Thanks to the best survey sites, giving your honest opinion on hot topics and products and getting rewarded for that is a real possibility.
Some of those sites act as middlemen, connecting members with big market research companies that look for participants to give their honest opinion on a given topic or product. Others directly collaborate with companies and carry out surveys on their behalf.
We tested and reviewed many sites to find the best survey creation sites that are safe, legit and offer you a real possibility to make your spare time worth it.
– The Top 5 Survey Sites –
Swagbucks is one of the best-known and highest-paying survey sites. So far, users have earned over $640,000,000 in gift cards and cash. In addition, the site offers plenty of earning opportunities beyond answering surveys — shopping, watching videos, and searching the web.
- Average Earnings: $0.40–$2
- Disqualification Points: Yes
- Minimum Cashout: $3
- Redemption Methods: Gift cards, PayPal
- A Signup Bonus: $10
- A Mobile App: Yes
- Legitimacy: High
- Best For: People with limited free time who want to earn extra income
- The low minimum cashout threshold
- Easy to use
- Gift cards and cash payouts
MyPoints is one of the industry veterans and best survey sites. Since 1996, the company has paid over $236 million to its users for surveys and other activities like watching videos, redeeming coupons, booking travel accommodations, and shopping.
- Average Earnings: $0.35–$0.55
- Disqualification Points: Yes
- Minimum Cashout: $3
- Redemption Methods: PayPal, gift cards, travel miles
- A Signup Bonus: a $10 gift card
- A Mobile App: Yes
- Safety: High
- Best For: Accumulating travel miles
- A BBB rating
- Easy redemption methods
- Multiple methods of earning points
One of the best online survey sites, PrizeRebel, entered the scene in 2007. Over the years, it has accumulated over 9 million members and issued more than $19 million in payouts. Thanks to the tiered model, the more points you earn, the greater the earning potential.
- Average Earnings: 40–60 points
- Disqualification Compensation: Occasionally
- Minimum Cashout: 10,000 points
- Redemption Methods: PayPal, gift cards, bank account deposits, Bitcoin
- A Signup Bonus: 500 points
- A Mobile App: No
- Safety: High
- Best For: Bitcoin payout
- Multiple rewards options
- Automatic prize processing
- A loyalty bonus system
Brand Surveys is one of the best survey sites to make money. Currently, it serves more than 2 million users who have received $17 million in total. With Branded Survey, you can earn points for doing surveys — 100 points equal $1. Once you reach 1,000 points ($10), you can redeem the points for cash. In addition, the company’s loyalty program, Branded Elite, allows you to earn bonus points as you advance through the tiers by doing online surveys that pay cash.
- Average Earnings: $0.50–$3
- Disqualification Compensation: Yes
- Minimum Cashout: 1,000 points ($10)
- Redemption Methods: PayPal, gift cards, a Branded Pay account
- A Signup Bonus: 100 points ($1)
- A Mobile App: No
- Safety: High
- Best For: People looking for a survey site with a good loyalty program
- An intuitive member dashboard
- A generous welcome bonus
- A Branded Pay option
Founded in 2005, Survey Club is now one of the 10 best survey sites with more than 16 million users. Besides surveys, the company pays $50–$200 per hour for participating in focus groups. A Survey Club doesn’t use a points system; instead, it rewards you in cash.
- Average Earnings: $0.10–$5
- Disqualification Compensation: Yes
- Minimum Cashout: $20
- Redemption Methods: PayPal, gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, merchandise
- A Signup Bonus: $5
- A Mobile App: No
- Safety: High
- Best For: People who want to participate in well-paying focus groups
- Easy signup
- Cash rewards
- A low payout threshold
– Brief Reviews of Survey Sites –
Swagbucks Review
Essential Features:
◊ Gift cards or PayPal point redemption
◊ Transparency about the survey’s length
◊ A low minimum cashout requirement
Additional Features:
♦ Multiple ways to earn
♦ A mobile app
♦ Disqualification compensation points
Swagbucks offers rewards in the form of gift cards and cash for completing surveys. Signing up is very easy, and you can do it on desktop or mobile devices. You can create an account or sign up using Facebook. To get started, you’ll need to enter your demographic information.
Average Earnings
Often regarded as the best survey site, Swagbucks offers generous earnings. In fact, every completed survey will bring you between 1 and 350 Swagbucks. Each SB is worth 1 cent, which means you need 100 SBs to earn $1. The reward depends on the popularity of the topic and the length of the survey. When you reach 100 SBs, you earn an additional $1.
Disqualification Points
The site has a sheer amount of legitimate paid online surveys. However, you might not qualify for all of them, even if your demographic is right, as some clients require a specific demographic subset. That said, Swagbucks will still reward you with 1 SB for trying. According to some users, you might earn more SBs if you make it through the survey before getting disqualified. After reaching five disqualifications, you’ll stop earning compensation until the next day.
