Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.

The Best Paid Survey Programs

Which Paid Survey Companies Are the Best?

It's no secret that businesses want to know what consumers think. Focus groups have been around for decades, and you may even remember taking a survey at the mall way back when. But, as the world went digital, so did market research - and that's good news for you if you'd like to do paid surveys from home (or from anywhere that you have an internet connection).

How does it work? That depends on the survey company you choose. Some just give you basic surveys that match your profile. Others, however, take it to another level and have you watch video clips of ads, give you points back when you use their link to shop online, or even reward you for playing games.

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Paid Survey Program Reviews

Branded Surveys Review Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award 5 Star Rating

Branded Surveys

5 Star Rating Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

Branded Surveys is everything you could want in a paid survey platform. It's easy to use, you can cash out your points for cash or gift cards as soon as you reach $5, and you won't waste your time filling out surveys that you wind up being disqualified for. There's even a fun leaderboard that can earn you extra points (and that can motivate you to check in regularly for new surveys). More than 36,000 people have given Branded Surveys a five-star rating, and it easily earns our highest ranking and recommendation too.

Survey Junkie Review 4.5 Star Rating

Survey Junkie

4.5 Star Rating

Survey Junkie is an awesome way to earn money or gift cards by taking surveys, participating in focus groups, or connecting your online data. They'll even give you points for the surveys you attempt but don't qualify to finish. You can cash out as soon as you reach $5 in earnings. Although this platform isn't our #1 paid survey company anymore, it's still an excellent option - and you can always participate in both - with tens of thousands of five-star ratings from happy members. Will you be next?

Swagbucks Review 4 Star Rating

Swagbucks

4 Star Rating

More than 20 million people use Swagbucks to make some extra cash by taking surveys, shopping online, watching videos and more. You'll only need to reach 500 points to cash out via PayPal or with a gift card. With a higher-than-average number of complaints, Swagbucks doesn't quite reach our top ranking, but thousands of five-star reviews from satisfied members should give you the confidence to give this paid survey company a look.

Inbox Dollars Review 4 Star Rating

Inbox Dollars

4 Star Rating

Inbox Dollars has no shortage of options for making money, going well beyond simple paid surveys and offering you gift cards or cash for playing games, uploading store receipts, even doing digital scratch and win cards. More than 20,000 members have given Inbox Dollars a five-star rating, and it's one of our favorite paid survey companies too.

My Points Review 3.5 Star Rating

My Points

3.5 Star Rating

Since 1996, MyPoints has been providing surveys and other ways of earning money and gift cards. The company has a great reputation, including numerous five-star reviews from users who've been on the platform for decades and never had an issue with redeeming rewards. However, MyPoints' biggest focus is on online shopping: that's great if you're already doing that and want to get rewarded for purchases at your favorite retailers, but not a good fit if you mostly want to be paid for answering questions and reading emails.

Dabbl Review 3 Star Rating

Dabbl

3 Star Rating

If you enjoy watching ads and giving feedback, Dabbl's paid surveys might interest you. This platform has partnered with well-known brands like Oreo and Annie's: you help them with their advertising and marketing, and get points to exchange for gift cards in return. Dabbl isn't a bad choice, but users say that the earning opportunities have noticeably decreased over the last year or so. You might earn points (and thus rewards) faster with another survey company, but Dabbl could be a fun option to add to your list.

RewardSurvey Review 3 Star Rating

RewardSurvey

3 Star Rating

RewardSurvey has been around for 10 years. You'll get points for every survey you take here, but they can't be cashed out for money or gift cards. Instead, you can get free or low-cost magazine subscriptions, book downloads, or discounts on the purchase of specific items. There's nothing really wrong with this paid survey platform, except that most users are typically looking for cash payments instead of magazines. You'll have to pick a different survey company if that's what you have in mind.

Opinion Outpost Review 2.5 Star Rating

Opinion Outpost

2.5 Star Rating

Opinion Outpost is a Dynata brand, and it's the result of their merger of several different paid survey platforms. Not only can you do paid surveys here, but you might also have the chance to do a product test, review ads before they go live, and get pop-up surveys based on your location. Payments can be received through PayPal or as gift cards. Despite an "A+" rating from the BBB, Opinion Outpost has enough negative user feedback that we can't give them a high ranking here.

