Freebox vs. OLIO
OLIO is well-established in the UK. Freebox is built for finding free stuff worth flipping, nationwide in the US.
Short answer
Freebox vs. OLIO: OLIO is a real, independently-verified app for giving away free items that’s strong in the UK but thin in many US metros, with no resale value shown and no profit ranking; Freebox aggregates free finds in any U.S. ZIP, estimates each item’s resale value, ranks by profit, and alerts you when a high-value one drops.
Live counts from Freebox, which tracks 12,000+ free finds worth $1.8M+ across 360+ US metros, updated daily.
OLIO is a legitimate app, not a defunct or fringe one — it’s raised real funding and has millions of users. But the bulk of that activity is concentrated in the UK, Europe, and Singapore; US user reviews describe thin nearby activity even in some of the country’s biggest cities. It also isn’t built around resale — there’s no estimated value on anything and no ranking by potential profit. Freebox aggregates free local finds from multiple sources and adds an estimated resale value on each, ranked by profit, with alerts, in any U.S. ZIP regardless of local density.
| Freebox | OLIO | |
|---|---|---|
| Tells you each item's estimated resale value | Yes — on every find | No |
| Ranks finds by estimated profit | Yes | No — chronological nearby feed |
| Aggregates curbside, marketplace, and other free sources | Yes | No — its own posted listings only |
| Active, well-covered listings in most US metros | Yes | Patchy — strongest in the UK, thinner in many US cities |
| Alerts you when a high-value free find drops | Yes | No |
| Works in any U.S. ZIP | Yes | Depends on local user density |
| Free to browse and list | Paid ($2.49/wk) | Yes |
FAQ
- Is Freebox an OLIO alternative?
- Partly — it depends on where you live. OLIO is a real, independently-verified app for giving away free food and household items locally, and it's genuinely well-established in the UK (the majority of its users are there). In the US, coverage is much thinner: even in some of the largest US metros, user reviews describe minimal nearby activity despite having users in range. OLIO also doesn't show a resale value on anything or rank listings by profit — it's built for reducing waste, not for flipping. Freebox aggregates free finds specifically for resellers, with an estimated value and profit ranking on each, in any U.S. ZIP regardless of local user density.
- Why not just use OLIO directly?
- If you're in the UK or another region where OLIO has strong local density, it's a legitimate way to find and give away free items. The gap for US resellers specifically: coverage is uneven outside its strongest markets, there's no signal on what anything's actually worth, and there's no ranking by potential profit since it isn't built around flipping. Freebox estimates resale value and profit on each free find automatically and works the same way in any U.S. ZIP.
- Does OLIO actually work in the US?
- It's available to download and does have real US users, so it's not a dead or fake app — but independent user reviews specifically note thin activity in several major US cities, since the bulk of OLIO's roughly 8-9 million users are concentrated in the UK, Europe, and Singapore. Results will vary a lot by neighborhood; it's worth checking local density before relying on it.
- Is the free stuff on Freebox really free?
- Yes — the items themselves are given away free, sourced from curbsides, marketplace free filters, and other giveaway channels. Freebox is a paid app ($2.49/week or $39.99/year, cancel anytime) that does the aggregating, valuing, and alerting. The finds themselves cost nothing.
See what’s free near you right now or what any free find is worth. More comparisons: vs. Freecycle, vs. Trash Nothing, vs. Buy Nothing Project, vs. VarageSale.
Find free stuff worth actual money
Freebox tells you what each free find is worth and pings you when a good one drops. $2.49/wk or $39.99/yr.