[ad_1]
Get paid to take online surveys for money.
Market research is a huge industry ($44.35 billion to be exact,) and while there are legit market research companies that conduct online surveys and actually pay panelists for their participation, there are also scammers out there who don’t mind ripping you off.
Sadly, a lot of people do fall for these get-rich-quick scams.
To help you avoid becoming one of those people, we’ve gathered a list of 57 (which will grow as we update the list periodically) of the best trusted paid survey panels that you can join for free.
Be sure to read the entire post as we also explain in detail how paid surveys work, how you can spot and avoid scams and find the ones that do pay.
Top 21 Legit Paid Surveys at Home Companies
But first, here is the list of our favorite 21 legitimate survey companies you can earn extra money with.
Note: Most survey companies only accept members from a few western countries. Thus this list is only good for Americans and residents of a few western countries. However, I have published a list of international survey sites recently that I am sure those of you not living in the U.S. will find more useful.
1. MindSwarms
- Official website: Mindswarms.com
- Minimum to cash out: None (they send a $50 PayPal payment within 24 hours of survey completion.)
- Pay via: PayPal
Usually, when people talk about high paying surveys, they are talking about surveys that pay $5, $10 or perhaps $20 per survey.
But when we talk about high paying surveys as it relates to MindSwarms, we’re talking about $50!
That’s right, they pay $50 for every single survey that contains 7 questions!
But there is a catch…
These are not the usual questionnaires you fill out, these are video surveys!
Here is how it works:
- First, you need to signup. You’ll have to record a profile video and answer a few questions to establish your demographic which they use to match you with surveys looking for your demographic.
- Available surveys appear on your dashboard which you can apply for by answering a few multiple-choice questions.
- A researcher will review your responses and invite you to take the survey.
- You’ll then start the survey which will have only 7 questions that you can answer using the video function on your smartphone, tablet or webcam.
This whole process takes less than 15-20 minutes on average.
Hey for $50, I wouldn’t care even if it took a full hour!
They do however sometimes have 1 question surveys. For the one question surveys, you get paid $10, which is still pretty awesome.
But the best part is yet to come…
There is no minimum requirement for cashing out.
There is no requesting payment.
There is no waiting around.
Every time you complete a survey, they pay you $50 via PayPal within 24 hours.
Now that’s just awesome!
Unfortunately, sites like MindSwarms are rare.
However, there are similar sites (kind of) that pay you for recording videos of yourself visiting various sites and talking about the experience. It’s called “User Testing,” and websites and app companies use it to improve the user-friendliness of their sites and apps. We have a list of sites that pay you to test websites here.
2. SurveySavvy
SurveySavvy is a panel from Luth Research, another industry giant.
The best, and by far the most talked-about thing about SS is that they have some of the highest paying surveys.
Studies typically pay between $1 to $20, again, depending on the length and topic of the survey. I have had a lot of $5 and $10 surveys with them. So this one is a must-use site.
You know the best part about SurveySavvy?
They pay good money for referrals.
For every survey your referrals complete, you earn $1 to $2.
And that’s not the end…
you also earn $0.50 to $1 from indirect referrals (the people who your own referrals referred to the site).
Here is the fun part…
Even though these days I don’t have the time to do a lot of surveys, I still get a few checks a year ($50 -$100) from SurveySavvy thanks to the dozen or so people who I had referred back in my early days.
So once you join the site be sure to click the “Referral” tab (top right side of your user dashboard,) get your unique referral link and invite your friends and family to signup using that link.
Even if you refer 10 people and 5 out of those 10 refer a few people, you can easily earn an extra $10-$20 a month without even taking a single survey.
The pay out
We almost forgot to talk about the most important part.
You guessed it, SurveySavvy has another great thing going for it…
There is no minimum payment requirement!
That’s right, you can request a check even if you have $1 in your account.
3. Savvy Connect
- Official website: SavvyConnect
- Minimum to cash out: None
- Pay via: Check
One more feature of this already awesome panel is their new exclusive panel called SavvyConnect.
It works a lot like the Nielsen program – You install the free app (on your phone, PC or other devices you use to access the internet), it works quietly in the background gathering usage data anonymously.
But it’s better than Nielsen because instead of just earning entries to sweepstakes you actually get paid in cash.
You earn $5 per device for each month SavvyConnect is installed, up to $180 per year!
That’s an extra $180 a year just for installing a free app!
And yes, you can also earn for referring friends and family.
And here is where things get a lot more interesting….
For every person who you refer, that installs the app, you earn anywhere from $5 to $15. And just like the normal panel, you also earn from indirect referrals (the people who your own referrals referred).
You earn $2 to $6 for every indirect referral.
This is one site you must join if you are serious about making money with surveys.
4. PineCone Research
- Official website: PineConeResearch.com
- Minimum to cash out: $3
- Pay via: Check, Direct deposit to Visa gift cards
One of the most exclusive online survey panels is PineCone.
It is exclusive because you can only join if you’re invited. If you visit pineconeresearch.com you won’t find any registration link or form. There is only a “login” tab!
