Last updated on February 16th, 2025 at 10:37 pm
Observa is a free mobile app that allows you to earn cash by completing photo audits in physical stores. The jobs most commonly involve taking pictures and answering a series of questions about a specific product (or products).
Observa (est. 2016) is a free mobile app that was founded in Seattle by Hugh Holman and Erik Chelstad to show brands and retailers how products are being displayed in stores—and the resulting impact on sales. Observa is “like Google Analytics for brick-and-mortar,” said Holman, in a 2019 interview with GeekWire.
Yes. Observa is a legit app that pays users cash via PayPal. As of January 2025, Observa has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating in Apple’s App store and a 4.4 out of 5 star rating in Google Play.
Observa can be downloaded anywhere in the world, but observation jobs are largely limited to the United States.
Observa offers micro jobs that typically involve taking photos and answering questions about products found in stores like WalMart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, ALDI and many others. Once accepted, a job must be completed within two hours.
In some cases, the jobs require speaking with a store associate or store manager.
You can set up your account to receive notifications whenever new opportunities are available in your area.
The most common Observa opportunities can be characterized as:
– Shelf audits (photograph shelves and answer questions), or
– Demo audits (sample a product, take pictures, chat with a demonstrator, answer questions)
Less commonly, Observa offers:
– Merchandising opportunities (helping to restock product and tidy up shelves)
– Product placement opportunities
– Instant redeemable coupon (IRC) placements
You can set up your account to receive notifications whenever new opportunities are available in your area.
Observa jobs typically pay between $3 and $25 and require between five and thirty minutes of your time.
You have two hours to complete an observation after accepting an opportunity.
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
The only way to get paid by Observa is via PayPal. On the plus side, there is no minimum to cash out because compensation for each individual job is paid out as soon as your submission is approved.
Jobs are typically accepted (or denied) within five days of submission.
All photos must be submitted via the Observa app. When completing an observation, click “add photo” and take the required photo(s). Your observation will automatically be rejected if you submit any pictures via email.
Also, almost all Observa jobs require a storefront photo, one that includes the name of the store—and ideally, the number of the address on the building.
Additional tips on how to complete Observa observations can be found on the company’s FAQ page.
There is no limit on how many Observa jobs you can do, but you cannot accept the same opportunity more than five times. If you accept a job and fail to complete it within the two-hour time limit, you must wait 30 minutes before you can accept it again.
Observa opportunities are first-come, first-served, and the company says it discourages “squatting” on opportunities (accepting, declining and then re-accepting the same opportunity). Squatters may receive warnings and/or get banned from using the app.
This reviewer has been using Observa since March 2022, and in the years since I have earned an average of $13 a month.
To be sure, this isn’t necessarily indicative of the money that can be earned using Observa. In fact, a dedicated user in a major metropolitan area might be able to earn a few hundred dollars a month using the app. It’s just that I choose to pursue Observa jobs relatively infrequently, for reasons that will be discussed below.
Observa offers a steady stream of opportunities in retail stores the typical consumer is likely to frequent. Also, Observa pays cash (as opposed to gift cards or other forms of compensation) and pays immediately upon acceptance.
Generally speaking, Observa jobs are more difficult and time consuming than those of its closest competitors. Consider that this writer has had nine of 75 Observa jobs rejected, an approval rate of only 88 percent. By comparison, my approval rate with Field Agent and other Observa competitors is over 99 percent.
Notably, Observa job descriptions are often accompanied by a warning that reads:
“Your photos will be processed through strict rejection guidelines. Any observation below the specified standards will be rejected. Take your time to provide high-quality photos.”
But even the jobs that don’t feature this written warning typically present an above-average level of difficulty and time commitment. As a result, I rarely make a special trip to a store for an Observa job, and typically only consider Observa opportunities if I am already on site. Occasionally, I find an Observa job I like and complete the same job at four or five different locations; that’s a strategy that has worked well for me.
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
In our estimation, Observa is best for serious, experienced shopping app enthusiasts who want to add yet another tool in their toolbox, so to speak. But the relatively strict acceptance guidelines and relatively high-effort jobs limit its appeal, at least in terms of regular ongoing usage.
There are at least two other auditing-type apps that are arguably easier to use and/or present considerably greater earning potential, namely Field Agent and Mobee. GigWalk is also worth a try, if you enjoy earning money with store auditing apps.
Generally speaking, Observa jobs are more difficult than those of its closest competitors. Consider that this writer has had nine of 75 Observa jobs rejected, an approval rate of only 88 percent. By comparison, this writer’s approval rate with Field Agent is well over 99 percent.
As a result, I won’t often make a special trip to a store for an Observa job, and will only consider Observa opportunities if I’m already on site.
Observa has been known to offer incentives for referring a friend, but no bonuses or incentives appear to be available at the current time.
Click here to download the Observa app from the Apple App Store or from Google Play.
Founders: Hugh Holman and Erik Chelstad
Founded: 2016, Seattle, WA
Payout Options: PayPal
Minimum Payout Amount: None
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
