I Tested 4 Apps That Pay You to Watch Videos—Here’s What Really Happened

You’ve probably scrolled past those tempting YouTube or TikTok videos promising you can earn "$100 a day just for watching videos online." It sounds like a dream, right? Passive income while binge-watching? I was skeptical but curious, so I decided to test four popular free apps and tools that claim to pay you for watching videos. I invested real time, followed their instructions, and tracked my results honestly.

Spoiler alert: Some worked (kind of), but the reality is far from the hype. Here’s my firsthand experience, complete with the good, the bad, and the downright sketchy.

Diving Into Freecash: Promises vs. Reality

My first stop was Freecash.com, a platform heavily promoted in online videos. Their website boasts of paying users to test apps, play games, and complete surveys, with claims of earning cash for simple tasks such as starting a Netflix trial or watching videos. They say the average user made $38 yesterday and that they’ve paid out over $50 million total, pretty enticing numbers! I signed up, eager to see if the video-watching hype lived up to its promise.

After creating an account, I noticed something odd: No video-watching offers were available. Instead, I found a deal to download and test a game for $10. I went for it, installed the game on my phone, and sure enough, $10 appeared in my balance. That part was legit. With over $10 earned, I checked the payout options: You need $25 to cash out, but the choices are solid PayPal, Revolut (with a bonus), Google Pay, Amazon gift cards, Apple gift cards, Visa, or bank transfer.

I kept searching for video-watching tasks, even completing surveys to “unlock” them, but after multiple attempts, I came up empty. Freecash seems to have shifted away from video offers, focusing instead on games and surveys. It’s legit for certain tasks, but don’t expect to make money watching videos. If you’re okay with app testing, it’s worth a shot; otherwise, it’s a letdown for video enthusiasts.

Swash: A Chrome Extension That Fell Flat

Next, I tried Swash, a Chrome extension hyped as paying up to "$120 just for watching YouTube videos." That claim had me hooked. I downloaded it from swashapp.io via the Chrome Web Store easily enough. Their site promises earnings through “surfing the web,” redeemable for gift cards, cash, or crypto. Digging deeper, you earn their cryptocurrency (Swash), which you can convert to Bitcoin or other forms. The catch? You need to enable ads in the settings, which then appear on websites and new tabs.

I turned on all the settings and used the browser for four days straight, watching YouTube, browsing, everything. My earnings? Zero. Nada. Zilch. I checked the settings, scoured their FAQ, but found no clues. Worse, you need to keep Swash installed for 30 days before withdrawing anything, and it collects a ton of data: search history, social media actions, browser activity, even audio. For me, trading privacy for potential pennies was a dealbreaker. I uninstalled it and moved on. Swash is a hard pass, not the effortless YouTube payday it’s made out to be.

Brave Browser: Passive Pennies, But Worth It?

Swash’s flop reminded me of something I’d been using for about a year: Brave Browser. It’s an alternative to Chrome or Safari that rewards you with Basic Attention Token (BAT) crypto just for browsing. I’d been using it for much of my web activity, including this experiment, with Brave Rewards enabled. I hadn’t checked my earnings in forever, so I logged in to see what I’d made.

The results? Monthly payouts of 20 cents, 10 cents, and 15 cents totaling about 60 cents over a year. Completely passive, yes, but hardly life-changing. BAT’s value fluctuates, so my earnings could be worth even less. "For 60 cents after a year, I’m switching back to Chrome," I decided. Unless you’re already sold on Brave’s privacy features, the rewards aren’t worth the switch.

Jumptask: A Penny for Your Ethics?

Finally, I tested Jumptask, which promised a more realistic "$2.20 per video." That sounded plausible compared to the wild $120 claims. Logging in, I found a dedicated section for earning by watching videos, finally, a platform that delivered on the promise! I clicked a task, and the process was clear: Search YouTube for something specific (like “security cameras”), click a designated video, watch it at normal speed, enter a hashtag back on Jumptask, and submit. The reward? One penny.

Yes, one cent per video. And it gets worse: This setup is essentially buying fake views, which violates YouTube’s rules. As a content creator, I know how damaging fake engagement is to genuine creators. "These aren’t people watching out of interest, they’re just grinding for a penny," I realized. That felt too sketchy, so I backed out immediately. The payout isn’t worth the ethical cost or the time.

The Verdict: Don’t Fall for the Hype

After testing all four, only two showed any results: Freecash worked for app testing (not videos), and Brave Browser paid pennies passively. Swash was a total bust, and Jumptask felt like a scam disguised as a side hustle. You’re not going to make serious money with these “get paid to watch videos” apps; at best, you’ll earn pocket change while sacrificing time or privacy.

Instead of chasing these gimmicks, I’d recommend focusing on a real online business. That’s what I dive into on my Vocal channel, where I share practical ways to make money online, like dropshipping and POD. "Your time is better spent building something sustainable," I’ve learned from testing hundreds of methods. Want to explore legit ways to earn online? Subscribe to me in Vocal and let me know your experiences with these apps in the comments!