We The Food vs Olio
Both apps mobilise neighbours to stop good food from going to waste — but they're built around different models. Here's an honest comparison to help you decide which one (or both) belongs on your phone.
At a glance
Olio
Olio is a community sharing app founded in London in 2015. Neighbours list surplus food (and household items) for free, and a network of volunteer "Food Waste Heroes" also collects unsold surplus from local shops, cafés, and supermarkets to redistribute through the app.
What works well
- Large, established community across many countries and cities
- Volunteer network collects directly from businesses, not just households
- Covers non-food household items too, not only meals and groceries
- Everything is free — no payment friction for either side
Where it falls short
- No way to sell — if you'd rather recover a small amount for what you made or grew, there's no option
- No buyer protection, since there's no payment to protect in the first place
- Free-only listings can mean lower supply in areas without an active volunteer base
We The Food
We The Food is a peer-to-peer food rescue platform. Anyone — your neighbour, a home baker, a small community fridge — can list surplus food. You see exactly what is on offer, pick it up, and pay what the lister asks (or nothing at all for giveaways).
What works well
- Give away or sell — you choose per listing, so surplus can either be free or priced to at least cover ingredients
- Optional buyer protection — paid orders can add a refund guarantee if the pickup falls through
- Allergen transparency — sellers declare allergens so you can filter safely
- Map and ZIP-level discovery — browse a map of what's nearby, or see gems within a few postcodes of you
- Flexible pickup windows — set by the seller to fit their schedule
Where it falls short
- Younger, smaller community — supply depends on neighbours actively listing
- No dedicated volunteer network collecting from businesses (yet)
- Food only — no household or non-food items
The real difference
Always free vs your choice
Olio is built entirely around giving things away. We The Food lets you choose per listing — give it away, or set a price if you'd rather recover some of what it cost you to make or grow.
Volunteer network vs direct peer-to-peer
Olio's Food Waste Heroes add a layer between businesses and recipients. We The Food keeps it direct — whoever has the surplus lists it themselves, and whoever wants it arranges pickup with them directly through chat.
Reach vs precision
Olio's head start means broader coverage in many cities today. We The Food leans into precision instead — map browsing and ZIP-level "Nearby Gems" to help you find what's genuinely close by.
Which should you use?
Use Olio if you want the widest possible reach, care about non-food items too, and are happy with everything being free on both sides.
Use We The Food if you sometimes want to sell surplus rather than always give it away, want a refund guarantee on paid pickups, or want allergen filtering and precise local discovery.
Use both. They're not mutually exclusive — more eyes on your surplus means less of it ends up in the bin.
Last updated: July 2026