12 Best Survey Sites (2023 Guide!) – Answer Surveys For Money

I’ve been testing out different survey websites and ways to make money online ever since my time and college.

And, let me tell you: a lot of websites out there are duds. And after testing out dozens of different surveys for money platforms, I can tell you that a lot of them don’t pay and aren’t worth your time.

However, not all survey sites are created equal. And if you want an easy, flexible side hustle to earn quick money on the side, the right sites get the job done.

That’s why in this post, I’m covering some of the best survey sites you can use to earn extra cash and gift cards in your spare time.

Let’s get to it!

The Best Survey Sites

Paid survey sites are a dime a dozen these days. But with the right ones, I think anyone can make some meaningful boosts to their monthly income without needing any prior skills or experience.

Granted, surveys for money sites aren’t a full-time online job or income source. But if you want some legitimate survey panels that pay, the following sites are some of my personal favorites.

1. Branded Surveys

At the time of writing, Branded Surveys is my favorite survey website because it has high-paying surveys and an excellent loyalty program.

You can sign up if you’re 16 or older and live in the United States, Canada, or the UK. It’s free to sign up for, and you also get a 100 point ($1) bonus for signing up.

I like using Branded Surveys because of its Branded Elite loyalty program. With this program, you earn bonus cash the more surveys you answer per month, which is a nice way to snag some free cash.

You can also cash out with PayPal or dozens of free gift cards. And the company has a new mobile app so you can make money on your phone now as well.

• Availability: United States, Canada, the UK.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $3.50.
• Age Requirement: 16 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Branded Surveys or read my Branded Surveys review!

2. Swagbucks

I’ve been using Swagbucks since my phone farming hustle back in college, and it’s one of the best survey sites if you want a variety of ways to earn.

With Swagbucks, you can make money by completing paid surveys. You can also complete tasks like watching ads, surfing the web, shopping online, and playing games for cash.

New members also get a $5 sign up bonus, with another $10 bonus being up for grabs if you complete a qualifying shopping offer.

Plus, you can redeem dozens of gift card rewards at just $1. PayPal cash prizes are available starting at $5.

• Availability: North America and Europe.
• Minimum Payout: $1.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $3.
• Age Requirement: 13 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Swagbucks or read my Swagbucks review to learn more!

3. Survey Junkie

It’s impossible to write a list of the best survey websites without mentioning Survey Junkie.

This popular website lets you answer short online surveys to earn free PayPal cash and gift card rewards. You only need $5 to cash out, and in my experience, surveys pay anywhere from $0.25 to $2 or $3.

There’s no sign-up bonus which is a small downside. But you can still cash out quickly since you only need to earn $5.

Gift card variety is also excellent and includes major retailers like Amazon, Apple, Home Depot, Starbucks, Target, and Walmart.

• Availability: United States, Canada, and Australia.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $5.
• Age Requirement: 18 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Survey Junkie or read my Survey Junkie review.

4. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is a popular survey site that lets you share your opinion about topics like politics, health, science, and current events to get paid.

It’s also one of the best survey sites because it pays you $3 for every survey you complete. This is much higher than most competing sites, and I like that you know exactly what you’re getting.

What’s more, Pinecone Research also lets you cash out instantly, so you don’t have to wait to get paid with this side hustle.

As for rewards, options include direct deposit transfers to your bank or a wide range of gift cards.

• Availability: United States, Canada, Germany, France, and the UK.
• Minimum Payout: $3.
• Payout Per Survey: $3.
• Age Requirement: 18 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 1.8 out of 5 stars.

Try out Pinecone Research or read my Pinecone Research review.

5. InboxDollars

Like Swagbucks, InboxDollars is another leading survey site that’s actually owned by the same parent company, Prodege.

This U.S. site lets you earn money in a variety of ways, including completing shopping offers, playing games, completing surveys, and scanning barcodes and receipts.

New members also get an instant $5 sign up bonus. It takes $15 to cash out your first time, and $10 on subsequent redemptions.

You can also redeem your earnings for PayPal money or free gift cards to companies like Amazon, DoorDash, Macy’s, Starbucks, and Uber Eats.

