Sweatcoin promises to pay you for walking. With over 120 million users and years of hype, it sounds like free money for something you already do. But after 6 months of testing, the reality is more complicated.
This review breaks down exactly how Sweatcoin works, what you can realistically earn, and whether it deserves a spot on your phone in 2026.
Stack Your Walking Earnings
While Sweatcoin pays for steps, VISU pays for places. Scan QR codes at partner locations during your walks and build rewards from both. Free to join, no commitment.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.
What Is Sweatcoin?
Sweatcoin is a free app that converts your outdoor steps into a digital currency called Sweatcoins. You earn approximately 1 Sweatcoin for every 1,000 steps you take outside, with earnings capped at around 10 coins per day for free users.
Founded in 2014 in the UK, the company has raised over $20 million in venture funding and claims more than 120 million registered users worldwide. The app uses your phone's GPS and accelerometer to verify that you're actually walking outdoors rather than just shaking your phone.
In 2022, Sweatcoin launched a companion app called Sweat Wallet, which converts your steps into a cryptocurrency called SWEAT. This added a new layer to the earning potential, though the value of SWEAT has fluctuated significantly since launch. If you want to explore other ways to monetize physical activity, check out our complete guide to apps that pay you to exercise.
Is Sweatcoin Legit?
Yes, Sweatcoin is a legitimate company. It's not a scam in the sense that they won't steal your data or money. The app works as advertised and has been featured in major publications like Forbes, TechCrunch, and The Guardian.
However, "legit" doesn't mean "lucrative." The main criticism of Sweatcoin is that its marketing suggests you'll earn meaningful money, when the reality is quite different. The tagline "It pays to walk" is technically true but potentially misleading about the actual dollar amounts involved.
Sweatcoin has a 4.4 rating on the App Store and 4.3 on Google Play, though reviews are mixed. Most complaints center around the low earning potential and limited redemption options rather than the app being fraudulent. For comparison with other reward apps, see our analysis of apps that pay real money.
How Does Sweatcoin Work?
Earning Sweatcoins
Once you install the app, it runs in the background and tracks your outdoor steps using GPS. For every 1,000 verified outdoor steps, you earn approximately 0.95 Sweatcoins (the company takes a small commission).
Free users can earn up to 10 Sweatcoins per day, which requires roughly 10,000 outdoor steps. Premium members ($4.99/month or $24.99/year) can earn up to 20 coins daily.
Important limitations to know: indoor steps typically don't count since GPS can't verify them. Treadmill walking, mall walking, and steps inside your home won't add to your balance. The app has a "step counting" mode for indoor use, but it earns at a significantly lower rate.
Redeeming Rewards
Sweatcoins can be redeemed in several ways inside the app:
Marketplace offers: Products and services from partner brands. These range from fitness gear to subscription trials. Availability varies by region and changes frequently.
Gift card raffles: Enter drawings for Amazon, Apple, and other gift cards. Premium members only for most raffles.
Charity donations: Donate your coins to various charitable causes. Sweatcoin converts these to actual money for the charities.
Auctions: Bid on products like electronics or fitness equipment. These appear occasionally and require significant coin balances.
Sweat Wallet (crypto): Transfer your Sweatcoins to the Sweat Wallet app, where they convert to SWEAT cryptocurrency. This is currently the only way to get actual cash out of the platform.
How Much Can You Really Earn?
Our 6-Month Test Results
We tested Sweatcoin for 6 months, averaging about 8,500 outdoor steps per day. Here's what we actually earned:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Average daily steps (outdoor) | 8,500 |
| Sweatcoins earned (6 months) | ~1,450 SWC |
| SWEAT crypto earned | ~72 SWEAT |
| SWEAT value at test end | ~$0.50 |
| Effective monthly earnings | ~$0.08 |
Yes, you read that correctly. Six months of daily walking earned us roughly 50 cents in actual cashable value. The Sweatcoins themselves have no direct cash value and can only be used for marketplace items or raffles.
Realistic Monthly Earnings
Based on our testing and community reports, here's what you can expect:
| Daily Steps | Monthly Sweatcoins | Monthly SWEAT | Cash Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 steps | ~145 SWC | ~5 SWEAT | ~$0.03 |
| 10,000 steps | ~285 SWC | ~10 SWEAT | ~$0.07 |
| 15,000 steps | ~300 SWC (capped) | ~15 SWEAT | ~$0.10 |
The numbers are sobering. Even power walkers hitting 15,000 steps daily earn around $1.20 per year in actual cash value through SWEAT. The marketplace items can stretch this further if you find something useful, but direct cash earnings are minimal. To better understand the landscape of passive income apps, we've compared several options.
Sweatcoin Payout Options
Getting actual money out of Sweatcoin requires using the Sweat Wallet app and converting to SWEAT cryptocurrency. Here's the process:
Step 1: Download Sweat Wallet and link it to your Sweatcoin account.
Step 2: Your daily steps will now also earn SWEAT tokens (separate from Sweatcoins).
Step 3: Transfer SWEAT to an external crypto exchange like KuCoin or Coinbase that supports the NEAR protocol.
Step 4: Sell SWEAT for another cryptocurrency or stablecoins, then withdraw to your bank.
This process is complicated and involves crypto exchange fees. For the small amounts most users earn, the fees often eat into or exceed the earnings. Minimum withdrawal amounts on exchanges (often 100+ SWEAT) mean you need months of walking before you can cash out at all.
Gift card options exist in Sweat Wallet, but they're frequently sold out and require substantial SWEAT balances (1,000+ tokens for most cards). This contrasts with apps like survey apps that offer more straightforward payouts.
