Freecash

Is Freecash safe to use?

Freecash does pay, so it is not a scam in the plain sense. But it is one of the weaker apps we have scored. You trade a lot of data and time for small rewards, the company can hold or cancel those rewards on terms you cannot check, and in April 2026 both Apple and Google removed it after reports on its marketing. We score it 42/100, close to Temu and TikTok.

Freecash is run by Almedia GmbH in Berlin. It pays you to play mobile games up to set levels, answer surveys and sign up for products, and you cash out through PayPal, bank transfer or gift cards. The game makers pay Almedia for players who stick around and spend.

The April 2026 removal

In January 2026, Freecash climbed to number two on the US App Store, helped by TikTok ads that, according to Malwarebytes, did not name the app, showed people saying they had been "hired by TikTok", and promised up to $35 an hour to watch the For You feed. TikTok said the ads broke its rules on financial misrepresentation and removed some of them. Freecash said the most misleading ones came from third-party affiliates.

TechCrunch reported on 14 April 2026 that Apple had removed Freecash the day before, citing guidelines 2.3.1 and 3.1.2(a), the rules on misleading marketing and on scams and bait-and-switch practices. Google removed the Android app on 15 April. Almedia said its apps were "fully compliant" with both stores' policies. Google restored the app on 7 May and Apple by 17 June, without public explanation. TechCrunch also reported signs of fake ratings and bot traffic; those are its findings, not a store's.

What Freecash knows about you

More than almost any app on our list. Its US privacy policy, updated on 20 August 2026, covers:

• a selfie, government ID images, date of birth and document number for identity checks, handled by Veriff and Verisoul;
• the list of apps installed on your phone, if you allow it, to choose offers;
• on Android, a usage-access permission ("PlayTime") that measures which offer games you open and for how long;
• survey qualification answers that may cover health, ethnicity, religion or sex life, collected only from adults with explicit consent.

Google Play's data safety section lists approximate location, device IDs and app interactions as shared for advertising, and race and ethnicity as an optional field shared for app functionality. Apple's label shows identifiers used to track you, and name, email, physical address and photos linked to you. Almedia says it does not sell user data. Each game you install for a reward brings its own tracking as well.

Payouts, holds and closed accounts

The terms, dated 17 July 2026, explain most complaints. Almedia can hold offer credits for up to 90 days, verify your identity "to our complete satisfaction" before paying, and keep its fraud signals secret. It can disable an account "for any or no reason", and an account idle for a year may be closed with its balance expired. Only one account is allowed per household.

The BBB's profile for Almedia USA lists 955 complaints in three years and notes that the Delaware address is a registered agent and the business appears to be based outside the US. Complaints there centre on rewards not tracked, cash-outs frozen and accounts banned. They are complaints, not findings, and the BBB does not rate the company.

How to use Freecash with less risk

1. Read an offer's exact goal and deadline before you install the game, and screenshot it.
2. Do not spend money in a game to reach a reward level. The payout is rarely worth it.
3. Refuse the installed-apps and usage-access permissions unless an offer needs them.
4. Cash out small amounts as soon as you can, rather than letting a balance build up.
5. Use a separate email and turn off targeted advertising in your account settings.
6. Do not use a VPN or a second account, which the terms treat as fraud.

How we scored it

Privacy (30) is the weakest factor, set by ID checks, installed-apps and usage tracking, and ad sharing. Scams and harmful content (35) reflects misleading ads and Apple's removal. Transparency and control (35) comes from reward holds and wide powers to close accounts. Regulatory record (85) is the highest because no regulator has acted; the store removals count under scams and harmful content instead. For apps that move real money, compare Cash App.