Did you know that it’s actually possible to earn money by installing an app that tracks your steps? We’re highlighting 6 awesome apps that pay you to walk – most of them incorporate crypto tokens, but there’s also an option for users who don’t want to deal with blockchain and crypto.
The best apps that pay you to walk in 2026:
- STEPN – The most popular crypto move-to-earn app
- Sweat Economy – SweatCoin’s move into the web3 ecosystem
- StepApp – A new alternative to STEPN
- Genopets – A digital pet game that rewards you for walking
- Winwalk – Walk to earn gift cards
- Stepbet – Bet on yourself to walk more
Before we move on with our list of the best apps that pay you to walk, we should clarify that you shouldn’t expect to get rich or even just make a sizeable profit by using these apps. The best way to view applications that let you earn tokens for moving is as a fun, gamified experience that will give you some extra motivation to lead a healthier lifestyle.
1. STEPN – The most popular crypto move-to-earn app
STEPN is a mobile app where users can earn crypto token rewards for walking, jogging, or running. The two tokens that can be earned on STEPN are GST and GMT. You get more tokens the more you walk, although there are limits on how many tokens you can earn per day.
The GST token has no limit on its supply, and is designed to be the primary reward and utility token in the STEPN ecosystem. It can be used to mint NFT sneakers or level them up, and unlock various features in the STEPN app. Meanwhile, GMT is the governance token of the STEPN platform, allowing holders to have a say in key decisions regarding the ecosystem.
In order to earn rewards via STEPN, you need to download the app and own an NFT (non-fungible token) representing sneakers. There’s a variety of NFT sneakers available, catering to different styles of movement. There is also a collectible aspect to the sneakers, as they have different attributes such as Efficiency and Comfort, as well as quality types ranging from Common to Legendary.
STEPN is currently the largest move-to-earn app, and the GMT token has a sizeable market capitalization of $289 million.
2. Sweat Economy – SweatCoin’s move into the web3 ecosystem
Sweat Economy is a blockchain-powered platform that represents an expansion of the SweatCoin app to the web3 ecosystem.
SweatCoin allows users to earn in-app currency through movement and spend it on various goods and services or get discounts and gift cards for online stores. It’s also possible to spend SweatCoins for charity donations. The amount of SweatCoins users can earn depends on their daily step count.
SweatCoin has partnerships with various businesses that offer discounts and products in exchange for the ability to market to the app’s sizeable userbase – the SweatCoin app has seen more than 100 million downloads in total.
In the marketplace, you can use SweatCoins to get discounts on a variety of items such as smartwatches, headphones, video streaming subscriptions, and products by leading brands such as Adidas and Nike. Because of this, SweatCoin is one of the top candidates when it comes to the best app that pays you to walk.
With Sweat Economy, it’s now also possible to earn SWEAT tokens, which aren’t limited to use on the SweatCoin app but can be freely used on the blockchain. The tokens can also be bought and sold on major cryptocurrency exchanges such as KuCoin, Bybit, and OKX. SWEAT tokens are available on the NEAR Protocol and Ethereum blockchain platforms.
There is a cap on how many SWEAT tokens a user can earn – after this limit is reached, users continue earning in-app SweatCoins, but not the blockchain-based SWEAT tokens.
3. Step App – A new alternative to STEPN
Step App is a move-to-earn app that offers rewards for walking and completing certain tasks related to physical activity. Step App utilizes concepts such as gamification, GameFi, and augmented reality to create a highly engaging experience.
Similar to STEPN, you need to hold a particular type of NFT if you want to earn tokens through Step App. You need to stake an NFT representing a virtual sneaker to start earning token rewards.
Step App has a dual-token structure, which includes the KCAL token and the FITFI token. The KCAL token is the Step App ecosystem’s main rewards token and is required to mint sneaker NFTs. Meanwhile, the FITFI token provides access to governance and staking. These tokens can be traded on major exchanges like KuCoin, Bybit, and Bitget.
