There’s a plethora of apps and websites out there that claim that you can earn free gift cards just for playing video games.
Now, playing video games for money is possible. I mean, this is how you have full-time Twitch streamers, YouTube gamers, professional eSports players, and other gaming stars.
But, what about apps that pay you to play games?
Well, there’s been a surge of these sorts of apps over the past few years. The idea is simple: play mobile games and earn rewards for your time.
Apps like Mistplay have come to dominate the space, but like anything, there’s always competition.
If you want to make money playing mobile games, Coin Pop is another app you might stumble across.
This app is pretty popular, but I definitely recommend reading our Coin Pop review until the end to see if this app is worth it.
Let’s get to it!
If you want other apps to make money, you can also consider:
- Mistplay – A leading mobile rewards platform for fans of mobile games.
- Survey Junkie – I’m not a huge survey proponent, but Survey Junkie lets you cash out at $5 unlike most websites.
- Micro Task Websites – A comprehensive list of other ways to make some extra income online in your spare time.
Coin Pop Review
Name: Coin Pop
Description: Coin Pop is a mobile gaming rewards platform that pays you for downloading and playing new games.
Operating System: Android
Application Category: Gaming
Author: Daniel Friedman
Overall
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Ease of Use
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Earning Potential
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Game Variety
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Reward Variety
What Is Coin Pop?
Coin Pop is a free Android app that allows you to earn gift cards and cash rewards for playing mobile games.
The idea behind Coin Pop is to download sponsored games, level up in-game, and be rewarded for your efforts.
If you’ve ever used Mistplay or AppStation, you’ll understand exactly what Coin Pop is.
Granted, apps that pay you for playing games aren’t usually lucrative. Coin Pop isn’t an exception, and this app won’t make you rich.
However, with over 160,000 reviews, most of them being 5 stars, this is easily one of the largest apps that pay you to play mobile games so it’s worth taking a closer look at.
How Does Coin Pop Work?
In a nutshell, Coin Pop pays you for downloading and playing sponsored mobile games.
Once you download the app from the Google Play Store, you make an account with your email address or by connecting to Facebook.
From there, Coin Pop asks to have access to your phone’s in app usage in order to track how long and how far you’ve played a mobile game.
This part is critical since Coin Pop needs to track your gaming habits in order to properly credit you for playing.
Downloading a new game earns coins. You also earn by completing in-game achievements, unlocking new milestones, and beating specific levels. However, time spent in a game is usually the easiest way to earn.
Additionally, like other mobile gaming apps, the beginning phases of a new game are almost always the easiest way to earn coins.
This is because after gaming for a while, it becomes gradually harder to level up and reach new milestones.
This paid gaming model definitely limits earning potential.
Thankfully, every Coin Pop game is completely free. There aren’t in-app purchases either or anything that’s a money-grab.
So, if you like playing mobile games, Coin Pop could be a humble source of side income.
But, if you don’t enjoy gaming, this app isn’t worth the download.
What Kind of Games Are There?
Since Coin Pop is one of the most popular paid mobile gaming apps, there are plenty of games to choose from.
Here are a few of the genres of mobile games that Coin Pop offers:
- Casual.
- Strategy.
- Action.
- Puzzle.
- Adventure.
- Arcade.
From popular games to newer games, you’ll always find something that interests you.
Just keep in mind, these game companies are paying Coin Pop for promotion, so there’s no guarantee for quality.
Plus, if you’re only in it for the money, you’re better off trying apps that pay you to drive or different gig jobs.
Keep in mind, certain games may be off limits depending on your age and gender. This is Coin Pop’s rule for safety purposes and to ensure appropriate gameplay.
Rewards Options
Alright, time to get to the most interesting part of this Coin Pop review: the reward options.
Realistically, the only reason to download Coin Pop instead of just playing games on your own is to earn rewards. So, the question is, what are your options?
Currently, coins are redeemable for free gift cards, PayPal cash, and vouchers to certain merchants.
Some of the gift card options include:
- Amazon gift cards.
- Free Google Play credit.
- PlayStation gift cards.
- Free Steam codes.
- Walmart gift cards.
- Xbox Gift Card.
Note that gift card options are subject to change, and depending on where you live and your demographic info, you might have fewer options than others.
5,000 coins = $0.50 on Coin Pop, and many gift card rewards only require a few dollars to cash out.
You earn around 200 coins for downloading a game plus more for the amount of time you spend playing it. So, keep that in mind when calculating your earning potential.
On top of that, you can earn rewards by referring friends. Coin pop will provide you with a link that you can share with anyone on any platform.
One benefit of Coin Pop over most gaming apps is that there’s only a $0.50 cash out requirement through PayPal. This can be achieved almost immediately since your sign up bonus gets you 90% there.
Certain gift cards require different minimum payouts. For example, Amazon gift cards have a minimum of $2.50 to cash out.
For the PC gamers out there, Steam gift cards cost $5 to cash out which equals 50,000 points. Better get gaming if you want this one!
How to Sign Up and Play
There’s a 5-step process to signing up and playing Coin Pop:
- Go to the Google Play Store.
