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With a list of the best survey apps, you can easily make extra money while on the go or from home. The only difficult part is determining which ones are scam or legit.
Fortunately, we’ve done all of the work for you. We personally tested over 75 different apps to bring you the top 17. Below you’ll find which ones are the best, how they work and how much you can expect to make with each one.
And the cool part is that they’re all 100% free.
Table of Contents
17 Best Survey Apps in 2024
Here’s a quick list of the 20 best survey apps.
- 1) Survey Junkie
- 2) Swagbucks
- 3) Branded Surveys
- 4) LifePoints
- 5) Pinecone Research
- 6) YouGov
- 7) InboxDollars
- 8) Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
- 9) PointClub
- 10) Prize Rebel
- 11) MySoapBox
- 12) Toluna Opinions
- 13) Ipsos i-Say
- 14) MyPoints
- 15) Valued Opinions
- 16) Google Opinion Rewards
- 17) Qmee
1. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie easily makes #1 on our list due to their high payout rate and also their ease of use.
You need a minimum of $10 to cash out, but it usually doesn’t take too long to reach this amount. In fact, I find that with the higher-paying surveys I can earn at a rate of around $10 – $15 per hour.
This of course depends on your demographics, as some users may earn more than others. You can redeem your points for free Amazon or Target gift cards and PayPal cash.
You also receive a 25-point registration bonus when you sign up as a new user. My favorite part about Survey Junkie?
Even if you don’t qualify for a survey, you still earn points just for trying. This means that you’re always going to be earning for your time.
Read our full Survey Junkie review for more details.
Quick Summary:
- Highest-paying on this list
- 25-point welcome bonus
- Cash out to Amazon, Target or cash via PayPal
- Survey Junkie Review
2. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is one of my favorite survey apps of all-time, and it’s not just because they have an excellent payout rate.
You’re also able to make money completing tasks that you do on a daily basis, such as watching videos, signing-up for free-trial offers, clipping coupons, taking polls, playing games, shopping online and of course, taking surveys.
They even offer a hefty $5 sign-up bonus. When it comes strictly to online surveys, I typically find that they pay about $5 every 30 minutes if not more.
When I run out of good-paying surveys, I simply switch to another task such as watching videos for some easy money. For each friend that you convince to join using your sign-up link, you earn 10% of their earnings for life.
Earn rewards that are usually given within a few days and there’s a $5 cash out threshold.
Read our full Swagbucks review for more ways to make money on this platform.
Quick Summary:
- Make money for more than just answering questions
- Redeem for PayPal cash, gift cards and physical prizes
- Low payout threshold
- Swagbucks Review
3. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys hasn’t been around as the first couple on this list, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a strong reputation.
In fact, Branded Surveys is quickly making its way up the ranks as one of the highest-paying survey apps and websites out there.
I always find that I can earn cash at least at a rate of $10 per hour with this app. The more online surveys you complete, the more high-paying surveys that you’ll be rewarded with.
You must be at least 16 years of age to participate and you need to reside within the UK, US or Canada.
Payments can be made via PayPal cash. This is also one of the few that pays you directly to your bank account. You also receive a 100-point welcome bonus as a new user.
Quick Summary:
- Earn roughly $10 per hour
- The more you play, the more you earn
- Must be in the US, UK or Canada
4. LifePoints
LifePoints is one of the newer online survey apps out there, but they’re already proving their worth. Get paid to complete small tasks from your mobile device such as completing online surveys and doing daily challenges.
With LifePoints, almost all online surveys take under 10 minutes to complete. This means you never have to start and quit halfway through since most likely you’ll finish it quickly.
When you sign-up, you receive a 5 points bonus and a 15% booster. Earn points to cash out for a gift card of your choosing.
By using this LifePoints for just a few minutes per day, you’re most likely to be able to earn money at around $10 within a few weeks.
Quick Summary:
- User-friendly design
- Average survey takes 10 minutes or less
- Entered into sweepstakes if not eligible for survey
- LifePoints Review
5. Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research easily makes number five on this list due to their payout rate. You’re always going to earn a flat rate of $3.
Not only that, but I find that they only tend to take around 10 – 15 minutes, meaning I’m earning roughly around a rate of $15/hour.
The only downside is that there’s a limit to the amount of online surveys that you participate in. At most, I find that I’m able only to take one or two per week.
