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There’s plenty of paid online survey sites out there. But unfortunately, not all of them are legit or worth your time.
Fortunately, I went ahead and personally tested over 50 different online survey sites and narrowed them down to the 17 best. This way, you don’t have to.
Below you’ll find a list of the best survey sites along with my review of why each one deserves to be on this list.
You’ll also find how much you can expect to make per hour, the pros and cons, payment methods and other information.
With that said, let’s go ahead and dive right in.
Table of Contents
Best Survey Sites for 2024
Here’s a list of the 17 best surveys to earn money online:
- 1) Survey Junkie
- 2) Swagbucks
- 3) Branded Surveys
- 4) LifePoints
- 5) MobileXpression
- 6) MySoapBox
- 7) InboxDollars
- 8) YouGov
- 9) Prize Rebel
- 10) Pinecone Research
- 11) PointClub
- 12) Panda Research
- 13) Toluna Opinions
- 14) Opinion Outpost
- 15) Ipsos i-Say
- 16) Survey Club
- 17) MyPoints
1. Survey Junkie
| Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Our Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 – $50 | Cash & Gift Cards | $1 | ★★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
My favorite paid online survey site is Survey Junkie.
They’re number #1 on our list for good reason, especially since they’re one of the highest paying online surveys on the web.
In fact, by sticking to the higher-paying surveys, you can earn at a rate of $12 – $18 per hour earning anywhere between $1 to $50 per survey.
But if you take the lower paying surveys, expect to realistically earn around only $5 – $10 per hour, which is still pretty decent for a survey site.
My favorite part?
Survey Junkie always tell you how much each survey pays before you start a survey.
Not only that, but you’ll also receive a $1 bonus when you register as a new user.
Taking surveys for money earns you points. You can exchange these points for prizes such as free gift cards to PayPal, Target and Amazon.
Benefits:
- Very high paying surveys
- Strong reputation
- Tell you how long a survey takes and how much it pays
2. Swagbucks
| Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Our Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.25 – $4 | Cash & Gift Cards | $5 | ★★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
Swagbucks not only pays you to take paid online surveys, but you also get paid to complete small tasks online.
Aside from just taking online surveys for money, you can earn points watching videos, completing free-trail offers, searching the web, online shopping, clipping coupons, taking polls and more.
Each time you complete a task, you earn points called Swagbucks.
You can then exchange these Swagbucks for lots of different prizes such as free gift cards to Target or Amazon, direct payments for PayPal cash and more.
Swagbucks is definitely the best way to go if you’re looking for an all-around site to earn extra money online
Members report that they earn anywhere between $5 to $10 per hour just to fill out surveys for money.
Keep in mind that a minimum of $5 (outside of the welcome bonus) is needed in order to cash out.
Benefits:
- Very popular survey site
- Other online activities for extra income
- High paying surveys
- Excellent referral program
3. Branded Surveys
| Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Our Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $2.50 | Cash & Gift Cards | 100 Points | ★★★★★ | Join Now | No Review |
Branded Surveys comes in on our list of the best survey sites at #3.
Although the company hasn’t been around as long as the other best paid survey sites on this list, they still pay quite well.
Earn points for taking online paid surveys and sharing your opinion.
What I love about Branded Surveys is their fast payout rate. They pay you in 1-2 days and I find that I can earn at around $10 per hour on average.
Taking surveys pays as much as $2.50 upon completion per survey at just 15 minutes to complete.
Users receive a 100 point bonus upon joining.
When you cash out with, you can exchange your points for a visa gift card or any other vendor of your choice.
All gift cards are emailed electronically.
Benefits:
- $10 per hour on average
- Quick payouts
- Also pays via bank deposits
4. LifePoints
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $1 | PayPal | 10 Points | ★★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
LifePoints (part of Global Test Market) is quickly becoming a top contender among paid surveys online.
They’re high-paying and claim to have paid over $22 million dollars in the last year alone with members in over 40 different countries.
When you join LifePoints, you earn points for sharing your opinion on everyday services and products. These points can be exchanged either a free gift card of your choice or PayPal money.
Each new member that signs-up automatically gets a 10 point signup bonus.
When I first started out with LifePoints, I was amazed by the amount of surveys for money available. It was rare that I didn’t have a survey available, meaning I could consistently earn.
