The Best Survey Sites (That Pay Real $$)

Looking for legitimate survey websites? Here are my favorite ones that I have personally used and made money from!

Best Survey Sites for Money

Right before I graduated from high school, I remember signing up for a dozen survey sites. With each of those signups, I was often bombarded with tons of emails containing links to surveys. And guess what? I never qualified.

I realize now that partly may have been because I was 17, and most market research studies are looking for an older demographic. However, I was so discouraged, I gave it up for a few years. I figured it wasn’t worth my time to go through five or ten minutes of a survey, only to be told I didn’t qualify.

Well, last year, I remember reading a post my favorite deals website, Freebies2Deals. The post was about her favorite survey sites. And how people were actually making money doing it. And not just making money, but getting free products. I couldn’t believe it. But after reading the post, and doing some research on some of the companies she posted about, I decided to give it another shot.

And I’m so glad I did. At times I have made up to $500 dollars (mostly in gift cards) in a month, and I’ve received so many products! We’ve gotten a huge container of Tide Pods, Bath and Body Works  hand soaps, baby wipes, frozen meals, toilet paper, and more. And it’s so easy to do. At night, when we are just watching TV, I pull open my favorite survey sites, and see if there is any

Here are my favorite, legitimate survey websites. I definitely recommend signing up for the first two, because that is where I make my most money and get the most free products, but if you have some extra time, the other ones aren’t too bad either. These are all free survey websites as well — no catch!

My Favorites

SwagBucks

SwagBucks is one of the best ones to not only make money with surveys but online in general. It’s SO easy. You can earn money for doing something as simple as doing your typical web searches (just default your search engine to SwagBucks). They have tons of surveys and a mobile app – and there are always SwagCodes being posted around the web. You can redeem SwagCodes for PayPal cash, Amazon gift cards, etc.

Pinecone

This is one of the BEST ones that you can sign up for – and as of right now, there are no demographic limits, which is huge. Everyone I know who has worked with Pinecone has been totally thrilled.

 Shopper’s Voice

This is a great one for primary grocery shopper in your house. Not only can you earn money from taking surveys, but you can also get coupons and free samples, as well!

Nielson Consumer Panel

This is a very popular one that I think most people have heard of. It’s been around for a long time, and I know that some people occasionally get products from it!

Opinion Outpost

I saw this one on a few different blogs, and people seem to really like it. I signed up and have already earned quite a few points. If you don’t qualify for one survey, they always ask if you would like them to see if you qualify for another, and most of the time, I did. What most people seem to like about this one is that you can get points really quick, and in my short time doing it, I found that to be true. You only have to make $5 to cash out, which is awesome! You can also sign up for Opinion Outpost Mobile!

Ipsos I-say

This is the first site I signed up with at the beginning of last year, so it has a special place in my heart. It used to be called Global Opinion Panels, but recently merged with I-say, which I also was a member of. The surveys are usually between 10 and 20 minutes long, and I feel like it is really easy to rack up points quickly. There are a lot of things that points can be traded in for, and I believe that 1,000 points will get you an Amazon gift card.

This is the site where I’ve gotten the most free products. I’ve also participated in several studies where, along with a product or a study I have to fill out at my house, I’m sent money as well. Like recently, I was sent a product to review, along with a 10 dollar bill, and as soon as I’m done, I’ll get another 25 dollars. So beyond getting points for surveys, you also can earn some cash.

There are usually quite a few surveys available, and I usually do qualify. It’s nice though, because even if you don’t qualify, you get 5 points. Which isn’t a lot, but it can add up. They also have the “poll predictor” at the end of each survey, where you can get a certain amount of sweeps entries for guessing the correct answer. I-say also has a loyalty program, where you get extra points for filling out a certain number of surveys

Permissions Panel

This is a new one that I’ve heard of recently, but I really like the idea of it!

HarrisPoll.com 

Good, solid company with decent rewards. They are a Nielsen company.

SurveySavvy.com

– Most of the surveys on here are worth 1 dollar, though I have gotten a few worth more. I have a love-hate relationship with SurveySavvy though. Sometimes I really feel like I”m going to qualify for a survey, and then after I’ve been asked a ton of questions, I get kicked out. However, the surveys really don’t take a lot of time, and when you do qualify, it’s worth it. I like that they have something to download to your desktop where you can take the surveys as well. They also have a good referral program.

Mindfield

– I haven’t made a ton of money with this one yet, but I have gotten some free products, so it’s one that I feel is worthwhile. They don’t send tons of surveys, but when they do, I usually qualify, unless they quota is already full by the time I get to it. They have a great referral program, and most surveys are worth 1-5 dollars. I think the minimum cash out is 5 dollars, and that can be accumulated rather quickly.

Toluna

I have done several surveys with this company, and I’ve never had any problems!

Other:

This are some sites I have recently signed up for, and from doing some research, feel like they are worthwhile. However, since I haven’t been doing them long enough to see any money come in or take enough surveys, I can’t personally vouch for them. But, I think they are worth signing up for, and I’ll do an update later when I have a better idea.

 

Mindswarms

This is a pretty cool idea. A webcam is required to participate, because the surveys are done via webcam. From what I read, you don’t get a ton of offers, but when you do, it’s worth it to complete. The payout is really great (as in, around 50 dollars per survey) and you get paid really quickly. As I was looking around the dashboard, it looks like you have to apply for certain surveys, and they let you know if you get accepted. There’s also an option to send a survey to a friend, if you think they will qualify. I’m excited to try it out, as I’ve done a few webcam surveys in the past and really enjoyed them. They also have the option of having them send you a text, email, Facebook message, or a Tweet on Twitter when you qualify for a study.

L’oreal

This one is really cool, especially if you like makeup. Basically, you are paid in makeup to take surveys or participate in panels. There are two different options, either participate in the studies at their base in New Jersey, or in their home study program. If you complete 5 surveys online, you will receive some kind of compensation, like a cosmetic or hair product, in the mail. You can also participate in at home studies, where you are given a product to try out and evaluate, and then you get to keep the product. From what I’ve read about this, people LOVE it, and the products are totally worth it. I read that it took awhile to get approved, but I was in less than 24 hours. You don’t always get chosen for all the surveys, but when you do, you are compensated greatly. Update – I never qualify for any of these. You may have better luck than me!

Tips:

• Just pick two or three sites to focus on. When I first started doing surveys, I remember signing up for like 15. DON’T DO THIS! I just found that I got way too overwhelmed with all the emails I would get, and I ended up just deleting all of them. Instead of doing this, if you just sign up for a couple, you can really focus on getting those surveys done, and making some actual money.
• If anywhere in the browser says OTX, be aware that these surveys are designed to disqualify you. After I discovered this, I started to notice more, and I almost never qualified. I haven’t ever seen this with MySurvey or I-say, but I have with some other sites I’ve used in the past.
• Most sites will have some type of surveys to take about yourself when you sign up, or a profile to fill out. Be sure to do this. It really does help you get more surveys that you will qualify for, because they have already kind of pre-screened you. I found that I get tons of surveys about babies and children since I updated mine to say I had a baby.
• In the beginning, try and answer all the surveys sent to you. What I’ve realized is that when I filled out more surveys in the beginning, or over time, they send me more. I think it shows them that you actually want to participate, and they want to reward you for that.
• Don’t let it overwhelm you. Just have this be something that you wind down with, or do while you are watching TV. If you get stressed out about making sure you do every single survey right when you get it, it kind of takes the fun out of it!