Pawns.app is a website and app that claims you can earn money through a few different ways: paid surveys, unused internet data, mobile games, and small online tasks. It’s available in most countries.
It’s legitimate, and the payments actually come through. I’ll show you proof below.
What is Pawns app and how does it work?
Pawns.app shares your internet connection with the platform’s clients and pays you for it. The model isn’t new: ByteLixir, Honeygain, EarnApp, and GetGrass do more or less the same thing. Pawns has since added surveys, app testing, and games.
It was called IPRoyal Pawns at first. Now it’s Pawns.app. Same thing, different name, easier to remember.
One detail that regularly causes confusion: if you go to IPRoyal.com, you won’t find where to sign up as a user who earns money. That site is for clients who purchase the services. To earn, go directly to Pawns.app.
It’s not a scam. I know there are plenty of scams in this GPT platform space, so I prefer to say that up front.
Below, I’ll go over each earning method.
Earn money by sharing your internet connection
The main way to earn money on Pawns has always been through your internet connection. You just let it run, and you earn money without doing anything. It’s not as important as it used to be, but it’s still there.
Now it mainly runs on a computer (not on a phone), which matters if you were thinking of running it exclusively on your mobile device.
IPRoyal, the company behind Pawns, sells unused bandwidth to third parties. Specifically, this means that if you don’t use all the internet you pay for each month, they sell it to companies that need residential IPs. Why residential? Because a server IP is recognized and blocked immediately by most websites. A residential IP looks like a regular user. Companies use them to verify ads (to see if their ad appears correctly in another country), to access geo-blocked content, for SEO monitoring, and to collect public data without being blocked.
You install the app, follow the setup, and leave it running in the background. I kept it running on my laptop all day, forgot about it, and the earnings came in without me doing anything active (pretty much the only thing on the platform I can honestly say that about).
$0.20 per gigabyte sold. If you let it run continuously, it adds $0.02 per GB per hour of uninterrupted operation. Not much, but you don’t have to do anything to earn it. On the dashboard, you can see right away how many gigabytes you’ve sold and how much you’ve earned.
Your internet speed may slow down slightly when someone buys your bandwidth. How much depends on your connection. I didn’t notice anything significant, but I was working on a laptop connected to a wired network, not mobile Wi-Fi. If you need the full connection at any given time, just close the app and you’re good to go.
One device per network. If you install the app on multiple devices connected to the same IP, you don’t get any extra benefit. If you want to run it on your phone too, you’ll need a different connection, such as mobile data.
Pawns says it doesn’t access your files, just the bandwidth. I checked this before installing it, and it makes technical sense: the proxy routes traffic; it doesn’t access local storage. If you have a laptop that you leave on anyway, this is probably the simplest method on the platform.
Surveys have become one of the main features on Pawns. At first, they were available in just a few countries, but now they’re available in about 100. A significant increase.
They don’t spam you with surveys worth a few cents or questionnaires that kick you out after the first question. That happens sometimes, but not more often than on any other platform I’ve tested. When I log in regularly, I usually find at least one or two well-paying ones.
There’s a difference between the website and the app: the app has more. If you check in rarely, it doesn’t matter. If you’re active on the platform, it’s worth using the app.
I go straight to the ones that take less than five minutes and pay decently. The long ones exist, but the pay doesn’t justify the time, from what I’ve seen. I haven’t changed this approach.
The platform’s estimator says that three surveys a day, three days out of seven, add about $9 a month. It’s possible. It depends a lot on location and demographics, it’s not a guaranteed figure.
Surveys aren’t the most profitable method on Pawns. They’re something to do when you have a few spare minutes and want to add to your balance effortlessly.
Get money from playing mobile games
Pawns also pays for mobile games. Go to the dedicated section, choose a game from the list, install it on your phone, and you’ll be paid per minute of play. The offers vary: some just require you to open the app, while others ask you to reach a specific level or complete challenges. A few require in-app purchases to progress quickly, which can quickly consume your earnings. There are also offers without games: you sign up for a service or complete a free trial and receive a one-time payment after your account is verified.
Compared to other paid gaming platforms I’ve tested, Pawns pays better than average. I can say that without hesitation. My experience with the section is a 3 out of 5. It works, but it’s not for everyone.
I don’t spend much time on it, maybe a quick install every now and then. The big offers look good, but they require hours of gameplay or in-game spending to progress on time. At a certain point, it’s no longer a gain, it’s an expense with extra steps. If you play mobile games anyway, it’s worth exploring. Otherwise, I’d start with the small offers, the ones that end quickly, and see if it’s worth the effort before getting into something that takes days.
Leaderboard contest
The weekly leaderboard is the feature that can earn you the most money all at once on Pawns. First place: $150. Second place: $100. Third place: $50.
How it works: everything you do on the platform earns you points. Pawns adds eligible activities from time to time, so the list isn’t fixed.
The prizes are real. If you’re active anyway, it’s worth checking the leaderboard in the app (it doesn’t appear on the website, only in the app) and putting in a little extra effort if you’re close to the top spots.
I’ve never been close to the top. I didn’t even expect to be. To compete in the leaderboard, you need a level of activity that I simply don’t have on this platform. If you’re an occasional user, the referral program is a better fit: it’s less competitive and adds a little to your earnings without making you compete against those who spend hours on Pawns every day.
Refer Your Friends
The referral program works like this: you give your link to someone, they sign up, and every time they withdraw money from their account, you get 10% of the amount they withdraw.
Not just once. Every single withdrawal.
Anyone who signs up through any referral link automatically receives a $1 bonus upon registration. If they sign up through my link, they get an additional $1 on their first and second withdrawals. That’s $3 in total, without them having to do anything special.
