Private vs public cheats: what's the difference
Contents6 sections
The words "private" and "public" describe how a cheat reaches the player: through a personal key from the seller, or as a file posted for everyone. Neither one tells you anything about ban risk.
Below: what sellers mean by these words, what "private" means at CheatForce, how plans work, and what to compare instead of labels.
What sellers call a private cheat
There is no common definition, and the same word covers different sales models:
- Closed sales — you can only buy by invitation.
- Limited slots — a fixed number of keys is issued, and a slot opens up when someone doesn't renew.
- Buyer screening — the seller reviews your application and may turn you down.
- Paid subscription — the cheat is sold to anyone who pays, and the word "private" just sets it apart from free builds.
The first three models limit who can use the cheat; the fourth doesn't. If a seller promises exclusivity, ask for specifics: how many keys are sold, whether there is a waiting list, and who decides who gets to buy. No clear answer means it's just a word in the name.
Public, free and trial versions
These words stand for three different things:
- Public build — a file shared freely on forums and in channels.
- Trial key — short-term access to a paid product: the same build, just a shorter term.
- Demo — a separate build with a cut-down feature set.
A file from a random source has no status on a product page, no updates after a game patch, no instructions and no support to turn to when you hit an error. An ordinary user has no way to check what's inside such an archive before running it.
The loader download button on an instructions page isn't a free version either. Without a purchased key, the loader won't start the cheat: the EXLAB EFT instructions tell you to paste your key and click Login after launching the loader.
What "private" means at CheatForce
The site's home page says "Private cheats for …". For us, that's a category name: paid cheats with a personal key, as opposed to freely shared files. There is no slot limit or buyer screening behind the word.
You can see this in our documents. The terms of sale are published as a public offer to anyone, and the buyer receives a simple non-exclusive license for personal, non-commercial use. The terms of use forbid passing the key to other people, selling it or renting it out.
Product pages have no slot counter, waiting list or application form. The word Private in SMG Private Software for Escape from Tarkov is part of the name, not an access level: this cheat is sold like the rest, currently as a single 31-day plan.
There are no free versions in the catalog. What's free is help with installation and entry into giveaways for buyers, though there may be no active giveaways at the moment.
Important. At CheatForce, "private" means neither a limited number of buyers nor a lower ban risk. Access terms are the same for everyone and are set out in the terms of sale.
Plans: what you pay for and for how long
A plan is the term of your key. The key is sent to the email you entered at checkout and stays in your account; under the terms of sale, it is delivered within 5 minutes of payment. If there is no email, check "Spam" and contact support within 24 hours.
Most products have 1-day and 7-day plans, but each product page has its own lineup:
| Plan | What it means | Catalog example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Test that it launches | Stealth Lite: 1, 7 and 30 days |
| 7 days | The most common plan | Ignite for Fortnite: from 7 days |
| 15 days | The minimum for some products | Macro Product from 15 days |
| 30–31 days | The main long term | SMG Private Software: 31 days only |
| "Lifetime" | Check the terms with support | Ignite for Rust: 7 days, 30 days and "Lifetime" |
What this means for you:
- Work out the price per day — divide the plan price by the number of days. A longer plan often works out cheaper, but it's worth buying only after the cheat has launched for you.
- No 1-day plan? Check the requirements in advance. For Ignite for Fortnite, the "System requirements" currently list only Windows 10, and AMD FX and Xeon are not supported.
- Find out what "Lifetime" covers. If the product page doesn't say what happens when updates stop, ask support before you buy.
- Allow for pauses. While a product has the "Being updated" status, you can't buy it, and the terms of sale don't guarantee how long it takes to adapt a cheat after a game update. Ask support in advance what happens to the days you've paid for.
- For iOS, the key and the certificate are separate products. With an iOS key of 7 days or longer, Certificate M1 is included for free; details are in the iOS installation FAQ.
What price and exclusivity don't prove
Price and closed sales describe a business model, not how the anti-cheat behaves. Bans come from the game's anti-cheat (EAC, BattlEye, Riot Vanguard or the developer's own system) and from moderation. They look at your computer and the game, not at how you bought your key.
Even the Undetected status describes the product's current state and can change after a game patch. Read more about what a status actually shows in a separate article. Cheat types cause similar confusion — see the article on external and internal cheats.
Under the terms of sale, the buyer accepts the ban risk, and the value of banned accounts is not refunded. No one can completely rule out a ban — not the word "private", not the price, not a long plan. Play on an alt account and don't launch a product with the "Being updated" status.
How to compare offers in practice
Compare what you can verify on the product page and the store's pages, not the label:
- Features — the "About the product" and "Cheat features" sections: is what you need there, for example ESP (wallhack) with a loot filter or Aimbot (auto-aim)?
- Requirements — the "System requirements" section: Windows version, processors, built-in spoofer, Secure Boot or virtualization.
- Status next to the product name.
- Term and price per day — which plan sales start from.
- Instructions — if there's an "Instructions" button under the plans, you can study the installation before buying.
- Help — the store helps with installation and setup for free; support replies within 24 hours on business days.
- Refunds — read the refund and free help terms. You get your money back for a product that doesn't work if you've completed the diagnostics support asks for, including reinstalling Windows. Some cheat developers offer no refunds at all.
- Buyer feedback — in the Telegram group and on the Discord server you can ask about a product before buying, and other buyers answer too.
The easiest way to compare plans for different products in one game is the catalog, and the full checklist is in the article on how to choose a cheat before you pay.
