Frequently asked questions

Everything you might want to know before you jump in.

Is Outglow free?

Yes. Creating an account, posting, challenging, and voting are all free. The platform is supported by clearly-labeled advertising shown in the feed.

Do I need an account to look around?

No. You can explore live battles, browse the leaderboard, and view public posts, profiles, and battle results without signing up. You need a free account to post, challenge, vote, comment, or follow.

How do I start a battle?

Open any post that is not yours and tap Challenge, then pick one of your own posts to put up against it. The battle goes live immediately — there is no accept step. It runs for 24 hours.

How does voting work?

Anyone except the two creators in a battle can cast one vote. You cannot vote for yourself or vote twice, and voting closes when the 24-hour timer ends. Votes from established creators carry more weight, and votes from brand-new or suspicious accounts are down-weighted to prevent manipulation.

What is reputation?

Reputation is a single number reflecting your standing as a creator. You earn it by entering battles — winners earn the most, but everyone who participates earns something. As it grows you unlock named tiers, titles, badges, and profile frames. Reputation cannot be bought and does not directly buy reach.

Can I lose reputation?

Battles are designed to reward participation, so simply entering and losing a close battle still pays out. Reputation can be adjusted in cases of confirmed abuse, fraud, or moderation action.

How do you keep voting fair?

New-account age gates, per-user vote limits, IP-velocity checks, reputation-weighted voting, and a no-self-voting rule all work together so a battle cannot be swung by throwaway accounts.

Is my content public?

Posts you publish are public and can appear in the Arena feed, Reels, battles, and on your public profile. Direct messages are private. You control your profile details and can delete your content or account at any time.

How do I report something?

Every post, comment, battle, profile, and message has a report action. Reports route to a moderation queue, with child-safety reports prioritized into a dedicated queue. See our community guidelines for what is and is not allowed.

How is my data handled?

We do not sell your personal data. You can request a full export of your data or delete your account from Settings. See our privacy policy for the full detail.

Why do I see ads?

Ads keep Outglow free. They are clearly labeled as sponsored, kept visually distinct from creator posts, and appear alongside real content in the feed — never as pop-ups or disguised as posts.