Navigate Review 2024: Pros, Cons, & Safety

Full Navigate Review

What Is Navigate?

Navigate is a web3 data platform designed to give people more control over their data, as well as the ability to earn from it. 

Imagine all the data you create just by going about your daily life — from your shopping habits to what you watch and read online. 

Right now, companies are taking that data and using it to improve their products or sell it for a profit. But you? You don’t see a dime from any of it. 

Navigate flips this around. It’s a decentralized data platform where you can contribute your data and actually get rewarded for it.

How Does Navigate Work?

Navigate has a game-like platform called DataQuest, where you can share data either actively or passively. For passive sharing, you’d use an extension that, for example, gathers public Reddit data that you’ve visited. 

It’s all data that’s already out there — but you get rewarded for letting Navigate collect it through you. For active contributions, you might do specific data-labeling tasks in the game, which companies then use to train AI models.

Navigate’s bigger vision is to change the landscape of data ownership. Using Web3 principles, it creates a shared platform where data isn’t locked away by big corporations. Instead, it’s in the hands of the people who actually generate it. 

So, when companies want to use that data for AI training or consumer insights, you get a cut of the value it creates.

Navigate Key Features

Navigate lets you earn rewards while staying in control of your data. You share data through easy tasks or passive browsing, earn points, and enjoy perks like personalized avatars and marketplace rewards. 

Here are some of the platform’s key features:

• You Own Your Data: Navigate uses blockchain tech to give you control over your data instead of Big Tech companies.
• Earn While Sharing: You can earn rewards whenever you share data on the platform, with points you can redeem for rewards.
• Easy Passive Earning: The DataQuest browser extension makes it simple — it automatically gathers data while you browse, so you earn without extra effort.
• Fun, Interactive Tasks: Within DataQuest, you can take on small tasks like tagging or labeling data, which companies use to train AI models.
• Personalized Avatars: Create an avatar that reflects your data habits and grows as you contribute more.
• Full Control Over Privacy: Your data is anonymized and encrypted. You decide what data you want to share.
• Earn Repeatedly: Each time a company uses your data, you get paid again, making your data work for you long-term.
• Cool Rewards: Use your points in the Navigate Marketplace to grab things like gift cards or fun in-game upgrades.

Our Expert Review Of Navigate

In this first-hand review of Navigate, I’m going to sign up and try out the platform, including most of the features currently available. 

Bear in mind: The team is still yet to launch much of the platform, and in its current form it’s a little buggy — but this should offer a good glimpse into what’s yet to come!

1. Sign Up and Start Earning

Your Navigate journey all starts with a simple sign-up, requiring nothing more than an email address — no crypto expertise needed to get started.

From there, you’re set to start contributing data, either by using their browser extension or by completing specific tasks in the app.

You can link a wallet address later, as well as other accounts such as Reddit and even your Amazon account.

2. Passive Data Collection

This is the easy part. You install the DataQuest browser extension and it gathers bits of public data automatically. 

The best part? You don’t have to do much after it’s set up. It quietly pulls data from designated sites while you go about your usual web browsing. You earn points for every piece it collects.

Within the extension pop-up window, you can quick-access your rewards data and add more connections for providing data. There’s also a referral code you can use for inviting friends to the platform.

3. Active Data Collection

For this part, you’re actively completing tasks directly within DataQuest. 

Think of it like mini data-labeling or tagging exercises — you’re giving context or insight to certain bits of data that are valuable for AI models. It’s interactive and gamified, so it’s designed to feel like a quest rather than work.

The G.A.T.E.S., short for Global Access Terminal for Enhanced Simulations, is Navigate’s cool virtual world that lets you explore an alternate digital universe and tackle fun missions. 

It’s like a mix of adventure and sci-fi where a fictional tech giant, Sisyphus Technologies, wants people to share their data for more immersive experiences. As you explore, you get to make choices, label data, and unlock different parts of the story. 

It’s a unique and interactive way to be part of the Navigate community, and you get to have fun while taking control of your own data journey.

4. Rewards and Points

Each contribution earns you points. The more you participate, the more points you rack up. 

These points can be redeemed for things in the Navigate Marketplace — from gift cards to unique in-game upgrades for your Navigator (your digital avatar on the platform).

Note: At the time of review, I was informed that points are only viewable by the team — not to worry, they’re still being tallied in the back-end if you’re a user!

5. Earn Each Time Your Data is Used

Here’s where it gets really cool…

You don’t just earn once when you share data. Every time your data is used by a company — say, for training an AI model or for analytics — you earn again. 

This way, you’re getting ongoing rewards for data you already contributed.

