Smart Panel: Is it Legit or Not?


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Is the smart panel app a scam or legitimate?Let's face it, smartphones are a gift and curse depending on how you look at them. On one hand you have access to an abundance of information and functionality in your pocket. Woa, that sounded weird. But you get the picture, that's the good part. But the flip side is that convenience comes at a high price to purchase one and the ongoing cost of a data plan. Well, today I'm going to discuss a possible way to put your smartphone at work so it can pay for itself off. Yes, I know this is starting to sound a little weird. But hear me out as we go through my Smart Panel Review down below.

What is Smart Panel?

Verto Analytics is a New York based data gathering and research company. They created a program called Smart Panel to help businesses improve their web sites, mobile apps, media, and technology. They achieve this by using leverage our devices and rewarding us for it. They also happen to be listed with the BBB and have a decent rating at the time of this review. By the way, another BBB listed companies worth looking into is SurveyJunkie.com, Swagbucks.com & FusionCash.com.

So How Does The Smart Panel App Work?

Basically, you're pretty much getting paid to be stalked online anonymously. But let me break down the process in more details.

  • You need to register free by taking a very brief Smart Panel survey to see if you qualify for the program.
  • Once qualified, you will be required to install/download the “Smart App” to your smartphone, tablet, and/or PC. More than one device per participant is allowed. Once installed, you just use your device(s) and/or PC like you normally would from day to day. The Smart App will run in the background collecting device data reports and service usage anonymously.
  • You'll be rewarded for qualification, app installation, and keeping it installed for a length of time.

If you don't like the idea of being stalked to make money, you can earn money from home with Swagbucks.com, SurveyJunkie.com and FusionCash.com.

How Much Money Can You Make With the Smart Panel App?

  • You'll get $5 for qualifying for the program.
  • They'll pay you $5 more for each month the app is kept installed.
  • Cash rewards are paid to you by PayPal or you may get Amazon gift cards.

Will my data and information be safe?

Naturally, you're probably feeling a little uncomfortable having software monitoring your smartphone, tablet or computer usage. I know it's not because you're surfing anything inappropriate or saying anything crazy online. (WINK, WINK) But according to the company, you are only asked for personal info (name, email) to receive reward payments. The data that is collected from your device is anonymous, encrypted, secured and protected.

Smart Panel App Complaints

Well, I'm sure by reading what this is about, you can guess what some of the concerns or complaints may be against this Smart Panel Program. But humor me as I break them down for you anyway.[sociallocker]

In the beginning there was…

Looking at their website, I have no idea how long company has been in existence or when it started. That's important to know given how many fly by night companies pop up online.

Houston, we have a problem!

Apparently there are some reports that the “Smart Panel Survey App” seems to cause devices and PCs to run slow. And there are many other glitches and bugs that have been reported by participants.

Can a brother get some help over here?

It's bad enough having to endure technical issues, but it's worse when your support emails are being ignored. And it seems that some folks have reported that has happened one too many times.

What are you looking at it?

Although this isn't spyware because you don't have any software that was secretly installed on your machine watching what you do without your knowledge. In this case you have actively decided to install the application knowing its purpose. But some of us don't like the idea of being monitored even if it's anonymous. That said, you're being watched all the time by public camera's and when you visit websites. Do you think that ad that keeps following you around online is a coincidence? At least you're getting paid for the stalking with this program.

Where's the cash?

Unfortunately, you're not paying $5 per device which would be sweet. It's just a flat rate of $5 regardless of the number of devices they're monitoring. And apparently some people aren't always getting their cash credited to their PayPal accounts. Ultimately, I don't know if the $5 is worth it when you consider options that can make you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars like I teach here.

Share the love…

Unlike most market research company Smart Panel Survey doesn't seem to offer a referral program. I'm a little bitter about this. Just because you or I may not necessarily like this opportunity we may know someone that may. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be rewarded for the introduction. So that sucks.[/sociallocker]

Smart Panel App Alternatives

Just in case this app gives you the willies, but you do like the idea of getting paid to use your smart phone, I would recommend checking out the following alternatives:

I'm confident you'll find them to be less invasive and can probably earn you more in the long run.

So Is Smart Panel A Scam?

