# StartEngine: Pre-IPO Investing — user reviews > 146 indexed App Store user reviews of StartEngine by StartEngine, rated 4.80/5 from 6,801 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startengine-pre-ipo-investing/id1560434961/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/startengine-pre-ipo-investing/id1560434961.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 5,915 · 4★ 635 · 3★ 139 · 2★ 18 · 1★ 94 ## What do users think of StartEngine? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 Intuitive and user-friendly - 💡 Democratizes startup investing - 👍 Diverse investment opportunities - 🤑 Potential for high returns **Cons** - 🔒 Funds locked away for long periods - 🐛 App crashes and bugs - 💰 High fees and poor returns - 🤔 Lack of transparency and communication **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on login and startup - Inability to access existing accounts - Support features not working as expected **Most requested features** - Improved app stability and performance - Better communication and updates from companies - Easier withdrawal and liquidity options - More detailed financial reporting ## Newest reviews (10 of 146) ### 1/5 — Wack *2026-03-10, version 3.39.0* All my investments I can’t sell ### 1/5 — Scam SE - Money Locked Away *2026-03-06* UPDATE: 5 years later. Finally sold off some shares...StartEngine app wont allow withdrawals. If anyone opens a class action against, count me in. Mr Wonderful is fronting a scam site. There are so many ways to invest in the world nowadays. My personal experience is that StartEngine is definitely an investment to avoid. You think you might be able to invest in the next Uber, but mostly companies are pretty small. They're not really profitable and it's many many many years before they're going to be going public, if they ever do all, which is the only way you're gonna get money for your investment. So far I have about $10,000 invested in this type of crowdsourcing and I found it to be a poor investment strategy. Note, would NEVER invest this way again. Need the money now, yet cannot get it out. Money is locked. ### 1/5 — Scam *2026-01-30, version 3.36.0* Has anyone ever cashed out from them?$5k invested in start engine itself and no way to get any of my funds back 3 years later. ### 1/5 — I’m a investor *2026-01-15, version 3.25.0* Cannot download the app to my present iOS don’t have 17.1 can’t open the app and I’m an investor. Don’t know how to get a hold of these people to correct this problem. My phone will not allow me to download the higher iOS. ### 3/5 — Not so smooth, but kind of easy to use. *2026-01-06, version 3.34.3* It wasn’t hard to use, but there seemed to be some glitchy and not so user friendly areas in the interface. I couldn’t even find a log in link from the home page and wasn’t sure if I had been charged during my original account setup. Not a bad app though. ### 1/5 — Bad investment app *2026-01-04, version 3.34.3* You will never see anything on your investment. It’s better just to put it in the stock market ### 1/5 — Scammers! *2025-12-31* I invested $300 to a start up called JET AI in 2020. I thought it was a good investment because its the uber of jets! With kevin oleary promoting it, i thought ok this is legit. Then years past nothing was happening and they stopped promoting. The year they knew trump is becoming president and with the help of the old sec who were also scamming the usa, did something to steal our money. So in 2024 ALL early investors got their shares dropped to 0?! Though the years i tried figuring out how to sell my shares and start engine never helped. Then they send me an email saying my shares were being sold or transferred to another company “continental stock” and they also left me clueless giving me the run around. Then when it was all set and done they FINALLY told me that this and this happened. But i still understand why my 999 shares went to 0 when the stock is higher than ever? These people are scammers and oleary is part of the scamming, i dont care how popular he is dont invest in start engine. ### 3/5 — I hold to see a reward *2025-12-31, version 3.34.3* I believe that Start Engine allows everyone the opportunity to invest with reason. ### 5/5 — Exceptional *2025-11-15, version 3.30.0* The platform is so simple to use and provides early access to opportunities you’d never get to see otherwise. ### 1/5 — Ripoff alert *2025-10-23* Do not waste money on this platform Mr wonderful won’t feel wonderful when you get fleeced ….more than half of these companies are near dead and should be taken to the back of the barn to end their misery….one company Atmos Home fleeced me on a convertible debt I have received no interested payment they disappeared and rebranded …another dumpster app I got called fluz never became a big hit…I got knightscope that cnbc even tried to influence this company is on its way to death….do not buy any of these dumpster juice companies…. You are better off putting money in stocks ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Scammy *2026-07-22, version 3.57.1* StartEngine feels structured to profit off retail enthusiasm while leaving everyday investors holding illiquid, heavily diluted, or abandoned shares. Until StartEngine holds listed companies accountable for reporting and protects early retail backers from predatory restructuring, it is very hard to view this platform as anything more than a high-risk trap for retail money. Save your capital or stick to public index funds. ### 1/5 — You can never sell *2026-07-22, version 3.57.1* They let you buy shares but you can never sell them. If you want to sell you need to pay a $275 