Legitimate survey companies that pay for your opinion
Paid online surveys are one of the few ways to earn a little extra money and this guide covers those options that cost nothing to start. Companies pay market research firms to learn what regular people think, and those firms pass part of that money to the members who answer their questions. The pay is minimal, but it is real money, and no experience or special skills are needed.
This page lists survey companies that were each checked for current operations, ownership, and complaint records. It covers long-running companies with steady track records, companies that have also operated for years but carry more complaints along with what to weigh before joining them, panels that are limited to certain people, and one newer platform.
- A short warning before the lists. This industry attracts scammers who copy the names of real survey companies to steal personal information, and no legitimate survey company will ever ask you to pay a fee, hand over a Social Security number to join, or share bank passwords. A full section lower on this page explains the warning signs in detail.
What to expect from paid surveys
A single survey may pay a small amount of cash, points toward a gift card, or an entry into a prize drawing. People who stay consistent across several panels may build up modest extra income each month, but surveys do not replace a job and any site claiming otherwise should be avoided.
Screening is part of every panel. Researchers need people who match a certain age, location, or shopping habit, so you may answer a few opening questions and then get told the survey is full or not a match. That is normal across the whole industry and is not by itself a sign of a scam.
Filling out your member profile completely, answering honestly, and answering the same way each time will help you qualify more often. You can read more about the pros and cons of taking paid online surveys before deciding how much time to put in.
Long-running survey companies with steady records
The companies in this section have operated for years, have identifiable owners, and did not show a pattern of serious unresolved complaints when checked. Every one of them is free to join. Expect screen-outs at all of them, since that is how market research works.
Prolific
Prolific was founded in 2014 by two university researchers in England, and it hosts studies from universities, technology companies, and other researchers rather than ordinary marketing panels.
Prolific hosts studies from universities, technology companies, and other researchers rather than ordinary marketing panels, and it enforces a minimum pay rate for each hour of study time. Members are paid in cash to a PayPal account once a small minimum builds up, and people who get screened out of a study still receive partial payment for their time.
New members join a waiting list and are invited as space opens, and everyone must verify their identity once before taking studies. Members must be adults, and many of the current studies involve giving feedback that helps train and test artificial intelligence tools (website: https://www.prolific.com/participants)
Respondent
Respondent was founded in 2016 and recruits people for paid research studies from its base in New York. The company recruits people for paid research studies, which may include one-on-one video interviews, focus groups, diary studies, and surveys. A single session may pay far more than an ordinary survey, especially for people who can verify a professional background, though invitations arrive only when a study matches your profile.
The platform verifies each member's identity one time, and payment is sent through a service called Tremendous within days of a completed session. Anyone may sign up, not just business professionals, since many studies look for everyday consumers (website: https://www.respondent.io/become-a-participant)
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is run by the market research company DISQO and started in 2011 and is run by the market research company DISQO. The dashboard shows the points and estimated time for each survey before you start, members who get declined from a survey still receive a few points, and rewards can be taken as PayPal cash, a bank transfer, or gift cards once a low minimum is reached.
The site also offers an optional program that pays extra for installing an extension that tracks your web browsing for research. That is a privacy trade some people will not want, and surveys can be done fully without it (website: https://www.surveyjunkie.com/)
Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys started in 2012 under the name MintVine and has grown into one of the most consistently recommended survey panels, known for sending invitations frequently. Members earn through surveys, daily polls, and challenges, with payment by PayPal, direct bank deposit, or gift cards at a low cash-out minimum.
The main complaint here is the industry-wide one, which is getting disqualified partway through a survey. A badge system rewards consistent members with bonus points over time (website: https://surveys.gobranded.com/paid-surveys)
Ipsos iSay
The iSay panel belongs to Ipsos, a publicly traded French research firm founded in 1975 and one of the largest in the world, which makes it one of the most credible names any survey taker can join. It focuses only on surveys, pays a few points even when you get screened out, and offers PayPal cash, prepaid cards, and gift cards at a low minimum.