Ultimately, this company does actually pay. There are people that are reporting happy results. But the complaints and the whole collecting my data anonymously just doesn't sit right with me. It might if you were paying me $50- $100 per month. A guaranteed $5 per month for doing nothing is pretty cool, but I'm not sure if it's worth the trade off. That's really up for you to decide. Let me know your thoughts either way by posting a comment down below.

If you're looking for some other ways to make REAL money taught by me Eddy with a y, then click here to check out how I can help you do that! Well, thanks for reading folks. As always chime in below. I love to hear from you.

Eddy with a y

54 thoughts on “Smart Panel: Is it Legit or Not?”

  1. I have been a member since 2019 and I have never had any problems. I get $5 a month plus a bonus $10 every 3 months. I just wish there were more survey opportunities. Also, sometimes payout for surveys can take a while.

    Reply
  2. I have read a lot of these comments and it seems like in 2015 there was a lot of problems with cashing out. I contacted them when they said my computer wasn’t connected to them any more. Got email right back and put it on my phone just in case so I was connected to their site. Uninstalled and reinstalled and it went back online.

    I got option to cash out first month and just put in on Amazon account. No problems now so maybe they have fixed some of these issues. Signed on with WA and hoping that is going to help some.

    Reply
  3. This has been an awful experience. I installed Smart Panel for at least 2 years. I have never redeemed the rewards for I thought I would just keep accumulating the amount. To my surprise, the action Smart Panel is taking now denies the fact that the company took my personal information, and are not willing to fulfill the terms of service. Smart Panel automatically canceled my account, and are unwilling to have proper communication with its members. I guess when it comes to paying its members, Smart Panel can find all kinds of excuses to dodge it. Smart Panel sold my personal information to other companies for 2 years, and I don’t get what you promised?

    I have been your member for more than 2 years. I traveled outside of the country, and now you are telling me that because I’m not in the US at the moment, Smart Panel deactivated my account, and I’m supposed to be fine with this?

    I’m now back in the States, and guess what? I can’t log in to my account to cash out the rewards.

    This company tells you that you cant cash out and conveniently “deactivated” the account so that you can never cash out the money anymore.

    Reply
  4. I have been doing this on my iPad for over two years, we don’t use the iPad everyday there are some months not at all… I still get paid every month, I cash out every few months. My only problem is my Amazon video app won’t play if the Vpn is on so you have to turn it off, as long as you report every day or so you can turn it off if you are having issues. But it is very annoying.

    Reply
  5. I have been using smart panel for many years.
    I cash out every chance I can.
    They pay $5 every month I run their app and $15 every three months for a total of $120 a year.
    I have cashed in on over $400 since I signed up.
    They also send short surveys (10 or 15 question) every once in a while for a amazon egift of $3.
    I run their app on an unused laptop.
    Last march we went on vacation for 2 weeks.
    My internet down the day we left.
    When I got back I had a bunch of emails from smart panel about not being connected.
    My heart sank because it took nine months to get to the extra $15 reward every three months.
    But they are so cool that once I started the app running again it was as if I never was disconnected from the internet for over two weeks.
    I got my regular $5 on time and my extra $15 reward on time.
    I was running another app, media insiders up until 4/2017, they closed. Their minimum cash out was $25 to pay pal. Unlike smart panel who post to pay pal so fast that the money posted before I could open paypal, They were taking up to 6 days to post to pay pal. I also collected over $300 from them since 2015 when I signed up.

    Digital reflections will send a android box to attach to your router. They give you $50 for this then $10 for each month the device is connected. You can get your money via pay pal with minimum or $50 balance. I got my $50 but disconnected the device after three months because all traffic to and from our house was going through this box and it could not handle the high speed internet and every thing slowed down to a crawl. We pay for the fastest internet our cable provider offers, but sometimes with the box connected we barley got dial up speed.

    Anyway I am still looking for other company’s like smart panel so I can make more money on my unused laptop that does nothing but just stay on.

    I wonder If I can use my processor to make money, something like the SETI program that pays money.
    If you know of something post to the comments.

    Reply
  6. Same here. I went on vacation and a red notification appeared right above the mobile app., but when I went to click on the app., it kicked me out. Long story short, I deleted the app, tried to re-install, and now Apple is telling me it’s “not trusted”. I liked it – it paid out what it promised: sometimes $5/mo, sometimes $15.00. I bet you this is Trump’s fault.

    Reply
  7. I really wanted to be a part of Smart Panel, but for whatever reason it appears to be messing up my wireless connection. I deleted the app and wireless worked perfect for several days. I reinstalled the app and it quit working again. Not 100% sure if it’s the culprit, but I’m highly suspicious….and disappointed!

    Reply
  8. I really wanted to like this app. The concept and reward seemed promising. However, after about a week, I noticed my web pages/links would not load at all when I clicked from a Google search.

    Soon as I uninstalled the app, my pages resumed loading. Not a conspiracy guy, but this leads me to believe something fishy’s going on with this app…

    Reply
  9. How do you get paid? I just installed it and I noticed that it doesn’t have a “redeem now” button. I know you get paid by PayPal or Amazon but how?

    Reply
    • Hey Suzy,

      Don’t take it personal. But unfortunately that’s how some of these market research sites work. It’s all about supply and demand in terms of the demographics they may be looking for. That’s why programs like this can’t be counted on for consistent income.

  10. Site age discriminates, in that if you’re older than a certain age, they’ll fail your ability to sign up (pass the questionnaire). They only want a certain demographic, so don’t bother if you’re older than 40 or so. Of course, they won’t tell you this up front! They probably know that older folks are more careful about how they use their devices, which would be less useful for marketing purposes. Pass.

    Reply
    • Taz, that’s the nature of market research in general. Certain demographics are more sought after than others. So it’s not isolated to Smart Panel. Don’t take it personal. It’s just another reason I don’t recommend Surveys as a consistent source of income. Fortunately there are other options to explore.

  11. The only issue I have is them not sending me an SMS even though my phone is correct to cash out to PayPal. Could you give me any advice? Ultimately the app hasn’t caused any trouble. Just wondering how to get the SMS or email.

    Reply
  12. never been able to login to the mobile app despite downloading it directly from the email they sent me, the PC software sets my AV into a fit and now they keep emailing me almost begging me to reinstall it…even clicking on the support link on their website doesnt work…i’ll pass

    Reply
  13. This company is really pretty shady. I decided to try them out despite all the bad reviews (all of these apps have complaints about cashing out and being banned for simple questions). I received the super-secret download link, downloaded the app onto my iPhone, and had trouble logging in, even though I had no problem logging into the desktop website. So I emailed them, and nothing. Emailed them again, a few days go by, and nothing. So I deleted the app, and in the form asking why, I told them “no email communication for my inquiries.” The next day, I received an email saying “Be advised that you are unable to log in because you’ve been disqualified.” Uh, no. You sent me the download link, which means I qualified, because you don’t just give it out to everyone. And I deleted my account days ago. It’s infuriating that these companies (SmartPanel, Ibotta, ShopKick) all have a reputation of stealing customer’s points/cash and then blaming them.

    Reply
    • Hey Jordan,

      I’m sorry to hear about your experience with this company. I’ve personally used ibotta and never had any issues. So I can’t agree that’s the case for them. ShopKick I’ve accumulated some points that I plan to redeem soon. So we’ll see how that goes. But either way this type of stuff shouldn’t happen. But I do know sometimes it is the users fault for doing something shady knowingly. But there are probably times when the companies have also dropped the ball. So I feel your pain. I appreciate the insight either way.

  14. I love it. I’ve cashed out multiple times already and it seems to work very well for me. I had an issue when I first installed it and they responded very quickly to my tweet for help. I have a couple of these other types of things that give me a little each month and it’s super helpful as a STAHM and hubby’s pay check was tight around Christmas, I was able to buy diapers and one or two small gifts for the kiddos between all the little stuff I had like this. Not like going to make anybody rich but totally worth it for earning a Starbucks from time to time.

    Reply
  15. I didnt get on With this i tryied to cash out had a problem message them and the closed my acount so i didnt get paid any ideas about how to get round this?

    I now use slidejoy just download on your phone and adds pop up on your locked screen and you just unlock your phone as normal i get 5-20 pounds a week worth a shot

    Reply
    • Hey Danny,

      Maybe try to contact them on their social media pages or look up their contact information to see if you can call someone. But usually when these companies have shut down accounts its because the user violated some rule intentionally or unknowingly. But when you join these sites you also agree to their terms and conditions which usually allow them to close accounts at will. So I don’t know how much recourse you have. We’ve covered slide joy here. I’m happy to hear you’re doing well with it. Thanks for sharing. By the way there is no self promotion here for commenters. But I included the url you originally posted in the url section of your comment and now your name links to it.