Navigate Customer Service

When it comes to customer support, Navigate has an FAQ section on their website, which will answer most surface-level questions. 

There’s also a Docs link tucked away at the end of this section — this will give you in-depth insights on the platform, including guides and walkthroughs of how to use Navigate.

Still having trouble? Head over to their Discord server, where you can receive one-on-one help from a representative. 

Someone responded to a query I had within 12 minutes in the discord, which was nice and quick support. 

Interestingly enough, I got a faster response in the “General” channel rather than the actual “Support” channel.

Who’s Navigate For?

Data-Conscious Tech Users

Those who are already aware of how companies profit from user data, might want more control over their digital footprint. 

If you’re interested in blockchain and like the idea of a decentralized platform that lets you earn from data you’re generating anyway, Navigate offers a way to take back ownership. 

It rewards you for things you’re already doing.

Passive Income Seekers

Those who are looking for easy ways to make a little extra income, without much work, will appreciate Navigate’s browser extension.

This collects public data passively, so you can earn points and rewards simply by browsing as usual. It requires minimal effort, and creates a hands-off way to benefit from your online activities.

Who’s it Not For?

Privacy-First Minimalists

For those who prioritize complete privacy and aren’t comfortable with any platform that collects or shares their data, Navigate might not be for you.

You may prefer using the internet anonymously and avoid anything that might track your activity. Navigate’s data-sharing model may not quite fit your values or needs — even if the data is protected.

Non-Techies

If you’re unfamiliar with blockchain, web3, or earning models related to data, you’ll probably find Navigate confusing or unnecessary. 

This is especially true if you primarily use the internet for simple browsing and communication. Navigate’s setup and concepts could feel overwhelming, so you’ll be likely to pass on it.

Navigate Alternatives

Navigate vs. Vana

Vana is a Navigate competitor that’s all about helping you own and control your data. It lets you tokenize your data and then decide how it’s used, while earning from it through secure data pools for AI.

Navigate takes a more playful approach, where you can earn points and rewards by sharing data in a game-like setup, making it easy and fun to turn your data into income.

In a nutshell, Vana is more of a technical and asset-centric platform, while Navigate is a less technical but more gamified, fun way to own and earn from your data.

Navigate vs. Regular Internet Usage

With Navigate, you’re still contributing data like you would with Big Tech, but the big difference is that you actually earn from it. 

Big Tech will continue to gather data from your online activities, but by using Navigate, you get control and rewards along the way. You decide what data to share, and each time a company uses it, you earn points redeemable for things like gift cards and upgrades. 

Is Navigate Safe to Use?

Privacy Policy

Navigate’s privacy policy is straightforward and gives you control over your data. 

You decide what you want to share, and they only collect data with your consent. They’re open about what data they gather and how it helps improve the platform. Navigate might share data with trusted partners to enhance the platform, but they keep it transparent. They also make it easy to delete your data if you want. 

Overall, Navigate’s keeps its approach to data privacy-focused and user-first, so you can feel good about contributing while keeping your information secure.

Navigate Founders & Leadership

The founding team at Navigate brings a ton of experience from big names in tech and finance. 

They’ve led major fintech projects at CME Group, built a billion-dollar AI company, spent over 15 years launching e-commerce products, and developed strong marketing know-how, especially in data privacy and decentralized tech. With this mix of backgrounds, they’ve got everything covered to take Navigate to the next level in the tech world.

Leading the charge as CEO, Ali Husain has been part of Navigate since the beginning, with deep experience in AI, Web3, and data-driven tech. He’s led mobile development at Microsoft, driven AI solutions at SparkCognition, and served as Chief Software Architect and Chief Product Officer at SkyGrid, a Boeing-SparkCognition venture. 

Who Has Invested in Navigate?

Navigate has attracted some big names as investors, making it a platform backed by well-respected players in the crypto and tech space. 

The $7.6 million seed round was led by Distributed Global, a well-known investment firm in blockchain. Other investors include Kraken Ventures, the investment arm of the popular crypto exchange Kraken; Outlier Ventures, a leading accelerator in Web3 projects; and Alan Howard, a high-profile hedge fund manager known for his interest in crypto. 

With this level of support from established players, Navigate has a solid foundation to build its platform.

Final Thoughts On Navigate

Navigate is bringing a fresh, exciting approach to data sharing by letting you actually earn from the data you create every day. 

With a fun mix of gamified tasks, privacy controls, and real rewards, it’s turning your digital footprint into something valuable that you get to control. The customer service team has been super responsive, making it easy to get started and get questions answered quickly. 

While the platform isn’t fully functional yet, it’s already off to an awesome start — and we’re keen to see the rest of the features in action.

Navigate Frequently Asked Questions