They only accept members through invite links that they provide to some of their affiliates, and even then it’s not 365 days a year. They have specific quotas and as soon as they reach that number, they stop accepting new members until the next time.
Fortunately, MoneyPantry is one of those affiliates, so whenever they open the doors we get the invite link and share it with our readers.
Note: if you click the link above and the registration is closed, be sure to bookmark this page and check back every so often as we will update the link.
This is one site you definitely want to join, not just because of their exclusivity, but because they also do pay decently for their surveys.
Reward System
They used to pay a flat $3 check for every single survey you took. You didn’t even have to wait or request payment. There was no minimum cash out requirement. They would automatically send you a $3 check every time you completed a survey. As far as I know, this is the only paid survey site that had this feature.
But they have recently changed that to a point system, but they’ve also introduced a new feature that most people would prefer (more on that later.)
You earn points for surveys. The value of each point is approximately $0.01.
So 300 points gets you $3.
You can redeem your points for prizes, or you can request a check in denominations of $3, $5 or $15.
It is important to note that your first 300 points are automatically redeemed for a $3 check. PineCone does that to “establish your profile and account.”
The new feature that I mentioned earlier is their prepaid Visa Card feature. Basically, you can load this card with your survey earnings. So it’s like getting cash that you can also use online anywhere Visa cards are accepted.
Update: Pinecone Research has transitioned away from PayPal and now pays you via direct electronic bank transfers.
5. Parent Speak: Survey site for Parents
This is a rather new and very specific survey panel that targets parents. Since a lot of our readers are parents, I thought it would be helpful to mention it.
The company behind the panel is C+R Research, a Chicago-based marketing research company.
This is more than just a survey site. It’s an online community where parents can connect with each other and discuss things.
Of course, for us, the draw is their unique survey panel.
As you can imagine their surveys (usually) revolve around topics and products related to parenting (which covers just about any category of products – food, entertainment, clothing, electronics, etc.)
Almost all surveys here pay a flat payment of $1.
But it doesn’t end there…
A lot of their surveys have follow-up questions which can pay $20-$50. So there is potential for making some serious money here.
6. KidzEyes: Survey site for kids 6 to 12
- Official website: Kidzeyes.com
- Minimum to cash out: $10
- Pay via: PayPal, Check
We talked about a parents exclusive survey panel, it’s only fair to mention one for kids as well.
KidzEyes’ parent company is also the Chicago-based marketing research company C+R Research.
As you can imagine, their surveys are geared towards products that kids use – toys, electronics, games, TV shows, music, clothing, etc.
To get in you must be 6-12 years old and live in the United States.
They conduct surveys for major manufacturers and companies in order to help them gather feedback from kids to help them develop better and improved products. Although, sometimes you (as a parent) may be asked to participate in a survey as well.
The reward system
All surveys earn you points known as KidzPoints (how original!).
Each point equals about one cent. So 100 points = $1.
Once you have $10 in your account, you can request a cash out via either PayPal or check.
There is also a monthly KidzEyes SuperPoll survey that kids are invited to. If you participate, you earn an entry for a chance to win $100 instantly.
Overall this is a fun site that not only allows your kids to earn a little pocket money, but they also get to share their opinion about things they use every day in their lives and help shape the future developments of those products.
7. TeensEyes: Survey site for teens 13 to 18
- Official website: Teenseyes.com
- Minimum to cash out: $10
- Pay via: Check
Ok, we talked about parents, we talked about kids under 12, now it’s time to talk about a panel that caters to teens.
Not surprisingly, the same company that’s behind ParentSpeack and KidzEyes is behind TeensEyes.
They only accept teens between 13 and 18.
And as you can imagine, it is a panel that focuses on conducting studies for products and services that teens use – snacks, video games, apps, TV shows, music, movies, clothing, etc.
Getting Paid
For every single survey, you earn points – anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand.
Each point is worth 1¢ each. So every survey can earn you between $2 to $20. Of course, there are some that pay less or more.
To cash out, you need at least 1000 points ($10) which will be paid to you with a check.
Weird rule
There is one very weird thing about this panel and that is the fact that… I’ll let them explain:
No member may accumulate more than 60,000 points in any given calendar year.
They don’t give a reason for this, but I assume it has to do with taxes. You see, if you pay someone $600 in any given year, you are required by law to report that earning and send them a tax form at the end of the year. And since 60,000 equals to $600, I assume they have that rule in place so they don’t have to deal with all that paperwork come tax time.
8. Nielsen Digital Voice Research Panel (also known as Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel)
- Official website: NielsenDigitalVoice
- Minimum to cash out: None
- Pay via: $10,000 monthly sweepstakes entry
When it comes to market research, perhaps nobody’s name is as recognizable as Nielsen.
Nielsen has found it’s way to thousands of living rooms through its Nielsen Rating program.
The program was developed to gather data about the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States.
Now they have another program but this time the focus is on the Internet and our usage of it.
Here is how it works…
- You sign up for the site (free).