• Availability: United States.
• Minimum Payout: $10 to $15.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $5.
• Age Requirement: 18 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for InboxDollars or read my InboxDollars review.

6. Ipsos iSay

Ipsos iSay is a global market research panel that’s been in business for decades. And it’s one of the top survey sites if you want excellent reward variety and high-paying surveys.

The company is incredibly rated on platforms like Trustpilot and has a history of paying out members on time.

I also like that Ipsos iSay is available in 100+ countries and lets you sign up at just 14, so it’s a great survey site for teens.

Surveys generally pay $0.25 to $3, and you can cash out at $5 for a range of gift cards and PayPal cash.

• Availability: 70+ countries.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $3.
• Age Requirement: 14 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Ipsos iSay or read my Ipsos iSay review.

7. Kashkick

Kashkick is a newer player in the paid survey website world, and it’s one of the best options if you enjoy answering surveys but also playing games.

The platform is available in the United States to anyone who is 18 or older. Once you sign up, you can answer surveys or play games to earn PayPal money.

PayPal cash is the only reward option, and you need $10 to cash out. But some of Kashkick’s gaming offers pay $10 to $50 or more, so it’s more lucrative than a lot of standard survey sites.

There’s no survey app, which is a small downside. But I think Kashkick is a must-try site if you live in the United States.

• Availability: United States.
• Minimum Payout: $10.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $5.
• Age Requirement: 18 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Kashkick or read my Kashkick review.

8. Toluna

Toluna is another versatile platform that lets you make money with paid surveys, product testing gigs, gaming offers, and by answering polls.

It’s a pretty versatile get-paid-to site that’s also available in 70+ countries. And the company has been in business and paying its members since 2000.

I like that Toluna offers members several ways to earn. And the platform also runs contests and sweepstakes that pay out bonus cash to members.

As for cashing out, PayPal cash is available at $10. You can also redeem gift cards to merchants like Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora, Target, and Walmart.

• Availability: 70+ countries.
• Minimum Payout: $10.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.50 to $4.
• Age Requirement: 16 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Toluna or read my Toluna review.

9. MyPoints

MyPoints is another one of the best survey sites out there if you want a variety of earning options and a nice sign up bonus.

This sister-site to InboxDollars has a nice $5 bonus to get you started. From there, you earn cash in a variety of ways, including completing surveys for money, shopping online, watching videos, and earning referral bonuses.

In my experience, you earn about $0.50 to $2.50 per survey. And MyPoints also has some great cash-back shopping offers and its own shopping extension you can use to get paid to shop.

Many gift card rewards start at $3 to $5, and PayPal cash is available at $10.

• Availability: United States and Canada.
• Minimum Payout: $3.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $2.50.
• Age Requirement: 13 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.4 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for MyPoints or read my post: is MyPoints legit?

10. LifePoints

LifePoints is another leading paid survey site that lets you earn PayPal money and free gift cards in your spare time.

The company has been in business for decades, and it pays out millions of dollars per year to its members. And you can sign up if you’re 14 or older and live in one of the 40+ countries LifePoints is available to.

You only need 550 points to cash out, which gets you a $5 reward. And there are dozens of gift cards you can choose from as well for a nice variety of rewards.

• Availability: 40+ countries.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $2.50.
• Age Requirement: 14 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for LifePoints or read my LifePoints review.

11. PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel is another one of the best survey sites in the business, and it’s especially popular in the beermoney community over on Reddit.

I’ve also been using PrizeRebel for a few years at this point and have cashed out several times. It’s an easy online side hustle, and it lets you make money by completing short surveys and by watching videos.

I like PrizeRebel since its team runs giveaways and sweepstakes all the time. You can also level up your overall account to different tiers to earn bonus points and boosted referral rewards.

You can also redeem a wide variety of gift cards or PayPal cash starting at $5. And I’ve always been paid the same day or within a few business days when cashing out.

• Availability: Global.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.25 to $3.
• Age Requirement: 16 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for PrizeRebel!

12. Opinion Outpost

One final paid survey website you can use to make extra money is Opinion Outpost.

This survey website is free to sign up for and is available if you’re 17 or older. And it has some high-paying survey offers that can pay anywhere from $0.25 to $5 or even more.

