Best Survey Sites 2019
Today you’re going to learn which are the best survey sites online, so you don’t waste massive amounts of time on the crappy ones.
Because, yes, it’s true: you can make money online simply by filling out surveys while binge-watching Game of Thrones.
All the gritty details are below, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s our shortlist of the best survey sites…
Best Survey Sites
Best Overall
Earnings Per Hour
Survey Quantity
Payment Options
Quick Payout
Mobile App
Outside USA
Affiliate Program
Table Of Contents
Best survey site – overallHighest earnings per hourBest survey quantityBest payment optionsQuick payoutBest mobile appBest for outside USA
Best affiliate program5 things you should know about survey sites12 survey site hacksHow to spot fake / scam survey sitesFrequently Asked QuestionsHave you used any survey sites?
Our survey site reviews are a combined effort between Niall Doherty (founder of eBiz Facts), members of the Freedom Business Builder community, and a hired freelancer named Hannah based in the USA.
Our process for reviewing a survey site looks like this:
We ask Hannah to sign up and test out certain parts of the site.Hannah documents her work and tracks her progress.We scour the internet for additional information about the site and carefully note our findings.We write a draft of our review.We send the draft to our Freedom Business Builder community and ask for feedback.We make our final edits and publish the review.Note: We may earn a commission if you decide to join a survey site via a referral link. Read our full disclosure here.
Best Survey Sites – Overall Respondent and Survey Junkie
Your earning potential on any survey site comes down to two primary factors:
How much you can earn per hour, on average.How many surveys are available for you to answer each day.If you can earn a high amount per hour and there are endless surveys available, you can earn a lot of money.
Unfortunately, we’ve yet to find a site that offers lots of surveys AND a high hourly rate. It’s always a trade-off between the two.
Respondent scores poorly on survey quantity, but its unbeatable hourly rate means earning $100 or more on there each month is quite doable, even without a big time investment.
Respondent – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 1
$20
Payment Options
PayPal
Minimum Payout 5
$20 for every referral who completes a paid survey.
Overall Rating4/5 6
Join Respondent For Free
Read our full Respondent review »
Meanwhile, Survey Junkie offers the most balanced mix of earnings and quantity that we’ve seen from any survey site to date.
Survey Junkie – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 7
$2.50
Payment Options
PayPal, gift cards (US only), bank transfer (US only)
Minimum Payout 11
$1.50 per new account.
Overall Rating4/5 12
Join Survey Junkie For Free
Read our full Survey Junkie review »
Best Survey Site – Earnings Per Hour Respondent
Respondent scores poorly on survey quantity, but its unbeatable hourly rate means earning $100 or more on there each month is quite doable, even without a big time investment.
Respondent – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 13
$20
Payment Options
PayPal
Minimum Payout 17
$20 for every referral who completes a paid survey.
Overall Rating4/5 18
Join Respondent For Free
Read our full Respondent review »
Best Survey Site – Survey Quantity Swagbucks
You won’t earn a lot per hour answering surveys on Swagbucks, but if your goal is to spend 10 hours per day answering surveys on a single platform, this is the best place to do it.
Swagbucks – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 19
$1
Payment Options
PayPal, gift cards.
Minimum Payout 23
$2.20 per new verified account.
Overall Rating2.5/5 24
Get Your $5 Sign-Up Bonus
Read our full Swagbucks review »
(Of course, given that you’re likely to earn 2.5x more per hour on Survey Junkie, we’d recommend you choose that instead of Swagbucks and earn just as much in far less time.)
Best Survey Site – Payment Options Swagbucks
Swagbucks excels with their payment options, too.
While you must earn at least 2,500 SB ($25) before you can cash out with PayPal, you can redeem as little as 200 SB ($2) for cell phone data and as little as 300 SB ($3) for popular gift cards.
Above: The lowest priced rewards available on Swagbucks.If you want to be able to spend your hard-earned SB on anything you please, your best option is to choose a Visa reward card.
Above: Visa reward cards on Swagbucks.Get a $5 sign-up bonus for Swagbucks
Best Survey Site – Quick Payout Qmee
We’re not big fans of Qmee, but if you’re looking to earn $0.25 in a hurry – I dunno, maybe you need a quarter for the parking meter? – this is the best survey site for you.
Qmee – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 25
$1
Payment Options
PayPal, gift cards.
