Getting paid to take online surveys for money seems to be everyone dream job, reason why it is so popular. When talking about some free ways to make money online and work from home jobs, paid surveys are often one of the first options most individuals consider.
For several unfortunate individuals, that dreams turns into a nightmare because they fall victim of paid survey scams.
Market research is a huge industry as it is estimated at around $44.35 billion and while there are legit market research companies that conduct online surveys and actually pay panelists for their participation, there are also scammers out always in search of who they can deceive.
In order to help you avoid falling a victim of this rampant scams, we have compelled a list featuring the best trusted paid survey panels that you can join for free.
I will advise you to read out the entire post since we have further explained in detail how paid survey work, how you can spot and avoid scams online.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Legit Paid Surveys at Home Companies
Below is the list of our favorite legitimate survey companies you can earn extra money with.
It is good you have in mind that most survey companies only accept members from a few western countries. Therefore this list is only good for Americans and residents of a select Western countries.
1. MindSwarms
Most at times, when people talk about high paying surveys, they are referring to surveys that pay $5, $10 or perhaps $20 per survey.
But when we talk about high paying surveys as related to MindSwarms, then we are talking about $50.
Yeah you heard me well, they pay $50 for every single survey that contains 7 questions. However, this are not the usual questionnaires you fill out, these are video surveys.
The first thing you need to do is sign up with them. You will need to record a profile video and answer a few questions to establish your demographic which they use to match you with surveys looking for your demographic.
They also at times have 1 question surveys. For the one question surveys, you get paid $10, which is still amazing.
The good thing here is that there is no minimum requirements for cashing out and your money get paid to you directly into your PayPal account.
Each time you complete a survey, they pay you $50 via PayPal within 24 hours.
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2. SurveySavvy
Studies typically pay between $1 to $20, again, with respect to the length and topic of the survey. I will recommend you making use of this one because I have had a lot of $5 and $10 surveys with them.
This platform also pays you well for referrals as you can earn $1 to $2 for every survey that your referrals complete.
At SurveySavvy, there is no minimum payment requirement since you can request a check even with $1 in your account.
3. PineCone Research
Here comes one of the most exclusive online panels.
It is referred to as exclusive because you can only join if you are invited. If you visit pineconeresearch.com, you won't find any registration link or form. You will only see a login tab. What they do is they only accept members through invite links that they provide to some of their affiliates, and even then it is not every day.
They have specific quotas and as soon as they reach that number, they stop accepting members until next time.
I will advise you to often check out MoneyPantry's website often since they are one of those affiliates and they share the invite link with their readers when its available.
Every survey you completed used to earn you a one-time $3 payment from them. There was no need for you to wait or ask for payment. There was no minimum amount needed to be cashed out. Every time you finished a survey, they would automatically mail you a $3 check. This is the only paid survey site that I am aware of that offers this function.
However, they recently switched to a point system and included a new feature that most users would find preferable (more on that later.)
Completing surveys earns you points. Every point has a value of roughly $0.01.
Thus, three points are worth $3.
You can request a check in the amount of $3, $5, or $15, or you can use your points to redeem prizes.
4. Parent Speak: Survey Site For Parents
This is a very new survey panel that focuses on parenting and is quite targeted. Considering that many of our readers are also parents, I felt it would be beneficial to bring this up.
The panel is sponsored by C+R Research, a marketing research firm with its headquarters in Chicago.
This is not only a place for surveys. Parents can interact and talk about many topics in this online community.
Of course, their distinctive survey panel is what draws us in.
As you might expect, the subjects and goods they cover in their surveys (which include almost any category of things, including food, entertainment, apparel, gadgets, and so on) are tied to parenting.
Almost all surveys here pay a flat payment of $1.
But it doesn’t end there…
A lot of their surveys have follow-up questions which can pay $20-$50. So there is potential for making some serious money here.
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5. TeensEyes: Survey Site for Teens 13 to 18
We have previously talked about parents already now let us mention this panel that caters for teens.
They only accept teens between 13 and 18 years of age.
And if you were able to guess, it is a panel that focuses on conducting studies for products and services that teens use - snacks, video games, apps, TV Shows, music, movies, clothing, etc.
You earn points for every single survey - anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand.
Each point to earn is worth 1 Cent. Meaning that every survey can earn you between $2 to $20. Probably, there are some that pay more or less.
Before you are able to cash out, you need at least 1000 points ($10) which will be paid to you with a check.
One thing with this platform is that they state it clearly that "No member may accumulate more than 60,000 points in any given calendar year".
6. LifePoints (Former MySurvey)
LifePoints is a product of the famed market research business, LightspeedResearch that performs studies for some of the world’s biggest corporations.
You can get rewards with LifePoints by taking part in online surveys, product tests, and diaries. It's true that product testing pays!
The minimum cash out amount here is 5550 points which is actually equivalent to $5.
In 2014 alone, they disbursed over $32 million to their global membership!
I have been a part of this panel for more than ten years, having joined when it was still MySurvey and then Global Test Market. Many things have changed over this period, but one thing has remained constant: they always pay out on schedule, which is one of the reasons I have stuck with them for so long.
