With the holidays over and the new year beginning, you might be tired of shopping—for yourself, at any rate. If your bills from December are weighing on you, consider pivoting from being a spender to a secret shopper (also sometimes referred to as mystery shoppers or undercover shoppers).
Secret shoppers get paid to check out stores, restaurants, or other businesses while pretending to be normal customers. They might investigate physical stores, call centers, or even websites and then report back on their experience.
If you’re sold on this money-making strategy, we’ve found 12 apps that will pay you to indulge in retail therapy. We’ve also selected the 3 best apps as of January 2026, which you can see in the first three rows of the table below:
| Gig App | Pay | Payment Method | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varies | Varies | ||
| $3–$20 per gig | Cash | ||
| Varies | Cash, gift cards, or freebies | ||
| $5+ per task | Cash or gift cards | ||
| $1.50–$10.00 per task | Gift cards | ||
| $8–$15 per task | Cash | ||
| $6+ per task | Cash | ||
| $3–$100+ per gig | Cash | ||
| Up to $1/minute | Cash | ||
| $15+ per task | Cash | ||
| $3–$25 per task | Cash | ||
| Up to $0.48 per task | Cash or gift cards | ||
We looked for the secret shopping platforms that are most popular and most frequently recommended online by people who claim to have experience with them. Our top picks are the apps and websites with the most complimentary reviews and ratings (e.g., in Trustpilot, Google Play Store, and the App Store), along with the best earning prospects.