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)!
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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$100 Bonus, 2% Match
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Up to $1,000 in NVDA Stock
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$20 Bonus
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Primary Rating:
4.9
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Primary Rating:
4.2
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Primary Rating:
3.6
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$100 bonus and 2% match on initial deposit ($2,000 minimum deposit).
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Up to $1,000 in free NVDA stock with qualifying deposit.
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Sign up with Acorns and set up recurring investments to get $20.
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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 ($100 Bonus, 2% Match)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop app (Windows, Mac, Linux), web, mobile app (Apple iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $100 bonus and 2% match on initial deposit ($2,000 minimum deposit)
Webull is a wallet-friendly brokerage account that offers no-commission stocks, ETFs, and options, $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. In other words: 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 cash and match bonuses
Currently, Webull is offering new users a litany of bonuses connected to making an initial deposit. Here’s how to collect a $100 cash bonus and 2% deposit match:
- Use our link to sign up with Webull.
- Deposit at least $2,000.
Note: The match is capped at $20,000, which would be awarded if you made a $1 million deposit.
- 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 4.1% 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: Make an initial deposit of at least $2,000 and receive 1.) a $100 cash bonus, 2.) a 2% match of your deposit (up to a maximum bonus of $20,000), 3.) a 30-day voucher for Webull Premium, 4.) a 30-day 4.0% APY booster on uninvested cash (for a total of 8.1%).**
- 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
Related: 11 Best Stock Advisor Websites & Services to Seize Alpha
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
Related: 15 Best Stock Research & Analysis Apps, Tools and Sites
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 a micro-investing app geared toward minors, young adults, and millennials that’s perhaps best-known for its “Round-Ups” program.
With Acorns Round-Ups, the app rounds up purchases made on linked debit and credit cards to the nearest dollar, investing the difference on your behalf. For example, if you purchase a coffee for $2.60 on a linked credit card, Acorns automatically rounds this charge up to $3.00 and puts the 40-cent difference aside. Once those Round-Ups reach at least $5, they can be transferred to your Acorns account to be invested.
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. While it doesn’t have much to offer intermediate investors who want variety in their portfolios, 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 ($3 per month): 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 Smart Deposit, which allows you to automatically invest a bit of each paycheck into your Acorns accounts.
- Acorns Silver ($6 per month): Everything in Bronze (Acorns Invest, Later, and Checking), plus Premium Education, which are live onboarding sessions covering account setup, Round-Ups, setting up recurring investments, and more; Emergency Fund; and a 25% bonus on Acorns Earn rewards (up to $200 per month).
- Acorns Gold ($12 per month): Everything in Silver plus Acorns Early, which allows you to open a custodial investment account for your child so you can begin investing for them while they’re a minor; 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.
Silver and Gold subscribers also get access to a powerful way to accelerate their savings: Later Match. While most people are aware that employers will sometimes match funds you contribute to your 401(k), “matches” are rare 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 Personal Plus and Premium subscribers, respectively.
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, picking individual stocks for your portfolio, a free Acorns Early account, and Acorns Early Invest custodial accounts for children with 1% contribution matches.
- 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 (Silver and Gold)
- High fixed fees for small balances
- Limited investment selections
- Must subscribe to Gold for any self-directed investing options
Related: How to Invest as a Teenager [Start Investing as a Minor Under 18]
4. SoFi Invest® ($5-$1,000 in Bonus Stock)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $5-$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.
With SoFi Invest, you can invest as actively or as passively as you’d like. The Active SoFi Invest Brokerage Account has no required minimum balance, charges no commissions on stock, ETF, and options trades, and its options trading has no contract fees, either. 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.
The interface is still very much geared toward younger, less experienced investors—everything is focused on simplicity and ease of use, rather than an expanse of sophisticated tools. SoFi also offers budget-friendly features such as fractional shares, which allow you to invest for as little as $5. And SoFi even provides a social element, such as bringing SoFi members together at exclusive events.
And one thing that sets SoFi apart is your ability to handle many financial tasks within the very same app. SoFi’s app allows you to tackle anything from banking and investing to student loans, insurance, and mortgages. Better still, you can subscribe to SoFi Plus to unlock an additional $1,000 per year in extra value across all of SoFi’s financial arms.
→ How to earn bonus stock from SoFi Invest
SoFi Invest allows you to win a randomly selected dollar amount worth of bonus stock: $5, $10, $25, $100, or $1,000. To qualify:
- Use our link 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.
- SoFi Invest allows you to trade or invest in stocks, ETFs, and options with no commissions and no account minimums. You can also participate in some initial public offerings (IPOs).
- Invest for as little as $5 with fractional shares.
- Robo-advisory services, including goal planning and auto-rebalancing, available for annual 0.25% AUM fee.
- Subscribe to SoFi Plus to unlock more than $1,000 per year in extra value, including a 1% match on recurring investment deposits, preferred IPO access, higher cash-back rewards on certain SoFi credit cards, a six-month APY boost, and more.
