Sweatcoin vs Edge Rewards: A Better Way to Get Rewarded for Moving? (UK 2026)

Getting rewarded for moving is having a real moment. The idea is lovely: you are already walking or training, so why not get a little something back for the effort. Sweatcoin is the app most people know for this, and it has been around for years. Edge is building its own version, called Edge Rewards, which launches in October 2026. This is a fair, honest head-to-head. We web-checked how Sweatcoin works at the time of writing and have tried to describe it accurately, with the genuine upsides and the common criticisms. Then we explain how Edge Rewards is designed to work differently. One thing to be clear about up front: Edge Rewards is not live yet, so everything about it below is how it is built to work, not a review of a finished product.

How does Sweatcoin work?

Sweatcoin is a free app that turns your walking into in-app points called sweatcoins. By most accounts it uses your phone's GPS and motion sensor to check that your steps are real, outdoor steps rather than your phone being shaken in a pocket, and it converts those verified steps into sweatcoins at roughly one sweatcoin for every 1,000 steps. On the free tier, daily earning is capped, with reviews commonly citing a limit of around ten sweatcoins a day. A paid premium tier lifts that cap and adds extra features.

Sweatcoins themselves work like loyalty points rather than cash. You spend them in an in-app marketplace that, by most accounts, is mostly discount codes and offers from partner brands, with some full products, prize-draw style auctions and a charity section. On top of that sits a separate crypto layer: through a linked wallet app, sweatcoins can be converted into a cryptocurrency token called SWEAT, which you can hold, swap or send to an exchange and sell for money. Reviews note that the rate at which steps convert into the token gets harder over time, so the same walk earns less token as more of it is created. Rates, caps and features change, so treat the specifics here as a snapshot rather than a fixed promise.

The honest pros of Sweatcoin

It would be unfair to be sniffy about Sweatcoin, because it does several things well:

• It is free to download and use, so there is no barrier to trying it.
• It is effortless. Once it is set up, it earns quietly in the background while you go about your day, with nothing to log.
• It rewards a genuinely healthy habit. Walking is one of the best things most people can do for their health, and a nudge to walk a bit more is no bad thing.
• The daily goals, streaks and progress can be motivating in their own right, in the same way a step target on a watch can be.

If you think of it as a free step app with an occasional perk, rather than a way to make meaningful money, it can be a pleasant little companion to your day.

The common criticisms

The criticisms that come up again and again in reviews are worth being honest about too:

• Only steps really count. By most accounts a gym session, a set of lifts, a HIIT class or a treadmill run does not earn, because the model is built around verified outdoor steps. If your training is not mostly walking outdoors, you earn very little.
• The values are low. Reviews consistently report that the real-world value is small, and that the crypto route can add up to only around £1 of the token over a whole year for a typical walker.
• The marketplace is mostly discounts. A lot of what you can redeem is money-off codes that you still have to spend to use, rather than something genuinely free.
• The crypto layer adds volatility and complexity. The linked token's value can go down as well as up, and turning steps into anything spendable involves extra apps and steps that some people find fiddly.
• It relies on step verification. Because it checks your steps with GPS and your phone's sensors, some people find it intrusive or notice a hit to battery life.

None of this makes Sweatcoin a scam. It simply means the honest expectation is a free step app with small perks, not a serious earner.

How Edge Rewards will be different

Edge Rewards is Edge's take on the same simple idea, and it is built to fix the parts of the step-only model that frustrate people. To be completely clear, it is not live yet. It launches in October 2026, so the following is how it is designed to work.

• Any logged workout counts. Not just steps. A run, a strength session, a HIIT workout, a mobility flow, plus your steps and imports from your watch or Strava, and even manual entries, all earn points. The point is to reward the training you already do.
• You earn points towards real products. Rather than mostly discount codes or a crypto token, Edge Rewards is built around real items gifted by partner brands, think the kind of everyday treats you would actually use, such as a coffee, a gel or a snack.
• It is designed to be free to earn and free to redeem. Every member can collect points and claim rewards without paying. There is no separate paywall on the rewards themselves.
• Points reset every month. Your balance clears at the end of each calendar month, so the programme keeps rewarding recent training and stays fresh, rather than turning into a pile of points you never touch.

The framing matters here. Edge Rewards is about getting rewarded for training you already do, not chasing an income. Edge itself is a fitness app that can also build you a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready in 15 minutes, with a real coach to message anytime. Edge has 18,000+ members, and Edge Rewards sits alongside the plan as a free layer for everyone. We are not naming the partner brands yet, and reward availability and details can change before and after launch.

Sweatcoin vs Edge Rewards at a glance

A simplified comparison to help you weigh them up. Sweatcoin's features and rates change over time, and Edge Rewards is described as designed ahead of its October 2026 launch.

So which is better for you?

It honestly depends on how you move. If your activity is mostly walking outdoors, and you like the idea of a free, effortless app that quietly earns while you go, Sweatcoin can be a fun nudge, as long as you go in expecting small perks rather than real income. If instead your week is a mix of running, strength and HIIT, and you would rather be rewarded for all of it with real products you would actually use, then Edge Rewards is built for exactly that, and it is designed to be free to earn and redeem.

The fairest thing to say is that both reward movement, which is the healthy part that matters most. The difference is what counts as movement, and what you get back for it. Just remember that Edge Rewards is not live yet, so for now the choice is between using Sweatcoin today or joining the Edge Rewards waitlist for October.

This article is general guidance, not medical or financial advice. It is not a recommendation to buy, hold or sell any cryptocurrency, and token values can go down as well as up. Reward programmes, rates and availability can change. If you are new to exercise or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting.

Edge Rewards is not live yet and launches in October 2026. Details described here are how the programme is designed to work and may change. This article is general guidance, not medical or financial advice.