anual membership with NO guarantee that someone will be interested in buying. Therefore you “have” shares but forget about getting money out of them ever. It’s a one side transaction and you are on the losing end. ### 1/5 — Start Engine *2026-07-15, version 3.56.0* I can not view my statement ### 1/5 — Zero support *2026-07-05, version 3.55.0* They rely on AI to answer all of your questions instead of directly answering your emails. I simply want to know how to sell my investments and they refuse to answer me. It is not black and white and I’m pretty certain you need to pay for a $275 sub to even begin to sell them off. This is such a trash app that I cannot recommend this to anyone ### 1/5 — Review was deleted *2026-06-03, version 3.50.0* Nice that bad reviews have been removed to boost this horrible app ### 1/5 — Scam *2026-05-18, version 3.48.1* I deposited $1200 to start a new account. They sent me emails stating they are setting up my account. No more emails about the status of my account just sales emails. Several months later, I log into the app and it shows I have no balance. So they just scammed me out of my money. ### 1/5 — Constant Website glitches *2026-04-28, version 3.45.0* Today the website is not working. Most days I have tried to connect with equity trust or add funds and you have failed. On a daily basis. ### 1/5 — scam. *2026-04-28, version 3.45.0* "invest in pre-ipo!" translated: we work with scammers to sell fake shares in fake companies that will never, ever return. "you can sell your shares on our marketplace!" translated: the shares you own aren't eligible to sell. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS. ### 1/5 — Absolutely No customer service! Never a reply! No way to sell! Scam! Run the other Way! *2026-04-17* I’ve contacted customer service, or tried to on there app, 6 times in 3 years never any reply. I’m even part of there venture club for $275 a year and no help or support. I’ve funded and received $Thousands of share of different stocks over 3 years ago. and even after waiting, there’s no way to sell. For all who are considering this app, it’s a good place to tie up money and never get it back! I can’t understand how this app can have such high ratings? I wanted to believe in it, now I think I was scammed! ### 1/5 — Worst investment app *2026-04-17, version 3.44.0* Don’t use this app, you’ll never get your money back. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Absolutely love it *2026-02-20* Love how this level of investing is accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be a part of some private club to see startups with up and coming technologies and applications that could potentially change our reality, as well as potentially be highly profitable. Of course there’s risk, nothing is guaranteed. But I like these odds better than Las Vegas!! ### 5/5 — Easy way to crowdfund *2026-02-19, version 3.37.0* Good place invest and raise funds ### 5/5 — Best *2026-02-18, version 3.37.0* The best app in the business!!!! Invest in your future,’invest in yourself!!!! ### 5/5 — INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY *2026-02-14, version 3.37.0* BEST IN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES. BUT REALLY COULD USE MORE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS. ALL TOGETHER GOOD TO GO (G2G) I HOPE ALL MY FUTURE INVESTMENTS CAN COME FROM START-ENGINE. CONTINUE TO DO GOOD WORK, LEAD WITH DISTINCTION, WE THE PROPL ### 5/5 — I absolutely love this investing platform!!! *2026-01-31, version 3.36.0* Unfortunately I’ve made HUGE investments throughout multiple accounts, and honestly I only ever wanted to make 1 account but somehow my passwords keep getting switched up on me and I’m losing all that money so far ### 5/5 — Super easy to use *2026-01-17, version 3.35.0* I was able to participate in crowdfunding an app that I use daily. StartEngine is easy to use for those of who are not familiar with investing platforms or day trading. ### 5/5 — Rooransr *2026-01-10* This has been very Fun to invest in. It has been exciting to watch things grow. I do like the fact that a lot of it is affordable some of it is out of my price range however, I wish it would come down to a lower range of pricing so I could invest in more different things. Thank you. I especially would like to invest more in Legion M, but it’s now going up to $500 to make an investment it used to be much cheaper. I would definitely love to buy more of that. I would like to buy more of this one too but I keep on trying to campaign for this like it could do very well if you just had certain accounts where we could just put away $50 a month end it would really grow it would do well I mean I’ve been trying to promote it, but it doesn’t seem to be happening thank you ### 5/5 — Updates *2025-12-28, version 3.34.3* They being good on keeping investors up to date, so far. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2025-12-18, version 3.33.0* Fanbase ### 5/5 — User friendly app, very modern and sleek in presentation, no errors yet *2025-12-02* I do really love the app and Startengine for the access it is providing and the Venture Club bonus shares. I am investing over $20k per year which makes me feel like the extra shares are more than paying for the annual fee. I appreciate Kevin for his endorsement and investment in Startengine and I look forward to the great things we will see here in the future. Thank you for helping bring this to life Mr. Marks. Thank you for providing opportunities for people to connect and put their faith in others and their dreams. Cheers to a successful venture! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*