Premise Review 2 Star Rating

Premise

2 Star Rating

Premise offers a new take on paid surveys: download an app to your smartphone, answer questions, and explore your local community by taking pictures of situations and products targeted by Premise's clients. You'll only need to accumulate $10 to cash out via PayPal. Sounds great, but Premise contributors say that this platform has gone downhill lately: fewer tasks, challenges getting paid, and a lack of support. Combine that with an "F" from the Better Business Bureau and it's clear why this paid survey company gets a low rating from us too.

Unique Rewards Review 1.5 Star Rating

Unique Rewards

1.5 Star Rating

Unique Rewards has been around since 2003 - and their website looks like it. Supposedly there are lots of ways to earn money here, going beyond paid surveys and including clicking for cash and earning rewards on purchases. But, that only matters if you can actually cash out what you earn - and too many users of this survey platform say that's not happening. Choose a more reliable survey company instead.

Shopper's Voice Review 1.5 Star Rating

Shopper's Voice

1.5 Star Rating

Shopper's Voice isn't exactly a paid survey company. You'll really only fill out one survey when you sign up, and from there you'll automatically receive product samples, coupons... and potentially lots of spammy phone calls, emails, and postal mail. Sure, signing up also enters you into a monthly sweepstakes of $1,500 in gift cards, but your chances there are pretty low. Try a more reliable survey platform from the higher-ranked options in our review instead of giving your personal information to Shopper's Voice.

Zap Surveys Review 1 Star Rating

Zap Surveys

1 Star Rating

Zap will pay you $3 right out of the gate when you sign up for their survey platform and answer some basic demographic questions. There's nothing about this company that stands out - at least, not in a good way. With an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau and numerous complaints from users about not getting paid, it's not surprising that Zap winds up at the bottom of our rankings.

Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

What you can earn by doing paid surveys also depends on the platform. One of the most common payment methods is PayPal: today's way of getting good old-fashioned cash... but digitally. Or, you may get more for your rewards by choosing to redeem them for a gift card or towards a big discount on something you've been wanting to buy.

You should be realistic, though: you're not going to replace your full-time income by doing paid surveys. They often pay out at a rate that's less than a few dollars per hour, and sometimes you'll get almost finished with a survey only to find out you've been rejected (because one of your answers didn't fit the demographic they were looking for). However, if you can tolerate a bit of frustration, paid survey platforms can be a fun way to get some gift cards or money in your free time. After all, when has Netflix ever paid you for spending time online?

There are lots of websites offering paid surveys, and you might get overwhelmed trying to choose one (or several). What should you look for? Here are some criteria to get you started:

  • Free to sign up. This is the most important factor. You should never have to pay to use a paid survey site. If you're asked for payment, it's probably a scam. Run away!
  • Reward type. Are you looking specifically for cash? Make sure the survey platform offers that; it'll usually be via PayPal, though we've seen some companies going completely high-tech and offering payment in Bitcoin. Most survey platforms offer a choice between money and gift cards; you may be given more for your points if you choose the gift card over cash.
  • Other ways of earning. Surveys sometimes pay pretty little, and if you don't have many that you qualify for, it could take a long time to cash out any rewards. Many paid survey companies also include other ways of making money, like using their link to make online purchases and getting a percentage of points back, playing games, or taking advantage of offers from their partners.
  • Reputation. What have other members of the survey platform said about the experience? Is it easy to redeem your points? Will you spend a lot of time filling out surveys only to be disqualified near the end? How responsive is the support team?

So that you don't waste time with a survey company that won't deliver, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular options out there. Check out our highest-ranked sites and start earning gift cards, merchandise, and cash today!

