EarnStar review: is it legit, and what does it take to cash out?

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

EarnStar is legit in the basic sense: EarnStar AB in Stockholm runs it, and it pays for surveys, games and offers to PayPal or gift cards. Its own pages disagree on what you need to cash out, though. Its US terms also send disputes to arbitration in Stockholm.

We have not used EarnStar ourselves. No account, no install, nothing cashed out. On October 23, 2026, we read its US terms, privacy policy, home page, countries list and eight of its help and guide pages from a US server. We also read both app store records, its Better Business Bureau file and a trade report on its owner.

Who runs EarnStar?

Its US terms name EarnStar AB, Sveavägen 17 in Stockholm, Sweden, as the provider. They also name a second company at the same address, in the care of Aonic AB, as "the parent company of Provider". That parent company may pay members directly, the terms add.

Aonic, a Stockholm technology and gaming group, bought EarnStar's parent company for $250 million, Research Live reported on September 4, 2025. The parent was founded in 2022 and has 120 staff in 17 countries, the report says.

EarnStar's own site says it's "Trusted by 2,000,000+ happy players". Google Play counts 1M+ installs of the Android app.

Who can use EarnStar?

You must be 18 or older, its help pages say, and its privacy policy says the same. The app stores rate it lower:

Its countries page lists 41 countries, from the US, Canada and Mexico to India, Japan, Brazil and South Africa. Use the account only where you live: doing tasks outside your country of residence "can be seen as fraudulent", its terms say.

It runs on iPhone, Android and the web.

How does EarnStar pay you?

You can cash out to PayPal, pick one of "More than 200 Gift Cards", or use one of "More than 10 transfer methods", its home page says. Its safety page names ACH and Revolut among them. There's no fee to cash out, its payout guide says.

How much do you need? Its own pages don't agree:

A $5 welcome bonus counts toward the first $20, the payout guide says. Its terms let it set a lower threshold "at its discretion", and they allow "Multiple payouts per day".

How fast is it? It publishes no time. Requests are "Processed quickly" once your rewards are confirmed, its payout guide says. A reward stays pending "until the game or offer provider confirms you completed it".

What can you earn on EarnStar?

Its pages give two very different figures. Its most active members "collect up to $1,200 in rewards per month", its home page says. Its safety page says: "Realistically, most people earn about $20 to $100 a month."

A single survey pays "About $0.05 to $5", the safety page adds, and surveys typically take 5 to 15 minutes, by the home page.

Who pays for it? "Survey companies and advertisers pay EarnStar to reach real people who complete tasks," its safety page says, and EarnStar "shares part of that payment with you".

Does EarnStar require ID or a face scan?

It may. Its terms allow a check before "any payout" that "may involve the collection and processing of biometric data". Its privacy policy says it "may request a facial scan" before releasing payouts. To validate a purchase, it may also ask for receipts or bank statements.

Its terms also let you upload a photo of your ID card as extra information. Some tasks go only to members who've verified their identity.

Why is EarnStar reviewing my account?

A review runs "when something on the account needs a second look, like a login from a new device or a larger cash-out", its support guide says. "Some clear in hours, while others take longer."

Don't open a second account while you wait. You're allowed only one, by its terms, and it bans VPNs and proxies. It can also restrict payouts to a payment account that another member has already used.

Its terms let it suspend an account for signs of fraud or broken rules. It may also suspend one "if Provider has any other legitimate interest".

Support works by email only. "We don't run a phone line or live chat," the support guide says, and it publishes no response time.

How do you keep your EarnStar balance?

Log in now and then. One clause of its terms lets it delete accounts with no login for over twelve months. Another counts you as inactive after six months, with four weeks' notice before deletion.

Stay in your country, use one account and no VPN. If your membership ends, you can ask for your balance, and it's paid within 30 business days, its terms say.

What does EarnStar do with your data?

Its privacy policy, effective September 25, 2026, says it may collect "information about the applications installed on your device". If you agree, it also reads which apps you use, when and for how long, to check game rewards.

You can add sensitive details to match more surveys, such as race or ethnicity, pregnancy status and political opinions. It keeps payout data for about 7 years.

Its Google Play form says it shares your email address with other companies. Its App Store label says your contact info, identifiers and usage data "may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies".

California residents can ask it not to sell their data. Its form warns: "If you have an existing account with us, this account will be deleted as well."

What happens if you have a dispute?

Its US terms, version 1 of November 2025, follow New York law. Disputes go to "confidential arbitration in Stockholm" under the rules of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, with no class actions and no jury.

You have one year to bring a claim. Its liability is capped at $100, or at what you paid it in the six months before, whichever is greater.

What does the Better Business Bureau say?

The BBB's search for EarnStar returns one file, named for Legal Nodes LTD in England. It lists EarnStar and Prime Opinion among its other names.

The BBB doesn't rate it, because the "Company appears to be based in England". Its page data counts 160 complaints filed in the last three years, across all the names on the file.

Who is EarnStar for?

It suits an adult in one of its 41 countries who wants surveys, games and offers in one app. It works best if you check the floor in the app before you count on it, and cash out to PayPal or a gift card. It doesn't suit anyone under 18 or anyone who travels with the app. Nor does it suit someone who'd want a US court over arbitration in Stockholm.

Is EarnStar worth it? Our verdict, October 23, 2026

EarnStar names its company and its parent, takes members in 41 countries, and pays to PayPal, gift cards and transfers. The catch sits in its own pages: they disagree on the floor, a face scan may come before a payout, and its US terms send disputes to Stockholm.

Use it with care. One account, no VPN, your own country, and a cash-out as soon as the app allows one.

We build PaysFair, which competes with EarnStar, so weigh that. PaysFair pays out as a gift card by email, from $1.00.

What we couldn't check about EarnStar

We didn't use the app, so there's no first-hand payout time or floor here. Its help center at help.earnstar.com is a support chat, so we read the help pages on its blog instead.

The BBB file gives an address in Berkhamsted, England. We couldn't confirm how Legal Nodes LTD relates to EarnStar AB. We'll check all of this again by January 23, 2027.