WeWard is a real walking rewards app from a French company founded in 2019, and its App Store listing says you can cash out rewards, swap them for gifts or give them to charity. The catch is scale: the company itself talks about a few hundred a year for typical users, and the app asks for a lot of personal data in return.
WeWard comes up a lot when people ask me about apps that pay you to walk, usually with a screenshot of an advert promising cash for every step. I've gone through what the company and reputable press say about it, so you can decide whether it's worth the space on your phone. Here's the plain version, catch included.
Who's behind WeWard
According to CNBC Make It, WeWard is a French company. Yves Benchimol came up with the idea and launched it in 2019, and it has since spread beyond Europe to the US, Canada, Japan and other markets. French Tech Journal names Benchimol as chief executive and Nicolas Hardy as his co-founder, and reports that the tennis player Venus Williams became a shareholder.
The App Store listing names the seller and developer as WEWARD, and the listing's own copy invites you to join 20 million WeWarders, while its release notes mention 25M users. Those are the company's figures, not an independent count, but they do tell you this is an established business with a named founder, not a pop-up app with no history.
How WeWard turns walking into Wards
WeWard counts your steps through your phone and turns them into a points currency called Wards. CNBC's explainer says activity level and frequency matter: walking 10,000 steps every day earns more Wards than covering the same distance every two days. In other words, the app rewards a steady habit rather than one big weekend hike.
Steps aren't the only route. The App Store listing says games and challenges can bring in extra rewards, and there are prize draws too. CNBC also describes partner offers, such as buying Nike shoes through the app to collect extra Wards. That shopping side is where bigger balances tend to come from, which is worth remembering before you buy anything just to earn points.
What WeWard says your Wards are worth
This is the bit most adverts skip. WeWard doesn't publish a fixed Ward value on any official page I could read, so I won't quote one. What we do have is the founder's own framing. Speaking to CNBC, Benchimol said top users can make 1,000 dollars a year by completing challenges and buying through partners, and that on average people can make a few hundred a year.
I'd treat the top figure as a ceiling, not a target. It relies on heavy use of challenges and partner purchases, and partner purchases mean spending your own money first. For most walkers, WeWard is a small top-up, not an income.
Ways to cash out of WeWard
The App Store listing says you can cash out rewards, redeem gifts and exclusive deals, or donate rewards to charities. CNBC lists the options as cash, gift cards, coupons and charitable donations, and mentions a partnership with Feeding America for donations. The company told CNBC it has paid out over 20 million dollars in cash to users and 1 million dollars in charitable donations, though those totals come from WeWard itself.
Because the minimum balance and exchange rate aren't published on an official page I could reach, check the cash-out screen inside the app before you set yourself a goal. Third-party blogs quote very specific thresholds, but they change and I can't verify them.
What WeWard collects about you
Every walking app needs your step data, but WeWard's App Store privacy section goes further. The Data Linked to You list includes health and fitness, purchases, financial info, location, contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. That's a long list for a step counter, and it's the real trade you're making.
- Read the in-app privacy settings before granting location access all the time.
- Think twice before linking payment details just to chase partner bonuses.
- Remember that health data, once shared, is hard to take back.
The catch with WeWard
The app is rated 13+ on the App Store, and the content notes mention infrequent simulated gambling and contests, loot boxes and advertising. So expect adverts, game-style mechanics and prize draws alongside the walking. None of that makes the app dodgy, but it does mean your attention is part of the deal.
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The other catch is time. If you're opening the app several times a day to collect Wards, watch adverts or play mini-games, add up the minutes. Walking is good for you either way, but the reward per hour is small, so it's best treated as a bonus for something you'd do anyway.
Fake WeWard offers to ignore
Popular reward apps attract copycats. Be wary of messages or websites offering to sell Wards, release bonus balances for a fee or speed up payouts if you share your login. Download WeWard only from the official App Store or Google Play listing, never hand your password to someone claiming to be support, and if anyone asks you to pay to release a reward, walk away.
WeWard checklist
| What I checked | What I found |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | WeWard, a French company launched in 2019, per CNBC |
| How you earn | Steps, games, challenges and partner offers |
| Ways to redeem | Cash, gift cards, deals or charity donations |
| Typical return | A few hundred a year on average, per the founder |
| Age rating | 13+ on the App Store |
| Data linked to you | Includes health, location and financial info |
Is WeWard worth installing?
If you already walk most days and don't mind adverts and data sharing, WeWard can pay you a little for a habit you've already got. If you're looking for meaningful extra income, it won't get you there. For options that tend to pay more per hour, see my roundup of real ways to make money online, or look at which survey sites pay and how they work.
And if you like the idea of phone apps as a side hustle, my guide to starting a side hustle through a mobile app covers what to expect before you commit any time.
Frequently asked questions
Is WeWard a real app that pays?
Yes. WeWard is a French company launched in 2019, and its App Store listing says you can cash out rewards, redeem gift cards and deals, or donate to charity.
How much can you make with WeWard?
The founder told CNBC that average users make a few hundred a year and top users up to 1,000 dollars a year, mainly through challenges and partner purchases.
How does WeWard count steps?
It counts steps through your phone and converts them into Wards. CNBC says walking every day earns more than doing the same steps every two days.
What data does WeWard collect?
The App Store privacy section lists data linked to you including health and fitness, location, financial info, contact info, purchases and identifiers.
How old do you need to be for WeWard?
The App Store rates WeWard 13+. Check the app's own terms for cash-out rules in your country.