Members report that payments process reliably within a few days. The honest downsides are frequent disqualifications and occasional surveys that run longer than the advertised time (website: https://www.ipsosisay.com/en-us)
YouGov
YouGov was founded in the United Kingdom in 2000 and its polling on politics, brands, and public life is cited by news organizations all over the world, so members often see their answers reflected in published research. Surveys tend to be interesting and topical, and teens may join in the United States at a younger minimum age than most panels allow.
Points build slowly here, and the amount needed before you can redeem sits higher than at most panels, so YouGov suits people who want meaningful surveys over quick cash (website: https://account.yougov.com/us-en/join/new)
InboxDollars
InboxDollars has operated since 2000 from Minnesota and counts earnings in plain dollars and cents rather than points. Surveys are the core of the site, and payment options include PayPal, gift cards, and a mailed check once the account minimum is reached, with the first cash-out taking the longest. (website: https://www.inboxdollars.com/g/paid-surveys)
Surveys are one of several ways to earn at InboxDollars. The site also pays smaller amounts for reading emails, playing games, and shopping offers, and its free games are covered on the NHPB page about ways to get paid to play games.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks launched in 2008 and is run by Prodege, the same parent company behind InboxDollars, MyPoints, and ySense. Its survey section offers a steady stream of paid opportunities, and points convert to PayPal cash or gift cards at a low minimum.
Like its sister sites, Swagbucks pays for many activities beyond surveys, including shopping, videos, and games. Find full details in the NHPB guide to earning money on Swagbucks. Or see the official website at https://www.swagbucks.com/g/paid-surveys.
MyPoints
MyPoints dates back to 1996, which makes it one of the oldest rewards programs on the internet, and it holds a strong current rating from tens of thousands of member reviews. Surveys sit alongside cash back for online shopping, and points redeem for PayPal cash, gift cards, or travel miles.
Survey availability varies by member, so it works best combined with the shopping side rather than as a survey-only panel (website: https://www.mypoints.com/surveys)
Qmee
Qmee has run since around 2012 and stands out for two reasons. There is no minimum amount to cash out, so even a few cents can be sent to PayPal within minutes, and the company does not require members to upload photo identification to get paid, which has become common elsewhere.
Screen-out rates run high, so Qmee fits spare moments rather than steady earning. The company answers its public reviews, and a brief payout problem with PayPal earlier this year was fixed (website: https://www.qmee.com/)
E-Poll
E-Poll Market Research was founded in 1997 in California and its surveys center on entertainment, asking about television, streaming, celebrities, and advertising. Points redeem for gift cards from major retailers once a small minimum builds.
Surveys arrive by email invitation, so the volume depends on your viewing habits and demographics. People who watch a lot of television tend to qualify most often (website: https://www.epollsurveys.com/)
Long-running companies with more complaints on record
Every company in this section has operated for many years and does pay its members. They are listed separately because each one carries a higher volume of consumer complaints than the companies above, or a condition that deserves thought before you sign up.
Complaint totals by themselves can mislead. Some complaints are filed by people a company accused of breaking its rules, and a company that responds to complaints and resolves them stands in a different place than one that ignores them. Silence from a company is the clearest warning of all.
Before joining any company in this section, pull up its current record and read a few of the company responses. The section on checking a survey company, lower on this page, shows exactly where to look.
Toluna
Toluna has run since 2000 and its member community spans dozens of countries, with rewards paid by PayPal or gift cards. The company responds publicly to complaints, which is a genuinely good sign, and many members report years of successful redemptions.
The recurring complaints are completed surveys voided under quality checks without payment, and account suspensions in which built-up points are lost. If you join, cash out as soon as you reach the minimum rather than letting points pile up (website: https://www.toluna.com/)
Valued Opinions
Valued Opinions has operated since 2004 and belongs to Dynata, one of the largest data companies in the research industry. Surveys pay in credit toward gift cards from major retailers, and millions of members participate worldwide.
