Many people are lured by the promise of making quick money with online surveys. But the promise to answer “simple questions” in a few minutes and collect $10 sounds strange. We want to see if it’s really possible to make money with online surveys?
It would be fantastic, because if it were, you could scrape together a salary of $1,000 or more per month with an hour’s work per day, but things are not quite like that.
I too was curious and tried it and report my experience.
Is it possible to make money with online surveys?
First of all, there are paid surveys that are usually not scams, so it is technically possible to make money with surveys.
However, many peddle the notion that surveys are “quick and easy to do,” “can be completed in 3 minutes,” and that “you get $10 or more for every single survey.”
When we analyze the facts, we find that surveys are actually very lengthy, very detailed, sometimes complex, and usually not very rewarding. If you fill out a survey and spend half an hour or more on it, you can expect to earn $1-$2. You could say that’s not much, but if we side with the companies, we see that they have a point.
Imagine you are an eyewear company that wants to conduct a market study before launching a new product. How much should he pay for one person’s opinion? He has no assurance that the opinion he is given is honest or not. The company will try to protect itself, but it has no guarantee that the survey is genuine. They do not know if the person knows the subject or not; and most importantly, they know that people use surveys to make money, and they fill out the survey for the money rather than the survey itself.
So if you stand on the other side of the fence for a moment, you will find that you, too, would not be willing to pay more for that kind of opinion, because there are so many better ways to do market research and get consumer opinion. So yes, there are surveys, but they only make up a small part of the marketing budget.
But back to us: if you devoted an hour of your time every day to filling out surveys, you would not earn more than $100 per month. Someone might object that if you put your mind to it all day, you could make a small salary. In reality, companies will never provide you with enough surveys to keep you busy all day.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you are not building an online business, you are not creating anything, such as a blog, which will then earn you passive income. You are not doing anything other than a job that is not physical, but online.
What I mean is that it is a non-scalable business. For example, an article from a famous blog or a video from a popular YouTube channel can easily reach hundreds of thousands of people, possibly millions or billions. So it is a highly scalable business. Surveys, on the other hand, are a poorly scalable business. Even if you have access to as many surveys as you want, your earnings are limited by two factors: how many surveys you can solve in a day and how much you get paid per survey.
So based on:
- How many surveys can you do in a day
- How many surveys companies are willing to give you
- How much you get paid for each survey
- How much you know about online surveys
you have determined your maximum earning potential.
Take for example selling a book on Amazon, another way to make money online, the earning potential is virtually unlimited. I am not saying it’s easy, just that a book or online course can theoretically sell 1 copy, but it can also sell 100 or a thousand or even a million. There’s nothing wrong with that, whether it’s easy is another question. With surveys, on the other hand, your earning potential is always limited, and you can never exceed that limit no matter what you do.
This is not to say that it is not an opportunity that should be considered. Making money with online surveys is one of the easiest ways and does not require any special skills to scrape something together thanks to the Internet.
Consumer opinion is very important to companies, so much so that sometimes surveys are conducted on products that have not yet appeared on the market. There are several companies that offer money for completing such surveys. Although there are some websites that require you to pay a membership fee, here we will only look at websites that offer a completely free service.
If you’re a student or unemployed and want to scrape some money together, you can try these paid surveys. These surveys are offered through dedicated websites, so you can do them from any place and at any time of the day. All you need is a computer or mobile device and an internet connection.
Don’t think that taking these surveys will make you a millionaire, and it won’t even earn you a salary, but it’s a job that will allow you to earn some extra money. Depending on the number of surveys you participate in, you can earn more or less money.
How to make money with online surveys
These paid surveys have been around for many years. The task is to give your opinion about different products, types of brands, etc.
As mentioned earlier, there are some platforms that ask you to sign up for a paid subscription before you start filling out the surveys. Personally, I advise against signing up to such paid sites that are more interested in earning from your subscription than you are in earning from surveys or are scams.
