Sweatcoin is an innovative mobile application that is gaining a lot of traction and popularity, especially in the digital fitness field. Some people claim they are able to make money with the app, but how does Sweatcoin actually pay? This review will explain all the details.
How Does Sweatcoin Work
Sweatcoin is a fitness app developed with the objective to motivate people to move more in their daily lifestyle and to combat various health problems lurking in our society today due to little or no physical activity. So far, the app is one of the most downloaded applications in the health and fitness category in both iOS and Android.
As an incentive, the mobile application rewards users with their digital currency referred to as Sweatcoins or SWC. Here’s how it works.
The app pays users for walking, exercising or engaging in any form of physical outdoor activities. It does this by tracking your steps using GPS and rewards you with Sweatcoins.
After accumulating sufficient Sweatcoins from your physical activities, you can trade them for a variety of trial products or services offered by supporting advertisers like Audible or channels towards micro-investment apps like Acorns.
You can also earn gift cards from Amazon and cash out with PayPal, but more on that later.
Signing up for Sweatcoin is fairly easy. The app is currently free to download from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play Store (Android). During the installation process, you need to allow the app to access the necessary programs in order to detect and verify your location.
After completing the account set up, you can activate the app and start your walking activities. Make sure to allow the app to run on the background in order to continuously track your steps.
How Do You Earn from Sweatcoin
The app pays in the form of Sweatcoin currency (SWC) which can be converted into cash later. Here are 3 things you can do to get rewarded.
(1) Get Paid to Walk
The first is to get paid while walking. For every 1000 steps you take, you’ll be rewarded with 0.95 Sweatcoins – that’s about 1 SWC. The amount of coins you can earn with your steps depends on which user level you belong to.
Generally, there are four different levels (1 free, 3 paid) and each of the paid subscriptions is free to try for 30 days.
- #1 Mover (Cost – Free) – This is the initial earning level when you join as a beginner. It’s free and allows earnings up to 5 SWC per day and up to 150 SWC per month.
- #2 Shaker (Cost – 4.75 SWC/month) – This is the second tier which you need to pay to enter. It allows you to earn up to 10 SWC per day, and up to 300 SWC per month.
- #3 Quaker (Cost – 20 SWC/month) – This is the third tier which allows you to earn up to 15 SWC per day and up to 450 SWC per month.
- #4 Breaker (Cost – 30 SWC/month) – This is the fourth tier which allows you to earn up to 20 SWC per day and up to 600 SWC per month.
(2) Get Paid to Watch Ads
The second method is to earn daily rewards by watching ads. Every time you complete watching a video ad from start to finish, you’ll be compensated with 1 SWC. Easy-peasy.
(3) Get Paid for Referral
The third method is to invite new users to download and activate the app. For every new member, you will earn 5 SWC. So if you like to discuss ways to make money from mobile apps, you can share your referral links on social media or on your blog posts.
But the main question here is – what value does SWC actually hold in the real world currency like in US dollars? Well, there’s actually no single exchange rate that exists for this. It all depends on what kind of offer you’re looking at.
For example, to start micro-investing with Acorns, you’ll need $15 which is the equivalent of 100 SWC. That is equivalent to $0.15 per SWC. If you’re looking to get a free FitBit Flex (retail price sells for about $100), you’ll need 550 SWC to redeem. That is about $0.18 per SWC.
Bigger offers are naturally more lucrative. For example, if you accumulate 20,000 SWC, you can cash out $1000 from PayPal. That is literary $0.05 per SWC. If you like to travel for free, you can even redeem air mileage or holiday packages whenever the offers are available.
All the rewards are provided by advertisers who support Sweatcoins’s fitness objective and this changes from time to time to offer varieties to the users. In exchange, Sweatcoin makes money by referring leads (aka customers) to these companies, creating a win-win situation for all parties.
The Advantages of Using Sweatcoin
Mobile apps are known to make things more convenient, but how far does it actually affect our lifestyle and the way we manage our money?
(1) Stay Fit
Motivating you to stay fit is one of the main benefits of using Sweatcoin. When you get paid to do something as rudimentary as walking, you’re likely to be more physically active which helps to improve your overall fitness. So the next time you want to go somewhere nearby, take a walk instead.
(2) Bonuses and Rewards
The ability to trade your Sweatcoins for cash or other products/services on the app’s marketplace is a fantastic feature. It gives you the opportunity to engage with new brands and new fitness experiences which you otherwise wouldn’t have participated in the first place. Considering the only cost you need to ‘pay’ is to prove your fitness, that isn’t such a bad idea after all.
(3) Become an Influencer
Brand influencers have the potential to earn more and cash out faster in terms of cold hard cash. In the case of Sweatcoin, you’re automatically upgraded to an influencer status once you’ve referred 20 new people to the app. You’ll be notified about this through an email.
According to the latest update, the commission rate is $100 for every 50 invites. That’s way better than the basic referral program which pays measly in Sweatcoins. This is probably one of the reasons why we get to read so many reviews about the app on blogs and social media postings.
(4) Available in Numerous Countries
The accessibility of this app is wider than you think. It’s not just functional for English-speaking countries but also accessible in many European and Asian regions. Check this list to see if your country is included.
The Downsides of Sweatcoin
As exciting as it appears, the app isn’t without its own limitations.
(1) Not Effective Indoors
That means you can’t run up and down the staircase of your home or do house chores just to ‘create’ steps. As the program is integrated with the GPS system on your phone, Sweatcoins will only be rewarded for authentic steps generated from running and walking activities performed outdoors.
In order words, you may want to consider walking to the groceries or go for a hike. A stationary treadmill, in this case, will not work in your favor.
(2) Low Conversion Value
Wouldn’t it be great if one step is equivalent to 1 SWC? Or 1 SWC is equivalent to $1? That way it will make the conversion value much bigger and worth much more. But as shown earlier, the calculation isn’t always linear and if it’s that simple, the advertisers will not be making any money.
Of all the tasks of getting paid, generating steps into SWC is probably the most difficult. To achieve 1000 steps (about 1 SWC), you need to cover a minimum of 0.4 miles. That’s freaking 8000 miles if you’re all out to earn that $1000 from PayPal.
So unless you frequently run for marathons, casual walking will take you years to achieve a decent payout. Even working part-time at McDonald’s is likely to pay you more than using Sweatcoin.
So, Does Sweatcoin Actually Pay?
No matter what fitness app you use, it never hurts to be active and to exercise. I applaud Sweatcoin for teaming up with well-known brands to promote a healthier lifestyle. For outdoor enthusiasts, this app is a great addition to track your fitness level while earning some rewards.
But if your plan is to make a significant amount of money, Sweatcoin is unlikely to meet your expectations – at least not for the short term. Walking, like any form of exercise, requires effort and time and we all know from personal experience that this is easier said than done.
One way to escalate your earnings, however, is to earn referral commission as an influencer. The reward for this exceeds other offers and it presents a good opportunity to make extra money from the fitness niche. With the app becoming available in more regions, you will have more chances to tap into new markets.
The best way to do this is to start a fitness blog and share various tips to keep up with a healthy lifestyle. Here’s where you can build a long term audience and share your invitation link. Check out my recommended training platform to see how you can redeem a free WordPress blog and start making real money from Sweatcoin.
Personally I would not go there.
As you said, you have to be a marathon runner to get anywhere with it. If you are out to earn some decent money you will be better of doing something else.
It works only for running an walking outdoors. So gym activities like weightlifting and other indoor sports does not work?
It will not work Fredrik because the GPS on your phone will detect a stationary movement. That means your steps aren’t considered valid.