4. Genopets – A digital pet game that rewards you for walking
Genopets is a platform that allows users to earn rewards by walking and running. Genopets introduces an interesting twist to the move-to-earn genre, as it features digital pets that evolve as the user completes challenges. This gamified feature, inspired by Tamagotchi, is designed to further motivate users to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Genopets is an interesting platform to try out if the move-to-earn concept interests you, particularly if you’re also interested in digital collectibles and NFTs in general.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the NFT features in Genopets are quite complex, so it’s not the best choice for those looking for a more casual experience. Genopets is best described as an NFT-based game that incorporates move-to-earn elements rather than an app that’s primarily focused on rewarding users for walking.
5. Winwalk – Walk to earn gift cards
Winwalk is a free app that tracks your steps and rewards you with gift cards for services like Amazon, Domino’s, Google Play, Walmart, and the PlayStation Store. Notably, Winwalk doesn’t use GPS tracking, so it’s better at preserving both your battery and privacy than apps that are based on GPS tracking.
The Winwalk app features a simple and customizable design, and allows users to track their activity across multiple timeframes to see their progress.
Users can view ads or complete surveys in order to earn bonus coins – this is how Winwalk makes money and is able to offer gift card perks to its users.
As with any app that rewards you for walking, you shouldn’t expect to make any significant amounts of money with Winwalk. The app is best used as added motivation for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and any rewards earned along the way are just the cherry on top.
Winwalk doesn’t utilize any crypto-based tokens, so it’s a good chance if you’re looking for a walk-to-earn app but don’t want to bother with crypto.
6. Stepbet – Bet on yourself to walk more
StepBet is a fitness app that uses a “bet on yourself” model to motivate users to stay active. Instead of earning rewards directly for walking, users join step challenges and commit their own money to participate. If they successfully complete the challenge by hitting their personalized step goals, they split the prize pool with the other winners.
Each StepBet game typically lasts around six weeks and requires participants to meet a combination of active day goals and power day goals each week. These targets are calculated based on your past step data from connected fitness apps such as Apple Health, Fitbit, or Google Fit, making the goals personalized rather than one-size-fits-all.
Unlike most walk-to-earn apps, StepBet doesn’t use cryptocurrency or in-app tokens. All winnings are paid out in real money through PayPal, which makes the rewards simple and easy to access. However, because you’re staking your own money, there’s also some risk involved. If you fail to meet the weekly goals even once, you’re eliminated from the challenge and lose your stake.
Most games require an entry fee between $10 and $40, and the winnings are usually modest after StepBet takes a small cut from the prize pool. Still, for many users, the real value of StepBet comes from the added accountability and motivation to stay consistent with daily exercise.
Are move-to-earn projects legit?
When looking at various move-to-earn projects, it’s natural to ask yourself why anyone would want to pay you for walking or exercising. Essentially, the answer is that these platforms share a portion of the revenue they generate with users in an attempt to grow their userbase quickly and keep their existing userbase engaged.
Some move-to-earn apps have partnerships with brands such as sportswear manufacturers that advertise to the app’s users. A portion of the revenue generated through these partnerships is then shared to users through in-app currency or blockchain-based tokens. Others generate revenue by selling NFTs or tokens, or collecting various fees when users make transactions on the blockchain.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the economic models implemented by various move-to-earn platforms might not be sustainable over the long term. For example, the tokens issued by many play-to-earn projects, which are similar in principle, have dropped in value substantially once the growth of their userbase started slowing down.
The bottom line
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s best to view apps that pay you to walk as a fun way to get you motivated to exercise, instead of as an opportunity to get rich or make significant profits.
When it comes to move-to-earn apps that require you to purchase NFTs or tokens before you can get started, we recommend you keep your investments small and never invest an amount that you can’t afford to lose.
If you’re interested in exploring other ways to earn crypto, make sure to check out our guide on how to earn free cryptocurrency.