Minimum Payout 29
Up to $1 for every referral who cashes out.
Overall Rating2/5 30
Join Qmee For Free
Honorable mentions here include Respondent – also a $0.01 minimum payout, but it usually takes a while to qualify for a survey on there – and Swagbucks – you can cash out for cell phone credit at $2, and select gift cards at $3.
Best Survey Site – Mobile App Swagbucks
Swagbucks wins here simply because they offer no less than 10 separate mobile apps: ten for iOS, and ten for Android.
The best rated Swagbucks app is Swagbucks LIVE, a trivia app which awards prizes in the form of SB (which can then be exchanged for cash or gift cards).
Best Survey Site – Outside USA Respondent
While most survey sites are notoriously USA-only, Respondent is a rare and welcome exception.
We tested Respondent in several different countries ourselves, and had one reader in Australia earn $110 in 45 minutes using the site.
Respondent – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 31
$20
Payment Options
PayPal
Minimum Payout 35
$20 for every referral who completes a paid survey.
Overall Rating4/5 36
Join Respondent For Free
Read our full Respondent review »
Best Survey Site – Affiliate Program Swagbucks
Referring other users is how some folks earn BIG money from survey sites. We’ve read of some affiliates earning $10,000 or more per month from survey sites.
Swagbucks has one of the best affiliate programs in the business.
Most affiliate programs only pay you once a sale is made, but Swagbucks pays you $2.20 a pop just for sending them new users who sign up for a free account.
Swagbucks – Key Points
Earnings Per Hour 37
$1
Payment Options
PayPal, gift cards.
Minimum Payout 41
$2.20 per new verified account.
Overall Rating2.5/5 42
Get Your $5 Sign-Up Bonus
Read our full Swagbucks review »
That’s not to say it’s easy to earn money as a Swagbucks affiliate. Becoming a successful affiliate marketer usually requires quite a bit of work up front.
Learn more about affiliate marketing »
5 things you really should know about survey sites
Best case scenario, you’ll earn $100 per monthYou will not be entertainedThe rich get richerRejection is part of the gameOther ways of making money on survey sites are usually a waste of time
Best case scenario, you’ll earn $100 per month
Online surveys are one of many ways to make money online, and perhaps the easiest way to earn a few bucks when you’re just starting out.
However, due to it being unskilled work – which means every Tom, Dick and Harry can take a crack at it – expect your earnings from survey sites to be low and/or inconsistent.
For example, Respondent offers the highest earnings per hour of any survey site we’ve tested – average rate of $20 per hour – but you’re only likely to qualify for a handful of surveys on there each month.
You can answer far more surveys on a site like Survey Junkie, but your average earnings there will only be about $2.50 per hour.
We’ve yet to find a site that offers lots of surveys AND a high hourly rate. It’s always a trade-off between the two.
All that to say, survey sites are never going to pay your rent. But they can put a few extra dollars in your pocket each month, if used intelligently.
Follow the recommendations on this page and you can expect to earn an extra $30 to $100 per month from survey sites, putting in 3-5 hours per week.You will not be entertained
Let’s be real: this kind of online work is fairly boring and tedious, especially if you’re putting in several hours a week.
The best way to handle this is to combine your survey sessions with binge-watching a show on Netflix, or listening to your favorite podcast.Earning a few dollars per hour while re-watching Stranger Things ain’t a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon, right?
The rich get richer
Companies use survey sites to gather information about certain markets. These companies want to know if people will buy their product or service.
If you’re considered to be part of a “rich” demographic – for example, you earn more than $50k a year, own property, and drive a nice car – you’re also considered more likely to buy high-end products and services.
Therefore, more companies want to hear from you, and so you’re likely to be offered more (and higher paying) surveys on survey sites.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old unemployed college dropout has to make-do with infrequent, low-paying surveys. Few companies want to hear from him, because he’s nobody’s ideal customer.
This leaves us with a paradox:
Generally speaking, the people most desperate to earn a few bucks from survey sites are given the least opportunities, while folks who are already fairly wealthy receive the most.(You might think you could just lie on your profile and get at the best surveys that way, but survey sites are adept at spotting this kind of thing – their business depends on it – and are quick to blacklist dishonest users.)
With this in mind, if you are desperate to earn a few bucks online right now, survey sites are probably not your best bet. Consider freelancing or finding a remote job instead.
