If you’re looking for the perfect side hustle, think about taking paid surveys. They take only a few minutes (most of the time) and can even be fun.
And when you know the best survey sites to make money, you can let your earnings stack up to work towards your financial goals or that special item you’ve been eyeing up.
I love taking surveys because they’re easy, and honestly, it’s fun to share my opinion with companies large and small. Let’s dive in!
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The 18 Best Survey Sites for 2025
A quick search online, and you’ll see there are hundreds, if not thousands, of market research survey companies available.
I’ve compiled the 18 best paid survey sites to make your search easier. That way, you won’t waste any time and can sign up for the companies that will pay you right away.
- Best Overall: Swagbucks
- Runner Up: Survey Junkie
- InboxDollars
- MyPoints
- Valued Opinions
- Branded Surveys
- Ipsos i-Say Panel
- LifePoints
- OneOpinion
- Opinion Outpost
- Toluna
- Pinecone Research
- Panda Research
- American Consumer Opinion
- Vindale Research
- Survey Club
- Harris Poll Online
- Google Opinion Rewards
1. Best Overall: Swagbucks
Swagbucks is another ‘combination’ site. You can make money by answering surveys, shopping, watching videos, and doing other simple activities. You’ll make the most money using it as your shopping portal since you earn a portion of your purchases back. But, the surveys are a nice filler too.
Swagbucks, like Survey Junkie, has no shortage of surveys available. They often have the most surveys out of any platform, so this is definitely one to join if you enjoy taking them.
Join Swagbucks today using the link below and earn a $10 bonus when you complete your first qualifying activity!
>> Check out my Swagbucks review to learn more!
2. Runner Up: Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of the best survey sites for two reasons. First, they offer a lot of surveys. Most people have at least a few to choose from when they have free time. This is contrary to other popular survey sites that only offer a few a month.
Secondly, Survey Junkie pays well. Your points can be converted to PayPal, cash, or gift cards to your favorite stores at $10, which is not difficult to reach.
3. InboxDollars
InboxDollars started as a marketing company that paid you to read emails. It was their way of getting marketing out there. Once you opened and read the email, you’d earn a few cents. They still do this, but they also offer paid surveys.
>> Join InboxDollars and get an extra $5 once you confirm your email address!
4. MyPoints
MyPoints is a survey site, but they offer other ways to make money too. You can get paid to watch videos, shop, or even play games. You’ll earn the most taking surveys or shopping, though.
MyPoints’ average payout is decent per survey, usually around $2.50. What I like the most is they pay points even if you don’t qualify for a survey but took the time to answer the screener.
>> Earn a $10 bonus just for signing up.
5. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys has a large following, and it’s easy to see why. They make earning money easy. They pay you in points, but you only need 500 points to cash out. When you’re ready, you can choose PayPal, Branded Pay (direct deposit), or to redeem your points for gift cards.
Their dashboard is user-friendly and tells you not only how much you’ll earn for a survey but how long it will take, too. I appreciate this feature so that I know which surveys I can take and which I should pass on because I don’t have the time.
>>Get a sign-up bonus of 100 points.
6. Valued Opinions
Survey takers earn up to $5 per survey answered, and you can redeem your cash for gift cards to today’s most popular stores. I like the fact that their website works well on mobile, so I can take the surveys while waiting for the kids at their games or while sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.
Valued Opinions narrow down which surveys they send you to. They don’t waste your time with surveys for which you wouldn’t qualify.
7. Ipsos i-Say Panel
Ipsos i-Say Panel offers easy surveys that take only a few minutes. You can convert your points to PayPal or gift cards to your favorite stores, and their threshold to cash out is low. I like that they also enter you into prize draws—you never know when you may win!
i-Say also offers merchandise that you can convert your points for, which is nice. If you don’t have enough points to cover the cost, you can make up the difference with your PayPal funds.
8. LifePoints
LifePoints offers easy surveys that you can do in a matter of minutes. While this does mean you’ll earn less, the surveys are easy, so you can do several at a time and earn a decent payout.
You’ll need to accumulate $20 before you can cash out, and LifePoints pays via PayPal.
9. OneOpinion
OneOpinion may not pay the most, but their sign-up process is seamless and the surveys are easy. Since you can complete them fast, your per dollar earnings go up. You have to wait until you have 25,000 points to cash out, and each survey pays an average of 1,000 points or $1.
Make sure you log in and answer at least one survey every once in awhile, though. If you’re inactive for 90 days or longer, you’ll forfeit your earnings.
10. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is a great first-timer website. It’s simple to use, and the surveys aren’t overwhelming. You can convert your earnings to PayPal, a Visa card, or an Amazon gift card. They don’t pay a ton, but since the surveys are easy, it’s a quick way to make a little money.
