If you’ve ever gotten a free sample from, say, Costco or Sephora, you know that a free sample can easily turn you into a regular buyer of a product.
Sign-up bonus apps work the same way, and they have the same goal. These apps are so confident you’ll enjoy their product that they’re willing to pay you just for signing up (and maybe completing a small task). So, worst-case scenario, you get a quick bonus from an app you don’t particularly like. Best-case scenario? You get paid to sign up for an app that you end up loving and using on the regular.
I’ve put together a list of great apps that offer up the best sign-up bonuses—some of them allow you to earn a little money (a few bucks here and there), and some of them offer huge bonuses (hundreds, even thousands of dollars)!Â
What I love about these apps is that, in most cases, you’re going to find them useful regardless of their bonus. They allow you to invest smarter, save more, earn cash-back rewards for stuff you already do every day, and more.
Instant Sign-Up Bonuses—Our Top Picks
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$3-$300 in Free Shares, Free Month of Webull Premium
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APY Boost With Signup
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$10 Sign-Up Bonus
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$1 Sign-Up Bonus
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Primary Rating:
4.9
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Primary Rating:
4.4
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Primary Rating:
4.0
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Primary Rating:
4.1
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New investors get $3-$300 in stock, 1 month free Premium, and 1 month APY boost
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4.25% APY. No monthly account service fees.
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Free (no monthly fees).
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Free to use, users are paid.
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The Best Instant Sign-Up Bonus Apps
Below, I’ve listed a wide array of apps that all offer easy ways to earn a little (or a lot of) money quickly!
1. Webull ($3-$300 in Fractional Shares, APY Boost + Free Premium)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $20 worth of fractional shares and one month of Webull Premium ($500 or more deposit)
Webull is a wallet-friendly brokerage account that offers no-commission stocks, ETFs, and options, charges $0 contract fees on many options, and requires no deposit minimums.
It also offers fractional-share investing, which allows investors to start buying for as little as $1. That means beginners working with small dollar amounts can still easily diversify their portfolio across numerous investments. Newer investors can also learn trading skills through the courses in Webull’s education center, and even practice their skills via Webull’s paper trading service.
Webull is available across just about every platform, allowing you to research, trade, and track your stocks on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Other features include charting tools, customizable screeners, free real-time stock quotes and stock alerts, preset lists, voice commands, and more. It also offers extended trading hours (pre- and after-market trading) and 24/7 online help.
You can also subscribe to the paid Webull Premium tier, which provides a higher APY on uninvested cash, IRA rollover and transfer matches, higher IRA contribution matches, better margin rates, and more.
On top of all that, Webull frequently runs promotions that typically involve earning free stock.
→ How to get Webull’s various bonuses
Currently, Webull is offering new users a litany of bonuses connected to making an initial deposit. Here’s how to collect a free month of Premium, an APY boost, and $3-$300 in fractional stock:
- Use our link to sign up with Webull and get a free month of Premium just for opening your account.
- Deposit at least 1¢ and get one month of boosted APY in Webull Cash Management.
- Deposit at least $100 and receive 10 fractional shares worth between $3 and $300.
- Webull is a low-cost trading and investing app that allows you to invest in stocks, ETFs, options, futures, commodities, and crypto, and even participate in initial public offerings (IPOs).
- No-commission stock, ETF, and option trades (and many options have $0 contract fees).
- Trading features such as charting tools, technical indicators, customizable screeners, real-time stock alerts, and group orders.
- Let Webull manage your money for you with Webull Smart Advisor, which combines Webull's in-house investment expertise and artificial intelligence to build, manage, and rebalance an ETF portfolio for you.
- Sign up for Webull Cash Management to earn up to a 3.6% APY on uninvested cash.*
- New users get one free month of Nasdaq TotalView's Level 2 Quotes service. (That subscription costs $2.99/mo. thereafter.)
- Subscribe to Webull Premium and receive a premium APY on uninvested cash in individual and joint cash accounts, premium margin rates, a 3% match when you transfer or roll over your IRA, and an extra 3.5% match on qualifying IRA contributions.
- Special offer: Open an account and get one free month of Premium, make an initial deposit of at least 1¢ to unlock a one-month 1.4% APY boost*, and deposit $100 to receive 10 free fractional shares worth between $3 and $300.**
- Good selection of available investments
- Fractional shares
- Powerful technical analysis tools
- Offers robo-advisory services
- Accessible to beginning and intermediate users
- Voice commands
- Offers highly competitive APY through Webull Cash Management
- Does not support mutual funds
2. Moomoo (Up to $1,000 in NVDA Stock)
- Moomoo is an all-in-one investment app geared toward stock, ETF, and options traders who want to work with real-time market data at the ready.