Rejection is part of the game
One of the most frequent complaints you’ll hear about survey sites – apart from the low pay – is that you can spend up to 20 minutes filling out a survey, only to then be disqualified and left with nothing to show for your efforts.
The more time you spend on survey sites, the more likely you are to experience this.
This is because, in the beginning, you’re usually offered the surveys that best match your profile. Once you’ve gone through those, many sites will offer you a steady stream of random surveys on the off-chance that you’ll qualify for them.
So the smart play is to limit the amount of time you spend on each survey site. A maximum of one hour per day per site is a good rule of thumb.Other ways of making money on survey sites are usually a waste of time
Apart from answering surveys, many survey sites also offer additional ways to earn money online.
For example, you might be invited to make money by:
Performing searchesPlaying online gamesWatching videosFinding and entering special codesShopping onlineAs a general rule, you should avoid all of these.
At best, you might earn a little money – though rarely as much as you’d earn if you spent the same time answering surveys.
At worst, you’ll be duped into spending $100 to “save” $30, or something equally ridiculous.
12 Survey Site Hacks
Use the tips below to maximize your earnings on survey sites.
Distract YourselfDo NOT sign up to every survey siteMaximize sign-up bonuses and to-do listsFill out your profile and keep it updatedKeep your answers honest and consistentHack your email notifications
Answer surveys as soon as possibleBe wary of the estimatesSpeed up repetitive data entryCash out as soon as you canAvoid the other ways of earningSet a target rate and test
Distract Yourself
Answering surveys is fairly boring and tedious work, especially if you’re putting in several hours a week.
The best way to handle this is to combine your survey sessions with binge-watching a show on Netflix, or listening to your favorite podcast.
Reserve your full attention for more demanding/rewarding kinds of online work.
Do NOT sign up to every survey site
We’ve seen many other review sites recommend that you sign up for as many survey sites as possible “to maximize your earnings,” 43 but we strongly believe less is more in this line of work.
Only a select few survey sites are worth your time.
Assuming your goal is to earn as much money as possible in as little time as possible, we recommend signing up for ONLY these three sites:
RespondentSurvey JunkieSwagbucksTo earn most efficiently, spend a maximum of 90 combined minutes per day on those sites, starting at the top of the list and working your way down as you notice the best opportunities drying up.
(If you have more time available to earn money online, check out the other ideas listed here rather than settling for ever-diminishing returns on survey sites.)
Maximize sign-up bonuses and to-do lists
Many survey sites offer a sign-up bonus and easy cash for completing simple “get started” checklists.
For example, Swagbucks offers a $5 sign-up bonus, while Survey Junkie will pay you $1 just for completing basic profile info.
Above: Sign up to Swagbucks and you’re rewarded with an immediate $5 bonus.Fill out your profile and keep it updated
Companies pay survey sites for access to specific types of people who will answer their market research questions.
For example, The Home Depot might want to hear from people who own their own homes or work in the construction industry. Anyone beyond that isn’t going to be in their target market, so they won’t want to hear from them.
Therefore, it’s very important that survey sites know your demographics and interests. Only through that knowledge can they match you with the right companies.
If a survey site does a good job of this, it’s a win-win-win:
The company wins because they get feedback on their product/service from someone in their target audience.You win because you get paid for your opinion.The survey site wins because the company pays them for the service and will probably keep doing so.Do you see now why it’s important to fill out your profile on a survey site and keep it up to date?
It’s simple: with an accurate and up-to-date profile, you’re far more likely to receive relevant, high-paying surveys.
Keep your answers honest and consistent
You might think you could just lie on your profile in an attempt to get at some of the better, high-paying surveys.
Don’t do it.
Survey sites are adept at spotting this kind of thing – their business depends on it, after all – and they’re quick to disqualify and sometimes even blacklist offenders.
Qmee, for example, shares why their users can sometimes be disqualified from surveys:
Many survey providers have techniques to detect whether you’re really engaged and taking the survey seriously – if they don’t feel you are, they may abruptly decline you at any time. Here are a few examples of survey quality control scenarios…
Question number 4 said “Answer C for this question”. But you chose answer D. You aren’t reading the questions properly.The survey should have taken 7 minutes to get to question 12, but you got there in 2 minutes. You were speeding through the survey.The survey asked “Did you go to the theatre last week?”. Your answer was yes. Then they ask “How many times did you go to the theatre last week” and your answer was none. Your answers are inconsistent/illogical.