11. Toluna
Toluna is a survey site that’s been around for a long time. Their pay varies significantly depending on the complexity of the survey,. But, some pay as much as $15, which is unheard of with most paid survey sites.
Toluna claims to work with some of the world’s largest brands, giving you the chance to make your voice heard. Something unique they do is allow survey-takers to start polls or discussions with other users in the forums just to have a little fun.
12. Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is a bit of an ‘elite’ survey-taking company. It’s by invitation only, but you can find invitations in banner ads on various websites. If you see the ad, click on it and take the opportunity to join.
Their surveys pay around $3 per survey and take up to 15 minutes to complete. You can’t browse the site to choose your surveys, though. You must watch your email for invites and then act fast because the quota usually fills up quickly.
13. Panda Research
Panda Research is a top-paying survey site. What’s interesting is you’ll find surveys for up to $40 and then some for $1. There’s no rhyme or reason to what you get—it just depends on what comes through and fits your criteria.
The downside with Panda is you must have $50 before you can cash out. But, since they pay so well, it doesn’t take as long as you think.
14. American Consumer Opinion
American Consumer Opinion offers a lot of survey options, and they’re short and sweet. Most take at most ten minutes and pay $0.05 to $50 depending on the length and complexity. You only need to hit $10 to cash out, and you can also enter sweepstakes to increase your earnings.
15. Vindale Research
Vindale Research has been around since 2005 and has paid out over $8 million. They pay members in cash, not points, and have an easy-to-use browser extension that alerts you of new survey opportunities.
Vindale Research pays members to take surveys, occasionally try products, or watch videos. The only downside is you must accumulate $50 before you can cash out your earnings.
16. Survey Club
Survey Club is an aggregator of online surveys. They offer their surveys along with opportunities for surveys with other third-party survey companies too. They pay in PayPal or Amazon gift cards, and you need to accumulate only $50 to cash out.
Survey Club makes it easy to find surveys. When you use their simple filter feature, it saves you time from registering for surveys that you don’t qualify for.
17. Harris Poll Online
Harris Poll Online is one of the largest online survey sites today. The average survey on the site takes between five and 25 minutes, and they are on a large variety of subjects. The only downside with the platform is it’s not unusual to get kicked from the survey after you’ve already answered a handful of questions, but it doesn’t happen often.
It’s also important to note that you can only redeem your earnings as gift cards to stores like Amazon, Starbucks, and Walmart—they don’t pay cash rewards.
18. Google Opinion Rewards
You know the name of the search engine for your web browsing, but did you know that you can make money using Google, too?
Google Opinion Rewards is a survey site that allows you to provide your opinion in exchange for payment. You can receive payment as cash or Google Play credits. The minimum payout is $2 and earned credits expire after one year, though, so be careful.
Taking Surveys FAQs
Can You Make Money Taking Surveys?
It sounds crazy that you can get paid to take surveys, but it’s a great way to make a little extra side money.
Will you pay the bills with the cash?
No, of course not.
But, you can make some side cash to save for a specific goal or fun money. Paid surveys are a great way to both fill some free time and make money.
Every site pays differently—some pay in cash while others reward you in points—which you can convert to gift cards or cash when you accumulate enough points.
How Do the Best Survey Sites Work?
Market research surveys are one of the easiest ways to make money. It’s free to sign up for most of the best online survey sites. Once you sign up, you create a profile for yourself with as much information as possible.
Market research companies match your information with the demographics needed for the specific survey. If they match, the market research company sends you what they call a screener. This is just another opportunity for them to find the perfect candidates for their research, so they get the targeted answers they need.
When you sign up for paid surveys, you answer the questions provided, and you can complete them from home or anywhere else. They can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the complexity of it.
Once you complete the survey and they verify it, you receive payment, whether as cash or points. Most survey companies have a threshold you must meet before you can withdraw the cash.
The paid surveys don’t pay a lot, but they’re usually pretty straightforward. I like that you can earn money by taking surveys, watching videos, reading emails, and even playing games. InboxDollars pays you in cash, not points, so there’s nothing to convert when you’re ready to redeem.
The Bottom Line
Like most income streams, it pays to diversify. Go ahead and sign up with a few survey sites, but I recommend starting a new email address for them first. You’ll get so many emails that could clog up your inbox and prevent you from seeing more important emails that require your attention.
Have some fun with the surveys, let your earnings add up, and either take cash or get gift cards to your favorite store so you can splurge without the guilt.
Looking for other side hustles to make money? Try one of these side hustle ideas that you can make $500 or more per month.
