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Shedams vs Sweatcoin
Sweatcoin turns your steps into a currency you spend. Shedams turns your effort into a reason to go again tomorrow, with people who notice when you stop.
Sweatcoin describes itself as “It pays to walk”. Everything in the Sweatcoin column below is taken from their own published pages, last read on 2026-11-11. We quote no ratings or download figures, theirs or ours.
The five differences that actually decide it
| Shedams | Sweatcoin | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get for moving | Puzzle tiles that reveal a quest, XP, a streak, and a place on a board with people you actually know. | An in-app currency earned from steps, spent in their marketplace. |
| What counts | Walking, running, cycling and cardio, indoors or out. | Outdoor steps. |
| How your effort is judged | Against your own baseline, by age band and fitness level. A brisk walk can earn an A, and a beginner and a regular can both have a good day. | By the raw number. More steps is a better result, whoever you are and wherever you started. |
| Who you are measured against | Yourself first, then friends and the people in your challenge. No faceless global leagues. | A global app, with your own total as the measure. |
| What it costs you | Free for everybody moving. An optional ad-free subscription. Organisers and brands pay. | A free tier with paid tiers above it, per their own published plans. |
Pick Sweatcoin if
- You want your walking to earn you something you can spend, and the marketplace is the appeal.
- You walk on your own and would rather not involve anybody you know.
- You want an app with institutional partnerships and years of standing behind it. Sweatcoin has those and Shedams does not yet.
Pick Shedams if
- You have started before and stopped, and what you are missing is people rather than points.
- You do more than walk, and want the ride and the gym session to count too.
- You want to be graded on how hard it was for you, not on how far somebody fitter got.
Not built for competitive athletes. Built for everyone else.
Questions
Four things people ask before switching
Does Shedams pay you to walk?
Not in a currency. Shedams pays out puzzle tiles, quest progress and XP, and in a Prize or Impact challenge a brand or an organiser funds a real reward that is won on verified effort. There is no in-app coin to earn or spend, and nothing is won by chance.
Is Shedams a Sweatcoin alternative?
It solves a different half of the problem. Sweatcoin gives a solo walker a reason to take more steps today. Shedams is built for somebody who has tried before and fallen off in a fortnight, and the mechanism is people: a challenge, a group that notices when you go quiet, and effort graded so you are never bottom by default.
Does Shedams work indoors or on a treadmill?
Yes. Indoor walking, treadmill walking and running, indoor cycling and cardio are all tracked and graded, using effort and heart rate where there is no distance to measure.
What does Shedams do with my data?
Effort is verified on your own device and scored on our servers. Organisers see participation and challenge standings, never your health record, and we do not sell member data. The trust centre sets out the detail.
Also worth reading: what Shedams costs, and Shedams vs StepUp, Shedams vs StepsClub, Shedams vs Strava, Shedams vs Nike Run Club.
It takes about ten minutes to find out.
Free to download, free to start. Pick a few people, set a target, and see who turns up.
Your data is yours. Organisers see participation, not your health record - and we never sell it.