Mode Mobile
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Mode Mobile does
Mode Mobile is a Chicago-based mobile software company that operates EarnOS, a proprietary rewards and monetization engine designed to convert consumer smartphone activity into redeemable earnings. The company distributes this technology through three primary surfaces: the Mode Earn App (free Android application on Google Play), the EarnPhone hardware line (EarnPhone 2 sold at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and Target, currently reported as sold out), and planned OEM/carrier licensing of EarnOS into third-party devices. Underlying the platform is a behavioral data layer (50M+ EarnOS beta accounts, 490M+ users across 170+ countries) and biometric identity verification (Facetec) used to prevent fraudulent reward redemption.
Mode Mobile generates revenue through four streams: (1) digital advertising where brands pay for user engagement across the EarnOS ecosystem, (2) Mode Earn Club subscription MRR for premium earning features, (3) hardware sales of EarnPhone devices through retail and DTC channels, and (4) EarnOS software licensing to OEM and carrier partners as a forward growth lever. The company has pursued an aggressive M&A strategy, acquiring NGL (125M+ MAU anonymous messaging app, acquired December 2025 after its $5M FTC fine), AppLock Pro, and several consumer utility and gaming apps (Gallery, Cleaner, Trimbox, Uplift, Miss Merge Mystery Story, FashionGame), integrating them under the EarnOS rail.
Mode Mobile is privately held, structured under Nativ Mobile, Inc. (Delaware parent) with Mode Mobile, LLC as the operating entity. It has raised $75M-$88.6M+ to date across multiple rounds (including a 2025 Series A exceeding $60M at a ~$944M pre-money valuation), reports 60,000+ shareholders, and has reserved the ticker $MODE on Nasdaq with stated intent to IPO within 18-24 months. Reported 2025 revenue is $39.5M with $11.8M pro-forma EBITDA, and management projects $200M in 2027 revenue.
Mode Mobile firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mode Mobile
- Legal name
- Mode Mobile, LLC
- Website
- https://modemobile.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mode Mobile industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Mobile Rewards Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Embedded Payroll, Earned Wage Access & Benefits Finance (FSAGALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA) (FSAMAKAM)
Keywords
Where Mode Mobile is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mode Mobile business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Advertising (B2B): Brands and advertising partners pay Mode Mobile when users interact with apps and phones through various activities. Revenue generated from user attention and engagement across the EarnOS ecosystem.
- Mode Earn Club Subscription (B2C): Premium subscription product offering subscribers enhanced access to earnings and savings opportunities. Monthly recurring revenue from subscribers.
- EarnPhone Hardware Sales: Sale of EarnPhone 2 devices - Android-based smartphones with built-in earning features. Sold through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and directly via website. Currently sold out.
- EarnOS Licensing: Software licensing deals to enable OEM and carrier partners to launch and power their own EarnOS-enabled devices. Strategic path to transform smartphones globally by embedding income infrastructure into devices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | EarnPhone 2 smartphone with built-in earning features |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ equity investment at $0.52/share |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ investment with 5% bonus shares |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ investment with 10% bonus shares |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ investment with 15% bonus shares |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ investment with 20% bonus shares |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reg A+ accredited investor offering at $0.50/share |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Mode Mobile product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mode Mobile develops and operates EarnOS, a proprietary Android-based rewards and monetization engine that converts smartphone usage into income for consumers. It sells this capability through the free Mode Earn App, the EarnPhone 2 hardware device (sold at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Target), a premium Mode Earn Club subscription, and a portfolio of acquired consumer apps (NGL, AppLock Pro, Gallery, Cleaner, gaming apps). Revenue is generated primarily from brands and advertisers who pay for user attention and engagement across the ecosystem.
Product overview
Mode Mobile operates a diversified, M&A-driven platform under its proprietary EarnOS rewards and monetization engine. The core offering consists of the EarnOS platform that powers earning features across multiple channels: the Mode Earn App (mobile application), EarnPhone devices (including EarnPhone 2), and app licensing to OEM and carrier partners. The portfolio includes Mode Media (owned media engine with newsletters and advertising network), Mode Money (financial services for investors), and Mode Earn Club (premium subscription). Through acquisitions, Mode has expanded to include social networking (NGL with 125M+ MAU), security apps (AppLock Pro), and various consumer apps (Gallery, Cleaner, Trimbox, Uplift, gaming apps). The ecosystem serves over 490 million users across 170+ countries, enabling users to earn rewards through activities including music, games, fitness, shopping, surveys, and video.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EarnPhone: Smartphone device that rewards owners for daily habits and activities. Sold through retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and directly on website. EarnPhone 2 sold out at national retail partners. Enables users to earn money by listening to music, playing games, charging phones, shopping, and other activities.
- Mode Earn App
- Mode Earn Club
- Mode Money
- NGL
Products and services
- EarnOS Proprietary rewards and monetization engine that can run on any mobile phone, rewarding owners for daily habits and activities to drive retention and revenue. Powers all of Mode Mobile's consumer apps and devices.
- Mode Earn App Mobile application enabling users to earn rewards by completing activities including listening to music, playing games, tracking fitness, shopping, watching videos, and completing surveys. Available on Google Play Store.
- EarnPhone 2 Android-based smartphone with built-in EarnOS earning features. Sold through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target at a starting price of $99. Users can earn up to $900 or more annually. Currently sold out at national retail.