  16. I don’t have a lot of activity on my phone, so i don’t mind Smart Panel looking at my info. I have cashed out three times. It adds up when you have a few sites that you get $5 with. I look forward to my $5 each month! The site works for me!!

    Reply
    • Hi Eddy, I am blessed with being an ‘old fart’. I don’t have and I don’t want a smart phone. Saves me from looking stupid with a device attached to my hand wherever I go. Watched a guy almost got run over by a bus while doing the all important tile sliding or texting, not paying attention to unimportant things, like staying alive.

  17. I joined Smart Panel several months ago. So far I am happy but I have not tried to cash out yet. I have $50 in my account. I had some problems with the download. It seem to not be active at times and they will send an e-mail right away. I have been able to talk with them via e-mail and they respond very quickly.

    Reply
    • Good luck trying to cash out. I’ve been trying for 4 weeks to cash out my $30 in rewards. I’ve send 5 correspondence to them directly – one via their internal support messaging, three via direct emails to support (I get autoreplies that they will contact me soon each time) and ONE try on their twitter page. Regarding the twitter outreach – I was polite but let them know I was still having an issue they were saying was fixed, could they please help me. They banned me from viewing and posting on their twitter page for that inquiry.
      So I wish you the best of luck with them, but I’m now writing them off as a scam.

    • I don’t understand why Amanda or Ann are have problems with cashing out. Maybe you need to understand how the site works, like where to redeem or cash-out screen is. I know I get my $5 on the 12th of each month. Maybe if you try to cash out for just $5, and not the total balance you have. As far as them responding to your email(S), I contacted them twice when I first signed up with them and they did respond. I think it took them 3-4 days. Again EASY $5 MONTHLY!!

  18. Eddy, I always enjoy and read your articles. I am retired and do not own a Smart Phone, so articles such as this do not apply to me or many retirees whom I know. Thank you, though, for keeping on the ball and making sure these companies are not preying on innocent people trying to make a few bucks.

    Reply
  19. Scam. I installed to two devices, should have earned $20 by now, and have “earned” $5, which I cannot access due to the minimum amount you have to have to cash out.

    Don’t bother.

    Reply
  20. I’ve been with this site for a few months, and I just cashed out to my PayPal last week. I received my money within minutes of the request. My only complaint is that the support takes a while to get back with you when you send in an email. If you’re going to use this site, make sure everything is correct upon your registration, and and hope you never have any problems with your devices.

    Reply
  21. Doesn’t sound too good to me. So I don’t think it is too legit to me and besides I don’t have a smart phone so I couldn’t do it if I wanted too. And besides it. Doe$n’t seem like it would pay enough and seems like you have. To pay all the time.

    Reply
    • Thanks for chiming in. It is a legitimate company that has paid and it doesn’t cost you anything. But I agree I don’t think it’s worth installing.

  22. Hi there Eddy, over my dead body is the only way to install a spy app on my computer. Not because of what I do, because of what they will be able to do.

    They can tell me all day long how secure their stuff is, but do you really believe a smart hacker is not able to decipher your bank and/or paypal info, including passwords, and robs you blind. Not that this never happened before, right?

    Just saying

    Reply
    • Hey John,

      Always good to hear from you. I definitely have very strong feelings against installing stuff like this on my machine. In terms of hacking, at the end of the day hackers hack government and bank websites that are suppose to have the best security. If someone really wants to get in your computer they’ll find a way regardless if it’s this software or not. The only way to even remotely prevent that is not to use the internet. We’re all being watched one way or another online or offline. So you’re always exposed if you want to get technical. That said, It’s still not an appealing opportunity to me either.

    • A couple of days ago I read an article about the newest HD TV sets that can record what’s said in the room. Scary, if you consider that some hackers can turn on the webcam on your computer without you knowing it. And I am not the paranoid type. I get a couple emails a week to install the Nielsen app on my computer since I was stupid enough to try this out some time ago. Had it on for about one hour and removed it because my machine was slower than a 200 lbs turtle.

    • Yeah I’m not surprised. We’re already in a big brother world. And I’m also not surprised stuff like that slows down one’s device. I don’t need any more things that do that. lol

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