On average, I’ve found that online surveys with LifePoints take around 10 minutes to complete and I can earn at a rate of $7 – $10 per hour.
Benefits:
- Unique and fun
- Quick surveys around 10 minutes to complete
- Automatically entered into sweepstakes if denied a survey
5. MobileXpression
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $1 | PayPal | 10 Points | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
MobileXpression is one of the simplest survey apps on this list to earn extra money… because after installation, you don’t have to do anything to make money.
When you first install MobileXpression, simply fill out a few surveys about how you typically use your phone. This includes how much time you spend on it, what apps you use and other simple questions.
Then from there, MobileXpression sites on your phone in the background while you earn free cash.
Essentially, you’re earning a passive income since you don’t have to do any work to make money. The only thing you have to do is leave the app installed.
Expect to earn around $5 per month with this survey app or $60 per year.
The best part?
You get a free $5 gift card after leaving the app installed for 2-3 weeks. You can earn even more passive income by installing apps similar to MobileXpression on your phone.
When you leave the app installed, you earn points that you can redeem for both PayPal cash and e-gift cards.
Benefits:
- $5 bonus after 2 weeks
- Passive income
- Earn through other online tasks
6. MySoapBox
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $1 | PayPal | $2 | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
MySoapBox is quickly becoming one of the more popular surveys.
They have a great payout rate and even start you off with a $2 welcome bonus.
Each time after completing surveys, you earn points that can be exchanged to a retailer of your choice such as Walmart, Amazon, iTunes and many others.
The minimum to cash out is $25 for free Amazon gift card and a lot of other retailers as well. While it may seem like a lot, you should be able to reach this amount quite quickly.
After your first time redeeming points, you can cash out with just a minimum of $1. The first time requires $25.
Some people report earning as much as $4 – $8 per hour with my SoapBox. Although it’s not as high as the other paid survey sites, it’s worth a try.
Benefits:
- $2 sign-up bonus
- Lots of surveys
- $1 minimum cash out after the first time
7. InboxDollars
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards | $5 | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
The great thing about Inbox Dollars is that right off the bat they give you a $5 registration bonus.
Although you can earn a lot from online surveys alone, they also award you for competing other tasks. Get paid to play games, watch videos and complete other online activities.
This means you can take a break from surveys and make money watching videos or complete some other task for easy money.
If you stick to surveys for money alone, you can make about $5 to $10 per hour and roughly $.50 to $1 per survey.
To cash out you need a minimum balance of $30. Payment methods include cashing out via check and free e-gift cards.
Users can also earn additional money through their referral program. For each friend that you refer, you get 10% of their earnings for life without taking away from their earnings.
The one downside about this survey app however is that you need a minimum of $30 to cash out.
Benefits:
- $5 registration bonus
- Additional tasks for extra money
- Lots of gift card options
8. YouGov
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards | $2 | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
Out of all of the online surveys on this list, YouGov has some of the more interesting surveys on the web.
Share your opinions about current events and take polls on issues that are current and earn money in exchange. Not only that, you get to see the opinions of others.
YouGov comes with a $2 signup bonus and multiple users report making $5 to $10 per hour taking market research surveys for money.
Each survey pays around $.50 to $1 and takes only 5 – 10 minutes to complete.
When you have a minimum of $25 in points earned, cash out for a gift card of your choosing or for PayPal money. I earn at a rate of about $5 – $8 per hour.
YouGov recognizes that privacy is very important when it comes to paid surveys. For this reason, they have a very strict policy in order to maintain confidentiality regarding personal information.
Benefits:
- $2 sign-up bonus
- Small community feel
- One of the better market research companies
9. Prize Rebel
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $.75 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards | None | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
I’ve recently come to enjoy Prize Rebel more and more as a legitimate survey site – and I’m not the only one.
Prize Rebel has been getting a lot of praise lately due to their high payouts and ease of use.
If you complete the right surveys, you can easily earn at a rate of around $10 per hour. This makes up for the fact that they don’t have a registration bonus.
With Prize Rebel, you also earn cash when you watch videos and complete offer walls. This means that when you get bored of answering questions, you can switch to other tasks to continue earning.
I also like how Prize Rebel tells you before you start how long an online survey takes and how much it pays. This way you don’t have to worry about wasting time.
Points can be exchanged for gift cards or cash outs to PayPal. This is one of the higher paying sites on this list.
