In the first part of getting paid apps for free without jailbreaking we focused on applications that alert users when other apps become free. In this article we’re going to focus on websites that do the same exact thing.
App Rebates
App Rebates is a directory of paid (and free apps) that you can download and get paid anywhere from $.99-$9.99 for leaving a review. Most of the time you’ll review a paid app (that costs $.99 for example) and then you’ll get paid $.99 for the review. So you’re essentially getting the app for free.
The cool thing about this system is that sometimes you’ll get paid more for reviewing the app then the app really costed. So if you download $.99 app and review it, you might get paid $1.99 for that. App Rebates is one of the first sites to come up with this idea, and it’s been around for a while. The only downside to it is that they no longer have a wide range of apps. But their directory fluctuates and they sometimes get an inflow of app choices. Not to mention that you’re also getting paid more than the app price sometimes, so it’s definitely worth signing up to.
Tap Joy
Tap Joy is a special breed of service. It rewards you Tap Joy points when you download free apps from their app list. These points can then be used in various games or apps (such as Text+) to purchase in-app things for free.
Tap Joy is always evolving though, so sometimes they offer paid apps for free, and there’s plenty of deals to go around. All it takes is a minute or two to install on your phone, and you can be on your way to getting free in-game purchases and other apps.
Free App Alert
Free App Alert can alert you of free apps via Twitter, email or RSS. The day that I visited this site there were no free apps available.But it’s pretty simple to sign up to and stay in sync with apps that are temporarily free.
The great thing about this site is that it lists free apps that are usually $4.99 or more. So the savings you could get from this site are really huge.
iHeartThisApp
This website has great lists of paid apps that have become temporarily free. iHeartThisApp also includes a small excerpt about the apps in it’s list, so they are quick to digest and pick out whatever apps are worth downloading.
Top App Charts
This website displays a massive list of apps that have temporarily become free. When I checked it out there was over 100 apps discounted. Using this website I saved over $20 on apps. I downloaded Deadspace (which is usually $6.99), Mirror’s Edge (usually $.99), Chopper (usually $2.99), Glyder Marketing (usually $4.99), Resume Designer (usually $1.99) and Traktor DJ (usually $4.99) all for free.
All of these apps are really great and I’m enjoying every single one of them. The other benefit of Top App Charts is that it ranks the temporarily free apps by popularity. That way you’re getting the most high quality apps for free. Not apps that aren’t worth downloading.
AppShopper Free Price Changes for iOS
Using this free app list I downloaded Vio and Runmate for free, which were both $2.99 before the discount. This list could be improved by showing a list of pages at the bottom instead of just “Next” and “Previous” links.
But AppShopper lets you signup to updates via RSS. So you can always stay on top of price changes.
148 Apps Now Free
This is a Twitter account that regularly posts awesome free apps. It’s that simple. There’s not much else to it.
Promo Dispenser
Promo Dispenser works exactly like App Rebates does. Sign up, download paid or free apps from the app list, review them, then get paid. You can signup here.
However Promo Dispenser has the same downside as App Rebates: it doesn’t have a good selection of apps.
iPhone Dev SK iPhone Promo Codes
Do you want paid apps for free? Then this is the place to be! It’s kind of a hidden gem though, so you should use it while you can.
Basically this is an iPhone developer forum, and there’s a section where they post promo codes. If you keep a good look on this list, you’re bound to save tons of money each year.
Free App Promo Code Kings
This is a Facebook that periodically gives out promo codes. There’s a downside to it though. They only tend to give out 3-5 promo codes per app. So they get taken up pretty quickly. You can check it out here.
App Picker Promo Codes
This site has a small list of promo codes for various apps. However the app list isn’t that big and the promo codes tend to be used up rather quickly. You’d be better off using a site like Top App Charts.
App Give Away
This site gives away promo codes to its users that can be used to download paid apps for free. It’s really popular and has a great list of apps to download. You can signup for App Give Away here.
Conclusion
Well that about wraps it up for getting free apps. In combination with our first part, and this article, you should be scoring free apps routinely now. If a new website, app or list comes up for getting free apps, please comment with it below so we can all benefit for it 🙂