By now, you should already be used to giving your opinion on many things to many people, both in your personal life and in business. Even voting is simply a choice, an opinion you made based on information at hand at the moment you made that decision.
For consumers, the choice is simple: to spend or not to spend. And when considering that spend, the overwhelming deciding factor on the amount spent is brand awareness. And retail shops and branded stores are laid out in such a way because the psychology of consumer behaviour has already established what you will and won’t spend extra money on.
So, instead of spending millions of dollars on over-the-top marketing, brands are critically aware of the online presence of consumers with spending power and voices that can now be heard instantly. Brands are also acutely aware of the benefits of testing consumer opinion, no matter what that data costs.
Using connected consumers, that data is found in spending insights, buying patterns, product information, behaviour analysis, and honest feedback. The tools used? Online surveys focus groups, testing products and consumer reviews.
What Are The Best Survey Sites in 2020?
To get started, no list would be complete without at least an honorary mention of the following survey sites below. For more detailed stats than these, check out our full review of each survey site. After months of testing we have found the best surveys sites to be:
1. Survey Junkie
Just for signing up, Survey Junkie gives you 50 points, so you’re well on your way to earning that extra money on your profile.
Available where: Australia, Canada, USA
Activities to choose from: Online surveys only, testing products, occasional focus groups
Cash payment methods: PayPal
Other options: Gift cards to popular brands such as Walmart, Amazon, Groupon, iTunes, Target, Starbucks
Time to payout: Instantly
Minimum threshold: $10
>> You can sign up for Survey Junkie here <<
…or check out our full Survey Junkie review here.
2. InboxDollars
Available where: USA and Canada
Activities to choose from: Surveys, searching the web, watching videos, games, scanning products in-store, printing coupons, and reading paid emails
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa and check
Other options: eGiftcards at major retail brand giants such as Adidas, eBay, Google Play Store, Nike, Uber, Walmart, and many more.
Time to payout: 1-6 weeks, depending on cashout choices
Minimum threshold: $30
>> You can sign up for Inbox Dollars here <<
…or check out our full InboxDollars Review here.
3. Swagbucks
Available where: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Spain, France
Activities to choose from: Online searches, surveys, daily bonuses, point challenges, installing the browser search toolbar, using the shopping portal, playing games, watching or transcribing videos, trade-ins, sweepstakes and the referral program
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa
Other options: Amazon and Zalando gift certificates, cash back when shopping through Swagbucks’ partners, and other popular gift cards including Walmart, Starbucks, Target, Best Buy, Google Play Store, Apple iTunes, eBay, Uber, and more
Time to payout: Every 5-7 days
Minimum threshold: $10
>> You can sign up for Swagbucks here <<
…or check out our full Swagbucks Review here.
4. Pinecone Research
Available where: USA, Canada
Activities to choose from: Surveys and testing products
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa, check
Other options: Gift cards (Amazon), sweepstake entries
Time to payout: Within 24 hours if PayPal and expect a processing delay if you want to cash out to via check
Minimum threshold: $3
>> You can sign up for Pinecone Research here <<
…or check out our full Pinecone Research Review here.
5. Opinion Outpost
Available where: USA, Canada, UK, some developed-country demographical requirements apply
Activities to choose from: Referral system, quarterly lucky draw, sweepstakes, surveys
Cash payout methods: PayPal, direct bank transfer, MasterCard, Visa
Other options: MileagePlus miles, Alawar games, Amazon codes, iTunes gift card
Time to payout: Instantly
Minimum threshold: $5
>> You can sign up for Opinion Outpost here <<
…or check out our full Opinion Outpost Review here.
6. LifePoints
Available where: Worldwide
Activities to choose from: Online surveys, keeping shopping diaries, product testing, location sharing, daily challenges
Cash payment methods: PayPal
Other payout options: Amazon, eBay, Starbucks, and more
Time out: Instantly
Minimum threshold: PayPal $20, gift certificate $5
Why they made this list: Short, quick surveys and a low disqualification level; user-friendly survey site; consolation points when disqualified; large amount of available surveys per day; easy additional ways to earn points
What’s the catch?: Negative comments and reviews all mention irrevocable bans, non-payment of rewards or money, and an unresponsive support department
Check out our full LifePoints Review here.
