11 Best Places to Take Paid Online Surveys

One of the easiest ways to earn money online is getting paid to take surveys online from survey apps on your phone or through your computer.

There are a countless number of online survey companies for you to choose from. How on earth could you figure out which ones are legitimate and which ones are not worth your time? This is what I wanted to figure out.

I’ve researched most of the popular market research companies and I have come up with my list of the ten best survey sites really work (you don’t need any more).

While you shouldn’t expect to make a boatload of money with surveys online, they can be a good way to earn an additional income on the side. Could you use an extra $100 a week or earn beermoney for those frivolous purchases? Online surveys can be your answer.

There are dozens of legitimate sites that offer surveys that dole out cash rewards. As you’ll soon come to learn these are ten best survey sites in 2021.

How We Rated the Paid Online Survey Sites That Pay Cash

There are a ton of companies out that offer paid survey market research opportunities, but these are the best. I took into consideration the user’s experience, how many opportunities are available on each site, and how much you’re able to earn.

Rest assured, these are the most legitimate and highest paying survey sites available.

Pro Tip:  The best way to earn money with online surveys is by becoming eligible for the highest paying surveys that pay cash. You can do this by signing up for as many sites as possible below since you won’t qualify for every survey, this will increase your earning potential.

Why Should I Join More Than One Survey Site?

Joining more than one survey site is a great way to maximize your profit for a number of reasons.

The primary reason is that you can be more selective on which surveys you take, generally opting for the higher paying surveys.

I joined a few different survey sites to increase my survey intake and profit potential. My current favorites are:

• Swagbucks (Highest Paying)
• Survey Junkie (Highest Paying)
• InboxDollars

Here’s the rest of the list of the best paid online surveys.

11 Best Survey Sites That Pay Cash through PayPal

After reviewing most of the survey sites out there, I can confidently say that these are the best survey apps and sites that pay cash through PayPal.

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the most legitimate survey sites to use to earn money for taking surveys. You can earn around $1-3 per survey on your phone or laptop. You can withdraw your earnings as soon as you hit $10 or 10,000 points.

Signing up is really simple to use and 100% free, plus you can start earning instantly after completing your initial profile.

I really appreciate this site’s interface because it is super smooth and intuitive (unlike the majority of survey company websites that look like they were built in 1997), and members are paid in cash via Paypal.

Oh, and Survey Junkie also has a 4.5/5 rating on TrustPilot — the highest of any online survey company by the way.

This is one is the more reputable survey companies out there and over 3,000,000 members use it daily.

2. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is another favorite of mine, simply because this site has so many ways to earn money.

Swagbucks has an app and website and lets you earn money in so many ways like taking surveys, shopping online, or playing games, but many people (including myself) love racking up SBs (Swagbucks) watching videos in their spare time. Getting paid to watch videos is probably the easiest way to earn quick cash.

You can cash out your SBs as gift cards to hundreds of merchants or get your cash by PayPal. You can earn around $0.40-$2 per survey and the minimum to cash out is $3 for eGift cards or $25 for PayPal.

Many claim this to be one of the best online surveys that pays real money.

3. InboxDollars

With InboxDollars, you can earn cash that can get sent directly to you via check. InboxDollars pays members to read emails, take surveys online, get paid to play games, and search the web.

Overall, InboxDollars is super easy to navigate and one of the better online surveys to use that is 100% free.

I’ve tried other paid survey sites and just end up overwhelmed with the website’s options and cash out methods.

They also do a nice job of breaking down the offers into specific categories (which I love). And you’ll always see the amount of money you’ve earned at the top of your window, which is more rewarding than you may think.

Need more incentive? Right now they are offering a $5 cash bonus just for joining.

4. Vindale Research

Vindale Research is another way to get paid to take online surveys. My favorite thing about Vindale is that you don’t have to convert your points into cash and you can see your earnings on the dashboard.

Overall, it is a secure, reliable and free survey site for anyone that wants to earn money online.

After a quick signup, you’ll take surveys for money about products created by some of the world’s most famous companies – including Disney, Volkswagon, Amazon, Nike, Samsung, and more.

For each survey you complete, you’ll earn on average around $0.50–$5 (and they pay you straight cash). Payout is through Paypal or via check.

To get started, simply create your free account. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll receive a nifty $1 signup bonus when you do.

5. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys has a 4.4/5 rating on TrustPilot (out of 25k+ ratings!) and is available for those who live in the US, UK, and Canada.

Needless to say, this is a great rewards site that pays you real money to start taking surveys and has been around since 2012.

You must be over 16+ years old to sign up and can get pay via direct deposit, PayPal cash, gift cards, or prepaid Visa gift cards.

The minimum to cash out is 1,000 points which is $10. If you wanted to try them out, you can get started with a $1 signup bonus.

6. MyPoints

MyPoints rewards its members for online activities such as reading emails, playing games, online surveys, and printing out coupons among other things.

They pay their members using their own currency known as “Points”. These points can be redeemed for online gift cards, cash via Paypal, and travel miles. 

You can expect to earn around $2.50 per survey and the minimum payout amount for most rewards is $3 and PayPal payments start at $25.

Redemption times for your awards vary. When you redeem your points for cash via Paypal, the request is usually processed within 4-5 days. For other prizes, the wait time varies.

Survey Sites: Runner Ups

While the five survey sites above should suffice, if you want to earn even more you can consider signing up for these other legitimate survey sites.

7. Survey Voices

How It Works: Survey Voices allows members to can take surveys and get paid via PayPal. All you need to do is instantly qualify, then view exclusive offers in exchange for your opinions and get access to paid surveys, clinical trial opportunities, and part-time work offers. Survey Voices is looking for people to tell major brands what you think about their products and services. And they pay well.

• Payment Method: Cash via PayPal
• Sign Up Bonus: N/A
• Sign Up Link: Go here to create a free account.

8. MindsPay

How It Works: Join MindsPay and you can earn up to $50 cash for sharing your opinion about new products and services you buy. MindsPay also offers an outstanding referral program and other ways to earn. Earn extra cash by evaluating products and services. Get up to $50 for each completed survey, product and service reviews. Plus earn up to $.50 for every email you read. MindsPay compensates its members to test out products, services and give feedback on those tested. It’s free to sign up and only requires a small amount of information.

• Payment Method: Points to Cash through PayPal
• Sign Up Bonus: $3 Bonus for Signing up
• Sign Up Link: Go here to create a free account.

9. Ipsos i-Say

How It Works: Ipsos is an established, trusted survey company offering a competitive payout. Ipsos i-Say is a survey site run by a division of Ipsos, one of the largest market research firms in the world online. The website is pretty straightforward; you take surveys and get paid in points, which you can redeem for various gift cards and prizes. Get started earning money with Ipsos.

• Payment Method: Cash through PayPal
• Sign Up Bonus: N/A

10. MySurvey

How It Works: MySurvey is super simple to get started, once you visit the website, simply enter your personal information including your name, email (always use a spare email address), password and address. After that, taking online surveys for only cash is easy — you could probably do it while watching TV or listening to music. Payout Minimum: You’ll need at least 1,200 points to access the smallest option, $10. This is a trusted survey website, as many people use this website and I can verify that payment is actually sent.

• Payment Method: Cash through PayPal
• Sign Up Bonus: N/A

11. E-Poll Market Research

How It Works: Are you still asking yourself what are the best survey sites in 2021? E-Poll comes in at 10 on this list of the top paid survey sites for 2019 as it has online surveys that correspond to entertainment-related marketing research, such as surveys about TV watching habits. Geared towards younger individuals. As a member of E-Poll you may be asked to watch new TV commercials or in some cases even watch and review DVDs that are sent directly to your home!

• Payment Method: Cash through PayPal
• Sign Up Bonus: 100-point Signup Bonus

Summary of Top Survey Sites for 2021

Tips for Maximizing Your Online Survey Profit

Just be aware of the following tips when signing up for surveys that pay cash.

Sign Up To Them All

It’s a good idea to sign up to as many as possible. This means that you will always have surveys to answer instead of waiting for one or two to come along every month.

There is no harm in signing up to loads and you can always unsubscribe if you don’t like the service that one of them is providing.

Set up an alias email

You don’t have to do this but we would recommend setting up a separate email for all of your survey site accounts. That way you can log in each day and easily see the surveys on offer (without it clogging up your personal inbox).

You should also check your emails regularly as some surveys are only open for a day (sometimes less).

Be honest with your answers

Try and be honest when filling in these online paid surveys as sometimes you can be penalized for contradicting yourself or giving inadequate responses. Also, don’t try to second-guess the system by saying that you are a wealthy businessman or woman to get more surveys. It won’t work!