In this article you will find a list of the best paid survey sites. All these sites are free and you do not have to pay anything for registration.
The first thing you need to do is register on the platform of your choice. Once you are registered, you will have access to a variety of surveys. Most sites will only send you surveys that match your profile and are based on the data you provided when you registered.
How much can you earn with paid surveys?
Surveys are paid depending on their length. Some can be completed in a few minutes, while others can take up to 20/30 minutes. Logically, surveys of longer duration are usually compensated higher. In any case, on average it goes from $1 per survey to $3 – $4.
Payments are usually made in cash, via Paypal or can also be in the form of gift certificates that can be redeemed on platforms such as Amazon.
Make money with online surveys, tips
You can easily register on the sites I mention, because registration is completely free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
To earn more, you can also log in to multiple sites at the same time, but try not to cheat by trying to log in 2 times with a different email, for example, because they will find out immediately based on your IP and delete your account. When you receive a survey, try to complete it as soon as possible, because there is always a ‘quota’ and when it is fulfilled, the survey will be canceled.
The secret to earning money with online surveys is precisely that the company sends you a survey to complete. To get the largest number of surveys and thus earn more, you need to follow a set of rules:
It is important that you fill out your profile as much as possible. The more data you provide, the easier it will be for you to participate in surveys. Remember that each time the company selects the most suitable profiles to which it sends the surveys for participation.
When you create your profile, try to fill in as many fields as possible under the headings of interests and hobbies and provide as much information as possible. You use the car, the bicycle, the motorcycle, you have glasses, you wear contact lenses, you buy cleaning products, products for animals, you travel often, etc. The more information you provide, the more likely you are to be eligible for a wider range of surveys. Profiles with little data will receive far fewer paid surveys.
When asked if you are married, it is better to say yes, singles are less interesting. It would also be ideal if you have several children, are a smoker, have a dog and a cat at home, suffer from a common disease, wear glasses and own a motorcycle and a car.
Those who want to be honest will tell the truth, but those who want to maximize the chances of getting surveys from various companies might do a little embroidery in their profile. For example, if an eyewear manufacturer wants to conduct a market survey on a new product, only eyewear wearers will be surveyed.
It’s important to complete your profile so that the surveys you receive match it. This basically prevents you from receiving surveys that mostly tell you that you do not meet the required profile, perhaps after you have spent 20 minutes answering the questions. Be careful never to mention that you work in marketing, advertising, or a similar field. Not even a member of your family. This is a very common question when filling out your profile on various survey platforms.
If your income is low and you indicate this in your profile, you will receive few surveys. Whoever fills out the survey must also be a potentially good buyer, a person who likes to buy products, who spends money to buy items, attend events, etc. So my advice is to start from an average income. (Say, if you have a family, between $2,000 and $3,000 per month).
One last tip: create a new email account and use it only for surveys. That way, you’ll keep track and see immediately when a new survey comes in.
We now come to the famous “control questions” that we must answer before starting a survey. You have to be careful and answer the questions correctly. Let us look at the classic questions:
- Have you done a survey on this topic? Always say no
- Have you worked in any of these areas, marketing, advertising, market research, etc.? Always say no
- Do you have children? Answer as indicated in your profile
- Who makes the economic decisions for the family? Say that it is always you
- What is your monthly income? Not too much, not too little, but answer as it corresponds to your profile
If you have a lot of free time and want to earn more money from paid surveys, you have the option to register on English-language websites, and there are many opportunities. However, there are two main obstacles: Your IP address, which identifies your device and your country of origin, and, may be, your lack of English skills. But there is a solution for everything:
You only need to activate Google Translator so that it translates the English text into your language in real time. It is clear that the translations will not be perfect, but in most cases they are more than sufficient to answer the questions without any problems.
VPN that changes your IP. These programs allow you to change your IP address and make various paid survey sites believe that you are connected from the country you are currently interested in.