Redemption Methods
By completing Swagbucks surveys, you’ll be earning points. You can redeem rewards in the form of gift cards for one of the 1,500+ partners, including Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Lowe’s. The gift cards are issued within 10 days. Another option is to redeem points for cash via PayPal. However, payments via PayPal might take up to 14 days to get processed.
Minimum Cashout
One of the best survey sites for gift cards allows you to redeem your points for gift cards when you reach $3 in SBs. In fact, you’re likely to reach the minimum amount in no time. Keep in mind that the more points you accumulate, the higher your gift card value will be. That said, if you want to redeem the points in cash via PayPal, you have to reach a minimum of $25.
Signup Bonus
Being one of the top-paid survey sites, Swagbucks issues a $10 bonus for new signups. The bonus will be activated when you spend $25 on purchases at featured merchants.
Mobile App
Swagbucks has an app for Android and iOS. Although the app isn’t as robust as the website, it allows you to earn SBs on the go. You can do surveys, but also shop, watch videos, and play games. The mobile app is also one of the places where you can find the Swagbucks codes.
Safety
Swagbucks is a legit rewards site. According to our analysis and experience, the company pays the rewards within the given timeframe. Also, it has an excellent online reputation and an A+ BBB rating.
Best For
If your free time is limited, but you want to earn extra cash, Swagbucks might be just the right platform for you. Of course, you won’t get rich overnight, but it can be a good source of income if you’re regularly doing surveys. Additionally, the site offers six more options to earn, one of which is merely browsing the internet.
MyPoints Review
Essential Features:
◊ Easy redemption methods
◊ A navigable interface
◊ A signup bonus
Additional Features:
♦ Multiple ways of earning
♦ Daily deals
♦ A great mobile app
MyPoints is one of the top websites for online surveys. You can also earn rewards for watching videos, shopping, discovering content, searching the web, and more. The website has a user-friendly interface and a simple layout. So, getting started is also easy and free. As per usual, you’ll be asked to provide some personal details for qualification purposes.
Average Earnings
Like other best survey sites that pay cash, MyPoints clearly states how much you can make from doing a particular survey so you can determine whether it’s worth your time. Generally, you can make anywhere between $0.35 and $0.55 per survey, which is not a lot compared to other survey sites.
Disqualification Points
You might not qualify for all MyPoints surveys. First of all, this depends on your demographic and background. Usually, you’ll be immediately redirected to your profile if you’re not eligible, but sometimes you might answer a few questions before getting booted out of a survey. However, MyPoints rewards your attempts with five points. In addition, the daily cap of disqualification points is 25.
Signup Bonus
MyPoints offers a $10 signup bonus, but it comes with some strings attached. You’ll have to spend at least $20 on a purchase from a partner merchant (plus taxes and shipping) within the first 30 days of becoming a member.
Redemption Methods
MyPoints is one of the best survey sites that pay through PayPal. Additionally, you can get your rewards in the form of a gift card from one of its 70 merchant partners, including Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s, and Target. In addition, the site allows you to convert your points in air miles for United MileagePlus.
Minimum Cashout
The minimum cashout amount is $3 (480 points) for gift cards and $25 for PayPal. Another thing to note is that MyPoints limits the redemption rate on two rewards per day. So, you should have a minimum of 6,900 points for 2,500 miles.
Mobile App
MyPoints has a great mobile app for Android and iOS, which allows you to earn some extra cash on the go. The app has a simple design and navigable interface, making it very convenient to use. Besides surveys, you can access MyPoints games, watch videos, and more. Plus, you’ll get a 100 points bonus by simply downloading the app.
Safety
MyPoints is a legit rewards site that always delivers on its promise. With a stellar online reputation, MyPoints is a reliable way to earn extra incentives. On the other hand, common complaints from users refer to being locked out of surveys. However, the site has listed specific behaviors that can lead to that. You need to show up and give honest and elaborate answers to avoid having your account flagged and disabled.
Best For
MyPoints is a top site for those who enjoy doing surveys and getting miles in return. If you’re a frequent traveler, you can accumulate travel miles with a minimum effort.
PrizeRebel Review
Essential Features:
◊ Flexible reward options
◊ A simple interface
◊ No limits to surveys
Additional Features:
♦ A low payout threshold
♦ A large selection of gift cards
♦ A tiered system
PrizeRebel rewards you for completing surveys and doing other online activities like subscribing to email lists or watching videos. It’s one of the highest-paying sites for surveys and the rare one that offers a tiered plan.
