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Honeygain Review

Depends

Should I use Honeygain?

Free earning app that pays you to share unused internet in the background, withdrawn via PayPal. - honeygain.com

· 1 month ago

Worth running only as trivial pocket change on unlimited, always-on home internet you already pay for. Skip it entirely if you expect meaningful income, use metered data, or care who rides on your IP address.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources: Reddit and Trustpilot reviews, security research from Cisco, and vendor pages.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free app

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Unlimited idle home internet
  • Beermoney hobbyists with multiple devices
  • Always-on desktops not used for work

Not for

  • Anyone expecting real income — payouts are pocket change
  • Metered or data-capped internet plans
  • Work laptops or corporate networks
  • Privacy-sensitive users; strangers use your IP

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Researchers documented attackers abusing proxyware apps; never install on devices or networks you don't own

medium

$20 minimum payout: light users wait months before withdrawing anything

medium

Users questioned a 15% PayPal cut; Honeygain says it charges no fee — verify deductions yourself

low

Dashboard app averages 3.3/5 on Trustpilot — expect mixed support experiences

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free to install and runs in the background
  • Users broadly confirm payouts are real, not a scam
  • PayPal payouts accelerated via Tipalti partnership
  • Desktop users earn ~30% more for shared traffic
  • More cash-out options added in the 2026 payout update

Cons

  • One user needed 5 months to reach the first $20
  • Your IP serves strangers; abuse and reputation risks documented
  • Cisco spotlighted Honeygain alongside STRRAT and ZLoader malware activity
  • Dashboard app rated just 3.3/5 on Trustpilot
  • Small company: ~$240K ARR in 2020, thin resources

Sources & method

- 12 sources - Not malware itself, but flagged: 1 CVE listed and Cisco Talos documented adversarial abuse of proxyware like Honeygain.

official x3review x5security x3news x1
  • CVE listed against Honeygain, SecAlerts tracks 1 CVE for the Honeygain vendor.
  • Adversarial abuse of proxyware, Cisco Talos documented attackers abusing Honeygain-style proxyware apps for malicious purposes.
  • Named in threat spotlight with malware, Cisco Umbrella's threat spotlight pairs Honeygain with STRRAT and ZLoader malware activity.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Free app, but payouts are pennies per month.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Install once, runs in background.
  • Feature depth: 2/5. One trick: share bandwidth, earn credits.
  • Support quality: 3/5. Dashboard app rated 3.3/5 on Trustpilot.
  • Security posture: 2/5. 1 CVE listed; researchers documented proxyware abuse.
  • $20 Payout threshold minimum before you can withdraw
  • $20 in 5 months Real-world earnings one user's first payout
  • 3.3/5 Trustpilot (dashboard app) 38 reviews
  • $240K ARR Vendor size GetLatka, 2020

Pricing

Free app

$0

  • Earn credits for shared traffic
  • Withdraw from $20 via PayPal or crypto

Security

Not malware itself, but flagged: 1 CVE listed and Cisco Talos documented adversarial abuse of proxyware like Honeygain.

  • CVE listed against HoneygainSecAlerts tracks 1 CVE for the Honeygain vendor.⁹
  • Adversarial abuse of proxywareCisco Talos documented attackers abusing Honeygain-style proxyware apps for malicious purposes.⁷
  • Named in threat spotlight with malwareCisco Umbrella's threat spotlight pairs Honeygain with STRRAT and ZLoader malware activity.⁸

Companies that use it

  • Flipboard
Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources: Reddit and Trustpilot reviews, security research from Cisco, and vendor pages.

Legit but tiny: one user took 5 months to earn $20. Fine as spare change on unlimited internet; never as income.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources: Reddit and Trustpilot reviews, security research from Cisco, and vendor pages.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Honeygain homepagehoneygain.com
    official
  2. Is it worth it? new user (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  3. Honeygain: 5 Months and 1 Day to earn $20medium.com
    review
  4. Honeygain Review: legit but modest (Medium)medium.com
    review
  5. Trustpilot — Dashboard Honeygaintrustpilot.com
    review
  6. Was there always a 15% fee for PayPal (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  7. Attracting flies with Honey(gain) — Cisco Talosblog.talosintelligence.com
    security
  8. Threat Spotlight: STRRAT, ZLoader, and HoneyGain — Cisco Umbrellaumbrella.cisco.com
    security
  9. Honeygain vulnerabilities — SecAlertssecalerts.co
    security
  10. Honeygain Revenue 2020: $240K ARR — GetLatkagetlatka.com
    news
  11. Honeygain Boosts Payouts with Tipaltitipalti.com
    official
  12. Payout update: more ways to cash outhoneygain.com
    official

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