It’s been a while since Social Envy officially closed its doors, and many people are wondering what exactly happened to them.
I’ve spent a great deal of time searching for the truth about Social Envy and decided to share what I’ve found in my research.
So, here in front of you is the very unbiased, super-thorough Social Envy review.
Here you’ll find out:
- Did Social Envy yield good results?
- Why did Social Envy shut down?
- Was Social Envy overpriced?
- What are the best Social Envy alternatives?
If you happen to be in a rush, feel free to glance through my quick summary below.
Social Envy: Key Points
- Social Envy was an Instagram growth tool; top-rated back in the day
- Social Envy was violating Instagram’s terms and conditions
- Social Envy has officially shut down
- Organic growth is a much safer and better solution, and some of the tools I recommend are Nitreo, Upleap, and Kenji
- Make sure to use discount code GROW20, because you can get 20% off for life
Most Popular Instagram Growth Tools Rated
| Growth Service / Tool | Rating (according to users) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flock Social | 4.8 | Check Rates |
| Upleap | 4.6 | Check Rates |
| Stim Social | 4.5 | Check Rates |
| SocialFollow | 4.3 | Check Rates |
| Nitreo | 4.2 | Check Rates |
| KENJI.AI | 3.9 | Check Rates |
What Is Social Envy?
Social Envy was said to be one of the first organic growth services.
Their original idea was to offer each client an account manager, allegedly a human being and not a bot.
I honestly appreciate the effort, but I can’t say this was true. While there are ex Social Envy clients that state how Social Envy was top-notch, there are also many dissatisfied people.
I found a dozen negative reviews about this app on Trustpilot. Many users claimed how the account manager was not a human and had very bot-like behavior.
And now the million-dollar question – What happened to Social Envy?
Social Envy was run by a couple who made multiple social media automation bots, which shamelessly violated the company’s terms and conditions.
Eventually, Facebook (Instagram’s parent company) filed a lawsuit against them and shut down all of their services.
The reason for this is that they continued to operate despite former warnings and letters from Facebook. They also got banned from Facebook and had to pay a $500,000 fine.
Mess with the bull, and you’ll get the horns.
How Did Social Envy Work?
Social Envy did seem to offer quite a few useful features. Those were supposed to improve your overall engagement on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Many users liked the fact that Social Envy was an online tool. That means that you didn’t have to bother with software installation at all. A much easier solution if you ask me.
On top of that, it took people only a few minutes of their time to start the subscription. All you had to do is connect your IG account, subscribe to a plan, set a few filters, and you’re golden. Easy as that!
Features Of Social Envy
Let’s see what they had in the offer for Instagram features:
Target By Location
This feature is quite common. All you have to do is select venues and places that people from your field of interest often visit. The account manager has the task to follow them, and if you’re lucky, they will follow you back.
Target By Hashtags
Another classic IG feature with which you can easily reach people.
The problem with this feature is that they claimed the tool could follow more than thousands of users per day. That’s quite sketchy behavior and can get you banned quickly.
Automate Comments
Social Envy had an option where you could create a few comment templates, which the manager would then leave below other people’s posts.
Since the comments were typically generic, I can’t say this was an effective way to gain followers.
Usernames
This tool was great, as it was the best way to attract people from your niche. By leaving your competitor’s usernames, the tool could automatically follow their followers and lead them to your account.
Blacklist
With this feature, you could easily target your followers. You simply write usernames that you want to avoid in the blacklist.
The manager would not reach out to their followers, and you won’t attract people way outside of your field of interest.
Pricing Of Social Envy
Social Envy offered a few price plans:
- Freedom – Cost $33 per week, which could allegedly be canceled at any time
- Standard – Cost $30 per week on a 3-week term minimum
- Executive – Cost $20 per week on a 10-week term minimum
- Premium – Cost $27 per week on a 5-week term minimum
As you can see, this doesn’t seem pricey at all. However, these were weekly prices. If you do the math for the whole month, you quickly realize they’re not so affordable after all.
Also, I didn’t manage to find any information concerning free trials. But I did find some reviews saying you can’t get a refund.
However, the Social Envy scam did not stop there.
I read about people who were charged even after they canceled their membership. When they tried to reach Social Envy, the customer service support went silent. This was just the icing on the cake.
Was Social Envy Legit, Safe, Or A Scam?
I have to admit – Social Envy did seem like a legit company from the outside. But as I continued to dig further, I found out the nasty truth.
From unauthorized transactions to bot activity, this app was not 100% legit. And I can’t say it was safe either, considering they were persistent in getting all of your personal information.
Of course, I can’t say that this app was a complete scam because it did offer good results for some people. I’m just saying there were more dissatisfied customers than satisfied ones.
Top Social Envy Alternatives
Well, Social Envy is clearly out of the picture, but I wouldn’t despair if I were you. There are a lot of excellent organic growth tools out there; you just have to pick the right one.
I’m here to offer a helping hand in your search, and that’s why I created the list below.
| Growth Service / Tool | Rating (according to users) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flock Social | 4.8 | Check Rates |
| Upleap | 4.6 | Check Rates |
| Stim Social | 4.5 | Check Rates |
| SocialFollow | 4.3 | Check Rates |
| Nitreo | 4.2 | Check Rates |
| KENJI.AI | 3.9 | Check Rates |
Social Envy Pros And Cons
It’s time to pick out the good and the bad stuff regarding Social Envy:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Some good features | No longer operates |
| Sued by Facebook | |
| Charged after cancelations | |
| Bot activity | |
| No refund | |
| Insisted for personal information |
Social Envy: Should You Use It Or Not?
If they were still operating, I would probably advise you to steer clear of them. They had a pretty lousy reputation overall, and the whole lawsuit story really speaks for itself.
Overall, it wasn’t the best tool out there.
After all, I strongly believe you should always look for organic growth. So, don’t give up on your search just yet, because there are many tools out there that have your best interests in mind.