Gift card rewards are available starting at $5, and you can also cash out via PayPal at $10.

Personally, I’ve had a bit less success with Opinion Outpost versus sites like Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie. But this is still one of the best survey sites if you want to answer high-paying surveys.

• Availability: United States, Canada, Germany, and the UK.
• Minimum Payout: $5.
• Payout Per Survey: $0.20 to $5.
• Age Requirement: 17 or older.
• Trustpilot Score: 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Sign up for Opinion Outpost!

Are Online Surveys Worth It?

Online surveys are worth it if you want to make money online as a beginner with a flexible side hustle that doesn’t require any skills. In contrast, online surveys aren’t worth it if you want to earn a more serious income.

In my experience with answering surveys online, making $5 to $20 a day or so is realistic. But don’t expect to earn much more unless you put in a lot of hours.

It’s also important to work efficiently. For example, in my video above, I spent 10 hours answering online surveys one day. I didn’t even make $30, but I was getting disqualified from lots of surveys and probably should have taken a break until some higher-paying ones showed up.

Tips For Making Money With Paid Survey Sites

After using survey sites for the last few years, here are some of the most important tips I’ve found and used to help make more money:

1. Answer Surveys Honestly: Survey companies monitor your responses over time to look for inconsistencies. So, if you answer questions dishonestly or differently over time, you might get banned.
2. Don’t Use A VPN: Most survey sites don’t allow you to use a VPN to access their websites from different countries. I’ve been banned before for VPN usage, so it’s not worth the risk.
3. Cherry-Pick Offers: Sign up for several surveys for money sites and cherry-pick the highest paying surveys to make more per hour.
4. Use A Separate Email Address: While the top survey websites don’t send too many emails, things can still feel a bit spammy. I suggest using a different email address for all your online money-making endeavors.
5. Use Bonus Opportunities: Leverag things like sign up bonuses and referral rewards to earn more.

This post of mine also covers how to spot online survey scams and how to decide if a website is legit or not if you need some more guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Any Surveys Pay Cash Instantly?

There are survey sites that pay cash instantly, such as Pinecone Research and QuickRewards. Both these sites have no minimum cash out amount, so you can get paid immediately after completing a task.

However, it can still take a business day or two for money to actually reach your account. And in my experience, survey sites like Swagbucks, Scrambly and Grindabuck often have faster payouts. Prolific is also worth checking out if you want fast payments.

How Much Money Can You Make Doing Surveys Online?

Most people can make $50 to $200 a month or so by answering online surveys for money. I’ve made this type of income all throughout college and afterwards by using survey sites in my spare time. Making more money or a full-time income is very difficult for the average person.

Also note that the best paid survey sites tend to be in North America and Europe.

Who Can Use Paid Survey Sites?

Many survey sites operate solely in North America. However, there are more globally-friendly companies like Ipsos iSay and Swagbucks that you can sign up for.

Just read age requirements as well. Some survey panels are open to teens and kids, but many require being 18 or older.

Are Survey Sites Safe?

Yes, survey sites are safe if you stick with highly-rated companies that have been in business for years. However, you need to be comfortable with sharing your data and opinions with them to get paid.

Survey companies take feedback from members, anonymize the data, and sell it to all kinds of research companies and firms. This is why I suggest reading the privacy policy and terms and conditions of any survey website you sign up for.

Is This Side Hustle Legit?

Yes, answering surveys for money is a legit way to make some side cash. However, don’t expect to make $5,000 per month or some type of full-time income with these websites.

Doing surveys for money is a flexible, fun side hustle anyone can start. This isn’t a serious income source or online job.

Final Though

I hope my guide on the best survey sites helps you make a bit of extra cash in your spare time while enjoying some fun new websites.

Out of all the ways to make money online, completing surveys for cash is very common. And while you probably won’t make $500 a day or anything close to a full-time income with these sites, these sites do help anyone boost their income a tiny bit.

So, give one or several of the sites on this list a try. And if there’s a popular paid survey website I missed, let me know about it so I can keep this list up to date.

Thanks for reading!

Looking for more money-making ideas? Checkout:

• The Best Passive Income Ideas For Beginners.
• The Best Apps That Pay You Real Money.