Benefits:
- Earn money from other tasks
- 20% to 30% referral bonus
- High-paying
10. Pinecone Research
| Earn Per Survey | Payment Method | Registration Bonus | Rating | Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3 | Check & Gift Cards | None | ★★★★ | Join Now | Read Full Review |
Pinecone Research works a little bit differently than the other survey sites on this list.
Instead of logging-in and checking for available surveys, they send you an email when paid surveys are available.
The best part about this paid survey site is that you know exactly how much you earn per survey. Every survey pays you $3, with each survey taking around 15 minutes.
This means you can earn up to $12 per hour.
The downside with this site is that they have a very limited amount of online surveys. Last month I only received three surveys, but sometimes I get four.
Not only that, but they don’t always accept new users. But if you do get rejected, be sure to try again in a month or two to see if there are any openings.
You can exchange the points you earn for free gift cards or for PayPal cash. The minimum payout is $3.
11. PointClub
While it’s not number one on this list, PointClub is the best survey site you can use to get started if you’re new to taking surveys for money.
The best part is that you’ll receive a $5 bonus (500 points) when you sign-up. Furthermore, the minimum to cash out is only $25.
PointClub has a bonus system. For every 5 consecutive days you log-in, you earn a 10% bonus on all of your earnings up to a maximum of 100%. However, forget to log-in for one day and your bonus will reset.
You can redeem for PayPal cash and gift card prizes. Users can expect to earn anywhere between $.25 cents to $5 per survey.
Depending on the day and whether you’re on the bonus system or not, you can earn between $7 – $12 per hour.
Read our PointClub review for more information.
12. Panda Research
I recently just started using Panda Research, and I wish I had started sooner. You get a $3 sign-up bonus, and there are many opportunities you can earn money with this website.
Like Swagbucks, you can also earn cash reading emails, taking surveys, clipping and using coupons, completing free trial offers and referring friends.
You’re automatically paid the 1st and the 15th of each month via PayPal. In other words, you never have to worry about requesting to cash out.
The only downside is that there’s a minimum cash-out balance of $50, but I usually find myself getting to this amount rather quickly.
When you answer surveys, expect anywhere between $1.50 and a few bucks for each one with 10 to 15 minutes of work. On good days I earn at a rate of around $10 per hour.
Here’s our Panda Research review for more details.
13. Toluna Opinions
If you don’t want any trouble going through low-paying surveys, Toluna Opinions is probably what you’re looking for.
They pay anywhere from $1 to $5 per survey.
You have to be eligible before you can start a survey, but they warn warn you rather quickly if you’re eligible or not.
Payouts can be made to PayPal or for gift cards, and you get a $2 sign-up bonus after getting your first completed survey.
The other great thing about Toluna Opinions is that many report their rewards being processed almost immediately.
On average, don’t expect to make much more than $8 per hour.
Furthermore, can also enter a daily sweepstakes which awards 1,000,000 points to a random user at no cost to participate.
Users need a minimum of $20 in their account to cash out. Keep in mind that 30,000 points is equivalent to $1 USD.
Read our Toluna Opinions review for more information.
14. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is great when they come to being consistent on payouts.
Most of their paid surveys pay around the same amount and at a decent rate. This way, don’t have to filter through the terrible surveys in order to make some decent cash.
When you sign-up for Opinion Outpost, you can expect to earn at a rate of about $8 – $10 per hour.
Opinion outpost has one of the strongest reputations out of any paid survey site and is known to be very reliable.
What I also love about this site is that they frequently have random prize draws of up to $10,000 for all of their members. You automatically participate just by being a member.
Expect to earn about $1 to $3 per survey. Read our Opinion Outpost review for more details.
15. Ipsos i-Say Panel
Ipsos has an incredibly large amount of paid surveys available.
Not only that, buy they reward you for active participation. The more online surveys you take, the more you earn in their tiered bonus program.
Expect to make around $4 to $8 per hour with Ipsos and anywhere between $.25 and $2 per survey.
When taking market research surveys for money with Ipsos you’re automatically entered into a drawing for prizes such as MP3 players, vacation packages, gaming consoles, gift cards and more.
You can request your points to be exchanged for gift cards, PayPal or a charitable donation.
Here’s our Ipsos full review for more details.
16. Survey Club
Survey Club is a survey company founded in Colorado that dates back all the way to 2005. This survey site is one of the longest-running survey platforms around.
