Ever feel like your internet connection is just sitting idle while you’re at work or asleep? What if you could turn that unused bandwidth into a steady stream of passive income?
A new wave of apps has emerged that allow you to do exactly that—get paid for sharing a small, safe portion of your home Wi-Fi or mobile data. It’s a simple way to make your internet plan work for you, earning a little extra cash with minimal effort.
In this guide, we’ll break down some of the top apps that let you earn by sharing your unused data. We’ve looked at the key details for each one: how you get paid, what devices they work on, and what the companies actually do with your shared connection. This will help you choose the right option to start earning on the side.
Pawns.app
Pawns.app offers a straightforward approach to earning a little passive income by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. Much like others in this space, it works by running a small application on your devices that allows the company to use a portion of your internet connection for their global network. This network is used by businesses for market research and web data collection. The setup is simple, and once it’s running, it requires very little attention from you.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum amount you need to cash out is $5.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: You can withdraw your earnings via PayPal, Bitcoin, or direct bank transfer.
- Platforms Supported: Pawns.app supports Android, Windows, and macOS. It is not available for iOS.
- Other Ways to Earn: Beyond sharing your IP, Pawns.app provides several other ways to boost your earnings. You can complete paid online surveys, which are frequently offered based on your demographic profile.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary function of the app is to contribute to a pool of residential IP addresses. Companies use this network to gather public data from the internet for purposes like academic research, price comparison, and SEO monitoring. The company states that user privacy is a priority, ensuring that your personal data and browsing activity are not intercepted or monitored.
Honeygain
Honeygain is one of the most popular and straightforward apps out there for earning a bit of extra cash by sharing your unused internet data. The concept is simple: you install the app, it runs quietly in the background, and the company uses your internet connection as a tiny part of a larger web-scraping and market research network. They essentially pay you for your unused bandwidth, and you barely have to lift a finger after the initial setup.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum amount you need to cash out is $20.
- Withdrawal & Device: Withdrawals are processed via PayPal or JMPT cryptocurrency (which can be converted to USD).
- Platforms Supported: You can install it on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.
- Other Ways to Earn: Besides sharing data, you can get a $5 sign-up bonus to kickstart your earnings. They also occasionally run contests and offer extra credit for referring friends to the platform.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: Honeygain’s primary use is to create a crowdsourced residential IP network. Companies use this network for things like price comparison aggregation, ad verification, and brand monitoring.
- They need real, organic IP addresses from around the world to get accurate data, and that’s what you’re providing in exchange for a small fee. Your personal data and activity are not monitored; they are only interested in your IP’s location and the bandwidth itself.
TraffMonetizer
Traffmonetizer is an application that allows you to generate passive income by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. The service is designed to be simple and hands-off. Once you install their lightweight application on a device, it runs in the background, and you earn money based on the amount of traffic that passes through your shared connection.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum withdrawal amount is $10.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: Earnings are paid out via PayPal, USDT (Tether cryptocurrency), or airtime/phone credit top-ups.
- Platforms Supported: It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
- Other Ways to Earn: The primary earning method is by sharing bandwidth. Traffmonetizer does not offer additional features like surveys or an offerwall.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The app’s main function is to contribute your IP address to a larger pool of residential proxies. This network is then used by businesses for legitimate purposes like web scraping, ad verification, and price comparison aggregation. The company states that all user data is anonymized and that your personal information and private internet activity are not accessed or logged.
RePocket
RePocket is a platform that allows you to earn money by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. The app runs quietly in the background on your devices, and in exchange for contributing your resources, you get paid.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum amount required to withdraw your earnings is $10.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: You can cash out your earnings via PayPal or through various gift cards.
- Platforms Supported: RePocket is supported on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is not available for iOS devices.
- Other Ways to Earn: Besides sharing bandwidth, RePocket offers additional ways to earn. You can complete paid surveys and offers through their partner network.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary use of the app is to contribute your device’s resources to a larger network. This network is used by businesses for legitimate purposes like market research, ad verification, and data collection. The company states that user privacy is a priority, ensuring that your personal data and browsing activity are not accessed or monitored. They only use your IP address and a small amount of bandwidth.
PacketShare
PacketShare is an application that allows you to earn money by contributing your unused internet bandwidth to a global network. By installing their software on your devices, you enable businesses to utilize a small portion of your connection for tasks like data gathering and market research.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum amount required to withdraw your earnings is $5.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: Earnings are paid out via PayPal.
- Platforms Supported: PacketShare is supported on Windows and macOS operating systems.
- Other Ways to Earn: The primary method of earning is by sharing bandwidth. PacketShare does not prominently feature additional earning methods such as surveys or a referral program.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary use of the app is to contribute to a distributed network of residential IP addresses. Companies access this network for activities like web scraping, ad verification, and price comparison, as traffic from real homes is less likely to be blocked than traffic from data centers. The company states that user privacy is protected through encryption and that they do not monitor or collect personal browsing data.
