You don’t need me to tell you but you do know that you should walk more. Everyone actually knows they should walk more, especially after a certain age. Not only walking, but any physical activity is good for our health, our minds, even our sleep. But here’s the thing, between knowing you should exercise more and actually doing it, there’s a whole gap, a totally different story. Because our reptile core brain tells us the exact opposite, to do nothing and eat more. That’s why you have to push it and try to find something that triggers your will to exercise. For some it’s the news of a medical issue (to avoid calling it “getting fat”), for others it’s the desire to look better – everyone has a trigger. Mine it seems it’s gamification or incentivized exercising. Actually getting the feeling that I earn/win something by pushing myself to walk more.

That’s where apps like Sweatcoin come in. If you’ve ever wished you would earn rewards just for walking, this free Android app might be the nudge you need. I started using Sweatcoin 43 days ago, and it actually helped me to take more steps than before using it. There’s a way you can track that, as it has a specific report in the app that tells you how much more steps you made after starting using it. In my case, I’m up 40% compared to when I only used Google Fit to track my steps and physical activity.

What is Sweatcoin?

Sweatcoin is a free fitness app that tracks your outdoor steps and turns them into a kind of digital currency that’s called, you guessed it, Sweatcoins. The more you walk, the more coins you earn. You can then spend those in-app coins on various rewards, offers, use them to participate in giveaways or even donate them to charity. Kind of like like a frequent flyer program for your feet. The more you walk, the more sweatcoins you get thus you are encouraged to exercise more.

Here are a few noticeable features that you get when you install Sweatcoin on your Android device:

  • Step tracking: It automatically tracks your outdoor steps using your phone’s sensors and GPS. Also syncs with Google Fit (if you have it activated) to accurately count your steps.
  • Daily sweatcoin earnings: You earn about 0.95 sweatcoins for every 1,000 steps you take on a daily basis. I’m a free tier user and this earning cap is right now set at 10,000 steps. Premium users don’t have a cap.
  • Marketplace: Use your sweatcoins to get discounts for various products/services or participate in high stake sweepstakes (ranging from giftcards to exotic trips to Thailand). You can also buy giftcards using your sweatcoins. For instance in the first month of using Sweatcoin, you can buy a $5 giftcard (i.e. Amazon) for 700 Sweatcoins. After the first 30 days I still show giftcards I could purchase with coins, but the value of it goes up a bit (it almost triples).
  • Daily bonuses: You can earn Sweatcoins daily not only by walking, but through the in-app bonuses. Each day you get 3 daily rewards where you can win various amounts of Sweatcoins. You do have to watch ads to get those bonuses. You also get every day several scratch cards that allow you to earn sweatcoins or even giftcards. As an idea the most I’ve won from a scratch card in 40+ days is 50 Sweatcoins in a single run, but usually the average is under 5. You can also win perks such as extra scratch cards, double contest entries and more.

  • Social challenges & clubs: Join step challenges and win extra sweatcoins from finishing those. You can also join clubs of other users each with various prizes.
  • Referrals: Invite other users and you get a 20 sweatcoin reward for each one – they also get a reward. They will also become your friend and you can compare your activity stats with theirs. Here’s my referral link if you’d like to compare your stats with mine: Download Sweatcoin
  • Daily 2.x or 3.x boosts: For 20 minutes every day, you’ll earn double the sweatcoins (or 3 times) compared to what you normally earn. Pro tip: activate this feature when you know you’re going to be most active – fast walks or a jog.

Does it actually make you walk more?

I do believe it does help you walk more. It did so in my case. The reason is that Sweatcoin gives you a small reward for doing what you were supposed to be doing anyway – walking. And that small reward is surprisingly motivating. It sort of has that mini game feel, that you’re not doing exercise but actually are part of a game that gives you bonuses, streaks and keeps you motivated. It also works as a fitness tracker and you can set your own daily goals, so that you’d get the satisfaction of hitting it.

Lastly, by inviting and following friends you actually can keep each other accountable and continue to exercise “not to lose face” in comparison to what they are doing. If you see your closest friend doing more walking than you, it’ll motivate you to walk more.

Any downsides?

Let’s talk about the downside. Sweatcoin is free, but you’ll pay with your attention. Most of the bonus coins or reward unlocks require watching short video ads. They’re not super annoying, but they’re there – and if you’re not a fan of ad-supported apps, this might bug you. But, for these situations they do have a Premium version of the app, which actually rewards you even more (2.x) for the steps you take and has other perks. But you have to pay a monthly fee. So you can decide if you’d like to pay with money or with your own attention.

Also, rewards in the marketplace rotate, and sometimes they’re not all that exciting – think discounts rather than actual freebies. So manage your expectations.

Another downside in my case is the step counter. When cycling you get a poor conversion to actual steps, even if you do put a lot of effort in cycling. So it does reward walking/running more than doing other activities.

Sweatcoin is not the only popular step counter that rewards you for exercising. There are obviously more, but for now I’m happy with it so I won’t go the extra mile. If you’d like to try others, here are some of my suggestions:

  • Charity miles – Earn donations for causes just by walking or running.
  • Achievement – Syncs with health apps and pays you small rewards over time.
  • Runtopia – Earn coins by walking or running and exchange them for gear.
  • StepBet – Bet real money on yourself to hit step goals. Hit them, and win cash.

There’s nothing stopping you from having multiple step counters installed at the same time, if you get my hint :).

Sweatcoin won’t make you rich. But it will help you exercise more, and that’s a win. If you’re looking for a little extra motivation to get moving, it’s a fun, low-commitment way to nudge yourself into healthier habits. Just don’t expect it to replace your job… unless your job is walking all day. Give it a shot. Worst case? You get some fresh air. Best case? You start walking more, feel better, and grab a few rewards along the way: Download Sweatcoin.