- The service offers free Level 2 market data, offering more insight into the trading activity below the NBBO surface shown on many financial data sites.
- Use the service's powerful stock charting software capabilities to find trading opportunities.
- Get a great return on uninvested cash: Moomoo currently offers a 4.1% APY from its cash sweep program, though current promo offers 8.1% for a limited time.
- Special offer: New users get up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock when they sign up using our link and make a qualifying deposit,* as well as a three-month APY boost (to a total 8.1% APY on uninvested cash).
- Additional special offer for transfers: New customers who transfer assets into a Moomoo account can also receive a 3% match on their transfer up to $20,000 (for a reward cap of $600). New users who transfer in $50,000 or more and maintain for three days will also receive two suite tickets to a New York Mets game.
- Free Level 2 market data
- Free powerful stock charting software
- Free paper trading
- Low margin rates
- Fewer features than peers
- No robo-advisor functionality
3. Acorns ($20 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $20 bonus when you set up recurring investments
Acorns is an investing app geared toward young adults and millennials. It’s best known for “Round-Ups,” where Acorns rounds up purchases made on linked debit and credit cards to the nearest dollar, then invests the difference on your behalf.
The Acorns investment offering itself is a simple, automated platform that uses pre-built portfolios of ETFs to keep investors exposed to stocks and bonds, which is similar to many robo-investing offerings. Acorns’ basic approach makes it one of the best investment apps for beginners.
Here’s more about what you can expect from Acorns’ varying subscription options:
- Acorns Bronze: Includes an Acorns Invest investment account, as well as Acorns Later for tax-advantaged investment options such as Roth IRAs. Also includes Acorns Checking, a bank account that has no account fees, lets you withdraw fee-free from more than 55,000 ATMs nationwide, and is paired with a debit card that can go into your digital wallet; Smart Deposit, which allows you to automatically invest a bit of each paycheck into your Acorns accounts; and, of course, Round-Ups.
- Acorns Silver: Everything in Acorns Bronze (Acorns Invest, Later, Checking, etc.), plus Premium Education, which includes live Q&As with Acorns’ expert investment team, invite-only sessions with the Acorns Support Team, access to a quarterly market report, and more; Emergency Savings with a high APY; and a 25% bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month).
- Acorns Gold: Everything in Silver, plus custom portfolios that allow you to hold individual stocks; live Q&As with financial experts; a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month); $10,000 in life insurance; even the ability to set up a will for free. Parents also get Acorns Early access for up to four children. And Gold is the only way to unlock Acorns Early Invest: a custodial account for your child that lets you invest for them while they’re a minor.
Silver and Gold also feature a powerful way to accelerate your savings: Later Match. While most people are aware that employers will sometimes match funds you contribute to your 401(k), “matches” are virtually unheard of in retirement accounts like IRAs, where there’s no employer to kick in extra cash. However, Acorns itself will match 1% or 3% on new contributions to IRAs for Silver and Gold subscribers, respectively.Â
Learn more in our Acorns review, or use our link to sign up with Acorns today.
→ How to get your bonus with Acorns
To earn $20 from Acorns, you have to complete a few steps:
- Sign up for an Acorns account.
- Set up recurring investments ($5 minimum)
- Make your first successful recurring investment.
Your $20 bonus will be awarded within 10 days of the following month.
- Acorns allows you to sign up for investment, retirement, and checking accounts for you and your family, learn how to earn more money, and grow your investing knowledge.
- Famous for investing spare change automatically through Round-Ups, this all-in-one financial app helps younger generations start investing earlier.
- Invest in expert-built portfolios made up of diversified ETFs.
- Silver tier includes perks such as a 25% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), generous APYs on Checking and Emergency Fund, and live Q&As with investing experts.
- Gold tier includes perks such as a 50% match on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200/mo.), $10,000 in life insurance, and picking individual stocks for your portfolio.
- Gold also comes with a free Acorns Early account for up to four children. It's also the only tier to offer Acorns Early Invest: a UGMA/UTMA custodial account where you can save toward your kids' future and get a 1% match on up to $7,000 in contributions annually.
