I Tried Watching Ads for Money — The Shocking Results

Introduction:

Making money by watching ads feels like one of those “too good to be true” internet promises. But with so many platforms claiming to pay users for simply watching short videos or sponsored content, I had to try it out for myself. I picked three of the most popular platforms: Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and Hideout.TV, and spent 7 days testing them. Here’s everything I discovered.

Day 1-2: The Setup and First Impressions

Signing up was easy. All three platforms are free, and the user interface is beginner-friendly. Swagbucks and InboxDollars immediately showed me ad videos I could watch, with points or cents earned per view. Hideout.TV required connecting to a rewards program like Lootably or GG2U.

At first, I was excited. “Watch 10 ads and earn $0.50,” they said. But there was a catch — the ads had to play fully, and sometimes the credit didn’t come instantly.

Day 3-4: Time vs. Earnings

After watching over 100 ads across platforms, I earned around:

Swagbucks: $2.15
InboxDollars: $1.75
Hideout.TV: $0.80

This might sound okay, but the time spent? Over 4 hours. The CPM (Cost Per Minute) is super low — often less than $0.01 per ad. Not every ad is rewarded, and buffering, redirects, and verification checks made it more tiring than expected.

Day 5-6: Strategy and Fatigue

I tried optimizing — opening multiple tabs, using incognito mode, and letting ads run in the background. But most platforms detect this and stop crediting you. I also noticed that the longer I used the platforms, the lower the ad rewards got. It seems they prioritize new users.

By now, I was mentally drained. Watching repetitive, low-quality ads all day for cents was boring and frustrating. But I also learned some tricks (like using “Hideout.TV + Lootably” combo) that improved earnings slightly.

Day 7: Final Thoughts and Total Earnings

After a full week, my total profit was about $6.82. That’s less than $1 a day. The effort, time, and mental toll just didn’t match the payout.

Is It Worth It?

For passive income or side hustles, watching ads is probably one of the lowest-paying options. However, it might be worth it if:

You’re doing it during idle time (e.g., while cooking or cleaning)
You’re combining rewards from multiple platforms
You’re cashing out with gift cards, not PayPal (some platforms offer better rates this way)

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Platforms I Used:

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Sources Used:

Swagbucks Official Website:
🔗 https://www.swagbucks.com
InboxDollars - Earn Cash for Watching Ads:
🔗 https://www.inboxdollars.com
Hideout.TV – Watch Videos and Earn Points:
🔗 https://www.hideout.tv
Reddit Community Reviews (r/beermoney, r/sidehustle)
🔗 https://www.reddit.com/r/beermoney/
User experiences & payout screenshots from YouTube reviews (2024-2025)