- Mode Earn Club Premium subscription product offering users enhanced access to earnings and savings opportunities. Includes 6 lifetime MEC EarnPhone Memberships turning any Android phone into an EarnPhone.
- Mode Money Financial services division providing curated opportunities for higher-net-worth investors focused on stronger returns and capital preservation.
- Mode Media Owned and operated media engine reaching millions of newsletter subscribers across various verticals, with a growing portfolio of content and news sites and a first-party advertising network that distributes, tests, and monetizes content at scale.
- NGL (Not Gonna Lie) Viral anonymous messaging and social networking application with over 125 million monthly active users, integrated into the EarnOS ecosystem to enable users to earn rewards for engagement, subscriptions, and advertiser interactions.
- AppLock Pro Application security and lock application for mobile devices, part of Mode Mobile's EarnOS-enabled portfolio of consumer apps.
- Market Munchies Newsletter Bite-sized investment news, crowdfunding insights, and high-value financial signals newsletter reaching over 1 million investors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Users can earn up to $900 or more every year with Mode Earn Phone
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Mode Mobile
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mode Mobile technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability10 records
Feature4 records
Mode Mobile partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Best BuycoreNational retail partner selling EarnPhone 2 devices in physical retail stores and online. Sold out of initial inventory.
- WalmartcoreNational retail partner selling EarnPhone 2 devices. Products available in Walmart stores and on Walmart.com.
- AmazoncoreE-commerce retail partner for EarnPhone devices and Mode EarnApp distribution. Key channel for direct-to-consumer sales.
- TargetminorRetail partner for EarnPhone device sales.
- FaceteccoreThird-party face verification technology provider used for identity verification during Earn Points redemption to prevent fraud and ensure redemptions are not earned through bots or automated processes.
- Youngstown Community Food CenterminorCharitable partner receiving donated EarnPhones. Donated over $250,000 worth of EarnPhones to families and veterans in need, backed by Congressman Tim Ryan and owners of the San Francisco 49ers.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights6 records
Mode Mobile competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mistplay: Mistplay rewards mobile gamers with gift cards for playing games. Directly comparable to Mode Mobile's gaming earning modes and the Miss Merge/FashionGame portfolio apps.
- Swagbucks (Prodege): Prodege operates Swagbucks, the largest consumer rewards platform in the US, paying users for surveys, shopping, watching videos, and other activities. Direct competitor to Mode Earn App in the consumer rewards-for-engagement category.
- InboxDollars (Rakuten Rewards): Rewards users for completing surveys, watching videos, reading emails, and shopping online. Operates a similar consumer attention-monetization model to Mode Earn App.
Broad incumbents
- Honey (PayPal): Honey rewards users with cashback for shopping. Broader incumbent owned by PayPal, competing in the consumer rewards/earnings space but with a shopping-only focus rather than Mode's multi-activity offering.
- Rakuten: Established cashback and rewards platform serving tens of millions of users globally. Comparable business model (rewarding consumer activity with cash back) and a strong incumbent in the rewards category.
- Cash App (Block): Block's Cash App rewards users with stock and bitcoin for activity and serves the same underbanked demographic Mode Mobile targets with smartphone-based income. Broader fintech incumbent but overlaps in the 'monetize your phone' narrative.
Emerging players
- Acorns: Micro-investing app that helps everyday users grow wealth from spare change. Comparable in targeting the same low-to-middle-income demographic that Mode Mobile addresses, with overlapping financial inclusion thesis.
- Current: Mobile-first banking platform targeting underbanked consumers with early direct deposit and rewards features. Comparable in serving smartphone-dependent, financially underserved users.
- Pi Network: Mobile cryptocurrency network that rewards users for engagement. Comparable to Mode Mobile's $EARNM Coin initiative in monetizing mobile user attention with crypto rewards.
- Brave Software: Privacy browser that rewards users with BAT tokens for viewing privacy-respecting ads. Comparable thesis of redirecting advertising value from intermediaries to end users via a proprietary platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mode Mobile social profiles
Digital presenceMode Mobile financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mode Mobile leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Mode Mobile subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Mode Mobile funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mode Mobile M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mode Mobile
What does Mode Mobile do?
Mode Mobile develops and operates EarnOS, a proprietary Android-based rewards and monetization engine that converts smartphone usage into income for consumers. It sells this capability through the free Mode Earn App, the EarnPhone 2 hardware device (sold at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Target), a premium Mode Earn Club subscription, and a portfolio of acquired consumer apps (NGL, AppLock Pro, Gallery, Cleaner, gaming apps). Revenue is generated primarily from brands and advertisers who pay for user attention and engagement across the ecosystem.
Is Mode Mobile a public or private company?
Mode Mobile is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mode Mobile founded?
Mode Mobile was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Mode Mobile based?
Mode Mobile is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mode Mobile make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Advertising (B2B) is the primary driver. The others are mode Earn Club Subscription (B2C), earnPhone Hardware Sales and earnOS Licensing.
Who are Mode Mobile's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mistplay, Swagbucks (Prodege) and InboxDollars (Rakuten Rewards). Broad incumbents are Honey (PayPal), Rakuten and Cash App (Block). Emerging players are Acorns, Current, Pi Network and Brave Software.
Does Mode Mobile have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mode Mobile.
What industry is Mode Mobile in?
Mode Mobile's product category is Consumer Mobile Rewards Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGALAI, Embedded Payroll, Earned Wage Access & Benefits Finance, with a secondary code of FSAMAKAM, Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA).