Consumer Reports vs SmartCustomer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Consumer Reports
Access unbiased product reviews, ratings, and shopping guides to make informed purchasing decisions. Features include a smart advisor for product questions, tools for savings, and exclusive member deals.
- Product ratings and reviews
- Buying guides
- Bill Negotiator tool
- Smart advisor for product questions
- Image Scan for product comparison
- Best Time to Buy tool
- Exclusive member deals
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The Consumer Reports app is your on-the-go companion for shopping, savings, product comparisons, ratings, and more. Consumer Reports is free to download and gives you instant access to our Bill Negotiator tool, Buying Guides, and limited access to AskCR, our smart advisor that answers your research, shopping, and product questions in seconds. When you support the work of Consumer Reports through a paid Membership, you’ll also gain access to: • Unlimited chats with AskCR • Extra savings with Bill Negotiator • Exclusive Members-only deals and discounts • Image Scan to quickly identify, compare, and shop for products • Ratings and reviews for 10,000+ products and services • Smarter purchases with tools like Best Time to Buy and CR Recommended • Additional Member benefits and access to exclusive partnerships As a nonprofit and independent organization, CR purchases every product we test and never accepts advertising, ensuring you get unbiased insights from your product research. Make confident buying decisions with trusted reviews, personalized recommendations, and expert shopping guides. Your purchase of a Consumer Reports Membership also gives you full access to Consumer Reports Online (consumerreports.org), where you’ll find additional tools and benefits designed to simplify your product decisions, make smarter choices for your family, and save time and money. Not a Member? Sign up for a Digital CR membership directly in the app for monthly or annual access to all Membership features. Download now and make confident decisions with Consumer Reports by your side!
SmartCustomer
Discover and research businesses worldwide. Read millions of user reviews, share your own experiences, and connect with a community of buyers and businesses. Plan your shopping by bookmarking favorites and joining discussions.
- Discover businesses in any category
- Read millions of user reviews
- Post your own feedback
- Ask questions and get advice
- Bookmark favorite brands
- Join community discussions
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SmartCustomer is the customer reviews platform where millions of buyers and businesses worldwide come together. Discover reputable companies, hear what millions of users have to say, and post feedback on your own experience with a product or business. With SmartCustomer, you can: Discover up-and-coming businesses in any category Research businesses you don't have experience with Ask questions and get advice Share your own experience with a product or brand Plan out your shopping by bookmarking your favorites Join in on community discussions DISCOVER BUSINESSES Find great brands you can trust for anything you need to purchase online Shop smart with real advice from other reviewers Browse modern alternatives to industry classics Uncover new businesses that better suit your specific needs RATE AND REVIEW Share your experience, expertise, recommendations, and suggestions Support great businesses while helping your fellow customers Bookmark your favorite brands so you can easily find them later JOIN THE COMMUNITY Interact with millions of reviewers Ask for specific advice about any business Help the community by answering questions Join in on discussions around your favorite topics WHAT OUR USERS HAVE TO SAY Reviews from the BBB: “SmartCustomer is definitely my go-to site for brand and product reviews. They have literally every brand you can think of on their website, even those brands you typically have a hard time finding reviews for. Reviews are clearly authentic and unbiased, which is very hard to find in review sites these days. Reviewers often leave helpful tips, pictures, and videos as well. I highly recommend this site!” - Melissa M. “SmartCustomer reviews have been extremely helpful to me in finding online websites/businesses that are worth me spending my money with, as well as those that I may be better off staying away from due to other customers' experiences…It has a really great setup to make it easy to find a website by combining through subject (ex., Clothing) or alphabetically. It's a useful but also fun platform that helps find legit reviews, photos/videos of products people have purchased, and connects people with common interests.” - Heather H. “I love SmartCustomer because I can read reviews about other websites and make informed decisions regarding where to purchase an item, for example…It's easy to use and find what you're looking for. I like that I can build my own profile, write reviews, and help other consumers.” - Nafia T. “I love being able to read reviews from other consumers about companies that I’ve never heard of before and learning about new products from companies that I love buying products from!” - Samantha B. “What I grew to enjoy was being able to connect with others on the website and sharing my own thoughts and opinions. Overall, I could not recommend this website more if you want an unbiased review on any brand or service.” - Samira R.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Consumer Reports at 4.8 against SmartCustomer's 4.0. Consumer Reports also leads on ratings volume (64K vs 5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). SmartCustomer's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 28%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Consumer Reports sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.00 per month. SmartCustomer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Consumer Reports holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Consumer Reports has 64K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Consumer Reports's written reviews are positive against 67% of SmartCustomer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Consumer Reports ships an update fortnightly, SmartCustomer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Consumer Reports | SmartCustomer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (64K ratings) — better | 4.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.3% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 64K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #8 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Consumer Reports | GGL Projects, Inc. |
Customer experience
Consumer Reports
SmartCustomer
Bugs and requests
Consumer Reports
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Login issues and lost credentials
- Inconsistent or missing product data
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to access all website content in the app
- Improved search functionality with better filtering options
- Native iPad app with optimized layout
- Integration with subscription management and account features
SmartCustomer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Consumer Reports
- CR Monthly Subscription$10.001 Month
- CR Yearly Subscription$39.001 Year
SmartCustomer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Consumer Reports free?
Is SmartCustomer free?
Which has better reviews, Consumer Reports or SmartCustomer?
Do Consumer Reports or SmartCustomer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Consumer Reports or SmartCustomer?
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