11 Secret Shopper Apps for Cash Rewards and Freebies

Mystery shopping apps vary in terms of how much they’ll pay you per assignment or shop.

Different apps pay different rates, and some types of gigs pay more than others. For example, shops that require you to visit a brick-and-mortar store will likely pay more than online shops.

In terms of the rewards on offer, the apps on our list vary widely. Rewards can sometimes comprise just a few dollars’ worth of cash or gift cards—or even just a free lunch. At the other end of the scale, some secret shopping gigs can pay hundreds of dollars.

Bear in mind that secret shopper platforms aren’t a suitable replacement for a full-time job. Instead, these money making apps are best used to supplement other streams of income.

These 11 secret shopper apps include different types of platforms. Some are dedicated apps for specific companies and their own assignments. Others feature gigs from many different companies rounded up in one place.

1. Presto

The Presto app serves as a hub for numerous secret shopping companies (such as IntelliShop, a market research firm that appears later on this list, along with famous retail brands like McDonald’s or Best Buy). Many gigs on the platform are assigned and paid by Presto, directly, although there are also third-party assignments that require you to sign up with another company.

The former type of assignments are called Insta-Shops. The advantages of these gigs are that they pay out fast and don’t potentially require you to sign up with another company. This makes Presto a good side hustle app for anyone who needs to cover short-term expenses or ease cash flow between paychecks.

How much does Presto pay?

Presto doesn’t specify how much they pay per assignment, although reports online cite rates from $5 upward.

Potential earnings will probably be roughly in line with what you can earn from other apps on this list, which varies quite a lot depending on the size of the gig.

How does Presto pay?

Presto pays via Tangocard (which is a way to get credit toward gift cards from numerous other retailers), Amazon gift cards, or PayPal. Presto says that it reviews Insta-Shops within 72 hours (3 days) after you submit your work, and then processes payments twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. 1

2. iShopFor Ipsos

Ipsos is a global market research and consulting firm that collects and analyzes data to help businesses, governments, and organizations make decisions. Mystery shopping is among the services they provide (along with consumer surveys via their Ipsos iSay platform and other research and marketing tools).

The Ipsos mystery shopping program is called iShopFor Ipsos, and it claims to have over one million Mystery Shoppers working across more than 180 countries. Its mystery shopping jobs can be in-person as well as online or via telephone (by contacting call centers or assessing websites, apps, and live chat functions).

Ipsos says typical mystery shopping tasks will involve:

• Checking the cleanliness of a location (if the shop is in-person)
• Interacting with employees
• Asking specific questions about a product
• Making purchases
• Filling out surveys about your experience

How much does iShopFor Ipsos pay?

According to the iShopFor Ipsos website, mystery shopping assignments are paid on a per-job basis, and the exact amount will vary depending on what you have to do. Some tasks will pay less but might include a free meal or train ticket. Other tasks might pay more if the requirements are specific or demand more effort.

In general, Ipsos estimates that most tasks are in the $8–$15 range. They also say that some audit opportunities can pay several hundred dollars.

How does iShopFor Ipsos pay?

iShopFor Ipsos pays for mystery shops 7–10 days after it approves your secret shopping experience feedback. Payments are via PayPal.

3. Market Force

Founded in 2005, Market Force is a huge name in the field of mystery shopping. According to their website, they coordinate 100,000 mystery shops every month.

In addition to paying you for assignments, Market Force will reimburse your shopping expenses, so you’ll get freebies on top of cash rewards.

How much does Market Force pay?

According to many reports online, Market Force pays rates of around $10 or more per assignment.

European Market Force webpages estimate that rates will be around €5 to €12 per assignment (approximately $6–$14); the UK Market Force site estimates an average rate of around £5 per assignment (approximately $7). However, it’s possible that US rates will be higher.

How does Market Force pay?

Market Force offers you the choice to get paid via ACH or Paypal. However, you’ll only be paid once a month (on the 20th), so you could be waiting quite a while for both your payments and reimbursements.

4. Gigwalk

Gigwalk is a mobile app that pays you to complete relatively small-scale tasks for companies, with these tasks or gigs usually focused in retail or field marketing.

Most of the work on Gigwalk comes from stores or brands that want to check how their products or events look in real life, across different locations. For example, these businesses want to make sure products are on the shelves, prices and displays are correct, and marketing events are set up properly and on time.