Sometimes I only receive one a month. You can turn on email notifications to be reminded of when new ones are available. Unlike the others on this list, I find that Pinecone Research tends to have the most interesting surveys.
You’re actually giving opinions about products and services that you most likely use on a daily basis. Rewards can take up to a week, and you need a minimum of $10 to cash out.
Quick Summary:
- Flat rate of $3 per survey
- Interesting market research surveys
- Cash out for PayPal, gift cards and prizes
- Pinecone Research Review
6. YouGov
YouGov is an online survey app that heavily focuses on gathering opinions about current events. Rather than simply completing surveys and taking away cash, YouGov is more like an online community.
Connect with others and hear their opinions about what’s going on in the news. YouGov only rewards you with gift cards and you only need a minimum of $5 to cash out.
I’ve found that YouGov has some of the most interesting market research surveys and polls that I’ve taken (for those of you interested in current events and politics).
You also receive a $2 cash bonus as a new user. For each friend that you refer that uses your link to register, you earn a bonus of 2,000 points (equivalent to $2).
Quick Summary:
- Referral program
- Sign-up bonus of $2
- Payout threshold is quite low
- YouGov Review
7. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is a very similar to Swagbucks. Instead of simply earning cash by completing surveys, get paid to watch videos, refer your friends, complete free-trial offers.
The one task I absolutely love about InboxDollars is the fact that I can make money simply for reading emails. All you have to do is open them and you get paid for it.
When it comes to answering questions, I usually find that I’m earning at about a rate of $10 per hour. The minimum threshold to cash out is $25.
Payments are made either through cash via PayPal or gift cards.
InboxDollars also has an excellent referral program. For each friend that you refer you earn 10% of their earnings for life.
Quick Summary:
- Sign-up cash bonus of $5
- Easy way to make cash reading emails as well
- Excellent referral program
- InboxDollars Review
8. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
Nielsen Consumer & Mobile Panel is another easy way to make money and share information without the need to actually complete surveys.
Simply install Nielsen to your mobile device and earn up to $50 per year. The thing about Nielsen is that there’s an unlimited amount of devices that you can use.
This allows you to double or even triple your earnings. The only limit is on the amount of devices per area. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel is that it’s available in multiple countries.
Earn a passive income in Spain, Germany, China and many other places.
Quick Summary:
- Passive income earning
- Can install on multiple devices
- Can be used across the globe
- Nielsen Panel Review
9. PointClub
While the PointClub online survey app is only available for Android devices, iPhone users can still access it via their desktop computer or mobile browser.
They have one of the highest payout rates on this list. Expect to earn up to $15/hour, and you receive a $5 bonus as a new user.
PointClub has an awesome bonus program. For every 5 consecutive days that you log-in you earn a 10% bonus on all of your earnings up to a maximum of 100%.
However, miss a day and this resets back to zero. You need a minimum of $25 to cash out for either cash via PayPal or gift cards.
Quick Summary
- Excellent payout rate – earn up to $15/hour
- $5 registration bonus
- Fun surveys that are easy
- PointClub Review
10. Prize Rebel
If you’re looking for simplicity, Prize Rebel is what you need.
With a Trust Pilot rating of 3.9 stars, Prize Rebel is one of those classic survey sites that primarily focuses on consumer market research in order to improve products and services for market research companies to help out major brands.
Since their inception, they’ve paid out more than $9 million and their users report this company being both legit and high-paying.
The thing about Prize Rebel is that they come with an excellent referral program. For each friend you refer, you receive 10% of their earnings at no extra cost to them.
You earn points that can be redeemed for a direct deposit to your bank account or for a gift card of your choosing. Read our PrizeRebel review.
11. MySoapBox
MySoapBox is well-known for their high-paying surveys and focus groups. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many surveys to around.
You can easily expect to earn up to $10 per hour. Since they don’t have that many online paid surveys available, we suggest signing-up for email notifications.
After the first time cashing out, there’s only a $1 minimum to cash out the second time.
The first time you need $25 to cash out, and the $2 bonus can definitely help you reach this a lot more quickly. Earn points that can be exchanged for gift cards to popular retailers, and you can take as many surveys as you want.
Read our MySoapBox review.
Quick Summary:
- Low payout threshold after the first time cashing out
- $2 registation bonus
- Surveys tend to be interesting
12. Toluna Opinions
We still haven’t done a full review of Toluna Opinions, but from what we’ve experienced so far we only have good things to say.
