Smart App Community Review – Is This Passive Income App Legit?
If there's one thing that's been true about WebMonkey since the beginning, it's that we love passive income apps.
While it's true that these apps won't make you rich, most of them require little to no effort, so you're basically earning free money.
Now, if you've ever used apps like Panel App or Mobile Performance Meter, you're going to love this other data collection app.
With Smart App, a newer player in the passive income space, you can now make money by selling your consumer data right from your smartphone.
In this Smart App review, we're covering the earning potential, how it all works, and if Smart App is legit and worth the download.
Let’s get started!
Looking for other easy money-making ideas? Checkout:
- Mistplay – The leading loyalty program for Android gamers which also lets you earn free gift cards.
- Survey Junkie – One of the most popular survey websites that only has a $5 cash out requirement.
What is Smart App?
Smart App, also known as Smart App Community or Smart App Panel (confusing, I know), was created in 2014.
This app is a research panel that helps companies understand how phone users are consuming their data and shopping on the web.
Again, if you've used apps like MobileXpression or other passive income apps before, this isn't anything new.
In a nutshell, letting Smart App access your data anonymously and answering a survey once in a while will get you some extra cash just for downloading the app.
Their mission is essentially to help everyday users improve the performance of ads, shopping, and other online services of companies.
At the same time, you’re getting paid to do nothing except browse the internet as you normally would.
When you install Smart App, it’ll always be on and running in the background of your other daily phone tasks, collecting data and tracking how long you’ve been using the app.
How Does Smart App Work?
Participating in this paid research study is quite easy as long as you have a smartphone with a decent internet connection and a will to share your data.
In fact, making money with Smart App just takes four steps:
- Sign up for the program.
- Install Smart App for Android or IOS.
- Earn passive income the longer the app runs.
- Answer surveys and win giveaways.
Time to break down how each step works in a bit more detail!
1. Sign Up For Smart App
Before downloading the app, you have to get approved by taking a quick survey to make sure you qualify.
You’ll answer basic questions such as:
- Your date of birth.
- Your name, email, address, and phone number.
- What type of electronic devices you own and how often you use them.
- Your job title and employer.
There isn’t really anything in the survey that wouldn’t make you eligible. Just make sure you’re answering the survey as honestly as possible.
If you meet the qualifications after answering those questions, you’ll receive an email letting you know that you can download the app and move on to the next step.
Note that this is the only way to start making money with Smart App…you can't just download the app and sign up whenever you feel like it.
If you don't get approved, I recommend checking out our list of other Android apps that pay you cash.
2. Install The App
Since the app is “invite only”, you’ll have to wait a while to get your answer back and be able to install the app.
Once you open the app, you’ll be prompted to sync up a device so the software can identify where to record the data from.
Some users have had a little trouble keeping their devices in sync. Just make sure your mobile device is updated frequently and is in good condition.
You also have the option to sync up multiple devices and have them all working together (such as your laptop, phone, and tablet under the same account) but from what I've read, this doesn't impact your earnings.
3. Earn Passive Income
Here comes the fun part!
When you’ve downloaded the app and your account is fully setup, you can now enable Smart App to have access to your devices and start collecting data.
All data is fully secured, encrypted, and anonymous. All you have to do is…nothing. Just use your phone like you normally would!
You’re essentially selling your data in exchange for regular payments from Smart App, so it's a win-win scenario for both parties.
We’ll get into the actual numbers for the earning potential down below, so stick around until the end to find out how much you can make with Smart App.
Extra Reading – Cash Magnet App Review – Earn Passive Income With Your Phone!
4. Answer Surveys & Win Giveaways
The main way you make money with Smart App is by running the app in the background of your phone to make money.
However, if you want to boost your earnings, you can also take part in occasional surveys to provide additional insight into how you use your phone and your consumer preferences.
Surveys are actually a big part in helping the company better understand how you’re using your phone and other devices.
Luckily, you’re not required to take surveys too often, and you can skip them entirely if you don't like paid surveys.
The individual surveys also earn you cash, so it’s a nice little bonus to be added on top of the normal data collection money. They usually pay somewhere between $5-$10.
On top of that, Smart App Community members are automatically entered into a monthly giveaway that is given out to 3 winners each time!
Each winner will receive a $100 bonus for essentially doing nothing except staying loyal to the company and continuing to use their app.
Random cash bonuses are also given out every few months for being loyal members. Bonuses range between $5-$10 as well, but I wouldn't count of getting these all the time.
How Much Does Smart App Pay?
Now it’s time to get into all the numbers to see if it’s really worth applying to become a Smart App Community member!
Smart App pays $5 per month for keeping the app in use at all times.
In other words, this app can pay you up to $60 per year just for being a member.
Not bad considering you don't have to do anything besides run this in the background of your smartphone.
This is a set rate that you will get every month as long as you have a device connected.
You’ll also get a $5 sign up bonus after you connect your first device and stay active for 30 days.
On top of that, bonuses are given out every 3 months or so (usually around $5-$10) and surveys can make you around the same amount.