7. OneOpinion
Available where: USA, Canada, UK
Activities to choose from: Surveys and testing products
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa, debit or credit prepaid cards
Other options: Gift cards (Amazon)
Time to payout: Instantly for PayPal and virtual gift certificates, dependent on UPS for delivery of prepaid debit or credit cards
Minimum threshold: $25/£25
Why they made this list: Great customer care, 50 cent payout per survey on disqualifying surveys (the highest so far!), lots of easy surveys, testing products in your own home
What’s the catch?: Be wary of bans and lack of surveys if you sign up in regions where there may be no call for surveys
Check out our full OneOpinion Review here.
8. Harris Poll Online
Available where: Japan, the US, the UK, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Greece, France, Finland, and Italy
Activities to choose from: Political polls, online surveys, focus groups, cash-prize draw
Cash payment methods: Visa
Other options: Sweepstakes and gift certificates from Amazon, Home Depot, iTunes, Starbucks, Walmart, and popular restaurants
Time to payout: Every 1-2 weeks
Minimum threshold: $10
Why they made this list: Disqualifications earn e-coupons which can be traded in the rewards centre, great selection of rewards available.
What’s the catch?: Not too many surveys available, negative comments, reviews and questions all mention irrevocable bans, non-payment of rewards, closed accounts when ready for pay-out.
Check out our full Harris Poll Online Review here.
9. Valued Opinions
Available where: Worldwide
Activities to choose from: Online surveys, quarterly cash-draws, diary studies, testing products
Cash payment methods: Visa
Other options: Gift certificates for CVS Pharmacy, fragrance.net, magazines.com, Macy’s, Amazon, Chillis, restaurant.com, iTunes, and Southwest Rapid reward points (USA only)
Time to payout: 24 hours
Minimum threshold: $10
Why they made this list: Known to pay without delays, great selection of rewards to choose from, in-home easy testing of products, quick payouts, been around for over a decade
What’s the catch?: Not too many surveys available regionally, non-existent customer service (based on user reviews, questions and comments)
Check out our full Valued Opinions Review here.
10. PaidViewPoint
Available where: Worldwide
Activities to choose from: Paid online surveys
Cash payment methods: PayPal
Other options: Amazon gift certificates, Walmart gift certificates
Time to payout: 72 hours
Minimum threshold: $15
Why they made this list: User-friendly survey site to make money, fantastic customer service, daily earning potential, very few negative reviews, great referral program, the more surveys you do each day, the more you earn points and cash-per-survey
What’s the catch?: Need to log on every day for available surveys – only urgent or not-yet-at-quota surveys are emailed
Check out our full PaidViewpoint Review here.
11. MySoapBox
Available where: USA, Canada
Activities to choose from: Online surveys, testing products, case studies, referral program
Cash payment methods: None
Other options: Gift certificates from popular brands such as Amazon, Home Depot, iTunes, Starbucks, Target, Walmart, movie vouchers, restaurant vouchers
Time to payout: 24+ hours
Minimum threshold: $25 initial cashout then only $1
Why they made this list: Award points for disqualifications, one of the most extremely low threshold after the first cashout, profile completion points, new member bonus, great member support
What’s the catch?: Not too many surveys to make the 25,000 points needed for first cashout, some negative comments and questions about points not always being credited but support always make the adjustments
12. Tellwut
Available where: USA, Canada
Activities to choose from: Surveys online, community surveys and polls, contests on social media, referral system
Cash payment methods: Visa
Other options: Gift certificates from popular brands such as Amazon, Best Buy, Game Stop, iTunes, Starbucks, Tango, Walmart, movie vouchers, restaurant vouchers
Time to payout: Every 1-2 weeks
Minimum threshold: $10
Why they made this list: Good customer service, great community spirit and easy surveys, much lower point system than other online survey sites, wide range of daily surveys available
What’s the catch?: Not many surveys are sent via email, a few complaints about non-payout of rewards, no cashout to PayPal option.
