Freegle vs Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is huge, and loads of free stuff changes hands there. It’s handy if you’re already on Facebook and happy to mix free items in with buying and selling.
Which should you use?
Marketplace has reach, no arguing with that. But it mixes selling in with the freebies, it’s built around ads and your data, and scams are a lot more common. Freegle is free-only, run by a charity, and we put real effort into keeping the dodgy stuff out. If Marketplace works for you and things get reused, we’re still glad, but for giving and getting for free, we think Freegle’s the kinder place to be.
What’s a bit different about Freegle
There’s somebody in the middle here. A mix of volunteer moderators and automated checks keeps most of the scammers and spammers away from you in the first place. Marketplace has no such layer, which is rather why almost all of their safety advice is about how to protect yourself.
We’re a charity, not an advertising business. You don’t need a Facebook account to use Freegle, and we’re not quietly building a profile of you to sell ads against.
Freegle only does the one thing. Everything on it is free and nothing is for sale, so you’re not sifting the freebies out of a shop. On Marketplace, “free” is a filter on a marketplace that mostly wants to sell you something.
In short
| Freegle | Facebook Marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| What it’s for | Free reuse only | Buying, selling and free, mixed |
| Ads and data | Minimal, we’re a charity | Ad-funded, data-driven |
| Scam protection | Active moderation and checks | Largely down to you |
| Account needed | A Freegle account | A Facebook account |
Questions people ask
Is Freegle free like Marketplace’s free section?
Yes, and on Freegle everything is free, there’s no selling at all.
Do I need a Facebook account for Freegle?
No. Freegle is completely separate and works on the web, by email or via our app.
Can I sell things on Freegle?
No, Freegle is just for giving and getting things for free.
Got a question we haven’t covered? Have a look at our help section.
Honestly, we just like seeing things reused instead of binned. If the other lot work better for you, grand, use them with our blessing. And if you fancy giving Freegle a go too, come and say hello.