Looking for the right motivation to get back into shape? We’ve all been there — it’s tough to stick to that diet or workout plan without a little extra incentive to keep you going.
Believe it or not, there are actually apps that will pay you to make progress on your weight loss and fitness journey. Money shouldn’t be your only motivator to get healthy… but it can certainly help you stay on track!
I reviewed 6 of these popular weight loss apps to find out more. If you’re interested in getting paid to lose weight, take a look through this list. One of these apps could be the perfect source of motivation for you.
1.) HealthyWage
HealthyWage is one of the most popular weight loss apps on the market. The idea behind this app is simple: someone who wants to lose weight can place a bet on their progress, then work hard to reach that goal.
Available to users in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, HealthyWage is well-reviewed by business and fitness experts alike. Their goal is to use cash as a motivator to encourage people to keep working to better themselves.
You can use this app as an individual, or as a part of a team — perfect for clubs, coworkers, or groups of friends who workout together.
How it works:
To get started with HealthyWage, you’ll have to download the app and set up your free account. You’ll have your first verified weigh-in at this stage.
After that, you can place a bet on the amount of weight you want to lose in a given time period. You can use the prize calculator on the app or the website’s home page to determine how much you can win.
If you reach your weight loss goal within the time window, you’ll be rewarded through PayPal or in Amazon credit.
You can also extend your bet if you think you’re going to need more time. If you’re participating with a team, it’s possible to win as much as $10,000!
Is it legit?
HealthWage is a 100% legitimate company. They’ve been featured on popular shows like The Today Show and Good Morning America, and they make money through their partnered corporate and governmental organizations. This is a safe app to use.
That said, it is possible to lose money with HealthWage if you don’t meet your goals, so there is some risk involved. It’s the ultimate motivator to stay on track — either you lose your money, or you win a much bigger prize!
HealthyWage pros:
A few of the highlights of using HealthyWage to lose weight include:
- Established company: If you search for the “best paid weight loss apps” online, you’ll definitely see HealthyWage at the top of the results. This is one of the most well-established apps that will pay you to lose weight, and highly reviewed by professionals.
- Pays in cash: Some other weight loss apps reward you in gift cards or other prizes, but HealthyWage pays out directly in cash (or Amazon credit if you prefer that).
- Can extend the bet: If you overestimated your ability to lose weight within a certain amount of time, but you’re still making progress, you can always extend your bet to eventually win the cash.
HealthyWage cons:
Here are a couple of the most significant downsides to using HealthyWage:
- Have to pay to participate: This is a betting app, so you do have to pay if you want to earn a prize. If you meet your goals, you’ll earn more than you bet — but there is always a risk of losing your money.
- Can’t cancel your bet: You can’t cancel a HealthyWage bet once you’ve started. The only scenario in which you can retract your bet and get your money back is if you become pregnant.
2.) StickK
Ready to stick to your goal, whether it’s losing weight or finishing a marathon? StickK will help you out.
This app is designed to help you achieve your health and fitness goals, whatever they happen to be. You’ll put your own money on the line, and can even invite other people to watch your progress and cheer you on.
StickK isn’t so much a weight loss app as it is an all-around commitment platform. It has been featured in tons of magazines and other media, and is praised by professionals as a great way to stay committed.
How it works:
StickK is a little different from the other apps on this list. After you sign your commitment contract, you have to stick to your goals, or you won’t get your money back.
To keep you on track, you appoint your own personal referee (they can be a friend, partner, or relative) to measure your progress and verify to the app that you’ve accomplished what you set out to do.
If you fail to meet your goal, the money you committed with your contract will go to StickK, or to the charity of your choice. They even give you the option to donate to a charity you don’t agree with, as extra motivation to stick to your goals and get your money back!
Is it legit?
StickK is perfectly safe and legitimate. When you sign your commitment contract, you are agreeing to lose the money you put down if you don’t meet your goals.
