Table of Contents
Is BetterMe Legit or a Scam? Understanding This Popular Health and Fitness App
BetterMe is one of the most popular health and fitness apps in the world, with over 50 million downloads to date. However, some users have complained about potentially misleading marketing practices and subscription cancellation issues. In this in-depth review, we’ll take a closer look at BetterMe to determine if it’s a legitimate company or a scam. We’ll also provide tips for using the app safely and avoiding any potential pitfalls.
BetterMe at a Glance
BetterMe is a digital wellness platform that offers personalized workout plans, meal plans, guided meditations, and other health resources. Some key things to know about BetterMe include:
- Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cyprus. The app is available on iOS and Android.
-
Claims to use behavioral science techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy to help users develop healthy habits.
-
Offers thousands of guided workouts ranging from 5-30 minutes, across categories like strength training, yoga, HIIT, dance, pilates and more.
-
Provides personalized meal plans with thousands of recipes. Users can also track their meals and macronutrient intake.
-
Includes a library of guided mindfulness and meditation exercises of various lengths.
-
Users can track activities, meals, weight and other health metrics directly in the app.
-
Basic features are free to use but a premium subscription unlocks the full feature set for $59.99/year or $9.99/month.
So in summary, BetterMe offers a wide variety of digital health and fitness tools aimed at helping users lose weight, reduce stress and live a healthier lifestyle through personalized plans and coaching. But is it truly effective and worth subscribing to? Let’s take a deeper look.
BetterMe Reviews – What Do Users Say?
BetterMe has accumulated over 50 million downloads since launching, showing its popularity. But what do actual user reviews say about their experience with the app?
On the Google Play store, BetterMe has earned an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars from over 1 million reviews. Positive reviews commonly cite the variety of workout and meal plan options, accountability features, and effectiveness for weight loss and lifestyle changes when used consistently.
However, there are also quite a few one-star reviews that discuss issues like:
- Confusing and aggressive subscription renewal tactics, making it difficult to cancel.
-
Customer support is ineffective at resolving billing and cancellation problems.
-
Workout plans and meal options lack variety after using for a while.
-
Some found the behavioral coaching ineffective or overly simplified.
On the Apple App Store, BetterMe maintains a strong average rating of 4.7 stars from over 100k reviews. Most positive reviews echo the Google Play feedback, while negative reviews also call out subscription and cancellation frustrations.
Trustpilot, an independent review site, shows BetterMe with an average user rating of 4.0/5 based on over 7,000 reviews. While the majority are positive, the highest commented complaints again center around confusing auto-renewals and customer service difficulties.
So in summary, most actual users find value in BetterMe’s features when used consistently for improving health habits. However, the subscription renewal practices and customer support seem to be reoccurring sore points based on reviews.
Is BetterMe Legitimate or a Scam?
Now that we’ve looked at what BetterMe is and reviewed user feedback, let’s directly address whether it can be considered a legitimate company or possibly a scam:
- BetterMe is an established brand with a very large user base of over 50 million downloads worldwide since 2014. This level of popularity makes it very unlikely to be a outright scam.
-
They are accredited with the Better Business Bureau with a rating of A-. The BBB indicates they have resolved issues from a limited number of consumer complaints.
-
While reviews point to valid subscription and customer service complaints, the overwhelming majority of users do seem to find value in BetterMe’s free and paid features as long as expectations are set properly.
-
They are operated by a registered company in Cyprus that has been in business for several years now. All appears to be above board from a legal compliance perspective.
-
No evidence could be found of BetterMe committing outright fraudulent or deceptive business practices on their website or through their app.
Therefore, based on transparency of operations, large legitimate user base, general functional quality of the app, and resolution of some complaints through the BBB – it is reasonable to consider BetterMe a legitimate digital health and fitness company rather than an outright scam.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some issue areas as outlined below that users need to be aware of. With proper precautions and accountability on both sides, BetterMe can surely provide value – but vigilance is still advised.
Potential Pitfalls to Watch Out For
While BetterMe itself passes the test of legitimacy, no company is perfect. Based on reviews, here are some potential issue areas for new and existing users to be aware of:
Aggressive Subscription Renewals
By far the most commonly raised complaint is unintended or confusing auto-renewals of subscriptions when users forget or are unable to properly cancel ongoing payments.
BetterMe uses a standard monthly or annual subscription model which spontaneously re-bills customers indefinitely unless proactively cancelled ahead of the renewal date.
Users report it can sometimes take significant effort to get in touch with support to turn off recurring payments. This is clearly a pain point in need of improvement on BetterMe’s part.
Limited Variety Over Time
After several months of use, some customers feel the app runs out of fresh new workout and meal plan content to keep things interesting long-term. While initial options seem plentiful, longevity may be an issue for dedicated users.
Basic Customer Service
A minority but meaningful number of reviews criticize BetterMe’s customer service for being slow, unhelpful or ineffective at resolving complex issues like disputed charges. Timely and competent support is important for any subscription business.
Simplified Behavior Change Methods
A few experts note BetterMe’s behavior modification techniques, while well-intentioned, may overly simplify complex psychology and not be a one-size-fits-all approach for all individuals. As with any program, your personal needs and experience may vary.
Tips for Using BetterMe Safely and Effectively
To help avoid frustration down the line, here are some recommendations based on actual user feedback:
- Start with the free version first before committing to paid subscriptions long-term. Ensure it truly helps your specific goals.
-
Read all cancellation and auto-renewal policies very carefully before signing up or recurring charges.
-
Set calendar reminders well ahead of renewal dates to proactively cancel if desired.
-
Consider contacting support to ensure recurring payments are fully disabled if you decide to stop using BetterMe in the future.
-
Periodically research fresh workout videos and recipes outside the app to supplement what’s offered and prevent boredom.
-
Keep an open mind that behavioral changes take time and don’t expect overnight fixes from any program alone.
-
If issues do arise, contact customer support right away via email, telephone, or social media for the best chance of timely resolution.
-
Balance BetterMe with other wellness strategies like nutritionist consultations, support groups or alternative counseling as needed.
By exercising vigilance in subscriptions, maintaining realistic expectations, and supplementing BetterMe with outside resources – most users should be able to enjoy the app safely and work towards meaningful health goals over the long run. Open communication also helps companies like BetterMe continue improving problematic areas.
In Summary
In looking closely at BetterMe across multiple dimensions, it is reasonable to consider them a legitimate digital wellness company providing honest services to millions, rather than an outright scam.
The variety of features, large user base, resolution of some complaints, years of stable operation, and lack of appearing fraudulent all point to this conclusion.
However, subscription practices around auto-renewals and some deficiencies in customer service and content longevity do represent understandable concerns based on user reviews.
With proper precautions, clear expectations, and balanced use alongside other strategies – BetterMe offers legitimate tools that can aid many individuals’ health journeys when used responsibly and for a reasonable period. But as with any program, some risk of frustrations exists that require ongoing user awareness and care.
Overall, BetterMe seems to deliver honest value for improving lifestyle habits, so long as renewal and cancellation policies as well as limitations are well understood in advance by informed consumers. Open communication also benefits all parties to strengthen areas needing work.
Be the first to comment