Freecash

Freecash

Basic Information
Release Year	2023
Product Type	Rewards app
In Production	yes
Official Website	https://freecash.com

Freecash, a get-paid-to rewards app run by Berlin-based advertising company Almedia GmbH, was marketed on TikTok with ads promising up to $35 an hour to watch a "For You" page, and people who installed it found the promised paycheck gone and themselves routed into mobile games for rewards that started at a single cent. After TechCrunch contacted Apple, Apple pulled Freecash from the App Store on April 13, 2026, citing App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.2(a) and 2.3.1, which it said forbid scamming users, engaging in bait-and-switch tactics, and marketing apps in a misleading way. Google removed the Android app around 2 AM PT on April 15, 2026. Almedia disputed the coverage as inaccurate and misleading, blamed the worst ads on a third-party affiliate it removed, and got the app reinstated on Google Play on May 7, 2026 and on the App Store on June 17, 2026; it is live on both stores as of writing.

At a glance

• The advertised pay does not materialize. TikTok ads promised up to $35 an hour to watch a "For You" page, but after install the offer is gone and users are routed into mobile games such as Monopoly Go for rewards that start at a single cent.
• Cashing out requires a photo of the user and physical documents. Freecash allows no withdrawal until identity is verified through the third-party service Veriff, and the first-withdrawal minimum is $5 to $20 depending on region.
• Data collection is the other half of the model. The privacy policy authorizes collecting sensitive survey data such as race, religion, sexual orientation, health, and biometrics with opt-in consent; the Google Play data-safety listing shows device IDs, approximate location, and app activity shared for advertising; and Common Sense Privacy rated the app a "Warning".
• Advertisers, not Freecash, fund the rewards. Under a model Almedia calls rewarded user acquisition, advertisers, mostly mobile game publishers, pay Almedia only when a user reaches a game level or makes a purchase, and Almedia shares part of that money back to the user; Malwarebytes reported the design steers users into games where they are likely to spend money.

Background

Freecash is a get-paid-to platform, reachable at freecash.com and through mobile apps, that pays users small amounts to install and play partner mobile games, complete offers, take surveys, and use cashback links, paid out in gift cards, PayPal, or cryptocurrency. It is operated by Almedia GmbH, a Berlin-based advertising technology company founded by Moritz Holländer. According to Almedia's June 2026 press release, Freecash has over 80 million users worldwide.

Incidents

Deceptive TikTok advertising

Main article: Freecash deceptive advertising campaign (2026)

What Freecash advertised versus what users got

Aspect	Advertised	Actual
Earning method	Watch a TikTok "For You" page for money	Install and play partner mobile games such as Monopoly Go and Disney Solitaire
Hourly rate	Up to $35 an hour	Payouts from a single cent, reaching higher amounts only for players who hit high game levels within a fixed period
Cashing out	"cash out instantly"	A $5 to $20 regional minimum, plus physical documents and a photo of the user handled by Veriff

Beginning in January 2026, Freecash rose to the No. 2 spot on Apple's free iOS chart in the United States, helped by TikTok ads that resembled job offers from TikTok itself. TikTok said the ads violated its rules on financial misrepresentation and removed some of them. Asked about the ads, Freecash said the most misleading TikTok promotions were created by third-party affiliates rather than by the company itself.

Removal from the App Store and Google Play

Main article: Freecash app store removal (2026)

On April 13, 2026, Apple removed Freecash from the App Store, pointing TechCrunch to two App Store Review Guidelines, 3.1.2(a) and 2.3.1, which it said forbid scamming users, engaging in bait-and-switch tactics, and marketing apps in a misleading way. Google confirmed to TechCrunch that it removed the Android app from the Play Store around 2 AM PT on April 15, 2026. Google Play reinstated the app on May 7, 2026, and Apple reinstated it on the App Store on June 17, 2026; Freecash is available on both stores as of writing.

Data collection

The developer-declared Google Play data-safety listing lists no microphone, camera, audio, photo, precise-location, or screen data. It lists device or other IDs, approximate location, app interactions, installed apps, and personal information including name, email, user IDs, address, phone number, race and ethnicity, and other info; it states that device IDs, approximate location, and app interactions are shared for purposes including advertising or marketing, analytics, and fraud prevention, and that race and ethnicity is shared for app functionality.

The developer-declared Google Play data safety listing for Freecash lists Approximate location, Device or other IDs, App activity, and personal fields including Race and ethnicity under Data shared and Data collected, with no microphone, camera, audio, or screen category shown.

Freecash's US privacy policy, versioned August 20, 2026, authorizes collection of sensitive data, scoped to survey participation. The policy states:

Personal information that includes your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, health information and biometric data. Where we collect this type of sensitive information in connection with your participation in surveys, we do so only where you are eighteen (18) or older and have given your explicit, opt-in consent, and we use it only to match and enable surveys for you ...

Freecash's US privacy policy authorizes collection of sensitive information including race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, health information and biometric data, only with the user's explicit, opt-in consent in connection with surveys.

Common Sense Privacy evaluated Freecash on February 12, 2024 and gave it a "Warning" rating. Its findings included that "Personal information is sold or rented to third parties," that "User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services," and that "This product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements."

Common Sense Privacy's February 12, 2024 evaluation gives Freecash a Warning rating and finds that personal information is sold or rented to third parties and that the product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.

Withdrawal requirements

A user can create an account and start earning immediately, but to withdraw any funds must verify identity, a process Freecash says "requires you to take a photo of yourself." Identity verification runs through the third-party partner Veriff, which Freecash says "require[s] a photo, and do[es] not currently offer any alternative verification methods." Freecash's first-withdrawal guide states that the minimum withdrawal threshold "varies between $5-$20 depending on your region."

Freecash's support page states that to withdraw any funds a user must verify their ID, and that the verification process requires a photo of the user, handled by partner Veriff, which does not currently offer any alternative verification methods.

Company response

When TechCrunch reached the company, PR manager James Law, signing as the "Almedia Press Office," wrote that its apps are "fully compliant with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store policies, as demonstrated by the fact that they are live and regularly pass platform reviews."

On April 16, 2026, founder and chief executive Moritz Holländer wrote that "Almedia is not a data broker," that "We do not and will never sell data," and that "We have not and do not collect sensitive user data." As of the current US privacy policy versioned August 20, 2026, the policy still authorizes collection of sensitive survey data described above.

See also

• TikTok
• Dark pattern
• End-user license agreement
• General Data Protection Regulation
• Federal Trade Commission