- The company behind the app
- What your steps earn you
- Daily limits and the Premium plan
- What Sweatcoin offers in return
- Privacy and tracking: the part to read twice
- Money, adverts and other catches
- Fake Sweatcoin generators and imitation offers
- How to check Sweatcoin before installing it
- Who Sweatcoin suits
- Frequently asked questions
Sweatcoin is a real, long-running app made by Sweatco Ltd that rewards your steps with coins you spend on offers inside the app. It doesn't pay you cash for walking. The catches are daily limits, a paid Premium plan, and an app that asks for location and tracking permissions, so read the privacy settings before you switch it on.
Walking more and getting a reward for it sounds too good to be true, so I understand why people check before installing anything. I've gone through Sweatcoin's own website, its help centre and its App Store listing so you can see what the company says rather than what a stranger on social media remembers.
The company behind the app
Sweatcoin's website says the app is operated by Sweatco Ltd, and the App Store names Sweatco Ltd as both seller and developer. TechCrunch, covering an early funding round in 2018, named Anton Derlyatka and Oleg Fomenko as co-founders. That's a named company with a public history, which already separates it from the anonymous reward apps that appear and vanish.
The company has been around for years, so details have shifted. Old articles quote figures that no longer apply, which is why I'm only using the earning rules from Sweatcoin's current pages and flagging anything dated.
What your steps earn you
The website describes a mobile app that rewards you for walking and moving. The rewards are redeemable for items such as gadgets, digital subscriptions, travel vouchers or crypto, and the app adds challenges, badges and charity challenges on top. In plain terms, it's a loyalty scheme for steps: you collect sweatcoins and exchange them for offers, not for a payment into your bank account.
The App Store listing says the step counter works whether you're walking, running or working out at home. Sweatcoin also says it uses a movement validation algorithm designed to stop shakes and bumps being counted as steps, so waving your phone around isn't the shortcut some people hope for.
Daily limits and the Premium plan
Your free allowance is where expectations go wrong. The help centre page I could read covers the paid plan: it says the daily limit for Premium is 100 sweatcoins, which Sweatcoin equates to over 52,000 steps, and that Premium is subject to a fair use policy meant to deter fraud and stop people harming their health to earn coins.
The page says Premium comes with a free 7-day trial before monthly or annual billing starts. The App Store lists in-app purchases including Premium and a 3-day trial. TechCrunch reported in 2018 that the free version capped earnings at five coins per day and that the rate was .95 sweatcoins for every 1,000 steps, but that's the company's claim from that time and I wouldn't rely on it today. Your app screen is the place to check the live free-plan limit.
What Sweatcoin offers in return
| What I checked | What Sweatcoin's own pages say |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Sweatco Ltd |
| What you collect | Sweatcoins for steps and movement |
| What you spend them on | Offers such as gadgets, digital subscriptions, travel vouchers or crypto |
| Premium daily limit | 100 sweatcoins, over 52,000 steps, with a fair use policy |
| Premium trial | Free 7-day trial, then monthly or annual billing |
| Age rating on the App Store | 13+ |
Privacy and tracking: the part to read twice
A step-counting app needs access to your movement and often your location, and that's the real trade here. Sweatcoin's website says it doesn't sell your location data. The App Store privacy label, though, lists Location and Identifiers as data used to track you, and Apple notes that the label's information has not been verified by Apple.
Neither statement makes the app unsafe, but they should shape how you set it up. Think about whether you want location running in the background, review the permissions your phone asks for, and read Sweatcoin's privacy policy yourself. If you'd rather keep your movements to yourself, a different way to earn will suit you better.
Money, adverts and other catches
- It isn't a cash income. You collect coins for offers, so don't plan your budget around it.
- The App Store says it contains advertising. Expect to see promotions inside the app.
- Premium is a paid upgrade. Cancel before the trial ends if you don't want billing to start.
- Offers vary. What you can spend coins on depends on what the app shows you, so look before you set your hopes on one item.
Money-wise, the honest summary is that Sweatcoin is a motivation tool with a rewards shop attached. The company says Premium is aimed at people who walk a lot, and the fair use policy exists because the daily ceiling is high enough that nobody should be pushing their body to hit it. If a reward scheme ever nudges you to walk further than is comfortable, stop. No offer is worth an injury.
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If you want to compare similar apps, my list of apps that pay you to walk shows where Sweatcoin sits among them.
Fake Sweatcoin generators and imitation offers
Any site promising free sweatcoins, a coin generator or cheats is a copy, not the company. Real coins come from validated movement in the real app, and Sweatcoin says it screens out fraud. Pages asking for your login, a payment or a code to boost your balance should be closed. Download the app only from the official App Store or Google Play listing, and look for Sweatco Ltd as the developer.
How to check Sweatcoin before installing it
- Open the official App Store or Google Play listing and confirm the developer is Sweatco Ltd.
- Read the permissions the app asks for and decide whether you're comfortable with location access.
- Check the Premium trial terms so billing doesn't catch you out.
- Look at what the rewards shop offers in your own country before assuming a particular item is available.
Who Sweatcoin suits
If you already walk and enjoy a small nudge, it's harmless and can be fun. If you want to pay a bill with it, look elsewhere. My guide to easy ways to earn using your phone has options that produce cash. Anything you do earn in cash terms may need reporting, so my explainer on side hustle tax is worth a read.
Related: the gadgets page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sweatcoin a real company?
Yes. Sweatcoin's website says it's operated by Sweatco Ltd, and the App Store lists Sweatco Ltd as seller and developer.
Does Sweatcoin pay you real money?
Not as cash for walking. Its website describes rewards you redeem for items such as gadgets, digital subscriptions, travel vouchers or crypto.
Is there a daily limit on Sweatcoin?
Yes. Sweatcoin's help centre says Premium has a daily limit of 100 sweatcoins, with a fair use policy. Check the app for your own plan's limit.
Does Sweatcoin sell my location data?
Its website says it doesn't sell your location data. The App Store privacy label still lists Location and Identifiers as data used to track you.
Does Sweatcoin cost anything to use?
The app has a free option, but Premium is a paid plan with a free 7-day trial first, so cancel in time if you don't want billing.