It is free to sign up for an account (before you make a commitment), and all your personal data is safe with this app. The causes they donate to are also verified and well-established charities.
StickK pros:
Here are a few reasons you might want to consider using StickK to stick to your weight loss goals:
- Personal referee: With StickK, you get to appoint your own referee who will measure your progress and make sure you’re sticking to your goals.
- Can invite participants: You can invite other people to view your progress and cheer you on through the app. That way, even if you’re doing this as an individual, you’ll have support and extra motivation along the way.
- Lost bets go to charity: StickK makes it tough to fall short on your goals. But if for some reason you don’t earn back your money, it will go to the charitable cause of your choice, instead of just back to the company.
StickK cons:
No app is perfect. Here are a few drawbacks to using StickK:
- Have to pay to participate: With this app, you have to commit your own money at the start of your journey. If you don’t reach your goals, you’ll lose that cash.
- No additional prizes: The main motivation when you’re using StickK is that you’ll lose the money you put down. Some people are more motivated by positive reinforcement, instead of the risk of losing money.
3.) Achievement
Looking for positive rewards as you make little steps toward your overall goal? Achievement could be the perfect app for you.
With Achievement, you’ll connect your other fitness apps to track your progress, and earn points as you achieve. It’s perfect for people who like continuous positive encouragement — plus, you don’t have to place a bet or put any money down to participate.
How it works:
Achievement will reward you for the daily activities logged in the app and your other fitness platforms. For physical activities like walking and jogging, you can earn up to 80 points a day.
Other non-physical activities, like logging your sleep or eating habits, can reward you around 6 points each.
Once you have 10,000 points, you can redeem them for a $10 gift card. That may seem like a lot, but the harder you work, the sooner you’ll meet that stage!
Is it legit?
Achievement isn’t as well-known as some other apps out there, but it is perfectly safe and free to use.
You aren’t going to make much money with this app, but there’s no possibility of losing money, which makes it a lot less risky than some of the betting apps out there.
Achievement pros:
Love little rewards? So do Achievement’s users, and here are the main reasons why:
- Free to sign up and use: You aren’t going to lose any money using this app, even if something changes in your life and you aren’t able to meet your goals.
- Continuous rewards: Watching the points flow into your inbox is a great way to stay motivated. Every time you track a healthy habit, you’ll see your rewards grow.
- Rewards all kinds of healthy habits: Achievement isn’t just about losing weight. You can use this app to improve all aspects of your holistic health, including sleep patterns and eating habits.
Achievement cons:
Here are a couple of reasons this might not be the right app for you:
- No long-term motivation: If you’re more of a big-picture person, you’ll be disappointed that this app doesn’t reward you for reaching your long-term goals. It’s all about day by day progress.
- Low payout: With 1,000 points to every $1, you aren’t going to earn very much money using Achievement.
4.) CharityMiles
For all the philanthropists out there, CharityMiles is the app that will help you lose weight for a good cause.
This is a great app for runners and hikers, because it tracks your miles and steps to raise money. The more you exercise, the more money you’ll raise for the charity of your choice!
On top of that, you’ll have the chance to win fun prizes and bonuses along the way.
How it works:
CharityMiles is partnered with a few major brands to raise the funds for their charities. They also take donations in their sponsorship pool, which you can ask your friends and family to donate to if they want to help you on your fitness journey (when they donate, they’ll be entered into drawings to win prizes, too).
Connect the app to your FitBit or other fitness apps and track your miles as you walk, run, or bike. As you exercise, you can watch your donations grow.
Is it legit?
CharityMiles is backed by tons of corporate sponsors who give money and prizes, both to their charities and participants. The app has been around since 2012, and has plenty of great reviews.
It’s free to sign up, so you won’t have to worry about losing your money if you don’t end up meeting your goals.
CharityMiles pros:
What’s not to love about giving to a good cause? Here are some highlights of CharityMiles:
- No risk of losing money: Unless you choose to donate to their sponsorship pool, you won’t have to put any of your own money on the line when using CharityMiles.