10% per withdrawal might seem like a small amount. It depends on how much your referral earns and how often they withdraw.
How do you get paid?
Payments actually come through. With a $5 withdrawal threshold, it’s among the lowest I’ve seen on similar platforms, which is important if you don’t want to wait months to cash out.
The available methods are PayPal, Bitcoin, Payoneer, Visa, and virtual gift cards, though exactly what you find depends on where you’re from. In some countries, you have 50+ gift cards to choose from, in others maybe just a virtual Visa or nothing in that category. Best Buy, PUBG, Walmart, Target, Nike, Apple, and Google Play are on the list where available.
The 4% fee for PayPal and Payoneer bothered me. It’s not terrible, but 4% on every withdrawal adds up, especially if you frequently withdraw small amounts. Gift cards have no fees, which makes them the better option if you don’t necessarily need cash deposited directly into your account.
I tested my first withdrawal via PayPal at the minimum of $5. I requested the payment, received a confirmation email where I manually entered my PayPal name and address, and the money was there in less than 24 hours. The process itself is simple, or at least simpler than I expected for a first withdrawal.
Since I opened the account, they’ve added more options. Bitcoin has been added to the list, as have gift cards, and Payoneer has returned after being removed for a while. Payoneer is useful if PayPal isn’t available in your country, otherwise they’re practically the same in terms of functionality.
A note about Bitcoin: it only makes sense for larger amounts. The fixed transaction fee makes it impractical for small withdrawals.
Pawns app Payment proof in PayPal | April 28, 2026
How much can you earn with Pawns.app?
$0.20 per gigabyte of bandwidth sold. Plus bonuses for every hour you stay connected.
Pawns.app says users earn between $5 and $140 per month. That range is real, but it doesn’t tell you much without context. $5 means you’re somewhere in Southeast Asia with an average connection. $140 means you’re in the US or Western Europe, with good internet, and you let the app run constantly.
Location and connection speed make all the difference.
Passive methods alone rarely reach the top end of the range. Surveys and games are what push earnings up, at least from what I’ve seen. Without them, you stay close to $5 and wait.
How to contact support when you need help?
The FAQ section is available and usually answers your questions. The website also explains how earnings work and what they do with your data, which, honestly, isn’t always clear on platforms like this.
If you have a more specific question, you can contact them via the form on the website or directly at [email protected].
The actual support is a different story. I’ve written to them several times and have received both quick responses and conversations that dragged on for no clear reason, with questions I had to answer again even though I’d already answered them. It’s simply a waste of time. Not every time, but often enough to matter.
Who can use Pawns.app?
Pawns is available worldwide, but you must be of legal age in the country where you live to create an account.
Some countries have more opportunities on the platform than others. I’ve mentioned this before. If you’re from an area with less coverage, you’ll definitely notice the difference.
To sign up: fill out the form, receive a verification email, and click the link. That’s it. Then log in, download the program, and install it on your computer.
Can you use it on your phone?
They’ve launched apps for Android and iOS, so you can use them on your phone too. You can find them on Google Play and the App Store, which is more convenient than leaving your laptop open all day.
You can use your account on multiple devices at the same time, as many as you like, with one condition: each device must be on a separate network. The same IP address on two devices won’t work.
What do real users say about the Pawns app?
On Reddit, Trustpilot, and Google Play, the reviews all say pretty much the same thing. I don’t mean they’re copy-pasted, but rather that the key points are consistent across all platforms.
Payment speed comes up in almost every positive review. PayPal in a few minutes, with a reported minimum of 2 minutes (Pawns.app says it can take significantly longer, so don’t take the minimum as the norm). Compared to other GPT and micro-task apps where you wait for days, it’s a real difference.
The app is easy to navigate, the earnings per task are small, but a few reviews mention that it works decently as a source of spare-time income.
Accounts getting deactivated without explanation happen often enough that you can’t ignore them. The same scenario plays out repeatedly: the app fails to track rewards from games, the account disappears, no explanation. There’s also some strange behavior reported regarding withdrawals of larger amounts. I’ve seen this pattern on enough platforms to know it usually means one of two things: a real technical bug or an aggressive filtering system that cuts off suspicious accounts without manual verification. I don’t know which is the case here. Surveys that get interrupted midway also occur, sporadically.
The numbers: 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 8,300 reviews, rated “Excellent.” On Google Play, over 10 million downloads and a 4.0 rating from more than 235,000 reviews. The App Store gives it 4.5 out of over 2,400 ratings, with praise for its ease of use and reliable payments. The payments really do come through. I can say that without a doubt. What you don’t know going in is how much you’ll earn, and that depends a lot on where you’re from and how much bandwidth you provide.
Earnings vary by location and demand. Users in regions with low demand report lower earnings, which makes sense if you understand the model: you’re sharing your network, and demand dictates how much you get. How long you keep sharing active matters too.
Is Pawns LEGIT or SCAM?
Pawns is legit. The platform exists, it pays out, and I haven’t found any signs that it’s a scam.
What you can do there: sell your unused bandwidth passively, take surveys, play games, and a few other methods. If you just let the bandwidth run in the background and ignore the rest, you’ll earn money slowly. If you add surveys and games, it goes faster.
The withdrawal threshold is low, and you can cash out via PayPal, Visa, gift cards, or Bitcoin. The methods are there.
What matters more is the country you’re in. Earning potential varies by location, with some markets having many more offers and others almost none. That’s a factor you can’t control.
If you want to compare it to something else or if Pawns doesn’t suit you based on your location, I have a list of 10 apps that I’ve personally tested and that pay out without an initial investment.
If you’ve used it too, leave a comment below.