Sweatcoin Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Completely free to use | Very low earning potential |
| Passive tracking (set and forget) | Only counts outdoor GPS-verified steps |
| Can motivate more walking | Sweatcoins have no direct cash value |
| Legitimate company with funding | Complex crypto process for actual money |
| Works alongside other walking apps | SWEAT value has decreased over time |
| Charity donation option | Best rewards require Premium subscription |
Tips to Maximize Your Earnings
Walk outdoors consistently. Indoor steps don't count for the standard rate, so prioritize outdoor walks. Even a 20-minute outdoor walk daily adds up over time.
Stack with other apps. Run Sweatcoin alongside Evidation, Winwalk, and other step trackers. They all count independently, so the same walk earns from multiple sources. See our full list of apps that pay you to walk.
Check the marketplace regularly. Good deals appear occasionally. Some users have scored valuable items for reasonable coin amounts. Set a reminder to check weekly.
Use referrals strategically. Referring friends is actually the fastest way to build your balance. You earn 5 Sweatcoins per referral, which is equivalent to 5,000 steps of walking.
Skip Premium unless you walk 15,000+ steps daily. The math doesn't work for most people. You'd need to hit the increased cap consistently to justify the subscription cost.
Consider the SWEAT long game. If you believe SWEAT cryptocurrency will appreciate, accumulating now could pay off later. It's speculative, but the tokens cost you nothing to earn.
Add Location Rewards to Your Stack
Running Sweatcoin for steps? Add VISU for location-based rewards. Same walks, more earnings. Every place you pass can build your balance.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.
Sweatcoin vs Other Walking Apps
How does Sweatcoin compare to alternatives?
| App | Earning Method | Monthly Value | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweatcoin | Outdoor steps → crypto | $0.05-$0.15 | Crypto believers, outdoor walkers |
| Evidation | All steps + health data | $2-$5 | Health trackers, passive earners |
| Winwalk | All steps → gift cards | $3-$8 | Quick small payouts |
| StepBet | Betting on step goals | $5-$20 | Accountability seekers |
Sweatcoin offers the lowest direct cash value but has the potential upside of SWEAT appreciation. For pure earning power, Evidation and Winwalk outperform it significantly. The best strategy is running all of them together since they don't conflict. If you're exploring other ways to earn extra income, our guide to cashback apps covers complementary options.
Who Should Use Sweatcoin?
Good fit if you:
- Walk outdoors regularly (commute, dog walking, running errands)
- Want a small motivation boost to walk more
- Plan to stack it with other walking apps
- Are curious about cryptocurrency without financial risk
- Like the idea of donating to charity through your steps
Not worth it if you:
- Expect meaningful income (you won't get it)
- Primarily walk indoors (treadmill, mall, home)
- Are concerned about battery drain from GPS tracking
- Find the crypto withdrawal process too complicated
- Would feel frustrated earning pennies per month
The Verdict: Is Sweatcoin Worth It?
Sweatcoin is worth installing if you have realistic expectations. It's free, runs passively, and might motivate you to walk a bit more. But it won't pay your bills or even buy you a coffee without months of dedication.
Think of it as a tiny bonus for walking you'd do anyway rather than an income stream. At best, you'll accumulate some SWEAT tokens that might appreciate in value. At worst, you've lost nothing but a small amount of battery life.
The real value of Sweatcoin might be psychological. If seeing your step count translate into something motivates you to take the stairs or walk to lunch, that health benefit is worth more than the pennies you'll earn.
Our recommendation: install it as part of a stack with Evidation and other walking apps. Let it run in the background and forget about it. Check back in a year to see what you've accumulated. Just don't expect to be impressed by the number. If you want to understand whether VISU is legit, we have a dedicated analysis.
Start Earning From Every Walk
Sweatcoin tracks your steps. VISU rewards your stops. Combine both and turn every outing into earnings. Free account, no commitment required.
Quick video. Earn your first reward.
FAQ — Sweatcoin
Is Sweatcoin legit?
Yes, Sweatcoin is a legitimate company founded in 2014 with over $20 million in venture funding. It's not a scam. However, the earning potential is very low. Most users earn less than $1 per year in actual cashable value through the SWEAT cryptocurrency.
How much does Sweatcoin pay per step?
You earn approximately 0.95 Sweatcoins per 1,000 outdoor steps. In terms of actual cash value through SWEAT crypto, that's roughly $0.00001 per step, or about 1 cent per 1,000 steps. The rate has decreased over time as SWEAT's value has dropped.
Can you actually get cash from Sweatcoin?
Not directly from Sweatcoins. You need to use the Sweat Wallet app to earn SWEAT cryptocurrency, then transfer it to a crypto exchange, sell it, and withdraw to your bank. The process is complicated and fees can eat into your small earnings.
Does Sweatcoin work indoors?
Barely. Sweatcoin primarily uses GPS to verify outdoor steps. Indoor walking on a treadmill or around your home typically doesn't count. There's a step counting mode for indoor use, but it earns at a much lower rate and isn't the app's focus.
Is Sweatcoin available worldwide?
Yes, Sweatcoin is available in most countries. However, marketplace rewards and redemption options vary significantly by region. Some features like PayPal cashout (when available) are limited to specific countries.
Does Sweatcoin drain phone battery?
Yes, moderately. Since Sweatcoin uses GPS for step verification, expect 5-15% extra battery drain depending on your phone and settings. You can reduce tracking accuracy to save battery, but this may result in fewer steps being counted.
Can I use Sweatcoin with other walking apps?
Absolutely. Sweatcoin works alongside Evidation, Winwalk, and other step tracking apps without conflicts. Each app tracks independently using your phone's sensors, so the same walk earns rewards from all of them. This stacking approach is recommended.