Terms of service

1. Who we are and what this is

EarlyUsers (“the platform”, “we”) is a marketplace at earlyusers.io where companies and individuals building a product (“startups”) pay other people (“early users”) a fixed reward to perform a described task and report on it. We operate the platform and process payments through Stripe; we are not a party to the task itself. Contact: hello@earlyusers.io.

By creating an account you accept these terms and our privacy policy. If you accept on behalf of a company, you confirm you may bind it.

2. Accounts

One account has one role, startup or early user, chosen at registration. You must be at least 18, give a working email and keep your credentials to yourself. You are responsible for what happens under your account. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms, and we may refuse service at our discretion.

3. Campaigns

A startup publishes a campaign describing a task, the devices needed, the estimated time, the number of seats, the reward per person and an acceptance checklist. Publishing requires payment of seats × (reward + platform fee). The platform fee is currently $2.50 per seat and the minimum reward $2.50; both are shown at checkout and locked for that campaign.

While recruiting, the startup may edit instructions, checklist, access details and product link, start the campaign early with the people who joined, or cancel it. Once the campaign fills, no cancellation by the startup is possible and only access details may change.

4. Participation

An early user who joins a campaign commits to sending a report within 10 days of the campaign filling. Leaving is possible until the campaign fills. A report consists of a written account, the checklist with each item marked, and optional evidence files. Reports are final once sent; a startup may request more information once, and the early user may add to the report once in response.

New members may hold at most 5 active seats until 10 of their reports have been approved. 3 expired seats within 90 days lead to a 30-day block on joining.

5. Review, approval, rejection and appeal

The startup reviews each report within 6 days (extended by 72 hours after an information request). It may approve, with an optional rating, or reject with a written reason. A report not reviewed in time is approved automatically. A rejected early user may appeal once within 7 days; an administrator decides on the basis of the report, the evidence, the checklist and the reason, and that decision is final within the platform.

6. Money

• Rewards are held by the platform in escrow from payment until approval.
• On approval, the reward is credited to the early user's wallet. On rejection or expiry, the reward is credited to the startup's platform balance.
• The platform fee for seats that were taken is earned by the platform and not refundable. Fees for seats never taken return to the startup's balance on early start.
• Cancelling while recruiting refunds the reward pool to the original payment method up to the amount charged, with any remainder to the platform balance.
• The platform balance is applied to future campaigns and is not paid out to a bank. It is forfeited if the account is deleted.
• Early users may request a payout of their available balance from $20. Payouts are made through Stripe Connect after administrator approval and require a Stripe account in a supported country. Stripe's onboarding and its own terms apply.
• All amounts are in US dollars. Early users are responsible for taxes on their rewards.
• If a card payment is disputed or charged back, approvals on that campaign are frozen until the dispute is resolved; we may recover amounts paid out on the basis of a reversed payment.

7. Content and conduct

Startups may not ask early users to spend their own money, provide identity documents, passwords, health, financial or other sensitive personal data, or do anything unlawful, deceptive or harmful, and may not post adult or gambling content. Early users must do the task themselves, honestly, and submit only their own work and evidence. Fabricated reports, duplicate accounts, and harassment lead to suspension without payment of pending rewards.

Startups receive a licence to use reports and evidence to improve their product. Early users keep ownership of their reports and grant that licence by submitting. Startups must not identify early users publicly without consent. Evidence files are private to the parties and administrators and are deleted twelve months after a campaign ends.

8. Our role and liability

We provide the marketplace, hold rewards in escrow, run the review timers and decide appeals. We do not guarantee that a campaign fills, that reports are useful, or that a product is safe to test. To the extent the law allows, our liability to you for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

9. Changes and termination

We may change these terms with notice by email or on the site; continued use after the effective date is acceptance. You may delete your account at any time once you have no open seats, campaigns or balances to settle, as described in the settings page. Sections 6 to 8 survive termination.

10. Law and contact

These terms are governed by the law of the country where the platform operator is established, without prejudice to consumer rights that apply where you live. Questions: hello@earlyusers.io.