Advantages of online surveys
- 100% free method. Subscriptions to websites offering paid surveys should not be made at all
- Free time management. There are no time restrictions
- Location independence. Surveys can be answered from anywhere via PC, cell phone or tablet
- Payments. The minimum amount is usually very low and therefore easy for users to achieve
- Reliability. Online surveys are usually conducted by reputable and reliable companies
- Simple method. Suitable for everyone (no special skills are required), you just need a minimum of perseverance and patience
Disadvantages of online surveys
- Variable income. Depending on the country of residence, these earnings can vary greatly, with Anglo-Saxon countries being the most favorable in this regard.
- Sending some surveys only to specific profiles
- Canceling the survey while filling it out
Online surveys, what you should know
Never sign up to a site that asks you for some sort of initial investment or money. This is just a scam. Pay close attention to these signs:
- They ask you for money to get surveys. This signal is unmistakable. Any site that asks you for money to get surveys is a scam 99% of the time. Maybe there are some paid surveys in the Anglo-Saxon world, but as far as other country is concerned, it is guaranteed to be a scam. Reputable survey sites are always 100% free.
- Contact information. A serious and reliable company that conducts surveys and/or market research must always have the contact information provided (mail, phone, chat, etc.). Try them out to see if they work. The easiest way is to send an email with a question.
- They are trying to sell you something. Reputable survey sites work quite simply: if you participate in a survey, you will receive compensation in the form of money or points. On the other hand, if you are offered a product that they want to sell you, do not waste your time and leave the website.
- They deceive you about the time it takes you to complete it. When you are about to fill out the survey, they tell you that your profile is not suitable, or they say that a survey will take 10 minutes, while it will take 40 minutes to fill it out. This may happen once or twice, but if a website makes this a habit, it is unserious and you may as well give up on them.
- They ask for your financial information. All reputable survey sites will always ask you to enter your information. Name, last name, address, email, etc. But no one should during registration you will never be asked for financial information such as bank account, credit card, etc.
The best websites to make money with online surveys
If you want to earn more money, you can sign up on different sites to participate in more surveys. This way you have more chances to be selected.
Swagbucks, is a website where you can earn money and coupons by watching videos or filling out surveys. Simply create a free account and start earning points right away, which you can then redeem for cash or products.
Good website users are generally quite satisfied.
Toluna, is one of the historical websites. This company has been in the paid surveys business for over 10 years and has 5 million users. Therefore, this platform should not be missing from your list.
However, some users have recently reported a deterioration of the website both in terms of the quality of the surveys offered and the ability to access the surveys themselves.
Surveyeah, is a paid survey site that offers cash rewards or Amazon vouchers. It is available for a large number of countries around the world. Online since 1999, in case of doubt there is a 24-hour service to solve any problem.
Also in this case some complain about a deterioration of the service lately, in any case without listening to others, it is best, as always, to try it yourself.
Lifepoints, is another one of the oldest paid survey platforms on the market, more than a decade old. It is one of the platforms that sends more surveys to its users, and most users are satisfied with the way it works.
This website offers the possibility of converting the collected points into money or vouchers for Amazon, Ikea, etc. Moreover, it is even possible to send the earned money to a non-governmental organization.
i-Say, another option is i-Say. Here you can find polls where you can express your opinion about international brands, leisure and other activities. It is a website that recently has been getting better and better ratings among users in terms of reliability.
At the end of the surveys you get points, the more surveys you complete the more points you get. You can then convert these points into Amazon vouchers.
ACOP, (American Consumer Opinion) is a paid survey platform that targets audiences in the United States, South America, and also Europe.
Payments are made starting at $10 (payments are made in $ which are converted when credited via Paypal). Most surveys take about ten minutes to complete and the questions are usually fairly easy to answer.
Greenpanthera, is another platform for participating in paid online surveys. It is considered one of the portals that sends the most surveys to its users. They give away $5 when they sign up.