- Chance to win prizes: As you exercise and raise more money, you could win awesome sponsored prizes like airline tickets.
- Continuous motivation: Watching your donations grow as you continue to exercise is a great positive reinforcement to help you stay on track.
CharityMiles cons:
This might not be the best app for everyone. Here are a couple of the main downsides:
- Doesn’t pay you: The money you win on this app goes to charity — which is great, but it might not be as effective of a motivator as winning your own money.
- Focused on miles: CharityMiles really only works for people who are hiking, biking, or running on a regular basis. It’s not a good tool to track your holistic health.
5.) Walgreens Balance Rewards
Walgreens Balance Rewards is a free four-week program that you can participate in to get healthy and earn some cash.
The points you earn through this program will go towards your next purchase at Walgreens. If that’s a store you visit regularly, it’s a great motivator to stay on track.
How it works:
When you sign up for Walgreens Balance Rewards, you can choose either the physical challenge or the lifestyle challenge — or both, for double the points.
You can track your progress manually online, or automatically by downloading the Walgreens-approved mobile app.
Each time you successfully complete a week of the challenge, you’ll earn 100 points. Each 1,000 points you earn will give you $1 at Walgreens.
Is it legit?
Sponsored and organized by a single company, Walgreens, this challenge is about as legitimate as they come.
It’s also perfectly safe, and there is no risk of losing any money.
Walgreens Balance Rewards pros:
There’s more to this challenge than just a few bucks off your next Walgreens purchase, including:
- Free to join: You can sign up for this challenge for no cost at all. You don’t even have to be a Walgreens member!
- Tracks physical health and lifestyle: If you’re not looking for a hardcore exercise program right now, you can choose the lifestyle challenge and get rewarded for your overall health.
- Guided challenge: You’ll be guided through each stage of your 4-week challenge and collect points as you go.
Walgreens Balance Rewards cons:
Some of the downsides to this program include:
- Small payout: You won’t earn as much with the Walgreens challenge as you would on other apps — especially betting apps.
- Points only redeemable at Walgreens: You won’t be able to use the cash you earn anywhere but Walgreens, in-store or online.
6.) DietBet
Last but not least, DietBet is a rewards app dedicated specifically to weight loss.
If you want to win big when you reach your goals, this is definitely an opportunity you should check out.
How it works:
DietBet has different programs, or “games,” you can enter. Each level is based on a percentage of weight lost in a given time period: 4% in 4 weeks, 10% in 6 months, or maintaining your weight loss for 12 months.
Participants join a game and enter a bet. When they achieve their goals within the time period, they get to split the pot with all the other winners.
Is it legit?
DietBet has been reviewed by tons of top media sources, including the New York Times. You do have to put down some money in order to participate, but you’re guaranteed to win a fair amount if you succeed.
The app is also user-friendly and very safe to use.
DietBet pros:
A few of the best features of DietBet include:
- Long-term goals: With DietBet, you only get rewarded if you lose a healthy amount of weight in the given time. You can also earn more if you keep it off!
- Betting with others: You’re in this challenge with other people around the country, so you don’t have to go through it alone.
- Health-focused: You can’t win the bet if you lose too much in too short of a time period — this app encourages participants to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way.
DietBet cons:
You might not be interested in DietBet if you don’t like these factors:
- Have to pay to participate: You have to place a bet to participate in one of the DietBet challenges, and you won’t get that money back if you don’t succeed.
- App charges fees on bets: There will be a fee added to your bet in order to fund the app. Fees range from 25% on bets under $100 to 10% on bets over $500.
The bottom line: Find the best app for you, and stay motivated!
Cash is a great motivator. Whether you want to fund your favorite charity or just get a few bucks off your next purchase, these 6 apps will help you stay on track and meet your weight loss goals.
If one of these apps sounds right for you, give it a shot! You’ll be earning money for your success in no time.