Gigwalkers usually assist by taking photos (with location information) to show whether everything is right or not. Some gigs may also involve purchases, and you should usually be reimbursed for these; if so, the reimbursement amount will be included in the payout amount listed for the gig.

How much does Gigwalk pay?

According to the Gigwalk website, you’ll be paid $3–$100 per gig.

How does Gigwalk pay?

Gigwalk pays via PayPal. It says that your work may take up to 14 full days to review (starting the day after you submit your work) but that most Gigwalkers don’t have to wait as long as 14 days to get their payment.

5. Hetal

Hetal is another way to earn money while you shop. This app doesn’t require you to record purchases. Instead, you visit stores and make videos of the aisles.

Your videos give retailers a snapshot of what’s happening on their store shelves and allows them to make sure everything is stocked, in the right place, and set up properly.

When you sign up for Hetal, the app asks you to select stores in your local area. The company will then notify you when recording sessions become available, and you can reserve these sessions.

You must use the Hetal app to take videos, which must not be blurry or low quality; otherwise, you might not get paid.

Hetal is a bit vague with its requirements for signups, as it doesn’t specify a minimum age or other criteria you must fulfill to use the app. However, the Hetal app has an age rating of 17+ (mature audiences only) in Apple’s App Store.

How much does Hetal pay?

Hetal offers to pay up to $10 per 10 minutes for your videos.

How does Hetal pay?

Once you submit your video, Hetal says it will approve the video within 1–2 business days. After that, if they approve your video, they promise to pay out within 1–3 business days. Hetal pays via Venmo.

6. iSecretShop

Founded in 2009, iSecretShop is a platform from the research and technology company Prism Intelligence. Like the app Presto featured earlier on this list, iSecretShop is a central hub for mystery shopping jobs, and it offers access to opportunities from many different agencies or “Mystery Shopping Providers” (as opposed to with just one company).

To use iSecretShop, register via the website or app, and iSecretShop will then show you which restaurants, retailers, and other businesses in your area have mystery shopping gigs available.

You can then apply for available assignments, complete the required mystery shopping visits or tasks, and submit your photographs and reports directly through the app or online. Once your work is reviewed and approved, you’ll receive payment from the provider that posted the job.

When you’re finished, you’ll get paid with cash, gift cards, reimbursements for purchases, or other rewards.

How much does iSecretShop pay?

iSecretShop doesn’t specify how much it pays per assignment, but this will probably vary widely, as with other, similar apps. You might find that some gigs pay only a few dollars, whereas others pay a lot more.

How does iSecretShop pay?

As we’ve already mentioned, iSecretShop says that shoppers can get paid with cash, gift cards, and other types of rewards. However, the app doesn’t pay shoppers itself; rather, the third-party companies or MSPs (Mystery Shopping Providers) offering the jobs are the ones that fork out.

MSPs have various payment policies. Some pay on specific days each month (as with some of the apps later on this list, such as Secret Shopper and IntelliShop), whereas others pay after a certain number of business days (as with iShopFor Ipsos and Hetal).

PayPal is a popular payment method, but some MSPs may pay by Venmo, check, or other methods.

7. Field Agent

Field Agent, another company started in 2009, specializes in retail-focused market research and crowdsourced data collection. It operates in various countries, including the US, Canada, Mexico, and the UK.

Field Agent shoppers or “Agents” gather information for brands and retailers by visiting stores and, often, taking photos. They then answer questions, share opinions or feedback, and complete other tasks.

Field Agent calls its secret shopping app a “fast, flexible means for thousands of people to make real cash while doing what they’re already doing—shopping in stores and online.” It claims to have more than one million Agents, and to have paid out over $20 million in rewards for mystery shopping gigs.

How much does Field Agent pay?

According to the App Store, Field Agent’s location jobs (tasks that involve going to a specific place) generally pay between $3 and $20 each.

How does Field Agent pay?

You can get paid from Field Agent via direct deposit. As such, you need to link a bank account (or prepaid card) to the Field Agent app, then verify that bank account.

After you complete an assignment, Field Agent says you should allow 3–5 days for your work to be reviewed, and an additional 2–3 business days for funds to reach your bank. 2

8. GigSpot

Like iSecretShop and Presto, which we saw earlier on this list, GigSpot is a platform that connects you with other mystery shopping and market research companies. It promises opportunities with dozens of companies offering thousands of mystery shopping gigs.

GigSpot provides the information you need to pick up secret shopping gigs, but it doesn’t manage payments. Instead, these are handled by the mystery shopping or market research company posting the job.