Three things to weigh before joining. Cashing out now requires identity verification with a government photo ID and a selfie, members report accounts being deactivated for unexplained rule violations, and points expire after twelve months without activity (website: https://www.valuedopinions.com/)
LifePoints
The LifePoints panel launched in 2019 when two older panels, MySurvey and GlobalTestMarket, were combined, and GlobalTestMarket had run since 1999. It pays through PayPal and gift cards at a low minimum. Members who start a survey but cannot finish still receive a few points, which softens the sting of screen-outs.
The complaint pattern centers on technology. Members report surveys crashing near the end without credit and survey availability that swings widely, so save a screenshot of any long survey's final page in case you need to dispute a missing credit (website: https://www.lifepointspanel.com/en-us)
Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research was founded in 1998 and is one of the longest-running survey and product-testing panels in the country, famous for paying a set amount per survey and for mailing real products to members to try at home. Admission remains selective and depends on whether the panel currently needs your demographic group.
Recent member reports describe a rougher stretch, including lower rewards per survey, redemption options being removed, disqualifications after long surveys, and slow support responses following a site update and an apparent change in who operates the panel. Long-time members still value the product tests, but new members should go in knowing the current complaints (website: https://www.pineconeresearch.com/)
PrizeRebel
PrizeRebel has paid members since 2007, offers hundreds of gift card choices plus PayPal, and processes most rewards quickly at a low minimum. Its loyalty levels reward steady members with faster payouts.
The complaint record deserves a look before joining. Members report account suspensions that forfeit every saved point, tracking failures on higher-value offers, and its standing with the Better Business Bureau currently grades poorly, so cash out at the minimum, keep screenshots of completed offers, and never use a VPN there since that triggers bans (website: https://www.prizerebel.com/)
SurveySavvy
SurveySavvy launched in 1999 and is run by Luth Research, a San Diego firm operating since 1977 that answers and resolves its Better Business Bureau complaints, which is the behavior this page encourages you to look for. Members may request payment at a very small balance, and an optional program pays extra for sharing web activity from your devices, a privacy trade to think through.
The condition to weigh is speed. Payment comes only by mailed check, and the company's own complaint responses describe waits of several weeks for surveys to credit and several more for checks to process (website: https://www.surveysavvy.com/)
ySense
ySense began in 2007 under the name ClixSense and has been owned by Prodege since 2019, with membership open in most countries and payment through PayPal, Skrill, Payoneer, or gift cards. Its worldwide reach makes it one of the few solid choices for people outside the United States.
Recurring complaints describe accounts suspended right at the point of withdrawal, and the company's own help pages tell members to screenshot the final page of every survey in case a credit fails. Follow that advice from day one and cash out promptly (website: https://www.ysense.com/)
20/20 Panel
The 20/20 Panel has conducted surveys since 1986, the longest run of any company on this page, and is now operated by the research firm Sago. Its real draw is qualitative research, since members who qualify for an online focus group or interview may earn a meaningful amount for a single session.
The catch is that those studies target very narrow groups, so most invitations are short screeners that lead nowhere, and some members report going years without qualifying while support requests go unanswered. Treat it as an occasional bonus alongside other panels rather than a steady earner (website: https://join.2020panel.com/)
Panels limited to certain people
The programs in this section are legitimate but restricted, whether by invitation, profession, or membership in something else. None of them will build income on their own, and each may add a little for the right person.
