Mobiperk is a free Android app that calls itself a “fun and beautiful way to earn money which lets users download thousands of apps and games to earn credits”, which is pretty much exactly what it does for the most part. The app promises to reward users with cash for downloading and installing apps on their Android devices, watching online videos and for completing certain periodic offers. Mobiperk users can also earn credits for referring others to download and install the app. The app and its rewards are aimed at Indian residents for the most part, although there are no apparent geographical restrictions on downloading the app.
Credits are awarded in the form of cold, hard cash, which are accumulated in the Mobiperk Wallet, and can then be redeemed either for paying mobile phone bills online in case of post-paid connections, or for recharging the main account balance in case of prepaid ones. The apps on offer can be uninstalled once the money is credited to the Mobiperk wallet, which will happen typically after a minute or two of playing around with the downloaded software. There’s absolutely no financial investment involved on part of the user, and nothing is mandatory.
Installing the Mobiperk app needs nothing more than your standard Google account. Once the relevant permissions are granted, the app is installed and the homescreen shows off the available offers front and center. The user interface is clean and bright, but more utilitarian than glossy. The good part about the app is that it isn’t resource heavy. Which is just as well, seeing as the developer, Sunny Ahuja, has taken the trouble to include support for Android versions as far back as Gingerbread (Android 2.3), which pretty much guarantees that the app should run plenty alright on just about any device of recent vintage.
Once on the ‘Offers’ page, you can swipe in from the left to get to the main menu, which is where you’ll get the option to check your account details like available balance, transaction history and pending operations. You’ll also get a settings menu, along with the obligatory FAQs and options to personalize your account by uploading images etc.
The one thing that does stick out a little bit however, is the fact that the app still feels a little bit like a work in progress, with options to withdraw your balance to your Paytm or Mobikwik account listed as ‘Coming Soon’, with no ETA given as of now. Once added to the mix however, quite a few users will certainly find those options worthwhile, and its nice to see that newer features are being added to the app as we speak.
As for the main functionality of Mobiperk, each offer for an app installation comes with a quotation, telling you exactly how much you stand to earn by installing that particular app. For example, UC Browser came with the highest offer of Rs. 20 at the time of reviewing the app. There are of course, absolutely no limits on how many apps one can install via Mobiperk. Users can choose to install as many or as few as they want to, without any restriction on the upper-end, or any mandatory imposition on the lower-end.
Aside from UC Browser, other popular applications currently on offer include LEO Privacy Guard (Rs. 9), Nimbuzz Chat (Rs. 6) and MakeMyTrip (Rs. 5), among others. Mind you, the figures given in parenthesis are what you stand to gain if you choose to take up the offer to install the app, and not what you have to pay. That’s because all the apps on offer are completely free to download and install, so you don’t pay a dime for any of them. Each app comes with a prominent “Try this App” button, which takes you to the Play Store via a custom URL, which tracks the fact that you indeed used the link provided by Mobiperk, which is standard procedure for affiliate programs. The homescreen also informs you that you stand to earn Rs. 2 for every friend who installs the app through your referral. You’ll be able to refer your friends through Email, Google Hangouts, Facebook, Google+, WhatsApp and a number of other messaging apps and social networking sites.
I downloaded and installed the UC Browser (around 17 MB APK file) from the Play Store by clicking on the yellow in-app button and was taken to the Play Store via a series of (presumably) unique, custom URLs. Upon installation, I was credited with Rs. 20 in my Mobiperk Wallet almost instantaneously, as promised.
Thereafter, I requested a recharge of my prepaid connection with the entire amount credited to my Mobiperk Wallet on account of my UC Browser installation (Rs. 10 is the minimum threshold for requesting redemption).
The recharge however, doesn’t show up in your account immediately. I was conveyed that my prepaid mobile account will be credited with Rs. 20 (presumably minus tax and processing fee) within 24 hours.
While there are not a lot of deals to choose from at the moment, and even amongst the ones that are available, not all apps come with large enough monetary offers to entice everybody, the combined value of the eight offers available at press time came to Rs. 60 ($1). Nothing maybe to write home about, but not a bad deal, when you consider that all you have to do is just download and install a few widely used apps, which, in any case, can be uninstalled once you’ve got your payment.
Ratings
- Speed (5/5) – The app, as already mentioned, is responsive and extremely lightweight, so there’s really nothing to complain here.
- Theme (4/5) – The app may not come with material design eye-candy, but serves its purpose pretty well. A dark theme might be appreciated by users finicky about battery life.
- Features (3/5) – The current set of features can do with a few enhancements, like the ability to recharge data balance, and not just the main account (for prepaid users). Also, the ability to withdraw balance to Paytm account will be much appreciated. The catalog of available apps could also increase from the eight that are currently on offer.
- Overall (4/5) – It’s a fairly decently designed, well thought-out app that does what it says for the most part, but can do with a bit more attention to details and the inclusion of promised features like withdrawals to Paytm and Mobikwik accounts.
Pros
- Free to download and install. No hidden charges.
- Easy-to-use interface. Lightweight and easy on the device. Nothing clunky or resource heavy about this one. Takes up only about 20 MB of storage when installed, and only a 14 MB download to begin with.
- Money gets credited to Mobiperk Wallet, once you’ve played around with an app for about a minute or so. It can then be used effortlessly for online recharging without any credit card or net banking hassle.
- Earns you money without investing a dime. Most apps on offer come with fairly small APK files for the most part, so no large downloads either.
Cons
- Slightly dated interface. Utilitarian at best, but nothing that one can’t live with.
- No option to top-up data balance for prepaid connections. Money from Mobiperk Wallet can only be used for main account recharge for talk and text as of now.
While Mobiperk is not the only app on the market that offers monetary rewards for experimental app installations, it does come with a few nifty features like withdrawals to Paytm and Mobikwik accounts, even though those features aren’t functional as of now. It has got a few things going for it, including a simple interface and some decent, popular apps on offer, and not just obscure, questionable ones, which tends to be the case very often.