While looking for ways to make money online, you may have come across Validately. Tester reviews may not be your area of expertise, but you’re confident you can take them on since you consider yourself a tech-savvy person.
Also, it won’t hurt to make some extra cash. With the inflation rate at an all-time high, one income stream will hardly cover your daily expenses.
However, you may not be 100% sold on Validately yet. Although user testing seems to pay well, the mixed reviews make you wonder whether the site’s worth your time or not.
After all, you can’t just sign up for every GPT app you see. Luckily, you don’t have to waste your time researching Validately because this piece gives you all the info you need to make an informed, objective decision.
Our team caught wind of Validately. We found it interesting, so we looked further into it by reading real user testimonials, checking verified official independent review sites, and, of course, trying the platform ourselves.
Stick with us until the end to learn how you can qualify for more user testing requests. Otherwise, you might waste your time with survey disqualifications and application rejections.
Is Validately legit? Let’s find out now!
What is Validately?
Validately is a site-testing platform that rewards testers for reviewing websites. As a beta tester, your job generally involves recording yourself as you go through the sites assigned to you.
The platform has business partners from various industries. You’ll thrive as a tester if you have the knowledge and versatility to review websites under different niches.
Also, you can access Validately and become a tester from any country that accommodates PayPal. However, based on user reviews, we found that users from the U.S., the U.K., and Canada receive the most testing requests—averaging once every two to three hours.
Validately company background
Steven Cohn launched Validately in 2011. He used it to help startups learn more about UX design and digital product management—two of his areas of expertise.
Validately helped SMBs from various industries. Since it has a worldwide network of independent site testers, it can accommodate businesses operating in almost any niche.
After eight years of operation, Validately was acquired by UserZoom in 2019. You might notice that the URL validately.com automatically redirects you to userzoom.com, although the Validately sign-up page remains the same.
UserZoom is a UX insights company. It has several similarities with Validately, thus, it retained much of the platform’s sign-up requirements and site-testing protocol. Users still need to record themselves talking.
However, based on PR reports, we found that UserZoom proactively endeavors to improve its testing services.
For instance, users might need to accomplish varying tasks nowadays. Technology continuously evolves, so your UX indicators should also shift accordingly, or else you’ll get inaccurate results.
Who should and shouldn’t use Validately
Consider signing up for Validately if you:
- Like testing new websites for UX. Validately users primarily make money by testing and reviewing websites.
- Have experience with other GPT apps. Validately pays a bit more than other survey sites since it requires UX testing, but you still can’t make a living from it. It’s better to manage your expectations. We noticed that most disgruntled users wanted to take home hundreds of dollars per month consistently.
- Live in the U.S., the U.K., or Canada. Based on testimonials and reviews, we found that users from these areas receive the most site-testing requests. You can likely expect at least one notification every two hours.
Although Validately runs a legit site-testing platform, you might not benefit from it if you:
- Don’t feel comfortable recording. Validately asks testers to record themselves and their screens while reviewing new websites. You can’t work around this requirement. Unless you allow the Validately screener test to access your browser and microphone, you won’t even finish signing up for an account.
- Can’t run the Validately app and extension. Validately has high system requirements. The app only runs on iOS 13 and Android 11 devices, while the extension operates best on MacOS 11 and Windows 11.
- Live in countries that get little to no test requests. As we mentioned above, you can access Validately from any country with PayPal. However, users outside the U.S., the U.K., and Canada won’t receive enough testing requests to make a decent second income source.
Validately business model legitimacy
We’ll flesh out the money-making details later. However, Validately tester reviews typically consist of live recordings. To ensure legit, accurate feedback, the platform asks all its beta testers to record themselves in real-time while exploring assigned websites.
Right off the bat, the platform seems legit. Users from some countries might not receive as many requests, but you can at least expect a handful every month.
Regardless, we also found that active users can maximize their earnings. For instance, applying for survey requests as soon as you receive them increases your chances of qualifying.
Making money on Validately
You can only make money on Validately by making tester reviews. Unlike other GPT apps, it doesn’t offer market research survey panels, cashback deals, or mobile game rewards.
The site doesn’t even have a referral program anymore. Validately used to pay $1 for referrals, but we found that UserZoom abolished the system in 2019.
Nonetheless, UserZoom still pays pretty well compared to other GPT apps. Brief reviews spanning less than 30 minutes pay around $5 to $25, while live research sessions can give you even more.
Testing websites on Validately
Validately offers UX testing services to business owners. And it will delegate the reviews to beta testers like you via email, assuming you meet the necessary criteria.
Unfortunately, we haven’t got a testing request yet. However, independent review sites and testimonials indicate that most users receive a handful of notifications every day.