NiceQuest sends surveys by invitation only and rewards members with physical gifts and gift cards rather than cash. It is run by Netquest, an established Spanish market research company, so if an invitation reaches you it is safe to consider. The panel is run by Netquest, a market research company founded in Barcelona in 2001. (website: https://www.nicequest.com/)
The Medical Advisory Board pays healthcare workers, including nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, and physicians, for opinion surveys sent by email a few times each year. It is operated by Decision Analyst, a Texas research firm in business since 1978, and pays by PayPal or mailed check once a minimum builds (website: https://www.medicaladvisoryboard.com/)
ParentSpeak is a community for parents of children under eighteen, run by C+R Research, a Chicago market research firm founded in 1959. Surveys arrive about once a month, pay small amounts quickly, and sometimes lead to better-paying online focus groups (website: https://www.parentspeak.com/)
Small Business Knowledge Center, or SBKC, has operated from Illinois since 2006 and pays members mainly for forwarding their junk mail and marketing emails for research, with occasional surveys mixed in. Membership requires approval, rewards for consumers come partly through prize drawings, and joining means sharing your mail stream with a research company, which is worth thinking about (website: https://www.sbkcenter.com/)
Google Opinion Rewards is a phone app that has run since 2013 from Google that sends very short surveys now and then, often tied to places you visit since it asks for location access. Android users earn Google Play credit that expires one year after it is issued, so spend it as it arrives, while iPhone users are paid through PayPal instead (website: https://surveys.google.com/google-opinion-rewards/)
The CVS Advisor Panel surveys CVS shoppers a few times a year about their store experiences and pays in ExtraBucks tied to an ExtraCare card. It is a small perk for people who already shop there, not an earning method (website: https://cvs.opinioninsight.com/)
A newer platform worth knowing
How long a company has operated matters in this industry, because payment problems tend to surface over time. That said, newer platforms do emerge, and one currently stands out enough to include with its age stated plainly.
Prime Opinion launched in 2021 and is run by Prime Insights, a market research operator dating to 2012 that was acquired by a larger technology group in 2025. It has grown quickly, with a modern app, competitive pay per survey, and one of the lowest gift card minimums anywhere. Screen-out rates run high because it pulls surveys from outside routers, and its shorter track record is itself the caution, so cash out often and watch how your experience goes (website: https://www.primeopinion.com/)
How to check a survey company before you join
Anyone can check a company's reputation in a few minutes, and the habit protects you far beyond surveys. Look the company up at the Better Business Bureau and on Trustpilot at https://www.trustpilot.com, and read the actual complaints rather than stopping at the star rating or the complaint count.
What matters most is how the company behaves. A business that answers complaints and resolves them is showing accountability, some complaints come from users the company caught breaking its rules, and a wall of unanswered complaints is the clearest warning sign there is. Also check how recent the complaints are, since a company can decline after years of good service.
Community forums add a real-world view, with the caution that forum posts are unverified individual experiences. You can ask about any company or share your own results in the moderated online survey community forum.
Protect yourself as a member too. Keep a screenshot of the final page of any long survey or offer you complete, cash out as soon as you reach a company's minimum instead of banking points, and answer profile questions honestly and consistently, since contradictions are the most common reason accounts get flagged.
Scams that target survey takers
Scammers copy this industry because it involves people sharing information for money, and their goal is usually your identity or your bank account rather than a small fee. The warning signs below will catch survey scams that have not been invented yet, because the tricks change while the mechanics stay the same.
A real survey company pays you and never the reverse. Any site that asks for a membership fee, a processing fee, or a deposit to release your earnings is a scam, no exceptions.
Guard your sensitive information. A legitimate panel asks for an email address and demographic details, and it does not need your Social Security number, bank login, or card number to let you take surveys. Tax paperwork only enters the picture after substantial earnings at a single company, and it happens through official forms, never through a chat message or an email asking you to confirm account numbers.
Watch for impersonation. During the checks for this page, lookalike websites copying the names of real survey companies turned up in ordinary search results, built to harvest signups through slightly altered web addresses. Type a company's address directly or use the verified links on this page, and be suspicious of survey offers arriving by text message, social media direct message, or an email you never signed up for.
Ignore big-money bait. Ads promising hundreds of dollars for one survey, huge gift cards for answering a few questions, or guaranteed monthly income are recruitment funnels for scams, since real surveys pay small amounts. Pressure to install unfamiliar software falls in the same category.
If a survey scam reaches you, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/, which uses reports to build cases against fraud operations. NHPB also keeps a broader guide on how to avoid scams involving financial help and free offers.
Company operations, payment terms, and complaint records change over time. Verify the current details on any company's own website before signing up, and never share sensitive personal or financial information to take a survey.
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