SmartBen NOW vs Bright NOW
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartBen NOW
Access your employer-provided benefits information conveniently on your mobile device. Review plan details, make enrollment changes, and explore additional resources all within a single application.
- Access benefits information
- Review plan details
- Enroll or change benefits
- Explore benefit resources
- Up-to-date information
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Have access to your most important benefits information, right at your fingertips. SmartBen NOW is an all-in-one benefits app that allows you to access up-to-date information about your employer-provided benefits. Once logged in, you can access your personal benefit information wherever and whenever needed. Use this app to: - Review your benefits and plan details - Enroll or change your benefits - Explore other benefit resources all in one place
Bright NOW
Stay informed and connected with your community through daily updates and personalized notifications. Share photos, stories, and feedback, and easily post to your social media. Designed for your busy lifestyle.
- Daily community updates
- Personalized notifications
- Post photos and stories
- Share feedback
- Social media sharing
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Bright NOW is a better way to stay informed and connected with the Bright Horizons community-- in just 2 minutes a day. Why you’ll love the Bright NOW App: • Stay up-to-date on the BH news & information that is important to you • Receive personalized notifications and announcements • Connect with your BH community by posting photos, stories, and feedback • Easily share posts to your personal social media • Designed to fit your on-the-go lifestyle
Screenshots
Verdict
SmartBen NOW and Bright NOW both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Bright NOW's written reviews are positive against 31% of SmartBen NOW's. SmartBen NOW's advantage is ratings volume (869 vs 6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmartBen NOW holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SmartBen NOW has 869 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of SmartBen NOW's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bright NOW's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SmartBen NOW ships an update every 3 months, Bright NOW every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartBen NOW | Bright NOW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (869 ratings) — better | 4.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 30.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 869 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 143 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HodgesMace, LLC | Bright Horizons CC LLC |
Customer experience
SmartBen NOW
Bright NOW
Bugs and requests
SmartBen NOW
Reported bugs
5 issues- Cannot download bank statements
- Cannot enter values in certain sections
- Login issues across devices
- Credentials not working
- Paycheck download function not working
Requested features
5 requests- Easier way to access tax forms and insurance info
- Add phone numbers for support
- Improve chat support knowledge
- Make important contact info more user-friendly
- Provide confirmation of successful enrollment
Bright NOW
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmartBen NOW
No in-app purchases
Bright NOW
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SmartBen NOW free?
Is Bright NOW free?
Which has better reviews, SmartBen NOW or Bright NOW?
Do SmartBen NOW or Bright NOW have ads?
Which is updated more often, SmartBen NOW or Bright NOW?
Other comparisons