The site partners with market research companies from around the world. This means that if you’re outside of the US, there may be survey opportunities for you as well.
What I really like about Survey Club is that even if you don’t qualify for a survey, you still get $.10 cents just for trying.
A minimum of $20 dollars is needed to cash out. You can expect to earn at a rate of around $3 – $7 per hour depending on the surveys.
While it’s not the best-paying survey site, they’re very reliable with a strong reputation. You can read our SurveyClub full review for more information.
17. MyPoints
Just like Swagbucks, MyPoints not only pays you for surveys but for completing other online tasks as well.
You can also earn cash for watching videos and shopping online.
The great thing about MyPoints is that you even get a $10 welcome bonus, one of the highest joining bonuses around. Just keep in mind that you need a minimum of $25 in earned rewards to cash out.
MyPoints really varies in terms of earnings. If you’re watching videos, it’s not much.
However, with surveys it can widely range as it heavily depends. Expect around $4 – $10 per hour. However, there just aren’t that many surveys available.
This MyPoints review goes into more detail.
Summary of the Best Paid Online Surveys
| Site | Earn Per Survey | Payment Method |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Junkie | $1 – $50 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Swagbucks | $.25 – $4 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Branded Surveys | $.50 – $2.50 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| LifePoints | $.50 – $1 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| MobileXpression | $.50 – $1 | Gift Cards |
| MySoapBox | $.50 – $1 | Gift Cards |
| InboxDollars | $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards |
| YouGov | $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards |
| Prize Rebel | $.75 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Pinecone Research | $3 | Check & Gift Cards |
| PointClub | $.25 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Panda Research | $1.50 – $3 | PayPal |
| Toluna | $1 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Opinion Outpost | $1 – $3 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Ipsos i-Say | $.25 – $2 | Prizes & Gift Cards |
| Survey Club | $.25 – $2 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| MyPoints | $4 – $10 | Cash & Gift Cards |
Other Survey Sites Reviewed
Although these sites down below didn’t make our list of the most popular online survey sites, here are some other options that you can look into:
- iPoll
- E-poll
- SurveyTime
- Zap Surveys
- SpecPan
- Triaba
- Panel Payday
- American Consumer Panel
- Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
- Vindale Research
Best Paid Survey Sites in Other Countries
The majority of the surveys on this list typically only work within the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Here’s a list of online survey sites that work in other countries:
What To Look For In the Paid Survey Sites
With so many survey websites out there claiming that you can make thousands, it’s difficult to determine what’s scam or legit.
However, there are some key factors that you should look for.
Be Aware Of Scam Survey Sites
Legitimate surveys will never ask for your credit card information.
When taking online surveys for money, they mostly only require your email address, your payment information and for you to create a password.
Be careful of survey scams.
If they ask for anything else, walk away.
Also be aware if a survey site is claiming if you can make money online in the thousands of dollars. That’s usually not the case with these sites. If you’re looking to really make money, we suggest looking for other ways to get paid.
Sign-Up Bonuses
Sometimes welcomes bonuses can be as high as $5 or $10. I sometimes sign-up just for the sign-up bonus and then cash out once I meet the payment threshold.
From there, if I don’t like the site, I don’t continue.
Payment Thresholds
Most legitimate survey companies require you to reach a minimum balance before you can cash out. Be aware of this when you first sign-up.
I’ve seen some for as little as $5 and some as high as $50.
Yet keep in mind that those with a higher payout threshold usually pay much better.
Stick To High-Paying Survey Opportunities
I do my best to list surveys on this list that at least pay at a minimum rate of $10/hour.
Calculate how much you can earn by dividing how much you earn by how long it takes in hours ($5 survey / .5 hours = $10/hour).
Legit paid survey sites typically have low-paying surveys and high-paying ones. If you see a survey that doesn’t pay well, move on to the next one or wait for a new one to come out.
How And When They Pay
This may be important depending on how quickly you need the cash. I’ve seen survey sites payout only once a month, whereas with others you can request a payout at any time.
Keep in mind that paid surveys typically pay rather quickly.
Furthermore, keep in mind what type of compensation they pay, whether it be gift cards or PayPal deposits.
Privacy
Most surveys are quite good about privacy. The top survey websites typically keep all of your answers anonymous, so there’s no way to link your opinions for market research back to you.