- Special offer: Fund a new account with at least $50 within 30 days of opening an account, and get up to $1,000 in stock.*
- Good selection of available investments
- No options contract fees
- DIY and robo-investing options
- Fractional shares
- No mutual funds
- Limited trading tools
- No tax-loss harvesting
- No socially responsible robo-advisor functionality
5. 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.
- Earn 1.529% in cash-back rewards with the Upromise Mastercard, or 1.25% cash back with any other linked card.
- Earn a 2.5% bonus on your bill if you use a linked credit or debit card at more than 10,000 eligible restaurants, and earn a 5% bonus if you use the Upromise Mastercard.
- The Upromise Mastercard is a no-monthly-fee credit card that allows you to earn $100 in bonus cash-back rewards after spending $500 on purchases in the first 90 days.
- Special offer: Earn $5.29 upon signing up for Upromise, then earn another $25 when you link a 529 plan.
Related: 7 Best Alternatives to 529 Plans [Other College Savings Options]
6. Wealthfront ($50 Deposit Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Desktop, web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $50 deposit bonus
Wealthfront is a popular robo-advisor that offers numerous account types, including individual, joint, and trust taxable brokerage accounts, Traditional, Roth, SEP, and Rollover IRAs and 529 plans.
While some of its robo-advisor competitors have a relatively high minimum balance requirement of a few thousand dollars or much more, Wealthfront requires a fairly small initial deposit of $500 to open an account. (Again, that’s high for an investment account, but low for a robo-advisory product.) So if you don’t have a huge sum invested already to move into the account or to rollover from an existing account like a 401(k) or other IRA, this account might be a good choice.
Wealthfront offers some valuable perks with its accounts, including automatic tax-loss harvesting, automatic rebalancing, automatic trading, and the option to customize your expert-built portfolio. This top robo-advisor also offers access to a 529 plan (or the ability to link an external one to your account) to help with saving for educational expenses. This is an uncommon feature for most standalone robo-advisors outside of a traditional brokerage, so it’s well worth noting.
If you’re considering putting this on your shortlist, just note that Wealthfront does charge a 0.25% annual management fee across the board. It’s not free, but it’s more affordable than many other robo-advisors.
→ How to get your $50 deposit bonus on Wealthfront
If you use our link to open a new taxable brokerage account with Wealthfront, fund it with $500 or more within 30 days of account opening, and leave the funds there for at least seven days, you’ll receive a $50 deposit bonus in your account.
- Wealthfront provides the power of robo-investing for investors with a small starting deposit ($500 minimum).
- Answer just a few questions, and Wealthfront will build you a portfolio of low-cost index ETFs from up to 17 different asset classes, then manage rebalancing and trading as long as you have the account.
- Wealthfront allows you to link an outside 529 educational savings plan or open one through Wealthfront (plan is sponsored by the state of Nevada).
- Bonus: Get a $50 deposit bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account
- Low minimum investment for a *robo-investing product*
- Tax-loss harvesting
- Offers 529 plan management, investment account
- High minimum investment for an *investment account*
- Few investment choices
- No access to human financial advisors (CFPs)
7. Branded Surveys ($1 Bonus)
- Available: Sign up here
- Platforms: Web, mobile app (iOS, Android)
- Promotion: $1 sign-up bonus
Branded Surveys has paid out more than $72 million to its more than 3 million users.
The surveys made available to you will depend on your interests and profile information, as well as what research partners currently need. Each survey earns points; you can cash out once you’ve accumulated at least 500 points. Depending on survey length, users make anywhere from 50¢ to $5 per survey.
You can use your points toward gift cards from more than 100 brands, receive cash in your PayPal or bank account, or even make a charitable donation.
→ How to earn free money with Branded Surveys
Simply sign up for Branded Surveys and you’ll receive 100 points, which is worth $1.
- Branded Surveys, which boasts more than 3 million users, pays you to take surveys to share your thoughts on future products and services.
- You earn points for completing each survey and can redeem them toward cash (paid via direct deposit or PayPal), gift cards at more than 100 merchants including Amazon and Apple, or even donations to your favorite charity.
- Earn anywhere from 50¢ to $5 per completed survey (longer ones tend to pay more).
- Minimum cash-out: $5 (500 points).
- Age restrictions: Must be at least 16 years old to participate normally. Those under 16 must have parental consent and use their parent's account.
- Special offer: Get 100 free points (worth $1) for signing up.
- Pays you for easy tasks
- Offers gift cards from numerous merchants
- Offers cash back
- Teens can participate (younger teens need parental consent)
- Not a lucrative side hustle
Related: 7 Best Paid Surveys for Kids and Teens [Online Surveys]
8. 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
Related: 12 Best Apps That Give You Money for Signing Up [Free Money]
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.
Do any apps offer a sign-up bonus with instant withdrawal?
A number of apps, including Webull, Acorns, and Moomoo 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 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.
Related:
- 12 Best Stock Trading Apps + Platforms for Beginners
- How to Get Free Money Now [15 Ways to Earn Money]
- 7 Best Stock Portfolio Management Software Tools + Apps
Disclaimers
Moomoo
Moomoo’s parent company is Nasdaq-listed Futu Holdings Ltd (FUTU). Their subsidiaries are licensed and regulated in the United States, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.