Gener8
Gener8 is a different kind of earning platform that focuses on your web browsing data. The core idea is that instead of big companies profiting from your online behavior without your consent, you can choose to share your anonymized browsing data with them and get rewarded for it.
You install their browser extension or use their custom browser, and it runs in the background as you surf the web, collecting data on general trends (not your personal info). In return, you earn points that can be traded in for various rewards. It’s a unique take on turning your everyday internet use into something more valuable.
- Minimum Payout: Gener8 uses a points system called tokens. There isn’t a standard cash minimum; instead, you redeem your accumulated tokens for rewards. The cost of rewards varies, so the minimum needed depends on what you want to get.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: Withdrawals are not cash payments. You redeem your tokens for rewards like gift cards (e.g., Amazon, Starbucks), donations to charity, or entries into prize draws. The platform is designed for use on a computer via a browser extension. They also have a mobile app for managing your account and rewards.
- Platforms Supported: It works primarily as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. They also offer a dedicated desktop browser for Windows and macOS, and a mobile app for Android and iOS for account management.
- Other Ways to Earn: Besides sharing your browsing data, you can earn more tokens by completing offers and surveys through their partner network. They also have a referral program that rewards you for bringing new users to the platform.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary use is to create a large, ethical panel of user data for market research. Companies use this anonymized and aggregated data to understand consumer trends and improve their products and services. Gener8 emphasizes user privacy and control, ensuring that no personally identifiable information is ever sold or shared.
PacketStream
PacketStream is a platform that allows you to earn money by sharing your unused internet bandwidth. It works by installing a small application on your computer that runs in the background. This application lets the company use a portion of your internet connection to create a network of residential IP addresses.
Businesses use this network for tasks like ad verification and market research. Your personal data and browsing activity are not monitored; the company only uses your IP address and a small amount of bandwidth.
- Minimum Payout: The minimum amount required to withdraw your earnings is $5.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: You can cash out your earnings via PayPal. The application is designed to be installed on a computer running Windows or macOS. It is not available for mobile devices.
- Platforms Supported: PacketStream is supported on Windows and macOS operating systems.
- Other Ways to Earn: The primary way to earn is by sharing bandwidth. PacketStream does not prominently feature other methods like surveys or a referral program within its core offering.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary use of the app is to contribute to a global proxy network. Companies purchase access to this network to gather public web data from residential IP addresses for purposes like competitive analysis and SEO monitoring. The company emphasizes that user privacy is protected and that all usage is compliant with its terms of service.
Earnapp
EarnApp is a legit platform that lets you make a bit of extra cash by putting your unused internet bandwidth to work. Think of it like renting out a tiny, unused part of your internet connection. The app runs quietly in the background on your devices, and companies use it for things like market research, price comparison, and ad verification.
- 💰 Minimum Payout: The minimum withdrawal amount is $2.50 for PayPal and Wise transfers. For Amazon gift cards, the minimum is $50.
- 💸 Withdrawal Method & Device: You can withdraw your earnings via PayPal, Wise (transfer), or Amazon gift cards.
- 📱 Platforms Supported: This is one of EarnApp’s biggest strengths. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Raspberry Pi 210.
- 🎯 Other Ways to Earn: Besides sharing bandwidth, you can earn through their referral program and by completing tasks on the Offerwall. The Offerwall includes surveys, app installs, and other tasks from third-party partners.
- 🏢 Primary Use & Company Goal: EarnApp’s primary use is to build a crowdsourced network of residential IP addresses. The company then sells access to this network to businesses and researchers who need to gather public web data ethically for tasks like competitive analysis, academic research, and brand protection.
Grass
Unlike traditional apps, Grass is a web-based extension, meaning you don’t need to download software; you simply add it to your browser and it runs while you browse the web normally. It is designed to be completely passive, requiring no active effort after installation.
- Minimum Payout: Grass does not have a publicly stated minimum payout threshold. Earnings accumulate in points, which are expected to be convertible to rewards upon launch of their token.
- Withdrawal Method & Device: Earnings are distributed in the form of cryptocurrency rewards, specifically their own token. It operates as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Brave.
- Platforms Supported: Grass is supported as an extension on Chromium-based browsers like Chrome, Brave, and Edge, as well as Firefox. A dedicated mobile app is coming soon in late 2025.
- Other Ways to Earn: The primary way to earn is by sharing bandwidth. Grass also offers a referral program that allows users to earn a bonus for bringing new users onto the network.
- Primary Use & Company Goal: The primary use is to create a decentralized network of residential IPs that provides data for AI companies. This data is used to train large language models and other AI systems, helping them become more accurate and unbiased. The company emphasizes that user privacy is protected; it does not have access to personal data, browsing history, or any identifiable information. All data collected is anonymized and aggregated.