You need a minimum balance of $20 for a direct deposit for cash to PayPal or gift cards. All cash rewards are given to you immediately.
Toluna comes with a $2 registration bonus and is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Toluna Opinions does an excellent job of telling you if you’re ineligible for a survey, usually telling you within the first question or two.
Expect to earn $1 – $5 per survey. Don’t forget to read our full Toluna Opinions review.
Quick Summary:
- $2 registration bonus
- Earn $1 – $5 per survey
- Payouts are made immediately
13. Ipsos i-Say
The surveys you find on Ipsos i-Say are usually shorter than they say they are, so you’re never on there for as long as you think you are.
Available for both iOS and Android devices, expect to make around $8 – $10 per hour with Ipsos.
Each time you participate with the i-Say panel you’re automatically entered into one of their sweepstakes for a cool prize such as a MP3 player, gaming consoles or gift cards.
There’s also a tier system that rewards you for how many surveys you take.
For example, take 5 surveys and you’re automatically given a bonus of 25 points. Earn points and exchange them for a gift card of your choosing.
Read our Ipsos i-Say review.
Quick Summary:
- Tier system for frequent survey-takers
- Surveys usually shorter than what they say
- Automatically entered in sweepstakes
14. MyPoints
One thing that really sticks out to us about MyPoints is their large sign-up cash bonus of $10 that you receive after earning your first $20.
Aside from completing surveys, you also get paid to watch videos, play games, refer your friends, complete free-trial offers and more.
This is another short task site on our list. Assuming that you only take the higher-paying surveys, expect to earn around $8 – $10 per hour.
For their referral program, you earn a bonus when one of your friends earns their first $20. If you want to earn even more cash other than just by answering surveys, we suggest watching videos with MyPoints.
The payout rate is quite decent and they’re easy to watch. Check out our full MyPoints review.
Quick Summary:
- Other tasks such as playing games for money
- High registration bonus of $10
- High payout rate
15. Valued Opinions
The surveys from Valued Opinions pay quite high in comparison to other platforms and focus groups. Earn anywhere from $1 – $5 per survey, and you’re also told how much each survey is estimated to take beforehand.
Each time you take a completed survey you’re awarded with a certain amount of points. These points can be exchanged for gift cards to popular retailers such as Amazon or Macy’s.
Redemption can take as long as 48 hours for the gift card to arrive in your inbox, but I typically find them to arrive within 24. Expect each to take around 10 – 20 minutes to complete each questionnaire.
Quick Summary:
- You’ll always know how long each survey site will take
- Payout per survey is anywhere between $1 – $5
- Earn rewards for frequent survey-takers
16. Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards tends to be very easy to use when it comes to completing surveys. You can choose to turn on notifications for when new surveys are available.
Expect to earn anywhere from 25 cents to $1 when taking surveys. Most completed surveys only have 1 – 5 questions, so you won’t need to put a whole lot of effort into completing surveys.
You’re definitely earning at a high rate for the amount of work that you need to put in. Google Opinion Rewards is available in the US, Germany, the UK, Australia and Canada.
Each time you complete a task you’re given Google Play Credits. These credits can be exchanged for books, magazines, Google
Quick Summary:
- Available in a wide range of countries
- Incredibly short surveys
- Notification option for when new questions are available
17. Qmee
Qmee was originally intended to pay your for your searches. Each time you make a search on a popular search engine such as Google, Qmee tries to match ads with your search term.
If there’s a match, a small window will pop-up. Click on one of the ads and get paid. It wasn’t until recently that Qmee added the option to complete surveys for cash.
My favorite thing about Qmee is that there’s no minimum payout. Even if you have as little as 25 cents you can request PayPal cash.
You even get a cash bonus of $1 when you register as a new user. Here’s a full review of Qmee.