13. MyPoints
Available where: USA, Canada
Activities to choose from: Taking surveys online, offerwalls, printing coupons, shop-for-points, playing online games, reading emails, watching videos, referral program, daily checklist, free promo codes
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa
Other options: Earn travel miles with United MileagePlus account, one or more coupon codes for popular online stores such as Lowe’s and Kohl’s, one or more gift certificates to Target, Macy’s, Home Depot, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, JC Penny, Walmart, Best Buy, Groupon, eBay, Expedia and more
Time to payout: 4-5 days
Minimum threshold: $25 for PayPal, $3 for gift certificates
Why they made this list: Great variety of activities to choose from, points for disqualifications, 3rd party offers, travel miles, coupons!
What’s the catch?: Many 3rd party integrations that navigate you away from the MyPoints website, disqualifications and non-payouts also noted amongst members, support team leave a lot to be desired, although reviews do mention great customer contact experiences.
Check out our full Mypoints Review here.
14. YouGov
Available where: UK, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East
Activities to choose from: Surveys, political polls, competitions, referral program, affiliate program, lottery program
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa
Other options: Gift certificates to popular brands such as iTunes, Amazon, Kohl’s, Nike, Best Buy, Target and more, as well as posters and t-shirts, movie vouchers and restaurant vouchers
Time to pay out: Reward-dependent
Minimum threshold: $25
Why they made this list: Has one of the most interesting community and political polls, large amount of surveys to choose from, good reputation until recent reviews and complaints
What’s the catch?: Very high points threshold for cashing out, lots of complaints to the Better Business Bureau about non-payout of rewards of late
Check out our full YouGov Review here.
15. Univox Community
Available where: Worldwide
Activities to choose from: Surveys online, loyalty program, referral program, discussions, polls, daily activities, spot competitions
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Visa, MasterCard
Other options: Amazon gift certificates, Reward Link e-gift cards, Tango gift cards for participating retailers
Time to payout: 48 hours
Minimum threshold: $25
Why they made this list: Regular survey invites, simple point system, disqualification points, great loyalty program, cashout threshold is lowered as you progress through system levels
What’s the catch?: Complaints and questions from members about non-payments and instant bans when nearing threshold level, unresponsive support desk.
16. GrabPoints
Available where: Worldwide
Activities to choose from: Online surveys, offerwalls, download apps, watch videos, referral program
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Skrill, American Express, Bitcoin
Other options: Rewards catalog includes codes to most popular gaming sites such as Fortnite, Steam, Google Play Store, PlayStation Store, Nintendo, Minecraft, Xbox, Counterstrike; Various gift certificates available for Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, Apple iStore, Uber, eBay, AirBNB, Spotify and more
Time to payout: 3-7 days
Minimum threshold: $3
Why they made this list: Absolutely great choice of rewards for any techno-junkie, good customer support and payout times, low payout threshold
What’s the catch?: Some negative reviews indicate that GrabPoints may be short-staffed due to self-isolation regulations during the Covid-19 outbreak, as at the moment of this writing.
Note: SurveyPolice indicate that “Grabpoints has been removed from our list of top rated GPT sites due to anomalies in user reviews. All pre-existing reviews for this program have been removed from our website.”
Check out our full GrabPoints Review here.
17. Zoombucks
Available where: UK, Canada, and USA with limited surveys available worldwide
Activities to choose from: Surveys, watch videos, offerwalls, download apps, referral program
Cash payment methods: PayPal, Bitcoin
Other options: A wide selection of gaming and retail gift certificates to popular retail and online portals such as PlayStation Store, iTunes, Steam, Xbox Live, Google Play Store, Amazon, Netflix, Apple iStore, Roblox, Minecraft, Gap, Macy’s, Spotify and more
Time to payout: 48 hours
Minimum threshold: $3
Why they made this list: One of the sites that is Smartphone responsive, above-average payouts for completed surveys, low payout threshold, great payout times, fantastic choice of rewards
What’s the catch?: Not worth it financially to watch videos, no disqualification points, very few surveys outside of regional focus
18. OpinionSquare
Available where: USA, Canada, with limited surveys available worldwide
Activities to choose from: Surveys online, sweepstakes, play games, watch videos, browsing, referral program
Cash payment methods: Check (if rewarded in cash)
Other options: 16,000+ rewards to choose from in the rewards catalog, in multiple categories that include automotive, baby, electronics, magazines, movies, music, restaurants, sports, video games and more
Time to payout: Dependent on postal services in your region for cash-rewards, get paid instantly with e-rewards.
