11 Ways to Watch Ads for Money

Perhaps the most common way to get paid for watching ads is to go via GPT apps or websites like the ones on our list. GPT platforms are also sometimes referred to as “rewards platforms,” “microtasking websites,” “survey apps,” “passive income apps,” or other similar descriptions.

Many GPT platforms will pay you to watch videos and ads, but they’ll usually do this by sending you to third-party video platforms or channels, as for most platforms on our list.

Popular video channels include:

• GamersDen
• HideoutTV
• PixelPointTV
• CheddarTV (formerly Loot.tv)
• PuppyBearTV

You can earn points by watching videos and ads on these channels, and once you’ve earned enough (for which you’ll usually need to exceed a minimum threshold), you can transfer your rewards back to the original GPT app or website.

Beware that you won’t usually get a one-to-one points exchange when you transfer rewards from a third-party video channel to a GPT app or website you’re using. This discrepancy might mean that you get a false idea of how much you’re earning.

Can I earn real money by watching ads online?

Yes, you can earn real money by watching ads online. With most of the platforms on our list, you’ll have the option to get paid via PayPal or virtual prepaid Mastercard or Visa debit cards.

You’ll also always be able to redeem your rewards as gift cards. In addition, there may sometimes be more niche options like crypto or credits for other platforms (e.g., gaming platforms or investment platforms).

These free platforms will pay you to watch ads and videos. Some of them even offer signup bonuses.

1. Freecash

Freecash is a GPT platform that allows you to get paid for a variety of tasks. It focuses mainly on playing games and taking paid surveys. However, you can also watch videos and ads to earn Freecash rewards. 1

While some users experience issues claiming their rewards, many others enjoy using it and report no problems cashing out. We also like how the app offers instant redemption, a key feature for those seeking immediate cash payouts.

Freecash makes some pretty impressive claims, although we can’t say whether these are true:

• Users have earned more than $50 million in total on the platform.
• On average, users can cash out after about 17 minutes.
• The average user earned $44.96 on Freecash during the day before we viewed the site.

When you use Freecash, you’ll see many offer walls from the likes of:

• Adgate
• AdGem
• Torox
• AyeT studios

You’ll also see these third-party offer wall networks on many other GPT platforms.

Offer wall networks share various types of offers with Freecash (and other platforms), which will often include ways to get paid for watching videos and ads. If Freecash directs you to a third-party video channel like the ones we’ve mentioned (e.g., HideoutTV or PixelPointTV), you’ll have to log in to the video channel and link your profile to your Freecash account.

One downside with Freecash is that it doesn’t have an iOS app. It just has a web version for desktop devices and an Android mobile app.

2. Zoombucks

Zoombucks is a well-established GPT platform that has been around since 2012 and is available both as a desktop website and as an Android app.

Users agree that while you can’t earn a ton from watching videos on Zoombucks, it’s a decent option to kill time and earn a little pocket money. Many recent comments also mention how the platform offers plenty of online surveys, which you can take to bump up your earnings.

It allows you to earn by watching videos and also has surveys and offers, although we had problems earning a lot with this site (despite which we were able to redeem pretty quickly thanks to the low redemption threshold of $1).

To get rewarded for watching videos on Zoombucks, go to the “Earn” tab, where you can find an “Offer Walls” section. This section has links taking you to the sites of various Zoombucks partners who provide their own selections of offers.

Among these partners, you should find third-party video platforms (e.g., PixelPointTV and Loot.tv, which has now been rebranded as CheddarTV) that allow you to earn points by watching videos and ads.

To earn Zoombucks rewards, as usual, you’ll need to click through to the video platforms and watch videos with ads. You can then link your Zoombucks account to the third-party platform and transfer the points you’ve earned when you’ve accumulated enough of them.

3. You-Cubez

You-Cubez.com is another well-established GPT site that has been around since 2007 and claims to have over a million members. It has a desktop version but no dedicated app, so it’s best used on your PC or laptop.

This app made our top 3 list because users generally seem to enjoy using the platform, with many saying they especially like watching sponsored ads. In addition, most report no issues claiming their rewards.

You-Cubez promises to pay you for viewing ads and watching videos as well as taking surveys and completing other tasks on its platform. They recommend their sponsored ads as one of the easiest ways to earn on their site; these involve viewing ads or websites to earn rewards.

You can redeem You-Cubez rewards via PayPal, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other payment methods.

4. PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel is another well-established GPT platform that has been around since 2007 (and is available only as a desktop version, with no dedicated app). It has a few different ways to earn, including videos and also surveys, offers, and raffles—plus a browser extension you can download for some bonus rewards.

We didn’t find a specific section for videos on PrizeRebel, but you may find video- and ad-related offers on its offer walls. (e.g., We found videos on the Adscend offer wall.)

The process for earning PrizeRebel rewards with videos and ads is the same as for other GPT platforms (i.e., clicking through to channels like PixelPoint TV and then linking your PrizeRebel account to it so that you can transfer across the points you’ve earned from watching videos with ads).

5. InstaGC

InstaGC is another GPT platform similar to the ones we’ve already mentioned (and another case where we found we earned quite a low hourly rate from the site). It only has a desktop website with no app available.

InstaGC offers the usual fare of surveys and offers in addition to videos with ads you can watch to get rewarded. It also has a few more ways to earn, like coupons, promo codes, and social media follows.

For earning with videos and ads, InstaGC has the same process as most of the other GPT platforms on this list, partnering with channels like Hideout TV and PixelPointTV. The specific partnerships with video channels may vary—as may the channels themselves, which often get rebranded.