How much does GigSpot pay?

GigSpot doesn’t specify how much it pays per assignment. The rate will probably vary widely, as with other, similar apps. You might find that some gigs pay only a few dollars, whereas others pay a lot more.

How does GigSpot pay?

As mentioned, GigSpot says that payments are handled by the mystery shopping or market research company posting the respective jobs. As such, payment methods and timings will vary (although PayPal is always a popular option for companies to use).

9. Secret Shopper

Secret Shopper is a well-established mystery shopping company that has been around since 1990. 3 It’s based in Minnesota, and offers a variety of phone, in-person, and online shopping gigs you can complete in exchange for cash.

The website also says you can get free services, meals, or complimentary stays in hotels or other accommodation.

How much does Secret Shopper pay?

Secret Shopper says that per-assignment rates generally range from $15 for basic shops into the hundreds for more extensive shops.

For some assignments, such as those involving restaurants, you may get paid just with freebies, such as a meal for two (where your expenses are reimbursed).

How does Secret Shopper pay?

Secret Shopper can pay via ACH (direct deposit) or by check. With both of these options, payments are monthly.

10. Mobee

Whereas Secret Shopper has been around for decades, Mobee is among the newer platforms on our list. This is a free mobile app offering ways to earn gift cards with secret shopping assignments or “Missions.”

Mobee’s Missions may involve tasks like the following ones:

• Mystery shops: Collect information about your experience inside stores.
• Audits: Collect photos and information about in-store products, prices, and displays.
• Surveys: Answer questions about your shopping behaviors, attitudes, and experiences.
• Buy and trys: Purchase a new product, try it at home, and share your experience.
• Ratings and reviews: Buy a product, try it, and leave an honest review about it online.
• Eye spys: Collect information about and barcodes for products in stores.
• Scavenger hunts: Report if and when you find specific products inside stores.

In addition to these in-store Missions, Mobee promises other opportunities to earn points, such as by entering social media contests, writing blog posts, referring friends, and more.

One major downside of this platform is the lack of payment for online secret shopping Missions. As you don’t get paid for these, we’re not sure why you’d want to bother with them.

How much does Mobee pay?

Although digital Missions on Mobee are unpaid, thankfully, in-store Missions are. The exact amount you’ll earn will vary depending on the difficulty, length, and requirements of the Mission, but can range from around $1.50 to $10.00 or even more (150 to 1,000+ points).

How does Mobee pay?

Mobee only pays via gift cards (which range in value from $5 to $100), so the rewards are less flexible than the PayPal cash that many other platforms on this list offer.

On the upside, you shouldn’t have to wait too long for Mobee payments. The website says redemption can take as little as 48 hours.

11. Shopkick

The Shopkick app is a bit different from other apps on this list in that it doesn’t require you to take photos (or videos) or provide feedback on your experience visiting stores. Instead, you can earn by simply walking into stores and scanning barcodes on products—without purchasing anything—as well as with a few other tasks.

On top of that, Shopkick offers you rewards when you shop online via their app. Plus, it qualifies as a cashback app, so you can also use it to earn money by scanning receipts from your purchases—both online and offline.

The downside of this app is that you will usually be limited in terms of how many barcodes or receipts you can scan per day or per week, meaning that your earning potential will also be severely limited.

How much does Shopkick pay?

When you complete tasks on Shopkick, the app pays you with points or “kicks.”

Here’s how much you can get from various tasks:

• Walk-ins: Simply walking into participating stores can be worth about $0.08–$0.48 (20–120 kicks) each time.
• Scanning items in stores: Shopkick will give you about $0.04–$0.20 (10–50 kicks) per item.
• Shopping online: Shopkick pays about $0.008–$0.04 (2–10 kicks) per item you purchase through its app.
• Watching videos: If you want an extra boost to help you earn more, watch 30-second videos worth $0.004–$0.02 (1–5 kicks) each.

How does Shopkick pay?

You can redeem Shopkick kicks for cash or gift cards (where one kick is worth around $0.004). You may need to collect a minimum number of kicks to cash out, but this minimum threshold can vary.

Unlike some of the apps on this list, Shopkick shouldn’t normally make you wait several days or weeks to get your secret shopping rewards. You might even receive your gift cards or cash instantly after you redeem.

The companies listed here don’t offer apps, but they’re still worth checking out as a way to make money with mystery shopping gigs.