- Then you install a free app to your computer or other devices.
- The device works in the background gathering data anonymously about your internet usage.
- Every month you’re entered into the $10,000 monthly sweepstakes where 400 people win cash prizes every month (the top 2 get $1000.)
Normally I don’t like survey sites that don’t directly pay you. Sweepstakes entries are great, but if you are looking to earn extra money consistently, sweepstakes won’t do.
So why add Nielsen to this list?
Because it’s way too easy to get an entry for a $1,000 prize every month!
Once you install their app, you don’t have to do anything else. It works in the background, without affecting your device. You won’t even know it’s there.
And the data is gathered anonymously!
So it’s not like your name gets attached to the kind of sites you visit. It’s just a demographic that gets attached to the data that is put together with data from thousands of other anonymous sources.
Sure, you may not win $1000 every month, but with 400 people winning something every month, you are bound to win some cash.
To join the program, visit Nielsen Digital Voice Research Panel.
9. LifePoints (former MySurvey)
- Official website: Lifepoints.com
- Minimum to cash out: 5550 points ($5)
- Pay via: PayPal, Gift cards , Merchandise & Donations to charity
LifePoints is a product of the famous market research company, LightspeedResearch that conducts studies for some of the world’s biggest brands.
With LifePoints you earn rewards for participating in online surveys, diaries and product tests. Yes, you get paid to test products!
They paid more than $32 million to their worldwide members just in 2014 alone!
I have personally been a member of this panel for over 10 years (started back when it was split into two different sites, MySurvey and Global Test Market). During this time, a lot of things have changed, but one thing stayed the same, and that’s the fact that they’re always on time with payouts which is one reason why I have stayed with them for so long.
You earn points for surveys which can be redeemed for cash, prizes and gift cards.
10. Valued Opinions
- Official website: ValuedOpinions.com
- Minimum to cash out: $20
- Pay via: Amazon gift cards (instant)
Valued Opinions is a panel by Research Now LLC, another big research company that partners with organizations like MRII (Market Research Institute International.)
The panel was created in 2004 and it has slowly grown to become one of the top online survey panels.
Their surveys also cover a wide variety of topics – food, clothing, electronics, and even movies and TV shows.
You earn credits for every survey you take which you can redeem for gift vouchers from top brands such as Amazon.com, Macy’s, Target and others.
What I like about this site is that their gift vouchers are sent to you instantly. As soon as you reach $20 in your account you can request a gift card and the code (for example Amazon gift certificate code) is sent to your email instantly.
There is no waiting period.
11. Microsoft Playtest: Survey site for Gamers
This one if is for the gamer in all of us. That’s right, Microsoft has an exclusive panel where members get to play and test new and unreleased games.
If you are a gamer, you will love this one.
I mean, where else can you earn rewards for playing games, new and unreleased before anyone else even hears about them! and shaping the development of these games?
As a reward, you get free games as well as free software.
12. Ipsos I-Say
- Official website: iPsosisay
- Minimum to cash out: 500 points
- Pay via: PayPal, Visa gift card, Store gift cards
i-Say is powered by one of the leading global market research companies, Ipsos which was founded in 1975.
According to the company, they conduct over than 70 million interviews (surveys, focus groups, etc) every single year for more than 5,000 clients in over 100 countries.
That should tell you how big of a company this one is and how seriously they take their online survey panel.
Here you earn i-Say points. Just how many points depends on the survey (usually the longer a survey, the more points you earn.)
One good thing about this one is that unlike some sites where after you fill out the survey you have to wait for days or even weeks to get credit, your account gets credited immediately after you complete the survey.
Loyalty points
Another thing they have going is their i-Say loyalty points program which earns you bonus points on top of the normal points you earn for participating in individual surveys.
For every certain number of completed surveys, you earn a certain number of Loyalty points.
For example, do 10 surveys and you’ll earn an extra 50 points.
That’s one thing that a lot of people like. That’s like getting free points for doing something that earns you points in the first place anyway.
Getting paid
Once you have 500 points you can redeem them for prizes like PayPal payments and Visa® Prepaid Cards, as well as gift cards for stores like:
- Amazon.com
- iTunes
- Starbucks
- Target
- and more.
Another great thing that makes iPsos a favorite among most survey takers is that their gift cards prizes are delivered to your email instantly.
And if you know anything about rewards sites and how they pay, you know that is fast!
13. Toluna
- Official website: Toluna.com
- Minimum to cash out: 50 points
- Pay via: Gift cards, Prizes
Toluna is a part of Toluna Group, you guessed it, a giant global market research firm.
They also have a wide variety of surveys that earn you points. For every survey, you earn between 3000 to 6000 points.
You can redeem your points for cash and prizes when you have at least 30,000 points in your account.
Sure that seems very high, but when you consider that the average survey pays 3000 to 6000 points, that you get 500 points just for signing up, a few thousand points for completing different parts of your profile and hundreds of points for referring friends, you can see that it wouldn’t take long to reach the minimum requirement.
