What Almedia does

Almedia is a Berlin-based advertising technology company founded in 2020 by Moritz Holländer, specializing in rewarded user acquisition (UA) for mobile games and apps. The company operates a two-sided platform anchored by Freecash, a B2C rewards app with 80+ million registered users who earn real money by playing games, completing surveys, testing apps, and — since the August 2025 zave.it acquisition — earning cashback at retail partners including Rewe, Lieferando, Acer, and adidas. On the supply side, Almedia serves 500+ advertisers across 1,200+ games and brands, ranging from independent studios to enterprise publishers such as Stillfront (Super Free Games), Playtika, Innplay Labs, Candivore, and Actionfit. The company was bootstrapped from founding, remains entirely founder-owned, and operates from seven offices in Berlin, London, New York, Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo, and Yerevan with over 160 employees as of mid-2026.

The underlying technology centers on a proprietary data platform that ingests first-party user behavior signals to drive targeting, reward personalization, and campaign optimization. Core technical components include the MaxROAS dynamic bidding engine that replaces fixed CPI with automated bid adjustment, an AI-driven recommendation engine matching users to games with highest retention probability, anomaly detection for fraud and bot traffic suppression, and bespoke 90-day reward funnel design per advertiser KPIs. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales with a self-serve Advertiser Platform launched in June 2026, supplemented by the SDK-less Link monetization product for game publishers and an affiliate program for consumer acquisition. The revenue model is performance-based: advertisers pay on a Cost Per Action (CPA) basis when users complete predefined in-app events, with multi-year contracts and pricing varying by geography, OS, and campaign objective, supplemented by retail cashback affiliate commissions following the zave.it integration. Almedia was ranked the 3rd fastest-growing company in Europe and the fastest-growing advertising company in the Financial Times FT1000 2025 listing, with 18,773.2% absolute revenue growth between 2020 and 2023.

Name

Almedia

Legal name

Almedia GmbH

Website

https://almedia.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Almedia is a Berlin-based adtech company operating a rewarded user acquisition platform for mobile games and apps, anchored by its 80-million-user Freecash rewards app and serving 500+ advertisers across 1,200+ games and brands via proprietary targeting and dynamic bidding technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Adtech / Rewarded User Acquisition Platform

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Offerwalls, Rewards & Performance Monetization (UA-linked payouts) (MPAFAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

In-Game Advertising & AdTech (networks, mediation, measurement) (MPAFAJAH)

Keywords

• Rewarded user acquisition
• Mobile adtech platform
• User engagement engine
• Rewards-based advertising
• Mobile marketing software

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cost Per Action (CPA) Advertising: Almedia charges advertisers when users complete meaningful in-app actions such as reaching a level, making a purchase, or other predefined events. Revenue is shared with users through rewards while Almedia retains a portion. The model is performance-based with measurable ROAS outcomes.
2. Rewarded User Acquisition Fees: Revenue from mobile game publishers and brands who pay for user acquisition campaigns. The platform passes a portion of advertising spend back to users as rewards, creating a value exchange ecosystem.
3. Cashback Commerce: Following the zave.it acquisition, Almedia earns commissions when users shop through Freecash cashback partners. Retailers pay for access to high-intent users who earn cashback on purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Almedia is a data-driven rewarded user acquisition (UA) adtech company that sells performance-based advertising to mobile game publishers and brands. Its flagship B2C product Freecash is a rewards platform with 80M+ registered users who earn real money for playing games, completing surveys, testing apps, and earning cashback. Advertisers access the Almedia Platform through the self-serve Advertiser Platform to launch rewarded campaigns, leverage the MaxROAS dynamic bidding system, and integrate via the Link SDK-less publisher product.

Product overview

Almedia is a Berlin-based advertising technology company offering a platform-plus-products architecture for rewarded user acquisition (UA) in mobile gaming and beyond. At its core is the Almedia Platform — a proprietary data-driven adtech infrastructure that powers campaign management, user targeting, and reward optimization. The company's primary consumer-facing product is Freecash, a B2C rewards platform with over 80 million registered users where people earn real money by playing games, completing surveys, testing apps, and earning cashback. Advertisers access Almedia's platform through the self-serve Almedia Advertiser Platform, which provides campaign creation, bid management, performance analytics, and AI-powered recommendations. Supporting modules include MaxROAS (dynamic automated bidding), Link (SDK-less in-game monetization that pays publishers CPA for connected users), and Freecash Cashback (retail cashback launched following the 2025 acquisition of zave.it). Almedia also publishes research reports including the Rewarded Returns series and The Rewarded UA Handbook.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freecash: Almedia's flagship B2C rewards platform where users earn real money by downloading and testing games, completing surveys, testing apps, referring friends, and earning cashback on purchases. Over 80 million registered users.
• Almedia Advertiser Platform
• Link
• MaxROAS