Hack your email notifications
It’s best to use a temporary email address when signing up for survey sites, so your regular inbox doesn’t get cluttered with notifications.
If you use Gmail, here’s an easy way to do it:
Say your regular email address is corneliusfudge@gmail.com.
Any emails sent to the following addresses will also arrive in your inbox:
corneliusfudge+surveys@gmail.comcorneliusfudge+bestsurveysites@gmail.comcorneliusfudge+blahblahblah@gmail.comUse a version of your email address like that when signing up for any survey site.
Then create a simple filter in Gmail so any emails sent to that particular version of your address skip the inbox and go to a special “surveys” tag or folder.
Once you have that set up, check your account settings on the survey site and make sure you’re opted in to receive email notifications of new surveys. (Many sites will alert you to particularly good opportunities via email.)
Then you can kick back and let the emails pile up away from your inbox. Batch process them once a day or whenever is convenient for you.
Answer surveys as soon as possible
The highest paying surveys are always the most popular and so tend to fill up fast.
If you do see a high-paying survey available – either via an email alert or when logged into the survey site – make sure to respond ASAP.
Be wary of the estimates
Most survey sites will provide an estimate for how long each survey will take you to complete.
As a general rule, you can expect each survey to take 3-5 minutes longer than what you see listed.
Above: The Survey Junkie dashboard, showing time estimates for each survey.Speed up repetitive data entry
Many surveys start out asking you the same basic questions, such as age, sex, address, race, income, etc.
Instead of typing out the same answers to these questions each time, use software like aText (Mac only) or RoboForm to speed up the process.
That said, be careful not to go too fast through each survey, as this appears spammy and may result in your account being blocked. Slow down and carefully consider your response to each novel question, and make sure to answer everything as honestly as possible.Cash out as soon as you can
Some of the survey sites we’ve used and researched seem to offer users LESS surveys once they’re close to or over the minimum payment threshold.
As such, you should know what the minimum payment is for each survey site you use, and request payment as soon as you reach it.
Avoid the other ways of earning money offered by survey sites
Apart from answering surveys, many survey sites also offer additional ways to earn money online.
For example, you might be invited to make money by:
Performing searchesPlaying online gamesWatching videosFinding and entering special codesShopping onlineAs a general rule, you should avoid all of these.
At best you might earn a little money – though rarely as much as you’d earn if you spent the same time answering surveys.At worst you’ll be duped into spending $100 to “save” $30, or something equally ridiculous.Set a target hourly rate and test each site for yourself
We’ve gone to great lengths to give you realistic estimates of how much you can earn for each hour you spend answering surveys on a particular site, but we still recommend that you run your own tests to see if they’re worth your time.
For example, maybe you feel Survey Junkie is only worth your time if you can earn $3 or more per hour on there while watching Netflix.
If so, line up your favorite show, set a timer for two hours, and see if you can hit your target.
This simple test will give you a strong sense of how much you can earn long-term using Survey Junkie. If you can’t hit your target rate in those first two hours, it’s unlikely you ever will.
But hey, at least you won’t have spent much time figuring it out!
How to spot fake / scam survey sites
Three ways:
They ask you to pay to joinYou should never have to do this. There are plenty of legit survey sites out there that pay you to join (Swagbucks is a prime example). You shouldn’t have to pay anything.They ask you to enter your bank information or social security number
Never share your bank account details or other sensitive private information with any survey site. If a particular survey requests this info, close out of it.The surveys dry up as you get close to payout
This may not be a scam but we’ve seen it a lot and it’s something to be wary of. If in doubt about a particular site, check our review (full list here) to see if it has a reputation for this kind of thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really make money doing online surveys?How do survey sites work?What kind of survey questions can you expect to answer?How much do online surveys pay?Which survey site pays the most?How do survey sites pay you?Which survey sites are legit?Which survey sites are scams?Are survey sites just a big gigantic waste of time?Can you automate the work?I got scammed by a survey site. What should I do?Which survey sites have you reviewed at eBiz Facts?Why haven’t you reviewed [insert name of survey site here]?
Can you really make money doing online surveys?
You can make money, but you can’t make a living.
Follow the recommendations on this page and you can expect to earn an extra $30 to $100 per month from survey sites, putting in 3-5 hours per week.