Currently, the 30,000 points requirement is for getting gift vouchers and prizes.
If you don’t like/want that, there are also two other cash out options:
- Sweepstakes: You can use 500-1000 points to earn entries for their monthly $4500 sweepstakes or Big prize sweepstakes like the current iPhone 7 Sweepstakes.
- Gifties: Gifties are explained by Toluna as “virtual gifts that can become real” – things like magazine subscriptions, apps, virtual currencies that allow you to purchase stuff within apps, like lives for Candy Crush, etc. You need at least 50 points to redeem for stuff here.
One of the main draws of Toluna (and what it is best known for) is its product testing opportunities.
This is where they send you a product for free, you use it for a few weeks, then you answer a few questions about it and get paid for your time.
Who wouldn’t want to get free stuff, right?
But to be realistic, you shouldn’t expect a lot of this. It happens every once in a while. Join for the surveys and if product testing opportunities come your way, then treat it as the icing on the cake.
14. Harris Poll Online
- Official website: HarrisPoll.com
- Minimum to cash out: 1250 points ($10)
- Pay via: e-Gift cards (instant)
HarrisPoll is another legitimate panel and one of the few that gets the Seal of Integrity from CASRO (Council of American Survey Research Organizations).
This is another site that rewards you with points, known as “HIpoints” that can be redeemed for electronic gift cards.
On top of these points, you also earn a chance to win prizes from their biweekly and quarterly Harris Panel Sweepstakes!
Each survey can earn you between 75 to 200 points. To cash out you’ll need 1250 points (worth $10).
And since the rewards are e-gift cards, you’ll receive them instantly. No waiting around here either!
What I really like about HP is that it is one of the few sites that give you something even if you don’t qualify for a survey – an entry to HarrisPoll Sweepstakes.
But that’s not all…
They also give you 15 bonus HIpoints.
Not many points, but most sites don’t give you anything when you disqualify for a survey.
15. iPoll
- Official website: ipoll.com
- Minimum to cash out: $25
- Pay via: PayPal, Amazon.com e-vouchers, iTunes gift cards
iPoll is one of the few panels on this list that operates online survey panels in more than just the U.S. and a few other western countries.
It has panels in India, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Vietnam, Pakistan, China, and many more.
iPoll was created back in 2008 as SurveyHead by the founders of one of the most recognizable panels, Gozing, that had reportedly paid over $5,000,000 to its members between 1999 and 2005 (Gozing was acquired for $30 million by Greenfield Online in 2005.)
The great thing about iPoll is that not only it’s free to join, but they also give you a free $5 sign up bonus just for becoming a member.
Here you have the chance to not only take surveys but occasionally they may have mystery shopping assignments and product testing as well. They also have a lot of teen surveys, hence their registration policy that allows anyone 17 and up to sign up.
Getting paid
As for the rewards, there is no point system here. It’s straight cash. The average survey earns you between $1 to $5.
There is a minimum requirement for cashing out, set at $25. That’s rather high, but considering you get the first $5 for free and instantly, it’s not too bad.
Once you reach $25 you can cash out via a few different methods:
- PayPal payments
- Amazon.com e-vouchers
- iTunes gift cards
As a member, on top of earning cash for surveys, you also are entered to their quarterly sweepstakes draws of $10,000, which is pretty sweet since you get 4 chances every year to win.
The iPoll app
We can’t talk about iPoll without mentioning their awesome app.
The iPoll app is free and available for both Android and iOS devices.
App download links:
What makes this survey app special is that not only you have the chance for more surveys which you can take on the go, you also can earn cash for doing other small tasks – sort of like TaskRabbit or other short tasks sites and apps that pay you.
You get these “assignments” based on your location and demographics.
These tasks include things like taking a picture of a product, visiting a specific store, making a reservation, etc.
The best part?
You get paid cash on the spot!
16. Opinion Outpost
- Official website: OpinionOutpost.com
- Minimum to cash out: 50 points ($5)
- Pay via: PayPal, Amazon gift cards, iTunes vouchers
Opinion Outpost is backed by another giant in the market research industry, SSI (Survey Sampling International, LLC.)
The reward system used here is point-based, meaning you earn points for completing available questionnaires.
You can redeem your points for cash (via PayPal), iTunes credits or Amazon gift certificates.
What I particularly love about this panel is that on top of earning set rewards, you also get entries to win $10,000 in their quarterly prize draw.
That’s just icing on the cake!
17. Swagbucks
- Official website: Swagbucks.com
- Minimum to cash out: $1
- Pay via: PayPal, Gift Cards
Swagbucks, although not an online survey panel by definition, deserves a spot on this list because it is one of the best sites for earning extra money online.
I have reviewed Swagbucks and talked about it many times.
This is one site that does it all. You can earn rewards for doing almost anything you do online – from taking surveys and visiting websites to watching videos and even shopping (yes, you can earn cashback from 100’s of stores when you shop through Swagbucks.)
There are so many ways to earn here. They even pay you for searching. You can install their famous Swagbucks search bar for free in your browser. Then instead of going to Google, simply use it to do your daily searches and earn points.