12. IntelliShop

IntelliShop is a large mystery shopping company and customer experience advisory firm. Founded in 1999 and based in Ohio, it offers on-site, digital, video, and telephone mystery shopping.

Intellishop claims to have a million mystery shoppers, and it’s always looking for yet more new recruits.

As a secret shopper with IntelliShop, you might have to shop in a store, phone a call center, or visit a website to conduct evaluations or create reports, for example.

How much does IntelliShop pay?

IntelliShop doesn’t provide information about its payment rates per assignment (or per hour). The rates will likely vary a lot, as with other, similar apps. You might find that some gigs pay only a few dollars, whereas others may pay a lot more.

How does IntelliShop pay?

IntelliShop pays every month on the 20th via PayPal.

13. BestMark

BestMark is another one of the largest mystery shopper companies out there, and is also among the most established veterans on this list, as it has been around since 1986. The company now claims to have 600,000 mystery shoppers and complete hundreds of thousands of field visits per year.

Along with mystery shopping assignments, BestMark offers intercept interviews (short, in-person surveys conducted with customers at a location) and compliance audits (checks to make sure a business follows specific rules or policies).

How much does BestMark pay?

BestMark says that mystery shopping pay varies by assignment, ranging from small reimbursements for meals or products to around $10–$20 for basic jobs. Some specialized assignments can pay more, especially if they demand more time or effort. 4

BestMark believes that a secret-shopping side hustle can make you as much as $5,000 to $10,000 per year when you’re doing it part time.

How does BestMark pay?

BestMark allows shoppers to choose among multiple payment options: PayPal, direct deposit, or gift cards.

Although BestMark is flexible in terms of payment method, it isn’t the fastest-paying secret shopper gig around, as the payment process generally takes 3–4 weeks after assignment completion.

BestMark pays between the 15th and 20th of each month for shops from the previous calendar month (as long as the work is successfully approved).

14. Intouch Insight

Intouch Insight is a Canada-based marketing research company founded in 1992. Its mystery shopping network, IntouchShop, claims to have more than a million shoppers.

Intouch Insight offers secret shopping gigs you can do on site, curbside, by telephone, or online. As with gigs from Hetal (another app we saw earlier on this list), these jobs might also sometimes require you to film videos.

How much does Intouch Insight pay?

Intouch Insight doesn’t provide general information about how much you can usually earn from its assignments.

However, the company is currently advertising a role on the job-hunting platform Snagajob that involves visiting and evaluating nine websites (e.g., gathering information about the websites’ customer service teams and their responsiveness). The remuneration for this assignment is $125 (for all nine websites).

This provides a bit of an indicator as to how much Intouch Insight might pay for online shopping gigs.

How does Intouch Insight pay?

Intouch Insight pays secret shoppers via PayPal and twice per month. It pays on the 15th and then the last day of each month (for work completed in the prior half of the month). For example, if you shop between January 1st and January 14th (inclusive), you will get paid on January 31st, with payments typically sent to PayPal by noon.

These tips will help you to make the most of secret shopper apps like the ones from our list.

• Don’t use these apps as your main source of income: Secret shopper apps don’t make for a good full-time job but, rather, are best used to supplement other, more conventional side hustles or jobs.
• Don’t pay to use secret shopping apps: All apps on our list are free to download and use, and you shouldn’t need to pay to sign up as a secret shopper or to use an app for finding gigs. Also, never pay companies for certifications to get a secret shopping job, and, in general, never wire money or buy gift cards for mystery shopping assignments or job opportunities.
• Read online reviews and other important information: If you use a secret shopper app that doesn’t appear on our list, check reviews of the company on reputable sites like Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau. It’s also a good idea to search for the company with the words “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.”
• Turn on your location and Bluetooth if required: For in-person shops, you may need to do this so that the app can gather your location information accurately.
• Check payment speeds: Payments for a secret shopping gig could take anything from a couple of days to several weeks. In some cases, you may have to wait for a third-party company to pay out. Check in advance to find out how long this usually takes. Payment speeds are particularly important for gigs that require you to make purchases; you don’t want to find yourself out of pocket while you’re waiting to get reimbursed.
• Explore multiple apps: Don’t limit yourself to just one app. You can sign up for a few apps to increase job variety and frequency.
• Use a reliable device: You’ll usually have to use a smartphone or laptop during assignments, and you don’t want your device letting you down when you’re completing tasks or providing feedback on your shops. This is particularly important if you have to submit photos or videos, which need to be of decent quality to get approved (so that you can get paid).