Watch out for spammy sites

A number of sites (we won’t call anyone out) advertise dodgy survey sites to students so make sure you avoid them. The ones to watch out for are generally the ones that sound too good to be true!

It’s also worth noting that you aren’t guaranteed to receive products from the product testing site as users are chosen at random so if anyone promises this you should be very wary.

Put it this way, there are 1,000s of users on each survey site, do you really think that they can afford to send out 1,000s of free PlayStations for people to test?

Cash in your earnings when available 

Unless you are looking to build up a big amount and aiming for one of the top rewards for which you have time for, then it’s best to cash in early with these paid survey sites.

Also, be aware that some sites will have restrictions on when you can spend the points and how long they are valid for. Your best bet is to use PayPal when offered so you can cash in on some free PayPal money.

Don’t ever pay to join an online survey site

All of the paid survey sites listed above are free to apply for and use. You shouldn’t get sucked into paying for a subscription to any online survey websites, whatever they promise you.

The sites listed on this page have been tried and tested and are genuine. If you are already a member of any of these survey sites or any that aren’t listed then please do let us know what you think of them!

Do Online Survey Sites Work?

A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals.  An online survey is the same thing, but because of their easy accessibility, they are the most commonly used of the two. Believe it or not, it is possible to make money through these survey sites as the industry has really evolved.

Over the past couple of years, survey sites have become an increasingly popular way to make money – for both companies and consumers.

Companies like to use online surveys to acquire a better understanding of people’s likes and dislikes. With this information, they can revise their products to reach their highest selling potential.

Ultimately, your participation in these types of offers not only helps you out financially, but it gives the company the statistical information they need to enhance their products.

How Could You Get Paid Taking Online Surveys?

Now that I’ve discussed the basic outline of online surveys that pay cash, let’s talk money. You take a survey, and then you get paid. But what kind of compensation are we looking at here? How do paid surveys really work?

Gift cards, checks, and cold cash via PayPal are the three primary ways in which survey sites pay. There are some websites that give you merchandise, but it isn’t as common.

Normally you perform various tasks and then you earn points. Once you earn the minimum threshold of points required, you can request payout where your points will turn into real tangible rewards.

It doesn’t just stop at surveys. Almost every website that I’ve encountered has had more than one way to make money. From friend referrals to watching videos and playing games, I guarantee that the chances you’ll get bored are low.

Do You Get Paid Every Time?

Surveys that pay cash really exist. However, you should know about disqualification and that it happens to all of us. It would be a lie if I were to say it didn’t happen. Luckily, if you find a legit survey site, this won’t be as much of an issue.

Sometimes you have the convenience of earning a small compensation, despite the fact that you were disqualified. Some of my favorite survey sites have this special feature.

For example, Swagbucks has users complete a profile first so that disqualifications during a survey are minimized.

How Much Can You Make with Survey Sites?

With the right survey site, there’s potential to make a couple hundred per month with the highest paying survey sites.

Will it be enough to quit your job? Not necessarily.  Most survey sites prove to function best as a way to make cash on the side as another stream of income. Even though you won’t be making a years-worth of income, there is still some definite earning potential.

Do Paid Surveys Really Work?

There are many pros to taking online surveys. They are easy, accessible, and you can earn rewards in the comfort of your own home.

Survey taking is a process. It takes time to rack up a sizable amount of rewards. If you have the patience for it, online surveys can be a great way to earn some extra cash. It just requires time.

For those that don’t see online surveys as a good fit but as the concept of working from home on your own time, there are a few options to do so.

Now that you’ve read about the ins and outs of taking surveys online, as well as some of the best survey sites out there, you are probably trying to figure out if this is a good opportunity for you or not.

The bottom line is that survey sites work best as a way to make money on the side, emphasis on “the side”. While you won’t be making a year’s worth of income, you can still make good money, especially by using the sites we’ve mentioned above.

Do paid surveys really work? Yes, they do.

The Bottom Line

It’s true — it is possible to make money through paid surveys as the industry has evolved.

The short surveys are getting better/interesting and the payouts are making it incentivizing to do them.

I tried it a few years ago and it was definitely was difficult to earn a few bucks.

If you want to try the highest paying surveys on the interwebs, then both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie should be your bread and butter. These companies are legit and do payout in cash via Paypal.