Cashing out
When it comes to cashing out, you also have tons of options.
From gift cards from hundreds of brands like Amazon, Target, Macy’s and others to PayPal payments, charity donations and more.
There is really no minimum requirement for getting paid. You can cash out even if you have $1 in your account.
The best part is that right now they also give you a free $5 sign up bonus just for joining.
18. InboxDollars
InboxDollar is a lot like Swagbucks. It pays you to watch videos, play games, shop, take surveys and complete offer.
This one has been around for a long time. It has even been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America show.
They have paid over $43 million to their members to date. That has to tell you something about its legitimacy!
The only thing I don’t like about it is that they have a rather high minimum cashout requirement of $30.
However, they do give you a $5 bonus just for joining and you do earn a few more dollars for filling out your profile. So you probably can earn the first $10 in the first few days or so.
Once you have $30 you can request a check.
19. Branded Surveys
A few years back there was an awesome survey panel that came from nowhere and quickly become popular. It was called MintVine. Well, MintVine has rebranded and is now known as Branded Surveys.
They offer a lot of surveys so you can earn quickly.
You can also earn points by referring your friends and family.
20. Survey Junkie
- Official website: Surveyjunkie.com
- Minimum to cash out: $5
- Pay via: PayPal & Gift Cards
Survey Junkie is another top survey panel. They have been around since 2011 and have rover 10 million panelist already.
You earn points for every survey you take. The number of points varies based on the survey (usually longer surveys pay more!).
You can also earn by testing products, participating in online and in-person focus groups as well as taking part in phone surveys.
21. YouGov
- Official website: yougov.com
- Minimum to cash out: $50
- Pay via: Prizes (tote bags, t-shirts, etc), Gift Cards (for many online and offline stores)
Their surveys usually revolve around interesting topics, including politics, public affairs, products, brands and current issues.
Other Legit Paid Survey Panel You Should Join
“How to get more surveys on – insert panel name here -?”
One of the most common complaints with paid surveys is that there aren’t enough opportunities.
And of the ones available, you don’t always qualify for every single one.
So how do the people who claim they make $200, $400, $500 or even $1000 a month filling out surveys do it then?
Simple…
They join as many panels as they can get their hands on!
An individual market research company may only conduct a handful of studies and experiment each month, so your chances of making decent money with one site are very low.
But if you join a few dozen sites, you instantly tip the odds in your favor.
Fortunately, there are a few dozen trusty and legitimate panels that have proven time and again that they do pay.
They all work pretty much the same way as our top favorite panels we just talked about above.
The differences are usually in the form of payments and the minimum requirement for cashing out.
Besides those few differences, they are all free to join and work the same way for you:
- Take the survey.
- Earn points or cash.
- Get paid.
Here are some of them:
22. NiceQuest
- Official website: https://www.nicequest.com/us
- Minimum to cash out: $5
- Pay via: Merchandise, Store Gift Cards, Movie vouchers, Restaurant gift cards, Donations to charity, Sweepstakes entries
This is an awesome panel that also offers surveys for Hispanics and Teens, as well as mobile surveys you can take via their survey app.
They have high paying surveys. And that makes it very popular.
But there is a downside…
You can only get in via an invitation. You can find these invitation codes through their online ad campaigns or on Facebook and Twitter pages.
You earn points (called “Shells”) for each survey. 10 Shells equal to about $1.
And when it comes to redeeming your earnings, NiceQuest has one of the largest selections of prizes and options, from prizes such as electronics, toys and gift cards for tons of online and brick and mortar stores to restaurants and movie theater gift cards, and even charity donations.
What I really like about NiceQuest is that unlike most other sites where you only get paid if you qualify and complete the survey, you earn some points even if you don’t qualify.
And that makes it a must join site!
23. Institute for Online Consumer Studies
IOCS is a not-for-profit research organization that conducts studies and experiments on shopping-related behavior – things like how we, as consumers, evaluate products, how we make the buying decisions, etc. Although the focus is mostly on shopping related behavior, some of their experiments and studies include broader areas of marketing, psychology, and economics.
24. Datatelligence Online
Most of their surveys take around 10 minutes or so. Unfortunately, they don’t have that many surveys available. You may receive 1-2 surveys per month.
Some surveys pay cash, some offer you an entry into a drawings and some earn you Datatelligence points.
25. Mindspay Update 3/12/21: It appears that MindsPay is no longer in business.
- Official website: http://www.mindspay.com
- Minimum to cash out: $50
- Pay via: PayPal
They claim to also offer paid product testing opportunities. But it’s not really paid product testing, but more of getting cash back. Basically, besides surveys, you can purchase products and services through their portal and earn a certain amount of cash back for every dollar you spend. If you were going to buy something already, it’s a great way to get some of the cash back. But don’t just buy something because of the cashback.
26. FusionCash
FusionCash is very similar to CashCrate in that it’s not strictly a survey panel run by a market research company. You can also get paid for signing up for various sites and completing offers, shopping, as well as taking surveys. You also get a free $5 sign up bonus.