- Earn even more with Later Match: Acorns will match up to 1% (Silver) or 3% (Gold) of all new IRA contributions in your first year.*
- Special offer: Get a free $20 bonus investment when you sign up with our link and start making recurring investments.**
- Robo-advisor with affordable fees (on larger portfolios)
- Fixed fee model
- Round-ups
- FDIC/SIPC insurance
- IRA match (Personal Plus and Premium)
- High fixed fees for small balances
- Limited investment selections
- Must subscribe to Premium for any self-directed investing options
4. Upromise ($30.29 in Bonuses)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: Get a total of $30.29 ($5.29 for signing up, and $25 for linking a 529 plan)
Upromise makes it easier to save for your child’s future higher education expenses, and has helped families save more than $1 billion for college to date.
After you create a Upromise account, you link it to either your 529 plan, or a checking or savings account. You can also apply for a no-monthly-fee Upromise Mastercard that earns you cash rewards when you shop, eat at restaurants, and more, and the service will automatically deposit both your cash rewards and any monthly contributions into your 529 plan or linked bank account. You’ll also earn more in cash-back rewards with the Upromise Mastercard than you will with any other linked debit or credit card.
Also, every month, Upromise gives five families a $529 college scholarship. Every dollar of earned rewards gets you an entry.
→ How to get your free money on Upromise
As soon as you use our link to sign up with Upromise and verify your email, you’ll be awarded $5.29. To receive an additional $25, you must:
- Link a 529 plan account within 30 days.
- Keep the account active through the first cash-back rewards redemption cycle.
- Make sure your cash-back rewards account balance meets the minimum transfer amount to be able to transfer rewards into the linked account.
- Upromise helps families save for their children's education by letting them earn cash-back returns that are automatically deposited back into a Upromise account linked to a 529 plan, student loan account, or bank account.
- The Upromise Mastercard earns 1.529% in cash-back rewards on purchases when linked to an eligible college savings plan, or 1.25% when linked to any other account.
- Enjoy $0 fraud liability protection, no foreign transaction fees on international purchases, and free online access to your FICO credit score.
- Special offer 1: Earn $100 bonus cash-back rewards after spending $500 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days.
- Special offer 2: Join now and you could win $20,000 (plus a $1,000 Mastercard Prepaid card).*
5. Sproutful ($1 Sign-Up Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, mobile web (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: 100-point sign-up bonus
Sproutful is a free platform that offers you real money just by playing mobile games and sharing your opinion. And it features one of the most flexible sets of payout options in the industry.
Getting started is simple: You sign up for free. Then you start taking paid surveys, or playing a variety of games (casual, puzzles, board games, adventure/RPG, slots, and more). You earn points, which you can redeem once you’ve accumulated just $5 worth of earnings.
Sproutful allows users to cash out via PayPal or Venmo, or get paid via gift cards from literally hundreds of brands, including Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, DoorDash, Google, PlayStation, Spotify, Starbucks, Uber, and Walmart. That’s one of the broadest payout selections among paid-survey sites we cover.
While this is one of the newest such apps on the market, it has quickly built up a sterling reputation, earning an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot.
→ How to Get Your $1 bonus on Sproutful
Getting your $1 bonus on Sproutful couldn’t be easier. Just sign up with our link, and you’ll start with a free 100-point bonus (worth $1).
- Sproutful lets you earn money just for sharing your opinion, playing games, and more.
- Sproutful offers one of the widest selections of cash-out options among paid-survey sites we rate. You can cash out through PayPal, Venmo, or hundreds of gift cards from brands such as Amazon, Starbucks, Uber, DoorDash, Spotify, and PlayStation.
- Active users can earn up to $200 a month.
- Minimum cash-out: $5 (500 points).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 18 years old to participate.
- Special offer: Sign up with our link and receive a 100-point ($1) bonus!
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers cash back via PayPal or Venmo
- Offers gift cards from 200+ merchants
- Points bonus
- Rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot
- Not a lucrative side hustle
6. SwagBucks ($10 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $10 bonus when you spend at least $25
Making money online through Swagbucks is simple. Swagbucks lets users earn Swagbucks points (SBs) by completing simple tasks—that includes taking surveys, yes, but also shopping online, playing video games, or even just doing web searches.
Users can redeem SBs for gift cards from popular retailers, such as Apple, Amazon, and Target; the website awards more than 7,000 gift cards every day. However, if you just want cash, you can redeem points that way, too, and receive the money in a PayPal account.
