I always thought that “making money online taking surveys” were scams, and then this happened…
Updated September 2022: Stop wasting your time with non-legitimate survey scams: this is my number one rated legitimate survey company.
I always saw the ads from survey companies like Opinion Coach, Survey Voices, Survey Junkie, etc. promising quick cash for taking surveys and ignored them
Then one day my next-door neighbor sent me a text message…
He doesn’t know exactly what I do for a living, but he has a vague idea that I make money online in some way or the other.
So he recently sent me a text explaining that his girlfriend is interested in making some extra money with her computer whenever she has some downtime.
We went back and forth discussing all the different ways I make money online and it turns out she wasn’t really interested in starting an online business, doing blogging, affiliate marketing, coaching, consulting, or creating information products…
I’m an expert at all of these things and would have been more than happy to have helped her do any of these things. But she wasn’t really interested in any of it.
After going back and forth for about 20 minutes he sent me a text asking: “what about doing online surveys”?…
My initial reaction was to respond by saying, “No, online surveys are a scam and she won’t make any money doing that”, but the reality is that I had no experience with doing online surveys and couldn’t give a truly informed opinion.
I really wanted to help my neighbor out (you know how even if you don’t know the answer to something you naturally want to find out so you can help?).
So I told him I’d look into it and let him know.
Fast forward about a week later I texted my neighbor back and let him know that you can, in fact, make decent money on the side with online surveys and provided him with a list of recommended sites for his girlfriend to sign up for (along with a list of which ones she should avoid)…
In this post I’m going to share with you:
1. A list of my top-rated, legitimate survey sites (that’s what you’re really here for right?)…
2. Some tips and tricks to maximize your earnings with survey sites…
3. An opportunity to sign-up for my free survey update list so you can stay up-to-date on the newest legitimate survey opportunities and continue to add to your survey income portfolio…
Okay, I know you’re ready to dive into the list of legitimate survey sites, but before that, I want to start off with two quick paid survey tips and tricks…
Paid Survey Tip and Trick #1: Sign Up for Multiple Online Survey Sites
Okay, before we get into the list, the first tip I want to give you is to sign up for as man survey sites as you can.
There are several reasons you’ll want to do this… the primary one being the more surveys you take the more money you’ll make.
This will be the most time-consuming part of making money with online surveys. You’re going to sign up for all of the survey sites, completely fill out your profile on all the sites, and verify your email addresses with all the sites.
The good news is many of these sites will give you an immediate sign-up bonus of anywhere from $1 to $5 (or more) just for signing up and getting started.
Some survey sites will only have a survey available once in a while and the number of surveys you have access to will vary depending on several factors (such as your demographics, number of surveys available at any given time, etc.)…
…so if you take the time to initially sign-up with as many survey sites as possible you’ll always have a steady stream of surveys available to take.
And signing up for survey sites are completely free, and in many cases, you’ll get bonuses just for signing up, so there’s no reason not to max out the number of survey sites you sign up for.
Survey Scam Alert: NEVER pay money to join a survey network.
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s move onto the list of legitimate paid survey sites.
These are in no particular order, and again I recommend you sign up to all of them.
Even if you’re already making money taking surveys online be sure to scan this list to make sure you’re not missing out on anything.
Also be sure to check this post regularly (or sign up at the end of this post) to be notified of new paid survey opportunities that have been vetted as legitimate.
Legitimate Survey Sites That Actually Pay Real Money
Below is my current list of favorite survey sites that are proven, vetted, and will actually pay you to take online surveys. Keep in mind some of the sites will pay you an instant bonus just for signing up and be sure you verify your email address (check your spam box) and complete your online profiles!
Go ahead and click on each of them below and get signed up – each of the links will open in a new window so you can stay on this page as you sign up with each survey site.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie (see my full Survey Junkie review here) has over 5 million members and matches you with some of the most recognizable brands in the world to voice your opinion and get paid. You can take surveys at any time on any device making it really easy to take online surveys and make money on your downtime.
You accumulate points for every survey you take which can be exchanged for gift cards from big brands like Amazon and Target, or you can get paid via old-fashioned cash directly via PayPal.
Click here to sign up for Survey Junkie and start earning cash now!
PineCone Research
I don’t have much to say, other than that PineCone Research is one of the longest-running and most reputable survey sites online. You can earn up to $3 per survey and become a real influencer in the consumer marketplace.
Don’t get scared off because PineCone wants more information than most survey sites (such as your physical address) as providing this information gives you access to more and higher-paying surveys.
Opinion.Coach Surveys
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Opinion Coach lately such as, “is opinion coach legit?”, “is opinion coach a scam?”, and “what is opinion coach?”.
The confusion seems to be caused by the fact that there isn’t really an opinion.coach survey website, but rather it goes to a Survey Voices website like you see in the picture above.
Opinion Coach surveys is simply a website that is used to take you to the very well known and legitimate Survey Voices website; which is a well known and reputable survey company. You learn more about Survey Voices below. Since there is no real Opinion Coach survey site, my #1 pick for surveys is Vandale Research where you can earn up to $50 per survey by signing up with the link below.
Click here to sign up and instantly qualify for paid survey opportunities with Vindale Research.
E-Poll
E-Poll (E-Poll review) is an online forum where you can express your opinions on a variety of issues that affect your daily life. You can give your thoughts and opinions on a variety of products and services through fun and easy interactive surveys. You’ll earn reward points for taking surveys that can be cashed in for gift cards or other cool stuff.