27. Engage Studies Consumer Panel
Engage Studies offers some of the highest paying surveys, anywhere from $50 to $250. But the downside is that there aren’t many surveys available throughout the year. But it’s a good site to keep in your arsenal of money making survey sites.
28. Engage Studies Healthcare Panel
Engage Studies runs another panel that is only focused on healthcare related studies. To join, you have to be a member of the medical/healthcare community.
29. ESearch
This is another panel that does accept members worldwide, but most of their studies are geared towards U.S. consumers. You can expect $1 to $5 on average per survey. Although with some of their surveys, the incentive is an entry to a drawing.
30. HCD Surveys
On average, each survey you take earns you between 100 ($1) to 500 ($5) points which equal to $1 to $5.
One thing I don’t like about this site is that it can take up to 4-6 weeks to get your check. I guess it is understandable since processing check for companies of that size is time-consuming. I wish they’d all change to PayPal since it is easy to do and you can receive your payment instantly.
31. Panda Research
With Panda you can also get paid to read emails. Each paid emails pays between 3¢ to 25¢. You also get a $3 bonus as soon as you sign up.
32. Consumer Village
The one thing that sets CV apart from other panels is their moderated surveys. Besides the usual surveys where you answer questions, they have these “moderated” surveys where you get to discuss the topic at hand with other panelists while the discussion is being moderated by a moderator.
33. Directive Analytics Panel
Here you earn “Direct Points” for each survey. 100 Direct points = $1. To redeem your DPs you have to send them an email with the subject line “Check Request.”
34. Vindale Research
Their minimum seems high, but they do have very high paying surveys, some paying as much as $50. Vindale even pays you $2 just for signing up.
35. ePoll
ePoll is one of the oldest survey panels that has proven to be a legitimate paying panel.
36. CashCrate
Taking surveys isn’t the only way to make money with CashCrate. You can also earn money by doing offers, shopping and even referring friends and family to the site. Read our CashCrate review for tips on how to make more money with this site.
37. National Consumer Panel
This is an exclusive panel from the famous Nielsen company (yes the same company behind Nielsen TV Rating.) Instead of rating TV shows, here you scan your purchase receipts and answer a few quick questions about the stuff you juts bought.
38. My Opinion Now
Here you earn RewardPoints for each and every survey you complete. The longer the survey, the more RP you earn.
39. Mindspay
You may be shocked at their high minimum cash out requirement, but it’s actually not that hard to reach it! Here’s why…they have been known to offer some of the highest paying surveys. I have been a member for many years and I lost track of how many $10-$20 surveys I filled out here.
40. Point Club
Not only you can earn points by taking surveys, you can also earn by participating in mobile surveys, diary surveys and referring friends.
41. Paid Viewpoint
What I particularly like about Paid View points is their quick pay outs. You usually receive your PayPal payment in less than 72 hours.
42. Springboard America
Here you earn points for each survey that are awarded to your account rather quickly (usually in less than 24 hours after completing the survey.)
43. ACOP (American Consumer Opinion Panel)
- Official website: http://www.acop.com/
- Minimum to cash out: 1000 Points
- Pay via: PayPal, Hyperwallet
American Consumer Opinion is a panel operated by one of the top market research firms in the country, Decision Analyst, Inc. They have been around for a very long time and have proven to be trustworthy and more importantly a paying survey company.
44. Crowdology
- Official website: https://crowdology.com/
- Minimum to cash out: $8 for PayPal and $10 for Amazon
- Pay via: PayPal, Amazon Gift cards
This is a rather new(ish) survey site that has become a favorite of mine.
If you request a PayPal payment, you can receive it in less than 48 hours (usually much faster.)
The only downside here is with Amazon gift card rewards. It can take up to 4 weeks to receive your gift card. Hopefully, they will speed this one soon.
45. One Opinion
Besides surveys, OneOpinion also offers product testing here and there.
46. PanelPolls
They have a lot of surveys geared towards families. They also offer paid focus groups you can participate in.
47. Kids Opinions
Kids Opinions is actually a part of PanelPolls. They have surveys for kids that your kids can participate in with your permission.
48. Legerweb
Legerweb is a Canadian panel that not only pays you for surveys but also for referring your friends and family.
49. Clear Voice
This is one of the few companies that accept international members, although the majority of their surveys are geared towards the residents of U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Even More Money Making Sites
When I first created this post, I just wanted to share my favorite panels, hence the original 21 market research panels.
But I’ve been getting a lot of emails and Facebook messages from our readers asking for more panels, especially since I always bring up the idea of joining a few dozen sites for those serious about making money with online surveys.
So I decided to turn this post into a one-stop-shop for earning cash for sharing your opinion, a sort of free online survey directory if you will.