One notable exception: top survey site affiliates can earn BIG money.
We’re talking $10,000 or more per month.
That’s not to say it’s easy to earn money as an affiliate for survey sites. Becoming a successful affiliate marketer usually requires quite a bit of work up front.
Learn more about affiliate marketing »
How do survey sites work?
Companies pay survey sites for access to specific types of people who will answer their market research questions.
For example, The Home Depot might go to a survey site and have a conversation like this:
– Hey, we’re looking to survey Americans aged 25-60 who own their homes. Can you help?
– Sure thing. Approximately 20,000 users of our site fit that demographic.
– Great. We’d like to ask them 10 questions each. How much would that cost?
– Let’s say $1 per completed survey, and we’ll split that 50-50 with the respondents. 44
– Awesome. Please send us a contract and we’ll get this rolling.
That’s pretty much it.
The company pays the survey site, the survey site pays you, and everybody goes home happy.
What kind of survey questions can you expect to answer?
When you first sign up for a survey site you’ll be asked a bunch of basic questions to figure out your demographics and establish your profile.
Stuff like:
Date of birthGenderLevel of educationZip codeOnce you have your profile filled out, you’ll mostly be answering surveys related to various products and services, your daily routine, your habits and preferences, etc.
Above: Part of a paid survey we answered on Respondent, asking our opinion on scheduling software.How much do online surveys pay?
It varies a lot.
Expect most to pay pennies, though some higher-end survey sites like Respondent can pay up to $300 for a single survey.
Of course, you also need to take into account how long it takes to complete a survey.
Earning $1 for a 2-minute survey is better than earning $5 for a 2-hour survey.
We’ve gone to great lengths to give you realistic estimates of how much you can earn for each hour you spend answering surveys on a particular site.
You can see our top recommendation here »
Which survey site pays the most?
Based on our experience and research, Respondent pays the most of any survey site we’ve reviewed.
You’re likely to earn an average of $20 for every hour you spend answering surveys on that site.
Join Respondent For Free
How do survey sites pay you?
It depends on the site, but most pay by PayPal and/or gift cards from the likes of Amazon, Target, Apple, etc.
Note that most survey sites require you to earn a minimum amount before you can cash out, and it might take 7-10 days for your payment to be processed.
Which survey sites are legit?
Here are the best survey sites we’ve found:
Best Survey Sites
Best Overall
Earnings Per Hour
Survey Quantity
Payment Options
Quick Payout
Mobile App
Outside USA
Affiliate Program
Which survey sites are scams?
Survey sites that are outright scams don’t last very long.
Companies and users alike figure it out pretty fast and cease using the site.
Here are three ways you can usually tell if a survey site is a scam…
They ask you to pay to joinYou should never have to do this. There are plenty of legit survey sites out there that pay you to join (Swagbucks is a prime example). You shouldn’t have to pay anything.They ask you to enter your bank information or social security number
Never share your bank account details or other sensitive private information with any survey site. If a particular survey requests this info, close out of it.The surveys dry up as you get close to payout
This may not be a scam but we’ve seen it a lot and it’s something to be wary of. If in doubt about a particular site, check our review (full list here) to see if it has a reputation for this kind of thing.
Are survey sites just a big gigantic waste of time?
They can be.
When doing any kind of work online, you want to be doing one of two things, ideally both:
You want to be EARNINGAnd you want to be LEARNINGWe’ve yet to find any survey site through which you can earn more than a little extra pocket money each month.
Which would be fine if the work was actually a valuable learning experience.
But it’s not.
Given that:
Survey sites ARE a big gigantic waste of time you let them take you away from the many other types of online work where you can earn good money and/or develop some solid skills that will serve you well in future.Survey sites are NOT a waste of time if you use them while chilling out watching Netflix or listening to a podcast, and you reserve your full attention for more demanding/rewarding kinds of online work.Can you automate the work?
Somewhat.
If you use survey sites a lot you might find yourself answering the same basic questions over and over, such as age, sex, address, race, income, etc.
Instead of typing out the same answers to these questions each time, use software like aText (Mac only) or RoboForm to speed up the process.
That said, be careful not to go too fast through each survey, as this appears spammy and may result in your account being blocked. Slow down and carefully consider your response to each novel question, and make sure to answer everything as honestly as possible.I got scammed by a survey site. What should I do?
That sucks 
