Betabound Review – Can You Get Rewards for Testing Products?

If you want to make some money online, there are a million ways and one to do it. Not all of them are equally effective though. Heck, not all of them are even legitimate. Nevertheless, if you’re after some easy money, get-paid-to platforms are the first thing that comes to mind.

Just like their name says, they reward you for doing certain things, like clicking through this or that, reading emails, listening to music, taking surveys and questionnaires. Betabound is one of these platforms. It recruits people to test various technological products and services.

When we investigate a survey panel or another get-paid-to platform, there are two main questions that demand immediate answers. Firstly, there’s the issue of legitimacy. And for that, we look up the company, its history, business affiliations, customer feedback.

Naturally, in the era of numerous privacy breach scandals, it’s impossible to exactly determine whether a company is an honest player. So, getting a general picture is all we can do. However vague it may seem, it’s still better than not checking anything at all.

If the legitimacy seems alright (whew), we then try to see if it’s profitable at all. Most surveys for money pay in peanuts, and that’s fine considering how easy the work is. But some don’t pay at all, or “reward” you with obscure sweepstakes entries or gift certificates for stores you never even shop at.

Betabound Background and Overview

So, let’s address the legitimacy issue first.

Betabound (formerly known as OnlineBeta) is a subsidiary of CenterCode, a beta testing company whose portfolio includes some very respectable names such as Logitech and T-Mobile. That should be enough to confirm their legitimacy. If not, note that they have a relatively strong online presence, with profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Folks who have something to hide wouldn’t just position themselves out in the open, for all people to see and criticize.

If that’s not enough, here’s another bit of proof that they are trustworthy. They don’t charge any fees to their users. Weird and insolent though it may sound, charging fees is standard practice for many dishonest players out there.

Who Can Join Betabound and How Does It Work?

Unlike many other GPT platforms, such as InboxDollars, Betabound isn’t exclusive. They will accept users from all walks of life and all locations. You don’t have to have a background in technology, or even previous testing experience.

There are two ways to use Betabound.

You can go for the signup button in the top left-hand corner. It will take you to a short registration form – or you can choose to sign up with your Google account. Next, you will be prompted to enter your gender, country, operating system, and mobile platform. Then, tick the product categories you would like to test.

Now, if you want to test hardware products, you will have to complete the so-called Extended Profile, with your residential address, phone number, and a few other pieces of info. They need this info so that they could send you the unit to test. At the end of this form, you will get a chance of becoming the so-called Betabound Ambassador – a user who will help out by referring “certain types of testers”. As such, you’re in for direct testing rewards per every successful referral. Those rewards will be Amazon gift cards.

To maximize your chances of eligibility, add a few platforms – mobile phone, personal computer, tablet, or any other smart devices you’re using. I would recommend completing these sections since they don’t take up much time.

Remember how I said that there were two ways of using this platform? Well, you don’t have to sign up in order to see all the beta testing opportunities. Instead, you can just scroll down the homepage and see all the current projects they are recruiting testers for.

Can I Earn Anything on Betabound?

The answer to this question isn’t that simple.

First off, Betabound is just a repository where they list all the beta testing opportunities. So, they aren’t responsible for the rewards (or lack thereof). They are very clear on this: if you sign up, your status is “volunteer”. Therefore, you can’t expect to get paid in cash – or to get paid at all. Their reasoning is simple. When you want to test a product, you need honest feedback by enthusiasts who enjoy doing this and not biased reviews by people who are just there for the money.

That is not to say, however, that there aren’t any rewards. Occasionally, you may get to keep the product you’ve tested, or receive select merchandise as a reward. Sometimes (though rarely), you may even get some cash via PayPal. I’ve read varying accounts, from people who got $10 or $20, to those who even got $100. But it’s probably best not to hope for many such opportunities.

What We Like About Betabound

• You may get various incentives for testing products – sometimes even money. Note the words “may” and “sometimes” though, and don’t take the rewards as a rule. And when they come, they aren’t bad: from cash to Amazon gift cards to low-value items such as t-shirts or getting to keep the product.
• You can earn Amazon gift cards as Betabound Ambassador. Essentially, it means you need to refer other testers from super-specific niches. How much are these gift cards worth? There’s no telling, but you will be notified in advance.
• Testing new products is fun! You get to give them a shot before anyone else has seen them. In fact, your very feedback will help shape them up before they hit the market.
• You can get a beta testing experience that’ll help you land a real job. If you decide to give this panel a shot, make sure to put every project into your resume or portfolio.
• Everyone is welcome to join. Wherever you reside, whatever you do, you’re eligible. That isn’t to say that everyone will have equal opportunity, though.

What We Dislike About Betabound

• If you’re only interested in rewards, this isn’t a good place for ya. They are looking for enthusiasts who genuinely enjoy testing products, finding bugs, and reporting their user experience. That’s why Betabound won’t pay you anything. You may hope for some incentives from their client firms though – scroll up to the above section for more details.
• It’s often difficult to win an opportunity. There are probably thousands of users applying for each and every project. Naturally, they will only approve a limited number of testers.

Final Thoughts – Is Betabound Worth Your Time?

If your main goal is to build a stable source of supplemental income, Betabound isn’t the right choice. It just wasn’t made with that purpose in mind.

However, if you just want to have some fun while reaping an incentive every now and then, go for it. Betabound is one of the better beta testing panels out there. And you never know where your hidden talents lie. It might even grow into your future career.