With that in mind, here are more legitimate survey sites you can use to make money online:
- InstaGC
- ClickPerks
- Opinion Bureau
- iSurveyWorld
- MyPoints
- OpinionWorld
- Grab Points
- SurveyRewards
- Resonance Research
- SpiderMetrix
- Hagen Sinclair
- Darwin’s Data
- Quest Mindshare
- Tellwut
- Palm Research
- Knowledge Panel
- MediaInsiders
- Center for the Decision Sciences
- CVS Advisor
- Small Business Knowledge Center
- Medical Advisory Board
- Scarborough Surveys
- Global Survey Group
- 20/20 Panel
- My View
- Permission Research
- ZoomPanel
- Opinion Square
- Univox Community
- Test Spin
- MobileXpression
- HotSpex
- MySoapBox (Previously ClickIQ)
- Springboard America
- InboxResearch
- OneOpinion
- InboxPounds
Please be sure to share this post and bookmark it so you can check back often as I will be expanding this list with even more paying surveys.
How Do Paid Surveys Work?
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the industry, let me quickly explain how paid surveys work.
When companies want to find out what consumers think about their products and services so they can improve or develop new ones, they turn to market research companies.
Market research companies have online (as well as offline) panels where they pay a group of panelists to share their thoughts and experiences about these products and services.
You probably are familiar with focus groups. Well, online surveys are kind of like that, except you answer surveys via online forms and questionnaires.
What kind of questions do surveys ask?
Well, anything that can help the intended company fine-tune a product or develop a new, better version.
When it comes to business, data is important.
After all, if you don’t know what your customers want, how can you make things that they will buy?
Survey questions cover all kind of topics, but the end goal is usually the same – to understand the consumers and make products that want to buy.
They can be as detailed or as simple as a yes or no question.
To give you an idea, let’s assume we are conducting a survey about PayPal, the company/website that allows you to pay and get paid quickly and easily online.
Some of the questions you can expect could be:
- How easy is it to send money from your PayPal account?
- Do you prefer to login on your phone or on your computer?
- How many times a week/month do you use PayPal to pay or get paid?
- What new features would you like to see?
Now, of course, this is an oversimplified version, but you get the idea. The idea is to gather information and data from actual consumers and use that data to improve or create better products.
Why do they pay people to answer surveys?
Because nobody likes to do things for free!
Because people need an incentive to take the time from their busy lives to answer questions that will further benefit and enrich big companies and corporations.
In order to get people to take the time to answer these questions and fill out the surveys, MR companies have to incentivize it. So, they pay you!
Where does the money come from?
From businesses and companies that pay them to conduct these surveys.
In order to get the data that the companies and manufacturers so desperately want and need, they have to pay MR companies to conduct surveys on their behalf.
“Why won’t companies do it themselves?”
The same reason why you pay somebody to fix your car when you could buy the tools and parts, learn the trade, then fix it yourself!
Because it’s expensive and time-consuming.
Because it’s much easier and cheaper to pay an expert to do it correctly.
How do I get paid?
Now, not all survey sites operate or pay the same way.
Generally, there are three ways you get paid:
- Cash – paid via PayPal or by Check
- Points – that you can redeem for gift cards and prizes.
- Sweepstakes Entries – that give you chances to win cash and prizes.
These days though, almost all survey sites have or are moving towards cash and gift card payments on top of giving sweepstakes entries.
How much money can I make taking surveys?
If you are serious about making some real cash through filling out online survey forms, at some point, the question of how much you could possibly make by doing so would have to enter your mind.
In all honesty, there is no straight answer!
There are many factors that determine how much an individual survey pays.
Things like:
- The length of the survey.
- The product/topic the survey is about
- And things of that nature.
So subject to all these variable dynamics, you could find surveys that pay a paltry $0.25 to a generous $200 (this is the maximum I have heard of).
Before you get too excited, it is important to point out that the overwhelming majority of surveys should take no more than 15 minutes to fill out, and the average payout probably falls around $1 to $5.
As a rule of thumb, you can imagine that the payout is usually in direct proportion to the amount of time it takes to complete a survey.
I would say, an average panelist, who is a member of a few survey sites, can make an extra few hundred dollars a year.
Granted, there will always be people who are going to make more than that because they sign up for more sites (thus increasing their chances of qualifying for more surveys) and spend more time doing surveys.
Why do I have to qualify to take a survey?
This is one of the most confusing parts of taking surveys for money for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think because they didn’t qualify for a survey, that the company conducting it is somehow scamming them.
That’s not true at all!
Remember how we said companies want to gather feedback from their target consumers?
If you don’t use PayPal at all, what good does asking you “how many times a month do you send money with PayPal” do for PayPal? Why would they waste money ask questions from people who don’t even use their product?
So that’s why all surveys have what are known as “pre-screening” questions. These pre-screening questions help research companies gather data only from people who belong to the demographic that the survey is intended for.
That’s why almost every survey panel asks you to complete your profile. Some even give you points for doing it. They use your profile information to match you with surveys that you are more likely to qualify for. But sometimes there may be small criteria that you don’t meet, that’s where those pre-screening questions come into play.