Average Earnings
When doing surveys for PrizeRebel, you can expect to get 40–60 points per survey. The average time to complete these surveys is 15 minutes. So, if you want to know how much you can earn, keep in mind that 100 points make $1. In addition, PrizeRebel promo codes occasionally appear on social media, offering free points.
The tiered program helps you maximize your earnings. For example, when you reach Gold status, you’ll get 1% bonus points and a 1% discount on redemptions. Furthermore, a Platinum status will get you 2% bonus points and discount, while Diamond will get you a 3% bonus and discount.
Disqualification Compensation
Sometimes, you might not qualify for a survey due to strict quota requirements. Also, you might get closed out of a survey if the questions regarding your interests, habits, and responsibilities do not match the demographic a researcher is looking for. Moreover, as one of the best survey sites, PrizeRebel offers disqualification points but only for some of its survey providers.
Signup Bonus
Signing up for PrizeRebel is a breeze and takes only a few seconds. In addition, there isn’t a signup bonus per se, but you’ll get 10 points for the first required survey where you need to provide your demographic information. As we said, you can get more PrizeRebel free points along the way.
Minimum Cashout
PrizeRebel has a low minimum amount for withdrawal — only 500 points or $5. This allows you to redeem your rewards fast, sometimes even every day. If you are a Silver member, your cashout request will be processed within a few hours. For Bronze members, it takes approximately 24 hours to process the request.
Redemption Methods
PrizeRebel offers the standard methods of redemption — PayPal, bank deposit, and gift cards for Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Starbucks, and more. Also, PrizeRebel is one of the few legit survey sites that offer Bitcoin cashout.
Mobile App
PrizeRebel doesn’t have a mobile app. So, if you want to earn points on the go, you’ll have to use the mobile site. We tested it and learned it’s straightforward to use. The site is beautifully designed, and everything is easily accessible.
Safety
PrizeRebel is a site that provides legitimate paid online surveys. Operating for more than 14 years, the company has issued millions of payments and collaborates with big industry names, which further proves its legitimacy.
Best For
If you want to receive your earnings via Bitcoin, PrizeRebel is the best site for you. You can earn points by doing surveys, taking offers, entering contests, participating in raffles, and more. As soon as you collect 500 points, which translates to $5, you can redeem your rewards via Bitcoin.
Branded Surveys Review
Essential Features:
◊ A Survey Matching Engine
◊ Easy to use
◊ Versatile payout options
Additional Features:
♦ A low minimum payout
♦ A great loyalty program
♦ Branded Pay for US panelists
Formerly known as MintVine, Branded Surveys is a legit market research company that collaborates with many Fortune 500 companies to bring public opinion closer to them. The site uses a Survey Matching Engine to match you with surveys you qualify for. This streamlines the process and saves you time, which is why it’s one of the best online survey sites.
Average Earnings
You’ll see the estimated completion time and the number of points you’ll earn along with each survey. On average, you can net between $0.50 and $3 per survey. Once your answers are verified, you’ll receive your points. Branded Survey is also one of the best survey-taking sites that offer some great extra earning opportunities like profile questionnaires, daily polls, and partner surveys.
Disqualification Compensation
There are often trick questions in surveys to ensure you’re paying attention. If you don’t answer those questions correctly, you might get disqualified. You can also get booted out of a survey if providing answers that are inconsistent with your demographic. That said, Branded Surveys will give you points even when you don’t qualify for a survey.
Minimum Cashout
To qualify for a Branded Surveys payout, you have to collect at least 500 points. The cashout amount is fair compared to Branded Surveys competitors. Also, you can reach the minimum amount quite fast as you progress through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers.
Signup Bonus
You can quickly get started by registering for a free account. Then, you’ll be asked to provide answers to some demographic questions before beginning to take the best surveys for money. New members get a 100 points ($1) bonus for joining, which means you’ll already have 20% of the points needed for cashout.
Redemption Methods
Branded Surveys allow you to redeem the points for cash and get paid via PayPal. Also, you can convert the points into gift cards for brands like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart.
When using this best survey site, USA members can use Branded Pay and have the cash deposited on the back account. The payout would be processed within two business days, and no transaction fees apply. As if that isn’t enough, Branded Surveys lets its US members donate directly to a charity.
Mobile App
Unfortunately, there isn’t a Branded Surveys app which, according to some survey site reviews, can be a downside. However, upon closer inspection, we learned that the site is mobile-friendly. The interface is simple, and the font is easy to read. Also, we loved the logical flow of questions.
Safety
Available to US, Canada, and UK residents of 16+ years of age, Branded Surveys is a completely legit site for surveys. The sheer number of ratings and reviews online confirm the company is credible. Also, the company’s privacy policy clearly outlines how your personal data and information is protected.
