The short answer
Play and Earn is a free retro space shooter for iPhone, iPad and Android that pays a coin for every level you clear, over ten runs a day. A coin is a tenth of a cent, so the first PayPal cash-out, at 2,000 coins, is $2.00. Nothing is for sale, and the balance lives on the phone rather than in an account.
Screenshots
Everything for Play and Earn
- Our four reward apps compared: how long each one takes to reach its first $2.00.
- Apps like Mistplay: the play-to-earn apps that publish a payout rate.
- Mistplay review: whether it’s legit, and what it pays.
- Mistplay units to dollars: no set rate, and a yearly cap.
- How free reward apps make money: the business model behind the coins.
- Are reward apps safe: what to check before you install one.
- How rewards work: how coins are earned, and how PayPal redemption works.
About Play and Earn
Play and Earn is a fast, retro-styled arcade space shooter called Space Attack. You fly a single ship against formations of enemies, clearing them wave by wave while the difficulty climbs, and you earn a coin for each level you clear.
It is built to be picked up for a few minutes at a time. You get ten plays a day, your best score and recent games are tracked on the home screen, and your coin balance shows its cash value as it grows.
The app is funded by advertising, and the coins are a share of it. There is a banner at the bottom of the screen, and short videos. A cleared level pays one coin, and a video after it adds three to nine more. Clearing a level never needs one, and the gap between those two numbers is what an ad-funded reward app looks like from the inside.
How it works
- Tap Play Space Attack to start a run - you get ten plays a day.
- Clear formations of enemy ships. You have three lives, and you can switch between touch and joystick controls.
- Clear a level and you earn a coin for it. Getting further into a run means more cleared levels, so it means more coins.
- Watch your balance build on the home screen, which shows what it is worth.
- Once you reach 2,000 coins you can cash out to PayPal, then 5,000 after that.
Features
- Fast, retro arcade space-shooter gameplay
- A coin for every level you clear
- Progressive difficulty as you advance
- Touch or joystick controls, switchable mid-game
- Best score and a running list of recent games
- A live cash value on your coin balance
- First cash-out at 2,000 coins ($2.00), then 5,000 ($5.00)
What it actually pays
This is the one app of our four where we cannot give you a clean number, and saying so is more useful than an average. A level cleared pays one coin, you get ten runs a day, and how many levels a run reaches depends entirely on how well you play. So there's no coins-per-day figure we can stand behind. The earn rate depends on your skill.
What is fixed is the other half. A coin is a tenth of a cent, the first cash-out is 2,000 coins, or $2.00, and every payout after that is 5,000 coins, or $5.00. A video adds three to nine coins to a level already cleared. The bonus is the same size as in the other three. The gap looks wider here only because the base rate is the thing we cannot quote.
By the test this site applies to everyone else, that makes Play and Earn the weakest of our four on disclosure. We publish what a coin is worth and not what an hour is worth. It's the same criticism we make of Mistplay, at a much smaller scale and for a duller reason. Theirs is undisclosed by design; ours is a score in an arcade game. Judge it as a game that occasionally pays rather than as a way to earn.
Frequently asked questions
Is Play and Earn free?
Yes, free to download and free to play, with nothing to unlock. It's paid for by advertising - a banner, and short videos - and the coins are a share of that. Clearing a level never needs a video, and an ad never sits between you and a run.
What do I need to run it?
An iPhone or iPad on iOS 15.0 or later, or an Android phone or tablet. The App Store rates it 9+ for mild cartoon action. Google Play rates it Mature 17+, which is about the cash reward rather than the shooting; the listing carries a Cash Rewards label beside it. PayPal requires account holders to be 18 in either store.
How do I earn coins?
One coin for every level you clear, so getting further into a run earns more. The game is paid for by advertising, and a short video after a cleared level adds 3 to 9 coins to what that level already paid.
How many coins do I need to cash out?
2,000 coins, which is $2.00 - the same first-payout threshold as the rest of our apps, and 5,000 ($5.00) after your first in all of them. The home screen shows your progress toward it, along with what your current balance is worth.
How do I get paid?
The coins your runs earn add up to a balance you cash out through PayPal, once it passes 2,000.
Is there a limit on how much I can play?
Ten a day. The home screen shows how many plays you've left, and it resets daily.
Is there an Android version?
Yes, it's on Google Play now, and so are the other three reward apps. It's the same game on the same terms: ten runs a day, a coin for every level cleared, and a first cash-out at 2,000 coins with 5,000 after it. Asking for it is what moved it up the list, so the suggestion form is worth using.
Do my coins move between an iPhone and an Android phone?
No. The balance is kept on the device, not in an account. The two are separate and each has to reach 2,000 coins on its own. Nothing transfers, and there's nothing to sync — cash out before you switch phones.
How does it compare to Mistplay?
Mistplay has a far bigger game catalog and pays in gift cards, at a rate it does not publish. Play and Earn publishes its rate: 1,000 coins to the dollar, paid through PayPal, first at 2,000 coins. We compared Mistplay with four other play-to-earn apps, and ours, in apps like Mistplay, with our interest declared at the top.
Who makes Play and Earn?
Illumination Development, L.L.C., an independent developer based in Phoenix, Arizona. James Krupnik builds the apps and writes this site; the about page says more. The same company publishes three other reward apps and fourteen apps that pay nothing.
Is Play and Earn legit?
Judge it on the terms rather than on us. You never pay anything: no purchase, no subscription and no deposit, and payouts are funded by the ads in the app. The cash-out rules are written out in our terms, coins don't expire, and we charge no fee on a payout. It is pocket money, not income. Are reward apps safe? covers what to check in any app like this one, ours included.
How long does a PayPal payout take?
Normally three to five business days after you confirm the redemption in the app, sent to the PayPal address you enter. We may hold a payment briefly while we check the activity behind it, and we tell you if we do.
Why can't I cash out yet?
Usually one of four things. The balance is under 2,000 coins for a first payout, or under 5,000 after that. You need to be 18 or older to receive a PayPal payment. A payment can be held briefly while the activity is checked. Or the PayPal address entered was wrong, so check it before you confirm. If none of those fits, write to support with the PayPal address you redeemed to and the date.
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