Frequently Asked Questions
Answers for startups, advertisers, and data buyers using Zerocost.
For Startups
For builders who want to monetize an app without charging users.
Zerocost is a monetization layer for apps, SaaS products, AI tools, and developer products. You integrate the SDK, choose placements, and earn from contextual ads and optional consented data products.
Create a startup account, add your app profile, install the SDK, and choose your ad placement settings. Once your app is active, Zerocost can match approved demand to your product context.
Any software product with real user activity can use Zerocost: AI apps, SaaS dashboards, developer tools, marketplaces, web apps, and content products. Products with engaged free users usually benefit most.
Yes. You control format, position, theme, and app profile details used for matching. Zerocost reviews advertiser creatives, and you can tune placement settings from the startup dashboard.
Your dashboard tracks ad revenue, data product value, settled revenue, and payout status. Available balances can be withdrawn from the payouts area once revenue has settled.
For Advertisers
For brands and companies that want contextual reach inside software products.
Zerocost lets advertisers run campaigns inside apps where users are already working, creating, researching, or making decisions. Campaigns are matched to app context instead of broad, noisy audience segments.
Ads appear across approved Zerocost startup apps that match your campaign category and context. Available placements include video, image, text, and inline text formats depending on the publisher app.
Targeting is contextual. Zerocost uses app category, industry, and placement context to match campaigns to relevant software environments without relying on invasive user tracking.
Creatives are reviewed before launch for brand safety, misleading claims, restricted content, and format quality. This keeps campaigns usable for advertisers while protecting the apps that host them.
Register as a partner, create a campaign, set a budget, upload creative, and monitor spend and performance in the partner dashboard.
For Data Buyers
For teams buying anonymized interaction data for AI, research, and product insight.
Data buyers can purchase anonymized AI interaction datasets, usage patterns, workflow signals, and approved UX/session research bundles generated from opted-in apps on the Zerocost network.
Teams use Zerocost data products for AI training, evals, workflow research, product analysis, UX research, and understanding how real users interact with software and AI products.
Yes. Zerocost is built around explicit consent for data products. Users must opt in before eligible interaction data can be packaged for dataset buyers.
No. Data products are designed to remove personal information and expose useful anonymized or aggregated interaction signals. Buyers do not receive raw private user profiles.
Yes. Data buyers can focus on domains, app categories, dataset needs, and research goals so available bundles are easier to match to a training or analysis use case.
Privacy, Billing, and Operations
Shared operational questions across the Zerocost marketplace.
Zerocost is built around contextual matching, publisher configuration, consented data products, and privacy-safe marketplace operations rather than invasive cross-site behavioral tracking.
No. Startups do not pay setup fees or monthly fees to add Zerocost. The platform earns through the revenue it helps generate.
Yes. Partner accounts can use Zerocost for campaigns and data purchases when both are relevant. The dashboard separates campaign activity, billing, and dataset access.
Contact the team with the app, campaign, or dataset use case you have in mind. Zerocost can help route you to the right startup, advertiser, or data buyer workflow.