few extra bucks for existing.
Passive Income Apps That Actually Pay
If “passive income” really worked the way TikTok says it does, none of us would still be setting alarms.
Unfortunately, most of the “just sit back and get rich” content is selling you an overpriced course, a shady platform, or a dream that requires waking up at 5 a.m. (which already disqualifies me).
This post isn’t about that.
This is for those of us who want to do the bare minimum, make a bit of money for it, and maybe feel slightly less guilty about our screen time. Below is a curated list of passive income apps that:
- Actually pay in cash, rewards, and points exchangeable to cash.
- Don’t involve constant survey-taking or fake product reviews
- Require very little energy — because same
Let’s go.
1. Mode Earn App
This app pays you to listen to music — yes, including that one guilty pleasure playlist you’d never admit to in public.
Mode Earn runs on a “do stuff, earn points, cash out” model, like playing games and reading the news but it also includes passive modes like charging your phone, locking your screen, or even tracking your steps. Think of it as background earnings for living your usual phone-addicted life.
Good for: background noise lovers and gamers
Not good for: impatient people — earnings stack slowly
2. Nielsen Mobile Panel (a.k.a. Yes, They’re Still Around)
Remember Nielsen? The company that figured out what people watched on TV back when cable was still a thing? Well, they’ve gone digital.
The Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel uses a passive income-style reward model where you earn points or sweepstake entries just by having their app or software running in the background on your devices. Here’s how it works:
- You install the Nielsen tracking software on your computer, phone, or tablet.
- It runs passively (you don’t have to do anything).
- You stay enrolled and let it track your browsing, app use, and device activity (all anonymously).
- You earn rewards regularly just for participating. No pop-ups. No clicking. No effort.
Good for: tech-privacy chill people
Not good for: anyone creeped out by data tracking (understandably)
3. Location-Sharing Reward Apps
If you’re fine with letting apps collect your location data, Here are some legitimate reward‑model apps where you earn compensation for sharing your location.
Again, you’re not quitting your job with this — but you might be able to buy your next overpriced coffee.
Tapestri
- This app pays you for location data, up to approximately $25/month.
- Fully passive after setup and available in many countries.
- Anonymizes data and pays via Stripe/PayPal with a modest withdrawal threshold (~$10)
Pogo
- Combines location tracking and cashback rewards by linking your card.
- You earn points by simply traveling through geofenced areas and shopping — redeemable via PayPal or Venmo .
- Passive income around $10–20/year, sometimes more with card usage
Join here.
Good for: low-maintenance earners
Not good for: those who keep location turned off for battery or privacy, or paranoid people like me, afraid of getting abducted right from home.
4. Presearch (a.k.a. Google, But Capitalist)
Switch your default search engine to Presearch, and earn for searches you’d normally do anyway. It works like Google, minus the surveillance capitalism (sort of), and it lets you earn tokens just for existing online.
It feels passive — though the payout depends on how often you search.
Good for: keyboard warriors and digital nomads
Not good for: people still using Yahoo
Final Thoughts:
These apps won’t build you generational wealth. But they also won’t ask you to make vision boards, recruit friends, or sign up for weird crypto exchanges in Kazakhstan.
They’re simple, mostly background-run, and a decent way to earn coffee or beer money for doing… not much.
The key word is passive-ish. You won’t get rich, but hey — if your phone’s already draining your time and energy, it might as well throw a few dollars back at you while it’s at it.
Up Next: Freelance Writing Without the LinkedIn Bragging: How to Start With $0
This post is part of the “Make Money Online” series — your no-fluff guide to finding real online income streams. Check out the rest here.