The 10 Best Mystery Shopping Companies
Where is the Best Place to Start Mystery Shopping?
Ever wonder how different companies check that their stores are running the way they should? While most of us immediately think of watching Undercover Boss, many businesses actually choose to use mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping is a particular job where normal people like you are hired by a variety of different companies to get in-person, real-time data on what's happening inside local stores or restaurants.
As a form of market research, mystery shoppers visit brick-and-mortar businesses to check out things like customer service quality, cleanliness, and the overall shopping experience at a particular store. Sound like something you would enjoy? It's easier to make mystery shopping your next side hustle than you'd think.
Thursday, April 24th
2025 Mystery Shopping Company Reviews
Market Force
Market Force is a mystery shopping company that offers a wide variety of jobs around the world. Signing up is easy, and many mystery shoppers who join stay with the company for years. With monthly job board updates, you can find plenty of "shops” at any time. With solid ratings from the BBB and positive feedback from independent contractors, Market Force stands out as our favorite platform to start your mystery shopping journey.
Secret Shopper
Secret Shopper has been a trusted platform for over 30 years and offers flexible mystery shopping opportunities around the world. You can explore a variety of jobs for dining, retail, and travel with payments ranging up to $120 per gig. Although Secret Shopper lacks MSPA accreditation, Secret Shopper holds an "A+” from the BBB. With its highly organized job boards and higher-than-average payments, Secret Shopper is a great spot to start mystery shopping.
IntelliShop
IntelliShop is a trusted mystery shopping site with a user-friendly platform. Jobs are updated monthly and include unique opportunities like travel and luxury hotels. The site is praised by mystery shoppers for its ease of use and reliable payment schedule. With an "A+” rating from the BBB, IntelliShop is a solid choice for anyone looking to make some extra money with mystery shopping.
Second To None
Second To None is a mystery shopping company with over 35 years of experience. You can find flexible jobs across the US with plenty of famous brands to choose from. However, most jobs pay around $10, which is lower than some competitors, and contractor reviews are mixed. Many mystery shoppers like the flexibility of Second To None, but don't like the tight completion deadlines. In general, this is worth a look if you like phone shops, but otherwise, it may not be the best mystery shopping choice for the highest pay.
Mystery Shopping Service
Mystery Shopping Service offers in-person and telephone mystery shopping opportunities across the US. However, with some site glitches, a lack of detail on jobs, and difficulties finding gigs in our area, Mystery Shopping Service doesn't stand out from the pack. Only its "A+” rating keeps it from being ranked lower in our review. As it is, it comes in with an average rating.
About Face
AboutFace is a long-standing company that offers a variety of mystery shopping and other research gigs. You can sign up for free and pick from available jobs that interest you. However, in recent years, mystery shoppers have found the work inconsistent with some mixed reviews about the quality of the website and difficulty completing jobs compared to other mystery shopping sites. Considering these newer concerns, AboutFace earns a middle-of-the-road rating in our review rather than a higher score.
Shopper's View
Shopper's View is a site that offers fairly limited mystery shopping tasks. Except for a few US states, many areas have no jobs available. The website feels outdated, and the user experience is clunky, making it hard to navigate. While the pay is enticing (around $20 to $50 per job), the lack of opportunities sets Shopper's View back. For this reason, it earns a below-average rating in our review.
BestMark
BestMark is one of the oldest mystery shopping companies, but this doesn't necessarily make it the best. While signing up is simple, and there are available jobs as soon as you join, there are some concerns from mystery shoppers that raise serious red flags. BestMark's reviews show that contractors have frequent problems with timely payments, leading to frustrations. Since getting paid is the main reason for becoming a mystery shopper, BestMark earns a lower rating in our review.
Service Evaluation Concepts
Service Evaluation Concepts (SEC) is an older site that calls its mystery shoppers "Brand Agents”. While the sign-up process is easy, job availability is pretty limited, with many states showing few or no shopping opportunities at all. While payments are higher than average, most of the jobs require additional certification for specific brand guidelines. With a general lack of reviews for the company and no rating from the BBB, SEC raises a lot of red flags.
Elite CXS
Elite CXS offers mystery shopping opportunities with big-name clients like Starbucks, Rolex, and Porsche, but it may not be the "elite” experience you're looking for. Despite decent job variety, there is a pattern of complaint for Elite CXS that shows issues with delayed payment or payments that are never received at all. With an alert from the BBB for poor business practices, Elite CXS isn't recommended for your mystery shopping gigs.
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You'll need good written and verbal communication skills to help you tell the higher-ups what's going on when you're browsing, but otherwise, as long as you're curious and are ready to use your great attention to detail, mystery shopping will be a great fit for you. The best part? Making purchases is usually part of the deal, so whether you're reviewing a car wash or a luxury hotel, you'll typically get reimbursed for necessary purchases. Plus, you get paid on top of that.
Here's how it works. Generally, you'll get hired through a third-party provider that will post opportunities to evaluate stores and chains near you. (Helpful hint: legit mystery shopping companies will be approved and accredited by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.) Once a company approves your application, you'll be able to choose an assignment to start shopping.
You'll find restaurants, beauty salons, car maintenance shops, banks, makeup stores, and movie theaters (among many other stores) on the mystery shopper lists. Plus, many jobs let you do hotel stays or airline reviews, so you can travel without spending a dime. If you're someone who likes to explore your local area, try new things, and shop, shop, shop, you'll want to check out mystery shopping as your next side hustle.
The mystery shopping jobs (called "shops” in the biz) are usually listed on a job board on the particular website you work with. You'll be able to see the details like distance, job requirements, necessary purchases, and the reimbursement amount before you even accept the shop. Some gigs let you assign yourself (these are first-come-first-serve), and others require a little extra application to prove you're the right fit. These are usually high-quality or luxury shops that need that particular attention to detail. So if you keep up high quality services while you work, you'll be eligible for the good stuff.
But with so many places out there offering mystery shopping jobs, how can you pick the right one? If you've never applied for mystery shopping before, or you want to get a leg up on the competition, we've put together some factors that'll help you find the best fit for your shopping skills:
- Payment. The best mystery shopping sites offer solid payment and reimbursement for your services while shopping. Stay away from companies with startup fees, as these can be illegitimate sites. Pay can range from $5 per job to over $100 per job. Finding the right balance of good pay and solid opportunities that match your interests is a great way to pick between similar companies.
- Number of jobs. Hey, if you can't work, it's not worth it. Make sure the mystery shopping job site you choose offers a range of jobs in your area, so you don't feel like you need to be double-dipping or managing multiple sites to make enough to get by. Some job boards have almost nothing in some states, while others regularly offer hundreds of opportunities. When it comes to making some extra cash, having more options is always the better choice.
- Method. In this day and age, there are multiple types of mystery shopping. You can work with a company that offers all of them or go with a company that focuses on the area you prefer most. You can pick from in-person (the standard "going in and shopping” method), telephone (where you evaluate call centers), and hybrid (often used for hotels where you would evaluate all parts of your customer experience, from making the reservation to staying overnight). There are even some online companies that have you check websites.
- Reputation. Check out reviews from other mystery shoppers on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed. Make sure that you can trust a particular company to treat you right. Keep an eye out for sites that don't have a lot of buzz or feedback on job boards. These might not be the right fit for you. Look for services that are approved by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). These are always legitimate businesses. And, of course, check out the companies on the Better Business Bureau, for that extra layer of security.
To help you start making some extra cash buying the things you already love, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's top mystery shopping platforms. We hope this helps you get into your next side hustle, all while enjoying the things you love (like shopping, traveling, or visiting your favorite car wash!).
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