Minimum threshold: $5
Why they made this list: Within the USA and Canada, the rewards are totally worth it, a $50 sweepstakes entry when disqualified, opportunities to earn extra and make money online, win rewards, interesting surveys and topics
What’s the catch?: Not too keen on being forced to download GRID software that tracks me just to send me more targeted surveys to “maximise my earnings”, high out-of-demographic disqualifications, no PayPal option.
Check out our full OpinionSquare Review here.
19. iSurvey World
Available where: USA, UK, Canada, Australia
Activities to choose from: Paid online surveys
Payment methods: PayPal
Other options: None
Time to payout: 3-4 weeks
Minimum threshold: $25
Why they made this list: Structured qualifying system, the more paid surveys you complete, the more invitations you receive per survey.
What’s the catch?: Partner surveys don’t pay, average rating on TrustPilot with only mediocre reviews.
Check out our full iSurvey World Review here.
20. Pro Opinion
Available where: USA, Canada
Activities to choose from: Online surveys
Payment methods: PayPal
Other options: Gift certificates for Amazon, App Store, iTunes
Time to payout: 24 hours
Minimum threshold: $10
Why they made this list: Great daily earning potential, high paying surveys
What’s the catch?: Above normal disqualifications (according to reviews), other mixed reviews about company changes to policies
Check out our full Pro Opinion Review here.
What do Online Surveys it cost you?
- Share your personal information via your email address, name, and other personal demographics
- Share your opinion by taking market research surveys online as a way to make and earn money
- Hour spent
To reward consumers for sharing their insights on brands and services, brands offer incentives such as loyalty programs, referral systems, bonus points and coupons. When using online paid survey sites to give feedback and deliver those much-needed insights, rewards for opinions are offered via PayPal, Visa, or popular survey rewards, competitions, coupons, dollar-based incentives, gift cards, shopping online, and sweepstake entries.
Can you really make money online from surveys?
Yes, you can. And if you really want it and you are really disciplined about it and work it like a full-time job, you can make a really sustainable second income for yourself. Of course, it also involves putting in second-job hours, which is where you will need the discipline.
Keep reading to compare our list of the best paid online survey sites you probably haven’t heard too much about yet.
Have you had any luck with these survey sites or are there others that you think deserve an honorary mention on this list? Comment below to let us know.
Need best-practice tips on how to make the most out of taking surveys to make money online? Click to skip ahead or keep reading to scroll there in-time.
Click here to discover our pick of the paid online surveys that reward instantly.
Which paid survey sites pay the most?
To make money is a personal thing, as is how you spend it. Rewards are simply a substitute for money, right? We create lists like these so you, the reader, are able to make better-informed decisions about how to make money online, and how to spend it when you cashout your rewards. And because money is so personal, we can’t really answer that question for you, but we can tell you of the top 5 survey sites that everyone else seems to be talking about.
Best-practice tips on how to make the most out of taking online surveys
We suggest signing up to a few sites first, tracking your progress on a simple spreadsheet or in a journal, and being diligent and disciplined about following up and completing surveys you get invited to join via links and invites in your inbox. Be courteous, patient and honest when dealing with your accounts and your profile requirements on these sites.
Do you know of any other survey sites that pay instantly to take surveys? Share your links below.
In conclusion
We could just repeat (again) what everyone else is saying out there right now, or we could browse the survey sites less travelled and find you even more ways to make money online, earn cash or great rewards.
Click here to find out how you can get free Visa pre-paid gift cards for taking surveys or continue scrolling to read our pick for 2020.
We originally began this list with 30 not-so-well-known survey sites and also discovered a few survey smartphone apps that may earn you some additional income. In the process of checking up on all of these online survey sites, we discovered some real doozies, which have not made this list.
I am from South Africa and have been working with companies like Typeform and SurveyMonkey creating surveys for the past 5 years. Nowadays, I love reading, writing and looking after my children.