You can typically earn a free bonus for signing up for Swagbucks via our link. You can also earn additional money by referring friends to the app.
→ How to Get Your $10 bonus on Swagbucks
New users receive a $10 bonus for signing up and spending with Swagbucks. Here’s how:
- Use our link to sign up with Swagbucks.
- Spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop within 30 days of registration. (You must receive a minimum of 25 SB for the purchase.)
You’ll receive a 1,000 SB bonus (equivalent to $10), which should post to your account in 10 business days.
- Get paid to answer surveys, watch videos, and shop online with Swagbucks.
- Earn "SB," which you can redeem for PayPal cash, prepaid Mastercards, or gift cards at dozens of retailers, including Amazon, Target, Dunkin', and GameStop.
- Minimum cash-out: Amazon gift cards: $1 (100 SB); most other cards: $3 (300 SB); PayPal: $25 (2,500 SB).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 13 years old to participate.
- Special offer: New users receive a $10 bonus when you spend at least $25.*
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Teens can participate (ages 13+)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
7. CIT Bank Platinum Savings (Earn an Extra 0.5% APY for 6 Months)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile (iOS, Android)
The CIT Bank Platinum Savings account is a free, FDIC-insured account offering a competitive APY that you can boost for six months when you sign up today.
This savings account features no account opening fee nor monthly service fee, and it takes just five minutes to open. You can use the CIT Bank mobile app to manage your account, deposit checks from your mobile device, and make transfers. And you can have peace of mind knowing that all deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor.
While the account features a low minimum deposit of $100, you receive a significantly higher APY (detailed below) if your balance is $5,000 or more.
→ How to Get Your 0.5% APY Boost on CIT Bank Platinum Savings
No matter how much you have deposited, you can receive a 0.5% APY bonus for six months from account opening. Here’s how:
- Use our link to sign up for a CIT Bank Platinum Savings account.
- Use the promo code BOOST50.
While the APY Boost isn’t an immediate cash-back promotion, you do earn extra by signing up today.
- CIT Bank's Platinum Savings Account is a high-yield savings account (HYSA) that currently pays a 4.25% annual percentage yield (APY) if you hold a balance of $5,000 or more.¹ That's roughly 10 times the national average.²
- CIT Bank offers competitive interest rates on numerous other products, including certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs).
- Quick, easy signup process and a low $100 minimum deposit.
- Deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor.
- CIT Bank is an online banking division of First Citizens Bank, which has provided financial services for more than 125 years.
- Special offer: Sign up with our link and use promo code BOOST50 to receive a 0.50% APY bonus for six months from your account opening.
For a complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures. See additional disclosures for Platinum Savings here.
- Competitive interest rates (for balances of $5,000 or more)
- Temporary APY boost
- Low minimum deposit ($100)
- Mobile banking features
8. SoFi Invest® (Up to $1,000 in Bonus Stock)
- Available: Click the link below.
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $15-$1,000 in bonus stock
SoFi is a multi-faceted financial company that offers everything from credit cards and insurance to student loans and mortgages … and they also allow you to trade and invest through its SoFi Invest app.
The SoFi Active Invest Brokerage Account has no required minimum balance, charges no commissions on stock, ETF, and options trades, and its options trading is free of contract fees, too. Want to put your portfolio on autopilot? SoFi’s robo-advisory services will create a portfolio for you for an annual 0.25% assets under management fee (that can be designed to address one or several goals) and auto-rebalance it for you as necessary over time.
SoFi ranks among the best micro-investing apps because it too allows fractional trading on more than 4,000 stocks and ETFs, though it’s a bit higher than other programs at a $5 minimum.
Unlike many brokerage companies that might have more limited offerings, SoFi’s app allows you to manage a much wider range of financial services and products, such as banking, student loans, insurance, and mortgages. And while SoFi Invest is free to use, you can also subscribe to SoFi Plus—a $10-per-month subscription tier that can unlock more than $1,000 per year in extra value with perks such as a match on recurring investment deposits, preferred access to initial public offerings, higher cash-back rewards on certain SoFi credit cards, and more.
SoFi also occasionally has sign-up bonuses attached to its brokerage accounts, which you can read about in the box below. Want to open an account? Click “Start today.”
→ How to earn bonus stock from SoFi Invest
SoFi Invest allows you to win a randomly selected dollar amount worth of bonus stock, up to $1,000. To qualify:
- Click “Start Today” to open a new brokerage account with SoFi.