Apply for the sites you want to test. If the order you click on still accommodates new testers upon application, you’ll receive another email containing the UX review instructions.
Familiarize yourself with the instructions. Once you’re ready, turn on the Validately app or extension, record your screen, then start recording yourself talking.
Make sure to speak clearly and audibly. Validately will ask you to redo your review if it doesn’t meet the platform’s quality standards.
Once a review is approved, you can take on new requests again.
The Validately sign-up process
Here are the steps you can follow to sign up with Validately:
Step 1: Head over to Validately and hit the create an account button. Go to panel.validately.com, not just validately.com; otherwise, the site will automatically redirect you to the homepage of UserZoom.
Step 2: Answer a few questions about yourself. Validately needs your occupation, estimate salary range, and profession so that it can send test requests geared toward your demographic.
Step 3: Fill in your preferred login credentials. Input your email, name, password, and PayPal address to complete your Validately account. We suggest using an email account that you monitor regularly.
Step 4: Install the site’s browser extension. You’ll need it to push through with the final step to create an account on Validately: screener test.
Validately will do a brief dry run. Generally, it has to confirm that your microphone and screen recorder work properly before proceeding.
Step 5: Wait for a response from Validately. It takes the team three to five business days to approve accounts, and after which you’ll start receiving test requests.
Validately earning potential
How much will you make on Validately? Tester reviews pay $5 to $25, so you can average $100 per month if you answer two to three tests per week.
However, online reviews disproved this theory. Although the tests pay well, we found out that most opportunities fill up quickly.
Don’t expect to qualify for several surveys weekly. Instead, set more realistic expectations and aim for two to three per month for a steady income of around $50.
Overall, only use your Validately earnings for incidental expenses.
Cashing out earnings on Validately
One of the biggest advantages of Validately is it doesn’t have minimum cashout requirements, so you can withdraw your earnings any time you want. You’ll receive your funds within seven business days of finishing site reviews.
However, note that you can only withdraw through PayPal. Unlike other GPT apps, it doesn’t give you the option to encash your rewards via direct bank transfers or gift cards.
The pros and cons of Validately
After signing up for Validately ourselves and going through legit reviews, we found the following advantages:
PROS
- Easy to install extension and app
- Several requests for users from the U.S., the U.K., and Canada
- Live research surveys pay upward the $25 limit
- Step-by-step UX testing guide
Validately might be right up your alley if you can respond to queries promptly. Of course, despite its advantages, it still has several disadvantages, which include:
CONS
- Account approval takes up to five business days
- Withdrawals take seven business days to process
- Test requests fill up fast
- Some areas don’t receive too many site-testing opportunities
We feel that users can look past these disadvantages if they manage their income expectations properly.
What people say about Validately
After scouring independent review sites and forums discussing GPT apps, we confirmed that Validately was a legit site-testing platform. It sent regular test requests, plus user cashouts reflected within seven days.
However, there were also several disgruntled users. For instance, although testers received requests daily, they could only qualify for one or two a month since the slots fill up fast. Even U.S. testers had to accept tests quickly.
Top alternatives to Validately
If you don’t think Validately suits you, try any of these GPT apps instead:
- UserTesting: Similar to Validately, UserTesting also pays testers for recording themselves testing beta websites. The tests typically pay $10. However, we found that it sends requests more frequently than Validately.
- Swagbucks: Swagbucks offers more money-making opportunities than UserTesting. It rewards users for answering surveys, claiming cashback deals, and downloading sponsored apps. Most of the tasks we mentioned pay $0.50 to $2.
- Honeygain: For a more passive income stream, try Honeygain. Just leave the extension running and let it share your unused data with the company’s partner clients. You can make up to $20 a month for sharing 6 GB every day.
Feel free to try out other GPT apps. Just make sure to do your research so that you don’t fall victim to scams.
Final verdict: Is Validately legitimate?
Overall, Validately runs a legit user testing platform. It sends test requests regularly, pays users within seven days of completing a test, and doesn’t charge sign-up fees.
Moreover, the platform was acquired by UserZoom, a much larger UX company, in 2019. You can rest assured that it’ll continue operating.
Despite the site’s legitimacy, we can’t recommend signing up for the platform under the blind assumption that it’s worth your time. Please do your own research and manage your expectations.
Again, Validately tests fill up quickly. Unless you live in the U.S, the U.K., or Canada and accept testing requests within minutes of receiving them, you can’t expect a steady weekly income.
Of course, you can still sign up for a free account. However, we encourage exploring other GPT apps and platforms as well so that you’ll have something to do while waiting for tests.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