Quick Summary:
- Registration bonus of $1
- Get paid to surf the web
- No minimum payout required
Summary
| 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 |
| Pinecone Research | $3 | Check & Gift Cards |
| YouGov | $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards |
| InboxDollars | $.50 – $1 | Check & Gift Cards |
| Nielsen Panel | $5/month (passive) | Prizes & Gift Cards |
| PointClub | $.25 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Prize Rebel | $.75 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| MySoapBox | $.50 – $1 | Gift Cards |
| Toluna Opinions | $1 – $5 | Cash & Gift Cards |
| Ipsos i-Say | $.25 – $2 | Prizes & Gift Cards |
| MyPoints | $4 – $10 | Prizes & Gift Cards |
| Valued Opinions | $1 – $5 | Gift Cards |
| Google Opinion Rewards | $.25 – $1 | Google Play Credit |
| Qmee | $.25 – $1 | Google Play Credit |
Which Survey Apps Pay Instantly and The Most?
The number one ranking factor for the list of the best survey apps is how much surveys pay. Therefore, the ones near the top of the list typically pay more (although this may not always be the case).
The top survey apps that pay the most are Survey Junkie, Swagbucks and LifePoints.
Keep in mind that some may pay you a different amount depending on the activity. For example, while Swagbucks will pay you for taking surveys, you can also earn cash from playing games and shopping online.
Helpful Guidelines For The Top Apps
Here’s some quick guidelines when it comes to choosing a survey app.
- Never pay. If you ever run across a survey site that requires your payment information to join, it’s most likely a scam.
- The payout rate. Obviously we all want to earn the most amount of cash in the shortest amount of time possible. Be sure to look at how much each questionnaire pays as well as how long they take to complete.
- When they pay. Each survey site has a different payout period. Some pay once per month, and others require to request your payout.
- The form of payment. Most reputable survey apps have multiple ways in which you can cash out, such as PayPal cash or gift cards.
- Minimum payout threshold. I’ve ran across sites that require you to have $50 in your account before you’re able to cash out.
- The device they function on. Unfortunately, there are some that are only available for either iOS or Android devices.
- Privacy. All of the paid survey apps listed here care about your privacy. All of the data that’s submitted is encrypted and kept anonymous.
How To Make More Money
Here are some common tips to maximize how much cash you earn when taking surveys from your phone or other survey sites.
Prevent Burnout with Paid Survey Apps
Back when I started participating in surveys I was really excited to put in as much effort as possible to maximize returns. However, dealing with 15 at a time can really start to wear down on you.
After about a month of intense work, I had to take almost a month off just to be able to put in the effort to participate in paid surveys once again.
Go For High-Paying Surveys
A lot of the platforms on this list have a mix between low-paying and high-paying surveys. In order to earn money at the highest rate possible, don’t even bother with the lower-paying surveys.
If you’re out of completed surveys that pay well on one app, move on to the next one. Your survey responses also determine what surveys you receive in the future.
Use Other Survey Sites
Taking multiple surveys is extremely important. Apart from the fact that there’s only a few high-paying surveys on each app, this helps prevent burnout as well.
Verify Your Email Address
Most of the time you’re going to be asked to verify your email address right after signing-up. Don’t forget this step.
Referring Friends For Most Paid Apps
Surveys pay you for referring friends, and it’s one of the easiest ways to increase your earnings with survey apps. Share your survey-taking efforts with friends and family and pass along your unique link via social media accounts.
Have Fun Getting Paid
Enjoying yourself when trying out surveys is an excellent way to help you stay motivated and earn more money. If you’re not having fun, you’re less likely to keep going. Test new apps, find your favorites, take paid surveys during times convenient to you.
Try Survey Sites For Money
Sometimes there won’t be an app for a particular survey site. We’ve put together a list of 17 best survey sites.
FAQs
Are Survey Apps Legit?
The most legit survey apps are Survey Junkie, Swagbucks and Branded Surveys. Legit companies always pay the correct amount and on-time. They also have an excellent customer service team in case you have any issues.
How Much Can You Make From Surveys?
The amount you can make from market research companies is based on many demographical factors and the site itself. Certain sites generally have a higher payout. Furthermore, factors such as your age and location can make a difference in the type of questions that are assigned to you.
Where Do the Top Survey Apps Get Their Money From?
Survey companies partner with companies in order to gather data. Your opinion is sent anonymously to specific companies in order to help improve their products and services. In short, survey apps work as a middleman.
Final Thoughts
Surveys are fantastic if you’re on the run or are waiting in line looking to earn money.
While not all of the surveys on this list may be suitable for you, it’s better to try as many as you can in order to see which ones work for you.
Although survey apps probably won’t make you rich, they do make for a side hustle to earn some extra cash and help contribute to market research at the same time.