Products and services

• Freecash B2C rewards platform where users earn real money by playing mobile games, completing surveys, testing apps, signing up for services, watching videos, and earning cashback on purchases. Cashout via PayPal, bank transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Over 80 million registered users; serves as Almedia's primary user acquisition channel for advertisers.
• Almedia Advertiser Platform Self-serve web dashboard for managing rewarded user acquisition campaigns across Almedia products including Freecash. Features campaign creation, performance indicators (budget, spend, bid, installs), direct bid/budget editing, AI-powered bid and budget recommendations, Slack-based spend alerts, one-click market expansion, game-level budgets, and role-based team access management.
• MaxROAS Dynamic bidding system that replaces fixed CPI bidding with an automated model that adjusts bids based on predicted performance. Advertisers report average 100% spending increase and up to 35% ROAS uplift with CPI variation of approximately 5-10%. Includes a built-in maximum bid cap to prevent unwanted spikes.
• Link SDK-less in-game monetization product enabling mobile game publishers to embed a placement (popup, button, or reward hub) that invites players to connect their Freecash account. Publishers earn a CPA for every verified user connection and players receive real-money rewards for in-game milestones. Supports magic link or optional full SDK integration with projected 20% conversion rate.
• Freecash Cashback Cashback feature integrated into the Freecash platform, launched in Germany following Almedia's acquisition of zave.it. Allows users to earn cashback at partner retailers including Rewe, Lieferando, Acer, and adidas when shopping online. Approximately 65% of cashback users were new to cashback overall. Enables brands to receive segmented, personalized campaign data and optimize for retention, engagement, and lifetime value.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 2x D180 ROAS compared to traditional UA channels
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AppsFlyercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Co-hosted 'Switch ON: Insight Check' seminar at G-STAR 2025, bringing together industry leaders to discuss UA strategy shifts, brand monetization, and AI-driven marketing practices. AppsFlyer contributed session on 'Evolution of Global Marketing: AI and Cross-Platform Measurement'.
• PubMaticminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Co-hosted G-STAR 2025 seminar with presentation on 'Maximising Mobile Monetization Through Brand Demand'.
• PaymentwallminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Co-hosted G-STAR 2025 seminar with presentation on 'Unlocking Revenue Growth With Global Payment Data'.
• zave.itcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2025Almedia acquired German cashback platform zave.it to expand into retail commerce. The acquisition adds cashback capabilities to the Freecash ecosystem, enabling users to earn rewards on retail purchases from partners like Rewe, Lieferando, Acer, and adidas. zave.it co-founder Dominik Oppelt joined as Product Lead & Venture Manager at Almedia. Around 65% of cashback users are new to cashback, representing a closed community-driven audience.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides reCAPTCHA v3 for bot protection and Google Analytics (GA4) for website analytics. Google Ads service enables advertising effectiveness measurement and remarketing. Data processing governed by EU model contractual clauses.
• PlaytikacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading global gaming company and key advertiser using Almedia's rewarded UA platform. Innplay Labs (a Playtika company) achieved top rewarded channel status with 100k+ installs and 70% above-average D30 retention.
• Stillfront Group (Super Free Games)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSuper Free Games partnered with Almedia for Word Collect user acquisition, achieving 20x global scale, nearly 20x increase in daily spend, and ROAS improvement from 72% to 100% D60 ROAS.
• Google PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform for Freecash consumer app distribution. App reinstated May 7, 2026 following three-week review after temporary removal in April 2026.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlatform for Freecash consumer app distribution. App reinstated June 17, 2026 following temporary removal. Previously reached #2 in US App Store charts.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• AppLovin: Public mobile AdTech giant operating AXON, SparkLabs, and a full mediation stack serving the same mobile gaming advertisers as Almedia with substantially greater scale and direct SDK integrations. Both compete for the same UA dollars with overlapping rewarded and non-rewarded formats.
• Unity (ironSource / LevelPlay): Unity's LevelPlay mediation and ironSource offerwall compete head-on with Almedia for mobile game publishers' rewarded UA budgets. Both companies offer SDK-based rewarded ad units and developer monetization tools targeting the same advertiser base.

Direct peers

• Tapjoy: Tapjoy is one of the closest direct competitors to Almedia, operating a global offerwall-based rewarded UA platform connecting mobile game advertisers with consumers who earn in-app rewards. Both share the offerwall-driven rewarded UA business model targeting mobile game developers.

Peers

• Fyber (Digital Turbine):

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/almediaco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Almedia