Tai Lopez SMMA review: too few buyer accounts for a verdict
Tai Lopez's Social Media Marketing Agency (SMMA) program teaches people to sell social-media services to local businesses. It is one of many courses sold at tailopez.com. We looked for people who actually bought SMMA and found only a handful, most from 2017–2019. We read three Reddit threads, the Trustpilot profile, two YouTube videos and their comments, and the SEC's litigation release about Lopez's separate retail company.
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Our verdict (editorial opinion)
We are withholding a verdict: there are too few recent, first-hand accounts of the SMMA course itself. Most buyer reports are years old and mixed. Separately, the SEC has sued Tai Lopez and others over investments in Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV); those are allegations in a pending case and concern REV, not the course.
Last verified: 31 October 2026 · Research-based review (we did not buy the program) · Community counts and ratings are as shown on the cited pages on that date
We did not buy it. This review is based on the public sales page, vendor documents, marketplace data and third-party or community reports, checked on 31 October 2026. We claim no hands-on use.
No affiliate relationship: we are not an affiliate for Tai Lopez and no link on this page earns us money. Links to the seller are plain links, marked nofollow. See how we review creator courses.
The short version
- What it is: video training on starting a social-media marketing agency.
- Price: not confirmed on a seller page we read. A Reddit user in April 2019 reported “$197 with the spring discount”.
- Trustpilot (tailopez.com, all products): 4.1 from 182 reviews, 35 in the last 12 months; Trustpilot says the company has “No recent history of asking for reviews” and “Hasn’t replied to negative reviews”.
- SEC case: pending; concerns REV investment offerings, not SMMA (details below).
- Seller: tailopez.com
The SEC case (REV), read from the SEC's own release
According to SEC Litigation Release No. 26413 (September 25, 2025), the SEC charged Taino “Tai” Lopez and Alexander Mehr, co-founders of Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC (REV), and its COO Maya Burkenroad in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (No. 1:25-cv-24356). The SEC alleges that from about April 2020 to November 2022 the defendants raised about $112 million through fraudulent offerings in REV brands such as RadioShack and Pier 1 Imports, that at least $5.9 million of investor returns were “Ponzi-like payments”, and that about $16.1 million was misappropriated. These are allegations; the case is pending and no court has found them proven. The case is about REV securities, not the SMMA course or other Tai Lopez training products.
What buyers and viewers report
About the allegations on this page. Statements from Reddit, Trustpilot or YouTube users are their own opinions or accounts. We quote or summarise them with a link and date; we have not verified them, and we do not present them as fact.
- r/TaiLopez, Dec 2018: a post titled “TAIs COURSES ARE HALF COMPLETE” says the “12 foundations course still hasn't been updated and still incomplete”. Replying, u/ActuallyPetie says “SMMA 1 is very complete”.
- r/Entrepreneur, Oct 2024: of 61 items most are from people who did not buy. A deleted account that says it bought 67 Steps and SMMA writes “The information is legit”. u/Own-Comfortable-9148 (Sept 2025) says they “requested a refund on the same business day” and were refused; they don't say which product.
- r/SocialMediaMarketing, Apr 2019: u/attadt reports “$197 with the spring discount”. Other comments in that thread offer course copies; we excluded them.
- YouTube, Sonny Tee, Jul 2018: in a video titled “Why Tai Lopez' SMMA Course Is Trash”, a competing agency coach argues that what the course calls an agency is really social-media management. He sells his own coaching. In an earlier 2017 video he walks through the course modules.
- Trustpilot, June 2026: a reviewer says “The lessons in the course have good information, but the program requires expensive monthly software and tools that were not mentioned before buying” (course not named). Other recent reviews range from “Save your money. Buy a book” to strong praise for events and coaching calls.
Not enough third-party information to reach a full verdict
We looked for independent evidence and did not find enough to judge whether this product does what it says. Most of what is published about it comes from the vendor or from affiliates who earn a commission if you buy. Here is exactly what we checked and what was missing.
What we checked
- SEC Litigation Release 26413 (primary source)
- Trustpilot profile for tailopez.com (182 reviews)
- Reddit threads a899mk, 1g8uo9z and b8lq5r
- Two Sonny Tee YouTube videos (one transcript, 25 comments)
- FTC records: nothing found for the SMMA course
What was missing
- Current official price, refund terms and course contents from the seller
- Recent first-hand accounts from SMMA buyers
- Any outcome data for students
Claims that need corroboration before a fair verdict is possible
- Reported prices (user reports)
- Statements that the course is complete or incomplete
- Any claim about the SEC case beyond the SEC's own allegations
If you have bought this product, we would like to hear what you received, what you paid in total and whether a refund was honoured. Contact us. We will update this page when better evidence exists.
The seller's side
Trustpilot describes Tai Lopez's free “book of the day” newsletter, which it says has 1.5 million subscribers, and many reviewers credit his courses and events with changing how they think about business. One 2026 reviewer says SMMA and other programs “changed my mindset”, while warning that results depend on taking action. On the SEC case, the defendants have not been found liable; we will add any public response from Tai Lopez or his lawyers if sent to us.
Our verdict
Not enough evidence. We could not find enough recent, first-hand accounts of the SMMA course to judge it. The old reports are mixed. If you are considering it, ask for the current price, refund terms and syllabus in writing, and keep the SEC case in mind as context about the seller, not as a finding about the course.
What we like
- Some buyers say the information is solid
- Lower price point than many agency programs, per a 2019 report
- Large free content library
What to watch out for
- Few recent first-hand course reviews
- Reports of extra software costs
- Pending SEC case against the founder over a separate company
- Company hasn't replied to negative Trustpilot reviews
Corrections and right of reply. If you are Tai Lopez or represent the seller, or you think anything here is wrong or out of date, email hello@active-learning-site.com with the page and a source. We will check it, correct the page if needed and publish a factual response from the seller.
Alternatives
- See our Iman Gadzhi Agency Navigator review and Affluent Academy review for other agency programs.
- More programs: creator course reviews.
Tai Lopez SMMA FAQ
How much is Tai Lopez's SMMA course?
We did not find a current price on a seller page. A Reddit user reported $197 with a discount in 2019.
Is the SEC case about the SMMA course?
No. The SEC's September 2025 case concerns investment offerings in Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV) brands. The allegations are unproven and the case is pending.
Is Tai Lopez's SMMA a scam?
We don't use that word, and we don't have enough first-hand evidence about this course to give a verdict.
Sources and last verified
Last verified: 31 October 2026. Official pages were read on that date. Third-party figures are attributed and dated where we cite them.
- SEC Litigation Release No. 26413 — read via Apify 31 Oct 2026
- Trustpilot: Tai Lopez — read via Apify 31 Oct 2026; 182 reviews, 4.1
- Reddit r/TaiLopez thread a899mk — read via Apify 31 Oct 2026
- Reddit r/Entrepreneur thread 1g8uo9z — read via Apify 31 Oct 2026
- Reddit r/SocialMediaMarketing thread b8lq5r — read via Apify 31 Oct 2026
- YouTube: Sonny Tee, Why Tai Lopez' SMMA Course Is Trash — transcript and comments read via Apify 31 Oct 2026
- YouTube: Sonny Tee, SMMA program review #13 — comments read via Apify 31 Oct 2026