Survey Directories/Database
Imagine this…
You see an ad online for a survey site that says something like “Earn up to $150 per hour taking surveys!”
You can’t believe it.
Even though it says “Up to,” you’re still thinking about that number, $150!
So you click and sign up for the site.
Confirmation email comes, you click on the link and verify your account.
You log in to your dashboard for the first time happy and excited to start making that money.
A quick glance at the available “survey” is all it takes to turn your excitement into disappointment.
“These are not surveys, this is just a list of other REAL paid survey panels!” you think to yourself.
This was exactly my reaction when I signed up for one of those sites.
Here’s the thing…
These sites are not actual survey panels themselves.
They don’t conduct market research studies at all.
They just give you a list of real survey companies that pay so you can join them.
Now, some of them may also pay you for signing up for those listed sites.
Why?
Because they earn affiliate commissions (it’s one of the ways MoneyPantry and almost every other site make money) from those survey sites for every new panelist they send them.
There is nothing wrong with that.
I just want to distinguish them from real survey panels so you don’t get confused.
I see ’em as sort of survey directories.
And I think you should join a few since they are free anyway.
Their lists may contain a few survey sites that you didn’t know about.
Overall, some of these sites may be a good tool to have in your arsenal if you want to take this to the next level and get service about making money as a survey taker.
Some of the survey directories that you may have seen their ads online include:
- SurveyMoneyMachines
- SurveyCompare
- SurveyMomma
- SurveySheep
- PanelPayDay
- SurveyDownline
The main issue I take with these sites is their outrages earning claims that you can “easily” earn $25 to $75 an hour taking surveys.
That’s just nonsense!
What About Survey Sites that Charge Membership Fees?
“Earn $25 on your first survey plus earn $100 participating in focus groups.”
“Earn $3500 a month filling surveys.”
“Get paid $100 for every online and phone survey.”
These are some of the claims made by a few sites that I am sure you’ve seen their ads online.
But here is the catch…
You have to pay to become a member!
The fee ranges from $4.99 a year to a one-time $27, $35 and even $49 fee.
They claim you can make a living taking surveys. Some even claim you can make more money than some people with good-paying jobs out there.
Here is the thing…
It’s all BS!
I don’t even know where to begin!
This whole thing is wrong on a few different levels:
- First, sure, there are surveys and focus groups that may pay up to $100, but they are not the norm. Most surveys pay much less than that. Those $100 surveys… you may come across them once in a blue moon if you are lucky enough.
- Second, there is nobody that’s making $3500 a month filling out online surveys. Sure, there are people who may earn $1000 or even $2000 a month, but they are in the minority. For most of us, it would be impossible unless you join every survey site that there is and spend every single waking hour filling out surveys. And that’s assuming if you are lucky enough to have that many surveys available, to begin with.
- Third, these sites are not survey panels themselves, nor are they affiliated with actual market research companies. These sites simply give you a list of real survey sites, which you can get for free on this very page. You can also use those free survey directories we mentioned above to find more survey sites.
How do I know this stuff?
Because I was dumb enough to fall for one of these sites 7-8 years ago when I initially got into trying to make money online.
I paid $47 for the membership fee and all I got was a list of survey sites, most of which I was already a member of.
Thankfully, I was smart enough to request a refund right away, so I got my money back.
But that (getting a refund) may not be the case for many people.
That’s why I wanted to include this section in this post to hopefully help those who may fall for such scams.
At the end of the day, these sites that charge you a “membership” fee are totally a scam and not worth your time or money.
Stay away from them and any so-called survey site that you have to pay to join.
Paid Survey Scams: Protect Yourself!
As I mentioned earlier, unfortunately, there are survey scams out there.
You see, because making money with paid surveys sounds so easy and awesome, scammers know that people are much likelier to fall for scams related to it.
They promise you the moon.
They tell you how you can make a full-time income in your pajamas on your couch taking fun surveys!
Who wouldn’t want that?
Unfortunately, nobody can make a living taking surveys. Ok, there may be a few people here and there that can make enough with surveys that they can say it’s their job, but for the majority, it’s just a way to earn some extra cash.
So, how can you stay away from survey scams?
The best and easiest way to avoid scams is to remember that all legitimate survey sites backed by real market research companies are free to join.
No real survey panel will charge you a registration fee. After all, they are supposed to pay you for your opinion, not you paying them to join their site!
Keep this in mind, though, a joining fee may not be enough indication that the site is up to no good. But with zero joining fees, there is no chance you can lose money unwittingly.
Another useful piece of advice is to do your research online before deciding on any survey websites. You can check out online forums and reviews, find out how they rate by the BBB, and whatever else that will help you gain as much insight as practical before joining any site.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, this post and the list of survey sites is going to help you make a little extra cash with surveys while avoiding scams.
Be sure to bookmark this post. If I see enough interest, I’ll turn this page into a sort of directory where we continuously update and add new surveys to the list.
Remember, you will not get rich taking surveys, but you can make a little side money in your free time while helping to develop and improve products and services you use in your everyday life.
[ad_2]
Source link