The Best Paid Survey Programs Compare Paid Survey Programs Compare Paid Survey Program Reviews What are the best Paid Survey Programs Best Paid Survey Program Reviews

Paid Survey Program FAQ

Absolutely! While you shouldn't expect to "get rich quick" , you can earn a decent amount in cash and gift cards by taking online surveys.
Definitely not. In fact, that should be your first red flag: any company that requires you to "pay to play" is not on the up-and-up. There are dozens of reputable sources of paid surveys that give you free access - and, in fact, many of them will give you a bonus just for signing up!
You will be asked to share your perspective on a wide range of topics. These could include your shopping habits, entertainment preferences, and even your opinion on national and global events.
That depends on the company. Some paid surveys work on a point system, letting you exchange your accumulated points for gift cards or cash. Others are cash-only. You may get your gift cards in the mail or as an online code; cash payments usually come via PayPal or paper check.
Each provider of paid surveys works differently. You might be paid weekly, every other week, or only when you've accumulated a minimum number of points or cash balance.
Most platforms have daily opportunities to increase your earnings. You may not qualify for all of them, depending on the demographic the surveys are targeting.
That's an important question. There are definitely some shady survey "opportunities" out there. Fortunately, there are also many reputable, well-established platforms that work exactly as advertised: no fees, no tricks, just a way to make some money by sharing your opinion. It's a good idea to check out the reputation of the company you're considering before signing up to do their paid surveys.
There isn't one, but there are some downsides to be aware of. You may spend 10 minutes filling out a screener survey, only to find out you don't qualify - and you may not get any rewards for your time. Also, a small number of paid survey companies base their biggest rewards on signing up for third-party offers - meaning that you'll have to spend money to make just a little. But, if you've got the time on your hands and don't mind sifting through the surveys to find the ones that are worth doing, paid surveys are a legitimate way to get some extra spending money.

Compare Paid Survey Programs

Select any 2 Paid Survey Programs to compare them head to head

best-paid-survey-programs
  • Branded Surveys
  • Survey Junkie
  • Swagbucks
  • Inbox Dollars
  • My Points
  • Dabbl
  • RewardSurvey
  • Opinion Outpost
  • Premise
  • Unique Rewards
  • Shopper's Voice
  • Zap Surveys
Branded Surveys vs Survey Junkie Branded Surveys vs Swagbucks Branded Surveys vs Inbox Dollars Branded Surveys vs My Points Branded Surveys vs Dabbl Branded Surveys vs RewardSurvey Branded Surveys vs Opinion Outpost Branded Surveys vs Premise Branded Surveys vs Unique Rewards Branded Surveys vs Shopper's Voice Branded Surveys vs Zap Surveys Survey Junkie vs Swagbucks Survey Junkie vs Inbox Dollars Survey Junkie vs My Points Survey Junkie vs Dabbl Survey Junkie vs RewardSurvey Survey Junkie vs Opinion Outpost Survey Junkie vs Premise Survey Junkie vs Unique Rewards Survey Junkie vs Shopper's Voice Survey Junkie vs Zap Surveys Swagbucks vs Inbox Dollars Swagbucks vs My Points Swagbucks vs Dabbl Swagbucks vs RewardSurvey Swagbucks vs Opinion Outpost Swagbucks vs Premise Swagbucks vs Unique Rewards Swagbucks vs Shopper's Voice Swagbucks vs Zap Surveys Inbox Dollars vs My Points Inbox Dollars vs Dabbl Inbox Dollars vs RewardSurvey Inbox Dollars vs Opinion Outpost Inbox Dollars vs Premise Inbox Dollars vs Unique Rewards Inbox Dollars vs Shopper's Voice Inbox Dollars vs Zap Surveys My Points vs Dabbl My Points vs RewardSurvey My Points vs Opinion Outpost My Points vs Premise My Points vs Unique Rewards My Points vs Shopper's Voice My Points vs Zap Surveys Dabbl vs RewardSurvey Dabbl vs Opinion Outpost Dabbl vs Premise Dabbl vs Unique Rewards Dabbl vs Shopper's Voice Dabbl vs Zap Surveys RewardSurvey vs Opinion Outpost RewardSurvey vs Premise RewardSurvey vs Unique Rewards RewardSurvey vs Shopper's Voice RewardSurvey vs Zap Surveys Opinion Outpost vs Premise Opinion Outpost vs Unique Rewards Opinion Outpost vs Shopper's Voice Opinion Outpost vs Zap Surveys Premise vs Unique Rewards Premise vs Shopper's Voice Premise vs Zap Surveys Unique Rewards vs Shopper's Voice Unique Rewards vs Zap Surveys Shopper's Voice vs Zap Surveys
Compare the Best Paid Survey Programs
- VS -
Review the Best Paid Survey Programs
See the Best Paid Survey Program
The Best Reviews of Paid Survey Programs