EarnStar alternatives: 7 apps like EarnStar, compared on what they pay

We build PaysFair, an earning app that competes with every app on this page. Judge our bias accordingly, and check the numbers below against the sources at the bottom.

On our map, the apps closest to EarnStar are Freecash, Swagbucks and KashKick, plus Survey Junkie, Qmee and Mistplay. Four of the six state a smaller first cash-out than the $20 in EarnStar's payout guide.

We read every app's own pages on October 23, 2026, and we haven't used any of them ourselves. Where an app's pages disagree with each other, we print every number.

Why do people leave EarnStar?

Its own pages name the reasons. They disagree on what you need to cash out. Its home page says there's "no minimum amount required to withdraw". Its payout guide says the first cash-out unlocks at $20 and later ones at $5. A guide on its blog says $20, then $1.

It may ask for a face scan before a payout. Accounts go under review after things like "a login from a new device or a larger cash-out". Support is by email only, with no phone line or live chat.

Its US terms send disputes to confidential arbitration in Stockholm. A California request not to sell your data deletes your account, its form says.

Google's suggestions for EarnStar include "earnstar can't cash out" and "why is earnstar reviewing my account".

Our EarnStar review covers its rules in full.

What are the best apps like EarnStar?

Six apps on our map that pay for surveys, games or offers, then ours. Every fact is the app's own, read on October 23, 2026, unless a date says otherwise.

Freecash

Freecash pays for games, offers and surveys, and Almedia GmbH runs it, by its terms. It takes people 16 or older. Its PayPal cash-outs cover 124 countries.

Your first cash-out needs $5 to $20, depending on your region. You'll verify your ID with a selfie then. PayPal, Venmo, Visa and bank transfer cash-outs carry a 5% fee, and gift cards have none.

What it does better than EarnStar: PayPal in 124 countries, where EarnStar's list holds 41.

Our review: Freecash review

Swagbucks

Swagbucks pays for surveys, games and shopping deals, and Prodege runs it. It says it's live in most countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

When we priced its US catalog on September 22, 2026, the cheapest dollar gift cards were $5. A $5 PayPal reward cost 530 SB. Gift cards take minutes to 5 business days, and PayPal 2 to 5.

What it does better than EarnStar: it takes members from 13, where EarnStar requires 18.

Our review: Swagbucks review

KashKick

KashKick pays for games, surveys and deals, and Besitos Corporation, LLC runs it. It's for residents of the 50 US states and DC who are 18 or older.

You can Kash Out from $10 to PayPal, Venmo or gift cards, with "zero fees", it says. Before the first one, you'll need a selfie and a driver's license or passport.

What it does better than EarnStar: a stated time. Kash Out requests are typically approved within 1 to 3 business days, its help center says. EarnStar publishes no payout time.

Our review: KashKick review

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie pays for surveys, and DISQO owns it. It's for people 18 or older in the US, Canada, Australia or the UK.

You can cash out from $5, or 500 points, to PayPal, a bank account or gift cards. Its identity checks "can include text, email or phone call confirmation", a cross-check with reward partners, or "photo ID verification".

What it does better than EarnStar: a $5 first cash-out, where EarnStar's payout guide asks for $20.

Our review: Survey Junkie review

Qmee

Qmee pays for surveys, cashback offers and gaming offers, and Kantar UK Ltd runs it. It's for people 16 or older in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.

Its FAQ says there's "no minimum withdrawal amount" for PayPal or Venmo. The money arrives "within a few minutes", it says. Before your first gift card, it checks who you are, for example through a PayPal cash-out of any amount.

What it does better than EarnStar: no minimum at all for PayPal or Venmo, by its FAQ.

Not tested yet.

Mistplay

Mistplay pays for time spent playing mobile games you find through it, and Mistplay Inc. runs it. You must be 18 or older. Its Android app is for "gamers around the world", its help center says. Its iPhone app is for the US and Canada.

Rewards are gift cards from brands such as Amazon, Visa and PayPal. We didn't find a minimum on its own pages. Its terms cap what you can redeem at $550 a year. Gift cards now need an ID check with a selfie for every player.

What it does better than EarnStar: it publishes the size of its catalog, "over 350 top-tier mobile games". EarnStar's pages give no count.

Our review: Mistplay review

PaysFair

PaysFair is ours. It pays for surveys, games and campaigns. In a campaign, you post clips and content on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X. The smallest cash-out is $1.00, paid as a gift card by email. We check the first cash-out by hand.

It's for people 16 or older, and what there is to do depends on your country. It runs on the web and in an Android app on Google Play. Obsidian UG in Germany runs it.

What it does better than EarnStar: a $1.00 first cash-out, from age 16.

We build it, so we don't review it.

Which one has the smallest cash-out?

EarnStar's home page says there's no minimum at all. Swagbucks' amount is from our read of its US catalog on September 22, 2026.

Is EarnStar better than Freecash?

It depends on what you value. On their own pages, the two differ on almost every point:

On Freecash, smaller PayPal cash-outs add a fixed fee on top of the 5%. That's $1 on the $5, $10 and $20 cash-outs, its help center says.

Who can join, and from where?

How do apps like EarnStar make money?

Companies pay them to reach people. "Survey companies and advertisers pay EarnStar to reach real people who complete tasks," its safety page says. KashKick's help center says "game developers pay KashKick to find new players for their games, and we share that money with you." Survey Junkie's owner, DISQO, is a consumer insights platform that brands turn to, by Survey Junkie's home page.

Most of them check who you are before they pay. EarnStar may ask for a face scan. Freecash and KashKick ask for a selfie, Mistplay asks for an ID check with a selfie, and Survey Junkie may ask for photo ID.

How we picked these apps

Our map of the market holds more than 1,100 earning apps, sorted into lanes by what they pay for. EarnStar sits in the offer-sites lane. We took three big sites from that lane, Freecash, Swagbucks and KashKick. We added Survey Junkie, Qmee and Mistplay, three apps that EarnStar's own store listings compare it to.

We read their pages on October 23, 2026, from a server in the US.