- Download Coin Pop.
- Sign up with an email account and password.
- Answer a few demographics questions.
- Start playing any of the available games.
You will also get a sign up bonus of over 4,000 points, which is around $0.50 for just making an account. Not a windfall of cash, but it’s a nice welcome bonus.
Your initial Coin Pop game list is tailored to match your demographic info and interests. However, you can still scroll and find a wide selection of games to try.
Once you download your first game and begin playing, you’ll start earning coins. From there, the rest comes down to how many new games you try and how often you play.
Earning Potential
This wouldn’t be a real Coin Pop review without an honest analysis.
Here’s the truth…
This app isn’t going to make you any real money.
What that means is this money isn’t going to cover rent, groceries, or even a lunch every week (unless you grind like crazy).
Realistically, we’re talking about $1 a day at most if you’re a casual mobile gamer.
Even so, this isn’t necessarily sustainable if you only play a few games because leveling up becomes progressively harder.
Can this be beneficial to your income?
Sure, but only if you really love playing those games.
Without the enjoyment of actually playing the games, it’ll be easy to give up on trying to make any real money.
If you think this app will make you as much money as some gig economy apps like DoorDash and Postmates, then you might find yourself disappointed.
If you already play the types of games offered on Coin Pop (and you play them a lot) then it could definitely be worth making a few bucks here and there.
Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of using Coin Pop to get a better understanding of the app in a nutshell:
Pros
There are several reasons why Coin Pop is one of the more popular paid-to-play mobile gaming apps:
- Easy to sign up and get started.
- Low payout threshold.
- Wide variety of mobile games.
- Completely free with many rewards options.
- Fun way to earn money if you enjoy mobile gaming.
Cons
It wouldn’t be a fair Coin Pop app review without explaining the main downsides of this app:
- Very low earning potential.
- Only available on Android devices.
- Requires storage to download lots of games.
- Diminishing returns over time.
- Coin Pop IOS isn’t a thing…you have to look for other gaming apps if you have an iPhone sadly!
Although there are more pros than cons, take a good look at how important the cons are in this situation.
Earning rewards for playing mobile games is the whole point of this app. And if the rewards are low, then it takes away a lot from the experience.
Is Coin Pop Legit?
In a short answer… Yes, Coin Pop is legit.
There are thousands of positive reviews on the Google Play Store. Additionally, plenty of Reddit threads give Coin Pop a fair verdict:
In other words: you can make money with Coin Pop, and they’ll pay.
However, this app is very low paying, and not worthwhile if you’re looking for a more serious side gig.
Even the 1 star reviews on the Play Store show that the app works well and pays out on time.
A lot of issues people are having with the app is when they switch to a new phone or try to create a new account.
So as long as you’re using the app with 1 account and 1 phone, you should be totally fine playing games and earning money.
Apps Like Coin Pop
If you’re a mobile gaming fanatic and want to maximize your earnings, you’re in luck: there are numerous apps that use the exact same model as Coin Pop.
Additionally, hopping between these apps is a good idea to prevent diminishing returns on a single app from hindering your earnings.
Some popular apps like Coin Pop include:
- Mistplay – A leading mobile rewards platform for gamers.
- App Flame – Another popular mobile gaming app with competitive rates for trying new games. Read our App Flame review for more info.
- AppStation – Essentially a carbon copy of Coin Pop and other similar apps. Read our AppStation app review for all the details.
These apps tend to come and go, and you’ll find that different apps have better payout rates than others at different times.
Ultimately, these are all a fun way to earn some beermoney for your time…not a full-time income source or lucrative way to make money online.
If you’re a fan of PC gaming instead of using apps like Coin Pop, I suggest checking out Gamehag.
Gamehag is like Coin Pop, only for PC games. You can play premium titles to earn rewards and also take advantage of several other earning methods.
Checkout our Gamehag review for all the details!
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that playing mobile games can be extremely fun.
Plus, if you’re making money doing so, why wouldn’t you?
Well, if you prefer playing other genres or only play occasionally, Coin Pop and similar apps will hardly earn anything.
If you’re a more avid gamer and actually like the game options, then Coin Pop is somewhat of a humble passive income source (if you’re going to be playing these games anyway.)
Now, it’s also important to remember that everything has an opportunity cost.
If you want to boost your income, spending time playing mobile games isn’t too productive. Instead, you can consider side hustles like:
- Writing on Medium.
- Starting your own blog.
- Delivering food for DoorDash or Uber Eats.
- Trying apps like TaskRabbit.
You get the idea.
Try out Coin Pop if you want free gift cards and love mobile gaming.
Otherwise, you’re better off with other money making alternatives!
I hope this Coin Pop app review has helped clarify what to expect from this mobile gaming app.
If you have a favorite gaming app, let us know down in the comments!
Daniel is a 20 year old blogger from Los Angeles with a huge love for everything entrepreneurship, finance, and investing. When he’s not blogging at Modern Teen, you can catch him playing volleyball, shooting archery, or finding new ways to make money.