The 12 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.
Friday, September 29th
2023 Paid Survey Program Reviews
Branded Surveys
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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!
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