I made sure that all online survey sites on this list meet these criteria.
Don’t Forget To Verify Your Email Address
When you register with the majority of these sites, they’ll require you to verify your email address.
How to Increase Earnings
Here’s a quick list of tips that you should keep in mind when trying to make money online with paid online surveys.
Prevent Burnout
When you first start taking surveys for money, it can be exciting to realize that you can easily earn some extra money online. However, I caution you to take it slow.
Burnout is quite common since paid surveys can be quite tedious.
If you find yourself getting bored with one survey site, skip it for a while and try a new one and go back to it later. I personally make sure to take a day off from paid online surveys all-together.
Separate email address can also help so that you aren’t getting spam to your primary inbox all day.
Don’t Stick With One Site
As much as I hate to admit this, you can’t just pick one of these survey sites. This is because there just aren’t enough surveys to go around that are high-paying.
Furthermore, stick with the high-paying surveys and don’t waste your time with low-paying surveys. If you’re not earning at a rate of nearly $10 per hour, take a break from that site and go to a new one.
Sometimes you can even earn for other tasks such as when you shop online or watch videos.
Refer Your Friends
Most surveys for money on this list of survey sites have a referral program.
All it takes is a quick post to your Facebook or Twitter account to shout out your referral link to all of your friends.
Sometimes Sign-up Bonuses Are All You Need
I sometimes sign-up for a survey panel only to find out that I hate it. However, with a $5 registration bonus, it’s difficult to complain.
If this is the case, what I usually do is start taking surveys and make enough to reach the minimum cash-out threshold and never come back to the site again. Sometimes this is worth it if the sign-up bonus is high enough.
Watch Your Time
The amount of time you spend on a particular survey panel really depends on the site itself. Keep track of how many hours you’re working so you know the exact amount you’re getting paid per hour.
Also remember that when taking surveys for money, the amount of time it takes completing surveys depends on your answers and demographics.
This means that the amount of money you make and the time it takes to complete surveys may vary from person to person.
FAQs
What Online Surveys Pay the Most?
The amount a survey pays is related to your demographic and the amount of time it takes completing surveys. Longer surveys generally pay more money. By being disciplined and consistent, you can gradually increase your earnings.
Which Paid Survey Sites Are Legitimate?
All legit paid survey sites do not require payment, have a strong reputation and are have high ratings on review sites such as Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot. For the most legitimate surveys, you’re going to have the most luck with sites like Swagbucks.
Do Survey Websites Actually Pay?
Legit survey sites will pay you for your opinion that will be used for market research. You can expect to earn anywhere between 10 cents and $50 per survey. Most top survey sites pay via PayPal or free gift cards delivered electronically.
How Do Paid Survey Sites Work?
The best paid survey sites work by gathering opinions from users. This information is used as market research to help companies improve their products and services. That’s why it’s important to give your honest opinion when taking a survey.
Which Survey Sites Pay Instantly?
Most survey websites take anywhere between 24 hours and a week to process payments. Don’t expect to receive an instant payout when taking surveys online. Toluna Opinions and Branded Surveys have one of the fastest payout times.
Is Taking Money For Surveys Worth It?
Completing online surveys for money won’t make you rich, but it can be a great way to earn some extra money. Some surveys pay as little as $2 per hour. For this reason, it’s best to try out as many paid survey opportunities as possible to determine the best one for you.
What is the Most Reliable Survey Site?
Reliable survey sites typically pay their users on-time and pay the correct amount. The most reliable survey sites are Branded Surveys, Swagbucks and Survey Junkie.
Are Paid Surveys Worth It?
In order to determine whether surveys are worth it, you can calculate how much you are earning per hour. Simply take the amount you earn divided by the amount of time it takes for you to complete the survey in hours. For example, if a survey pays $3 and it takes .5 hours to complete, I earn at a rate of $6 per hour.
Final Thoughts
Getting paid from taking surveys is a great way make money online. It just takes a little bit of effort to find the right one that works for you.
Making money from top survey sites is just one of the ways to get paid online or to get one step closer to reaching your personal finance goals.
Furthermore, you can make a decent amount of money fast. Just don’t expect it to replace your full-time job.
If you’re looking to get paid in extra cash or gift cards, survey sites are great for when you have a few minutes of spare time.
The best part? They’re completely free!
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