Best For
If you’re looking for the best free survey sites with a good loyalty program, Branded Surveys is surely one to consider. It’s ideal if you want to participate in its loyalty program, where you’ll advance through Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels as you take surveys. The more surveys you take, the quicker you’ll transition to the next level. For example, to become a Gold member, you need to complete over 25 surveys per month. Each level comes with perks and bonus points.
Survey Club Review
Essential Features:
◊ Available internationally
◊ Survey Club rewards
◊ Custom panels
Additional Features:
♦ A qualifier filter
♦ A low minimum payout
♦ Focus groups
Survey Club helps companies get valuable insight from their customers. The company is based in Denver, Colorado, and accepts members from the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Besides taking surveys, you can also participate in focus groups and get rewarded.
Average Earnings
At Survey Club, you can find the best surveys for money and get $0.10 to $5 per survey. Usually, the price is determined by the length and complexity of the survey. There might be better paid surveys, but they are rarer and harder to catch as they often require a very focused demographic and fill up quickly. On the other hand, focus groups pay between $50 and $200 per hour.
Disqualification Compensation
Sometimes, you might not qualify for one of the highest-paying online surveys if your demographic doesn’t match or you provide answers without paying attention. If this happens, you’ll be awarded $0.10 for your effort.
Minimum Cashout
You can cash out as soon as you rack up $20. This is on par with the majority of top survey sites. If you’re a regular survey-taker, you’ll find it easy to accumulate this amount.
Redemption Methods
Survey Club deposits the money directly into your account. In addition, you can redeem it for an Amazon gift card. You can also redeem the rewards from third-party research panels in Survey Club PayPal cash, gift cards, cash sweepstakes, prepaid debit cards, prize drawings, and charitable contributions.
Signup Bonus
Survey Club offers easy registration, so you can quickly start earning rewards. It also gives you a $5 signup bonus, so you’re one step closer to the minimum required $20 for cashing out.
Mobile App
Survey Club doesn’t have an app, but you can use the mobile-friendly site on any device. You can conveniently take surveys, participate in focus groups, collect rewards, and more. The site is easy to use on mobile and is interactive.
Safety
This is one of the good survey sites to earn money. It’s entirely safe for use and has an anti-spam policy and an elaborate privacy policy that explains how personal information is kept and used.
Best For
Survey Club should be your choice if you want to take surveys in your spare time and participate in a well-paying focus group. Although the latter is rarer, it can happen, and if you’re lucky enough, you can earn anywhere between $50 and $200.
Buyer’s Guide — How to Choose the Best Survey Site
Shortlisting the best survey sites depends on many factors but mostly on your goals. In addition, the sites listed here offer different types of rewards, redemption methods, and conditions to use. So, before you dive into your survey-taking journey, here’s what you should consider.
What Are the Average Earnings Per Survey?
The majority of sites will reward you with $0.50–$1 per survey. However, some popular survey sites pay just a couple of cents for your effort. On the other hand, the best survey sites pay on average $5 per survey, and you could earn up to $50 for special surveys. Keep in mind that the amount earned usually depends on the length and complexity of the survey. So, if you want to take short surveys that will last only a couple of minutes, you’ll earn less.
Does the Site Offer Disqualification Compensation?
The majority of the top 10 survey sites we’ve reviewed here offer some sort of compensation when you’re disqualified from a survey. The compensation is usually a couple of extra points or dollars. Sometimes, you might be offered a sweepstakes entry.
What Redemption Methods Does the Site Offer?
This is one of the essential aspects when considering the best legit survey sites. As we briefly mentioned, the majority offer to pay you in cash via PayPal or provide a gift card to the partner merchants. Some sites also offer ePayments, Bitcoin payments, air miles, exchange for merchandise, and more. Consider what would be the best reward for your time before signing up.
What’s the Minimum Payout Amount?
Online survey sites aren’t the right choice if you’re looking to make fast cash. However, some top online survey sites have a lower minimum threshold of $3–$10. So, if you’re impatient and want to get your hands on the rewards faster, make sure to check the minimum cashout requirement.
Do Sites Offer a Signup Bonus?
If you want to get a step closer to cashing out your earnings, look for the top-rated survey sites that offer a signup bonus. Luckily, the majority offer some form of entry bonus that usually ranges from $5 to $10, but it can also be as low as $1.
Does the Survey Site Have a Mobile App?
If you enjoy taking surveys while you’re commuting or waiting for your lunch, it might be a good idea to opt for a survey provider that has a mobile app. Even though almost all sites are mobile-friendly, they can’t beat the functionality of an app.
Who Are Survey Sites Best For?
Survey sites are definitely for you if you have spare time and want to earn something extra with minimal effort. While you won’t get rich, it’s an excellent way to put your free time to good use.