- Fund your account with $50 or more within 30 days of the account opening.
Your bonus should post to your account in 10 business days.
9. Chase Total Checking ($300 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $300 when you set up direct deposit
With Chase Total Checking℠, members get access to all of JPMorgan Chase Bank’s 4,700 branches, as well as more than 15,000 ATMs.
This is Chase’s most popular account for daily banking needs. Chase Overdraft Assist ensures no overdraft fee if you’re only overdrawn by $50 or less or if you’re overdrawn by more, but bring your overdrawn amount to $50 or less by the end of the next business day. Through the Chase Mobile app, users can pay bills, transfer money, deposit checks, and more.
The Chase Total Checkingâ„ account comes with Zero Liability Protection, so you’re reimbursed for any unauthorized debit card transactions as long as you report the transactions promptly.
Just note that Chase Total Checkingâ„ charges a high $12 monthly service fee unless you fulfill one of the following each month:
- Have at least $500 in total electronic deposits from payroll providers or government benefit providers via the ACH network, Real Time Payment network, or FedNowâ„ , or third-party services that facilitate payments to your debit card through the Visa or Mastercard networks each month.
- Have a balance at the beginning of each day of $1,500 or more in this account.
- Have an average beginning day balance of $5,000 or more in any combination of this account and linked qualifying checking, savings, and other balances.
→ How to earn a bonus with Chase Total Checkingâ„
Chase Total Checkingâ„ offers a $300 bonus to new customers who do the following:
- Open a Chase Total Checkingâ„ account.
- Set up direct deposit within 90 days of coupon enrollment.
- Chase Total Checking® gives you access to a powerful mobile banking app, as well as more than 4,700 branches and 15,000 Chase ATMs.
- With the Chase Mobile® app, you can manage accounts, pay bills, send money to friends with Zelle® and deposit checks from almost anywhere.
- Special offer: New Chase customers enjoy a $300 bonus when you open a new Chase Total Checking® account with qualifying activities.**
Best Apps for a Sign-Up Bonus: FAQs
How else can I get free money online?
Free money sign-up bonuses are an excellent way to get money instantly. All you have to do is sign up, and you’ll earn free cash. But, if you’re willing to put in a little extra effort, there are many other easy ways to earn cash online, including taking surveys, watching videos, and even playing games.
Which app gives the highest sign-up bonus?
The app that will give you the highest sign-up bonus depends on what additional actions you are able and willing to take after signing up. For instance, Chase Total Checkingâ„ has a $300 bonus, but you must set up direct deposit to get it.
The sign-up bonus for a SoFi Checking and Savings Account is between $50 and $300, depending on how much money is sent to your account within the first 25 days. It only takes $1,000 to receive a $50 bonus, but to receive the highest bonus of $300, you need to receive $5,000 or more.
It’s possible to receive an extremely high sign-up bonus of up to $36,000 in free stock with Webull, but the reward is in stocks rather than extra cash. Also, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get the maximum value—users receive six to 12 free stocks valued between $3 and $3,000, and you’re significantly more likely to receive the lower-valued stocks than the ones worth thousands.
Do any apps offer a sign-up bonus with instant withdrawal?
A number of apps, including Webull, Moomoo, SoFi Checking and Savings, and Chase Total Checking generally allow you to withdraw your money whenever you want.
In a couple cases, you might have to wait to be able to withdraw your bonus, however. For instance, Acorns’ bonus investment could take up to five weeks to hit your account.
Do any apps offer a sign-up bonus with instant payout?
It’s very rare for an app to pay you within minutes of requesting a payout—some take hours, many more take days, and a few take more than a week.
Survey Junkie is one of the few that offer an instant payout. In my own personal experience testing the app, when I requested a digital gift card, it arrived within minutes.
But remember: While SurveyJunkie pays out instantly, it doesn’t offer instant withdrawal—that is, you have to hit certain points minimums before you’re allowed to request a payout.
Do any apps offer a sign-up bonus with instant withdrawal and instant payout?
Unfortunately, none of the apps I reviewed for this article offer both the ability to withdraw whenever you want and get paid instantly.
Do free apps pay real money?
Depending on the app, rewards vary. Some apps let you earn money that can be sent directly to a bank account. Others pay out rewards as PayPal cash, free gift cards, stocks, swag, or charity donations.
