You may or may not know there are lots of online survey sites around. In fact, new ones seem to pop up every few weeks but which paid survey sites are legitimate? And can you really make money filling out online surveys from home?
The fact is that some of the survey sites you find online are outright scams. Some won’t pay you what you have earned and others make you pay to become a “member”.
So how do you find the best companies for paid surveys online without getting ripped off?
Start with this list of the top ten survey sites to make money. These sites are all ones I have used personally and have great reviews. Don’t waste your time on scam survey sites that don’t pay out.
This page contains affiliate links meaning I earn a commission if you use those links. Please read my affiliate disclosure for more information.
Can you really get paid to take online surveys?
Yes! First of all, look at it this way – for the legit survey sites that pay you for your opinion, you are a must-needed part of their business.
They need your opinion to present their data to their client (a brand or social group in most cases).
These survey sites are market research companies that depend on your answers to provide a service to their clients.
That is why they are willing to pay you for filling out their surveys.
You probably know that many companies send out surveys or put one on the bottom of your receipt at the store to try to get feedback.
Most have realized, however, that without an incentive eg. a chance to make money, most of us won’t take the time to fill those surveys in.
Is it safe to do surveys online for money?
Most legit survey sites (and all the ones below) only need your basic contact details such as name and email to establish your account.
You should never have to pay to take an online survey.
Nor should you be asked to provide your ID, SSN or credit card details.
Some of the sites do require address verification before you can redeem your points but that is because they have specific rules about the number of accounts allowed per household.
All of the companies listed in my top ten survey sites ranking below have visible privacy policies on their sites that you can check before signing up.
Here are the top paid survey sites for 2023
-
- Swagbucks (get $5 just for signing up)
- Pinecone Research (great earning potential)
- Toluna Influencers(one of the largest market research companies)
- Branded Surveys (simple surveys that pay well)
- Opinion Outpost(Reputable and trusted)
- Survey Junkie (great for earning gift cards)
- MyPoints (earn points for shopping & printing coupons too)
- Inbox Dollars(earn rewards for doing regular stuff online)
- PollPass (this one is great for moms, find out why below)
- Panda Research(if you like Hollywood gossip, this one’s for you)
How much money can you make from taking surveys?
Even with the best paying websites, you cannot expect to get rich by answering online surveys. These sites are a great way to make extra income and earn gift cards to pay for those little treats or your next vacation but they will never replace a full-time income.
So how much do online survey takers get paid, in general?
Most surveys pay between 50c and $5 so you can realistically plan to make around $300-500 a month depending on how much time you put in each month.
If you have a bit of time each day to jump online to take surveys or watch videos, you can comfortably make $100 a month.
10 Places To Make Money Filling Out Online Surveys
1.Swagbucks
Best paying websites score: $$$$$
Swagbucks is not just one of those websites that give you money for doing surveys. They pay you for just going about your regular business online and in my opinion, they pay well!
Swagbucks can really become a one stop shop for your online earning and the best thing is, they will pay you $5 just for signing up!
A few ways that Swagbucks will pay you (in gift cards or PayPal cash)
- Using their search engine
- Shopping online
- Buying gift cards to shop online
- Playing games online
- Watching videos
- Trying free offers and trials
- Taking part in challenges against other Swagbucks members
I’ve been a member of Swagbucks since 2012 and use my earnings to pay for all those little extras that I hate buying (diapers, wipes, Christmas presents).
I normally redeem my Swagbucks (points) for Amazon gift cards as it’s normally the best points to dollar ratio. Below you can see my gift card history for a couple of months.
You see on the right where it says “Earn up to 2SB per $1”? Yes that’s right, you can earn even more Swagbucks for spending the gift cards that you earned with your Swagbucks. It’s a never ending circle of free money!
How much money is one Swagbuck worth?
You can get a $5 gift card for 500 Swagbucks so each Swagbuck is worth 1 cent.
How much can you earn with Swagbucks? If you have a lot of free time, you could easily make $300 a month just with Swagbucks. As it’s not just about surveys, you have lots of opportunities to make money by watching videos and getting cash back for shopping.
Sign up for Swagbucks and get your $10 bonus.
2. Pinecone Research
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$$$
Pinecone Research it definitely one of the best companies for paid surveys online. You can earn around $3 per survey you complete so it’s easy to rack up the cash.