Some users love this site, others hate it. You can not tell which side you are on until you try them out.
ySense, website name recently changed, it was previously ClixSense. It is definitely one of the best paid survey sites. There are also several ways to earn money totally free. It works in all countries.
Most of the users are satisfied with this website.
Myiyo, reliable and paid surveys for all countries and in multiple languages. It is also possible to earn for each invited friend who completes their first survey.
Prizes are paid via PayPal starting at $20, which can be accumulated in your account balance. The company is German, but opinions about the site vary.
MarketAgent, available in many countries. Minimum payout of only $2. It is possible to earn 100 points for each invited friend.
It has been online since 2000, which is a guarantee of seriousness and reliability. Currently it has more than a million registered users and large companies such as Google or Coca Cola have used its services in various market studies. In terms of reliability and seriousness, it certainly occupies one of the top places.
Poll Pay, is an interesting application to earn money by filling out surveys from the comfort of your cell phone. It is used in many countries. Easy to reach minimum payout ($5). It is also possible to spend the earnings on Amazon, iTunes, Zalando and Spotify.
Serious and reliable website, users are generally satisfied.
Opinion Bureau, veteran paid survey website. Completely free. They give away $5 to new users. You pay with PayPal. Excellent affiliate system to increase earnings significantly.
Opinions about this website are different.
Opinion Bureau, paid survey website works quite differently than usual, because it is not necessary to reach a set minimum payment to receive its earnings. For every successful survey you complete, you earn $1 instantly.
Very reliable and reputable website that is currently experiencing significant growth. Surveys can be conducted in Italy, but the Italian language is not included.
Prolific, paid survey platform is very different from normal. You pay with PayPal and also in pounds.
This is not a typical survey website, because the surveys are commissioned by public institutions, very often foreign universities, or by private individuals and have an academic and scientific purpose. Serious and reliable site with very well paid surveys.
Mobrog, is another great panel to make money from home with surveys. It has a very low minimum payout (only $5).
The site has been online since 2015 and the company behind it is Splendid Research GmbH, a well-known German company.
SurveyPronto, is owned by the same company as Green Panthera (A&K International Inc) and offers a $5 welcome gift for new users.
It has a somewhat high minimum payout ($30) and opinions about the panel are mixed.
Univox Community, is a reliable paid survey panel that has been around since 2011. Money can be withdrawn via PayPal or Amazon starting from $25.
Some users have recently complained about a deterioration of the service.
PrizeRebel, is a very old paid survey platform. Online since 2007. Points are collected which can then be converted to cash via PayPal or prepaid cards, as well as gift certificates to Amazon, Ebay, etc. There are also contests that reward the most active users.
With some exceptions, all countries are eligible. Generally reputable and reliable.
YouGov, is a renowned opinion platform and paid surveys British origin. Chance to win Amazon gift cards. Available for several countries.
Opinions on the website are contradictory.
LoopsterPanel, this platform of German origin. Behind it is the well-known company CINT AB, one of the world’s largest benchmarks in market and opinion research through digital media.
The serious site and users are generally satisfied with their service.
Nicequest, website of recent birth. The site unfortunately does not allow cash payment, but it is possible to access many products (cosmetics, perfumes, items for children, electronics, items for animals, etc.)
In any case, users seem to be satisfied with the functioning and reliability of the site.
Triaba, young online survey site. The amount of payment depends on the duration and type of survey and can be up to $3.50. You can pay via Paypal or with Amazon vouchers.
The site unfortunately does not offer many surveys compared to others, but the majority of users are definitely satisfied.
Is it possible to make money with surveys? Conclusion
Yes, it is possible to make money with surveys, but I would say that it could be a solution for people who need extra income and for a limited period of time. However, if you need money immediately, sometimes the payout can take several weeks.
On the other hand, if you want to build a scalable business or earn a stable and sustainable income over time, surveys are not for you, and in this case you can check out the article: Make money online, the guide