A major draw of this particular GPT platform is its claim that it delivers its gift cards immediately when you redeem them (whereas many other sites have a waiting period). However, many of its cash redemption options take at least a day or so, so InstaGC might not live up to its name if you’re redeeming your earnings as cash.

6. GrabPoints

GrabPoints is another GPT platform that pays you for watching videos but, as usual, also features surveys and offers. It’s owned by Reward Holdings, which also owns Zoombucks.

As with Zoombucks, we found GrabPoints to be among the less lucrative platforms we’ve tested, although, again, we were able to reach the redemption threshold quite swiftly thanks to the low $1 withdrawal minimum (which may since have increased but still shouldn’t be more than $2–$3 at most).

You can use GrabPoints to earn rewards with channels like GamersDen, PixelPointTV, and CheddarTV (previously known as Loot.tv) as we’ve already described. Again, the specific video channel partnerships might vary.

7. Lootup

Lootup allows you to earn with surveys, games, offers, social media follows, and, of course, ads and videos. This GPT platform is owned by Adscend Media—which you may remember is one of the third-party offerwalls that appear on many platforms we’ve listed—and has an Android app as well as a web version.

When we used Lootup, we didn’t find it to be particularly good for earning. However, the opportunity to earn with videos is one of its distinguishing features (along with the crypto redemption option and the low $1 redemption threshold).

To earn with videos and ads on Lootup, you can go to the “Earn” tab and use the “Watch Videos” filter to select offers involving ads and videos from Lootup partners.

8. QuickRewards

QuickRewards is one of the oldest platforms on this list—established in 2002. It offers many ways to earn, including not only videos and ads but also surveys, games, offers, and more.

It offers pretty numerous video- and ad-related earning opportunities. There are entire sections on the website dedicated to earning with videos. (e.g., Check out the “Videos” tab to see which channels it partners with.)

QuickRewards has a desktop version for your PC or laptop plus an Android app for mobile devices.

9. Gamehag

Gamehag is a bit different from the other GPT sites we’ve mentioned so far. As you might guess from the name, it’s more gaming-focused. However, it also has a TV zone where you can watch videos to earn points or “Soul Gems,” which you can then redeem for money or gift cards.

These earning opportunities don’t revolve around HideoutTV et al., so Gamehag is a good one to try if you want something a bit different or if, like us, you find that the third-party video platforms we’ve mentioned don’t work well on your device.

Gamehag also says it will pay you for a few other tasks besides games and videos. For example, you can get rewarded for writing news, articles, and even messages on their forums.

You can use Gamehag on your laptop or PC, or there’s an Android app you can download.

10. JumpTask

JumpTask promises “income-generating possibilities for all” through tasks like surveys and games as well as video- and ad-watching offers. JumpTask also has some more unusual ways to earn through training AI, testing products, and sharing your internet bandwidth.

JumpTask pays users with its own cryptocurrency, $JMPT. You can use these coins to trade on exchanges or even for gift cards.

To get paid for watching ads and videos on JumpTask, visit the “Earn” tab and look for relevant offers (e.g., by looking for a “Watch & Earn” section among their available offers or by filtering for video- and ad-related offers, which may be categorized under “Watch & Profit” or something similar).

11. Cointiply

Cointiply describes itself as a “Bitcoin faucet and crypto rewards platform.” A Bitcoin faucet is a website where you can complete simple tasks to receive cryptocurrency, so it’s much the same as other microtasking or GPT platforms, except that payments are in cryptocurrency.

On Cointiply, you can earn with games, surveys, and offers (which may involve visiting websites or clicking on links, for example).

To earn with videos and ads, go to the “Earn Coins” tab and then “Watch Videos.” You may also find similar opportunities on other parts of the site. (e.g., Look for ad-related offers under “Offer Walls” in the “Earn” tab.) You’ll also find opportunities to earn by clicking through to advertisement web pages.

Cointiply has an Android app as well as a desktop version for laptops and PCs.

In theory, watching ads for money is a great way to get paid to do nothing. You can leave videos running in the background while you get on with other activities and get rewarded with cash, gift cards, or crypto. You can even run videos on multiple devices at the same time to earn more rewards.

As such, this earning strategy may be worth it in some situations. For example, if you’re able to redeem your rewards as crypto, you can use your earnings to start a small crypto investment that may eventually grow into something bigger (although there’s always a risk it could go the other way and lose value).

You could also combine an ad-watching side hustle with other income streams, such as freelance writing, pet sitting, or dog walking. Ad- and video-watching is also a great side hustle for busy single moms or college students, who can run videos while they’re doing other things to earn a bit of extra money for treats or expenses.

However, this earning strategy also has some notable downsides.

• It can be confusing: Many platforms only allow you to earn rewards with videos and ads by going through a third-party platform. This can make things more complicated when you want to redeem your earnings, as you’ll have to transfer them from the third-party platform to the platform you’re using to redeem, and this isn’t always a straightforward process.
• Earning rewards with ads and videos can be slow: In our experience with video platforms, we’ve found them to be a slow way to earn rewards. When we’ve used these platforms, we found that we were able to earn only a small amount—sometimes as little as 1 cent per hour.
• Videos can be strenuous for your device: Videos use a lot of bandwidth and processing power, so we’ve also had problems with them freezing our devices, which made it even more difficult to earn rewards efficiently.

Bear in mind that you might have a better experience than we did if, for example, your devices are better equipped to handle video platforms.

Watching ads for money is no get-rich-quick scheme and won’t be worth it for everyone, but it’s one of the most popular side hustle ideas for those looking for low-effort earning opportunities you can do anyplace, anytime.