The other great thing about Pinecone? This is a legit survey site that pays cash. No gift cards here. You can choose to get your earnings in a check, PayPal or a visa debit card.
Pinecone works a bit differently from some of the other sites as they send out emails when there is a survey ready for you. There is no website to check daily (like with Swagbucks).
It’s also a bit of an exclusive club and enrolment is not always open so if you get the chance, jump at it!
Check to see if Pinecone Research is open.
3. Toluna Influencers
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$$
Toluna Influencers is huge. In 2016 they awarded over $30m to their US members and they market themselves as the World’s number 1 online survey site.
It’s super quick and easy to get started and you can be answering surveys within minutes. Their points and redemption system is also pretty uncomplicated which I like.
Other benefits:
- Flexible Payments. Choose between PayPal, gift cards or check payments.
- Rewarding. This is one of the only survey sites that pay you even if you do not qualify for the survey. (Swagbucks sometimes pays 1 Swagbuck).
4.Branded Surveys
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$
Branded Surveys is one of the most established of the websites that give you money for doing surveys.
They will email you whenever there is a survey ready for you or you can check your dashboard on their app or website. On average expect to get 8 surveys a month from them.
You can redeem points for things like:
- Visa® Prepaid Cards
- Amazon.com Gift Cards
- PayPal Funds
- iTunes® Codes
- Starbucks Card eGifts*
- Facebook Game eCards
- Target eGiftCards, and more
5. Opinion Outpost
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$$
I like Opinion Outpost because they are extremely reputable in the market research industry and have been around for years.
Their website sign up process is simple and quick and the points redemption is easy to understand.
Like many of the other sites, you can redeem your points earned for gift cards from stores such as:
- Itunes
- Starbucks
- Amazon
- Home Depot
- Charity donations
Most reviews mention how easy it is to rack up the points quickly with Harris Poll which is why I have included it in the top ten survey sites to join.
6. Inbox Dollars
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$$$
Survey Junkie is a very good option if you want to get paid for your opinion on products. There are currently over 3 million members who answer surveys for virtual cash and gift cards on the site.
Why I like Survey Junkie:
- Earning potential. You can earn up to $50 on a good day.
- Access the surveys from any device so it’s great for waiting around at the doctor’s or on the train.
- Great reviews from users.
Sign up with Survey Junkie
7. My Points
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$
MyPoints is owned by the same company as Swagbucks so it has a great reputation as being reliable and one of the most legit survey sites out there.
You may have heard of My Points as it is also a cash back shopping site similar to sites like Rakuten and Swagbucks.
You can earn points (redeem for gift cards) in the following ways:
- Completing surveys
- Reading emails
- Shopping online
- Printing coupons
- Referring friends
Although they are sister companies, I feel that the earning potential is probably a big higher with Swagbucks due to the video options and search engine. My Points is still one of the better online survey sites and should definitely be on your list of sites to join.
8. Inbox Dollars
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$
Inbox Dollars is modelled similarly to Swagbucks. If you have time to do more than just take surveys for gift cards, I recommend checking it out as there are a lot of opportunities to earn points:
- Taking Surveys
- Shopping at partner websites
- Referring friends
- Playing games
- Winning contests
- Being an active member of the Inbox Dollars community
They work in the exact same way as Swagbucks and offer a $5 bonus just for joining.
Join Inbox Dollars
9. PollPass
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$$
PollPass is completely different from the other online survey sites in my top 10 and it especially awesome if you are a stay at home mom or don’t have a lot of time to spend at a computer answering surveys.
Instead of taking surveys for gift cards with PollPass you chat with a online bot via an app. I tried it myself when the site was first launched and the bot is actually pretty funny to chat to.
I also love that you can stop your conversation at any time and the app will just pick up where you left off the next time you open it. It’s great for whenever you have a few spare minutes to go online.
PollPass will pay you in Amazon gift cards and PayPal (coming soon) for chatting with the bot.
Download PollPass here.
10. Panda Research
Best Paying Websites Score: $$$
Panda Research is a strictly survey site. There are no other ways to earn points with Panda Research so it is good if you don’t have too much time to spend online.
How much can you expect to make with Panda Research?
Most people get 4-12 surveys a month from Panda Research and they normally pay between 500 and 1000 points. You can redeem once you get over 3750 points which would give you a $5 gift card to the usual suspects.
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