Vindale Research
Started in 2005, Vindale Research is one of the most established survey companies on the internet. Not only can you get paid to take surveys with Vindale Research, but you can also get paid to watch videos, read emails, and more.
Some notable brands that Vindale Research has worked with include Netflix, Disney, T-Mobile, and Nike just to name a few.
Vindale Research will pay you up to $50 per survey and pays directly via cash, not points. You can choose to get paid via a check sent in the mail or PayPal.
Vindale Research has paid out close to $7 million dollars to date and you can get make your first dollar just for signing up and completing your profile here.
See my complete Vindale Research review here.
Panda Research
Panda Research will pay you to complete offers, surveys, and to read emails. They’ll also pay you to refer your friends to their network.
Panda Research pays up to $50 per survey and offers an immediate $3 bonus just for signing up. To date, they’ve paid out over $2 million dollars to their members.
Your Surveys
Your Surveys places a big emphasis on privacy, security, and making qualifying for surveys very easy.
Your personal information is always anonymous, your information is not sold to third parties, and your profile information is saved so you are prequalified for surveys and don’t have to answer the same qualifying questions over and over again.
Product Report Card
Is Product Report Card a legitimate site? Absolutely! And it’s one of my favorite survey type sites because in addition to getting rewards you can also get free products from manufactureres.
All you have to do is create a free account and you’ll start getting survey invitations within 24 hours. You’ll earn compensation in the form of Amazon gift cards and free products.
OpinionCity
OpinionCity pays their top earners up to $500+ every week to take surveys working from home. They have an extensible searchable database to find the best surveys for you to take but also have a great matching system to show you to the top-earning surveys based on your demographics and psychographics.
Notable brands represented by OpinionCity include Coca-Cola, Deel, Best Buy, and McDonald’s.
Survey Voices
Survey Voices is one of the most popular survey sites online. Top earners on Survey Voices earn $800/week+ completing surveys.
Once you sign up you’ll automatically be provided a list of surveys that you instantly qualify for, then you can view exclusive offers in exchange for your opinions, and get access to paid survey offers. You can also get connected to clinical trial opportunities and part-time work offers if you’re looking to make even more money.
iSurvey World
iSurvey World pays cash for each survey you complete directly via PayPal.
iSurvey World is one of the easiest survey sites to use, the key (as with all the other survey sites) is to complete your profile with as much information as possible so you can get matched up with and qualify for as many survey opportunities as possible
You can earn up to $70 per survey and iSurvey World offers a $5 bonus just for signing up.
MyPoints Surveys
SwagBucks Surveys
Sign up for Swagbucks and earn gift cards for taking polls, answering surveys, and more! $5 sign bonus just for signing up! You can then redeem your Swagbucks for products from over 200 brands.
Inbox Dollars
InboxDollars pays you to read emails, take surveys online, play games, and go shopping! You can also receive $5 just for joining.
Signature Surveys
Join SignatureSurveys For Free! Complete the short sign up form below and you will be able to start receiving offers that can help you discover money opportunities that you didn’t know existed! – $5 Instant Activation Bonus – $20 Extra bonus Opportunity
Surveys2Cash
Bonus Survey Tip and Trick: Create a Dedicated Email Survey Address
This is completely optional but can be helpful.
You’re going to be signing up for a lot of survey sites and you’ll be getting a lot of emails notifying you of new survey opportunities.
Of course, this is a good thing but it can start to clutter up your email inbox (and I’m sure your email inbox is already cluttered up enough).
What I like to do is set up a separate email account (I use GMAIL) just to handle my survey site sign-ups. This helps accomplish two things from a productivity standpoint:
1. It prevents my main email account from getting cluttered up with survey emails and
2. It allows me to dedicate focused times to log into my survey email account and go through all of my available surveys.
Another option if you’re an advanced email user is to use email filters to segment your survey emails into a dedicated folder, so you don’t need a separate email address.
Again this step is completely optional, but I highly recommend it.
Making Money with Online Surveys is Fun and Easy
There you have it, my current list of favorite online survey sites. Now that you’re all signed up you should start getting daily invites to participate in and complete online surveys… making up a few hundred extra dollars a month or more.
I’d love to hear your success story with online surveys, and feature your story on the site. You can always contact me here and let me know how it works out for you!
P.S. Below is a list of survey companies that I do not recommend or are no longer in operation.
Global Test Market
Global Test Market is one of the leading online survey sites. They’ve paid out over 32+ million dollars to their survey takers. You simply sign-up at their website, take online surveys, then earn points for every survey you take which can be redeemed for either cash or other rewards.
Cashback Research
Cashback Research offers up to $75 per completed survey. Not only can you do surveys with Cashback Research but you can also join panels to get access to more survey opportunities and you can also participate in clinical studies that pay up to $150 per hour. Cashback research will also pay you to read emails.
Cashback Research offers plenty of paid survey opportunities and you should be able to qualify for at least a few new surveys every single day.
PointClub Surveys
As a PointClub member, you’ll get access to carefully selected surveys that most closely fit your individual interests, demographics, and experience. You’re awarded points for every survey you complete then you can simply trade in your points for either cash or gift cards of your choice.
PointClub also offers a $5 bonus just for signing up.
SaySo4Profit Surveys
SaySo4Profit Surveys allows you to earn money by answering questions from companies and giving your opinion. One interesting feature of SaySo4Profit is that your opinions on products can actually get featured in the news! As with many survey companies, you’ll rack up points for every survey that you take then you’ll be able to convert those points into cash.