7. Valued Opinions
The minimum cash out amount here is $20 and the amount is paid directly in form of Amazon gift cards.
Valued Opinions is actually a panel by Research Now LLC, another big research company that partners with organizations such as MRII - Market Research Institute International.
The panel was created far back in the year 2004 and they have slowly grown to become one of the top online survey panels.
Their surveys often cover a wide variety of topics including food, clothing, electronics, and even movies and TV Shows.
You earn credits for every survey you take which you can redeem for gift vouchers from top brands such as Amazon.com, Macy's, Target and others.
The good thing about this site is that their gift vouchers are send to you instantly. Immediately you reach $20 in your account you can request a gift card and the code is sent to your email address in less than no time.
8. Microsoft User Research
As the name implies, this is Microsoft's own in house survey panel where they gather feedback on all of their existing products as well as new products. You get to test out new software, games and any other product the company makes.
It is good you have in mind that most of their studies last about an hour.
You are often rewarded for your participation with gift cards, as well as free software and Microsoft products.
There is no minimum requirement to cash out, meaning that even if you have $1, you can still request cash out successfully.
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9. Ipsos I-Say
i-Say is powered by one of the leading global market research companies, Ipsos which was founded in 1975.
According to the company, they conduct over than 70 million interviews (surveys, focus groups, etc) every single year for more than 5,000 clients in over 100 countries.
That should tell you how big of a company this one is and how seriously they take their online survey panel.
Here you earn i-Say points. Just how many points depends on the survey (usually the longer a survey, the more points you earn.)
One good thing about this one is that unlike some sites where after you fill out the survey you have to wait for days or even weeks to get credit, your account gets credited immediately after you complete the survey.
Their i-Say loyalty points program, which offers additional points in addition to the regular points you receive for taking individual surveys, is another initiative they have going.
You receive a specific amount of loyalty points for each survey that you complete.
For instance, you can gain an additional 50 points by completing 10 surveys.
That is one item that many individuals find appealing. That is equivalent to receiving free points for performing an action that would have earned you points in the first place.
As soon as you have 500 points you can redeem them for prizes like PayPal payments and Visa Prepaid Cards, as well as gift cards for stores like:
- Amazon.com
- iTunes
- Target
- Starbucks
- and more.
Another amazing thing that makes iPsos a favorite among most survey takers is that their gift cards prizes are delivered into your email instantly.
10. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is backed up by another giant in the market research industry, SSI - Survey Sampling International, LLC.
Here, the reward system used is actually point based, meaning you earn points for completing available questionnaires.
You are able to redeem your points for cash (via PayPal), iTunes credits or Amazon gift certificates.
What I particularly like about this panel is that on top of earning set rewards, you also get entries to win $10,000 in their quarterly prize draw.
The minimum amount you can withdraw here is 50 points, which is an equivalent to $5.
11. Swagbucks
Swagbucks, even though not an online survey panel by definition, deserves a place on this list because it is one of the best sites for earning extra money online.
Swagbucks is among the few sites that does it all. You are able to earn rewards for doing almost anything you do online - from taking surveys and visiting websites to watching videos and even shopping.
There are a ton of alternatives available to you when it comes to cashing out.
From PayPal payments, charitable donations, and gift cards from hundreds of retailers, like Amazon, Target, Macy's, and others.
To get compensated, there isn't actually a minimal criterion. Even if your account just has $1 in it, you can still cash out.
The best part is that, as of right now, enrolling also earns you a free $5 sign-up bonus.
12. InboxDollars
This platform is very much similar to Swagbucks. It pays you to watch videos, play games, shop, take surveys and complete offer.
InboxDollars has been around for quite long now and has even been featured on ABC's Good Morning America Show.
The fact that they have paid out over $43 million to their members is enough to tell you about their legitimacy.
The only thing I do not appreciate with this platform is that, as compared to the others, they have a rather high minimum cash out requirement set at $30.
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13. Branded Surveys
A few years back there was an awesome survey panel that came from nowhere and quickly become popular. It was called MintVine. Well, MintVine has rebranded and is now known as Branded Surveys.
They offer a lot of surveys so you can earn quickly.
You can also earn points by referring your friends and family.
Their minimum cash out requirement is set at $10 and you get paid via cash and gift cards.
14. YouGov
Surveys from this platform often revolve around interesting topics including politics, public affairs, products, brands and current affairs. The minimum cash out amount here is set at $50 which is quite high and you get paid via prizes or gift cards.
15. Survey Junkie
Another excellent survey panel is Survey Junkie. Since their founding in 2011, they have served over 10 million panelists.
Every survey you complete earns you points. The survey determines how many points are awarded (longer surveys typically pay more!).
Additionally, you can get paid to test items, take part in phone polls, focus groups both in person and virtually, and more.
Best Paid Online Survey Sites Right Now Final Thoughts
Well, hope this article and the list of survey sites is going to help you make some extra cash with surveys while avoiding scams.
Before anything, it is good you keep in mind that you will not get rich taking surveys, but you can make a little side money in your free time while helping to develop and improve products and services you use in your daily life.