Assuming you don’t win the $100 giveaway, you're likely to make around $8 per month using Smart App (which comes out to around $100 a year).
That’s honestly not bad for answering a survey once in a while and leaving the rest of the work for the app to do on it’s own!
Of course, this money isn’t going to pay your bills, but it’s a nice little bonus to be used as beermoney or to help cut back on some gas expenses.
Let’s talk about the ways you can cash out those earnings…
Reward Options – How To Cash Out Your Earnings
At the moment, there are only 2 main ways to cash out your earnings with Smart App:
- Paypal.
- Amazon Gift Cards.
While this app doesn’t have many options for other gift cards, you really only need a way to cash out the money as cash to your bank account.
With Paypal, you can do just that.
The money can be used to buy pretty much anything from there, including things you would have bought with a specific gift card.
You're allowed to cash out your earnings exactly 30 days after signing up and getting your first monthly payment, so keep this slight delay in accessing your earnings in mind.
This is in place to prevent you from signing up for the $5 bonus and then vanishing, never to be seen again.
Extra Reading – How To Make $100 A Day With PayPal.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have a few concerns or are hesitant to give the app a try, hopefully these frequently asked questions will make things a little clearer.
Is Smart App Safe?
According to their privacy policies and safety measures, Smart App is safe to use.
As long as you’re comfortable sharing your data with them, you should be good.
There hasn’t been any sort of history with identity or credit card theft. Plus, most people claim that you’re not sharing any more data than Google and Amazon already have on you.
All in all, your personal information is secured. Just don’t be surprised if you see a few specific ads on social media.
Again, this is the case with almost any kind of passive income app, so you need to decide what level of data-sharing you're comfortable with at the end of the day.
How Much Data Do I Use?
Smart App claims that the total data usage goes no higher than 3 MB per month. That’s relatively low considering most apps require way more than that to operate properly.
Note that you need a reliable internet connection for this app to continue earning!
Will This Drain My Battery?
Most Smart App users have experienced a slight drop in battery life (usually around 1%-5%).
Keep in mind, this drop in battery life can also be caused by other factors such as phone age, phone model, and how much you use your phone.
What Operating Systems Work?
Smart App currently supports the following operating systems on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops:
- Android 5 – 11
- iOS 10 – 14
Smart App also works on most versions of Windows and macOS, but the mobile app is certainly most popular for earning extra cash on the side.
If you're interested in making passive income through your computer, I suggest checking out our UpVoice review or post on how to sell internet bandwidth.
Does Smart App Use A VPN?
Yes, Smart App uses a VPN to transfer your data to their servers.
According to the comapny FAQ, the app “uses a VPN to ensure that your data is transmitted safely and securely.”
This really isn't a problem, but keep in mind that if you use a lot of GPT websites like Grindabuck or Swagbucks from your phone, you risk them detecting a VPN and banning you for violating their TOS, so be careful here!
Is Smart App Legit?
In short… Yes, Smart App is legit.
Your information is completely encrypted and secured. Your data is recorded anonymously and they don’t store any personal information such as credit cards or social security.
There's also payment proof online and relatively positive reception for this app on places like Reddit.
Does that mean it’s worth applying for Smart App?
Well… that depends.
If you’re afraid to share your data and don’t think it’s worth the small earning potential, then you’re better off finding some other passive income apps to make up for that revenue.
If you’re willing to share your consumer data with other companies in order to improve online services and get paid $100 a year for it, then you should definitely give them a try.
Again, you’re essentially doing nothing at all and getting paid for it. It can’t get better than that, right?
Other Smart App Reviews
While Smart App isn't as popular as some of the other apps in this space, you can find other reviews on various forums or places like Reddit.
This thread has a pretty decent Smart Panel app review (the company name is somewhat interchangeable, which is why it's confusing to research sometimes).
Here's the gist of the review:
This breakdown assumes you're also answering every single survey, which might be a bit extreme.
I still think Smart Panel has around a $5 to $8 monthly earning potential, but this review definitely highlights the risk of using a VPN if you frequent various GPT websites.
Final Thoughts – Is Smart App Worth It?
The bottom line is Smart Panel App is worth it if you want a simple $5 in passive income every month.
This obviously won't transform your income, but if you combine this app with a few other passive income ideas, I think you can start to make a decent chunk of change each month.
Now, the app isn't fool proof, and you need to stay on top of your earnings to make sure you're regularly getting credited for participating in the panel.
If you encounter problems, I definitely recommend contacting their support team via email to make sure you don't miss out on earnings!
Hopefully, our Smart App review helps you decide if this entire thing is worth your time or not.
If you want more lucrative ideas to increase your income, I recommend reading:
- 45+ Gig Economy Apps To Start A Side Hustle.
- 20+ Jobs That Pay $5,000 A Month.
- 40+ Ways To Make Money Online.
Smart App
Name: Smart App
Description: Smart App is a research panel that pays you for collecting data about how you use the web and for answering surveys.
Operating System: Android, IOS, Desktop
Application Category: Passive Income
Author: Daniel Friedman
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Earning Potential
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Earning Options
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Reward Options
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Ease Of Use