Companies are constantly trying to figure out what consumers want. So, what if you could get paid to tell them your opinions? That’s the idea behind survey sites. The “best survey sites” are ones that are legit, easy to use, and clear about how you're getting paid and when. They're also very popular with stay-at-home moms, students, and folks in debt, and people who are just looking to get paid from home.

I mean, survey sites can be a great way to side hustle when you need extra cash. There are plenty of survey sites out there, so we tested the most popular ones and came up with our favorites extra cash with surveys. Plenty of variety here, so we’re sure you’ll find one that fits your needs and the level of effort you'd like to put in. 

Note: this isn't mad money. But if you're motivated and looking to take the “every little bit helps” approach when it comes to building up your first $1,000 emergency fund or whittling down your debt, these can work. My suggestion? Do it while you're binging Netflix one rainy Saturday.

Top Survey Sites

Swagbucks

This is one of the most popular survey sites out there because signing up is super easy. All you need is your email and a password, or you can sign up with your Facebook account. Below are all the ways to optimize your Swagbucks earnings.

And Swagbucks even takes into account that you won’t qualify for every survey. Even if you don’t qualify, you’ll still get 1 SB or “Swagbuck” for your time.

Surveys also usually have higher point values since they take a longer time to complete. This can be a great place to start out if you want to quickly earn one of the lower value gift cards!

And finally, download the SwagButton. It’s not related to taking surveys, but it is an extension that shows you SB offers on participating sites. That way you won’t miss out on points just because you didn’t go through the SwagBucks portal! Super simple, super easy.

• The TL:DR: Swagbucks is a site where you can complete a lot of different tasks. Not just surveys, but you can watch videos and play games to earn the titular Swagbucks (abbreviated SB). Then redeem for gift cards.
• Payouts: Giftcards of varying values. 
• Sign Up Bonus: $5 smackaroos.

One Opinion

OneOpinion is another popular and legit survey site. It's known for having slightly higher-than-average payouts. Within a week we had received a reasonable amount of surveys that were all over $1, meaning it didn’t feel like we were toiling away for just a few cents. If you're looking for ways to make money online fast, OneOpinion also offers a Paypal payout option. 

Upon entering our demographic data we were immediately matched with a survey for $2.50, which isn’t chump change in the online survey world.

• The TL:DR: This is probably the easiest survey site to get started with. 
• Payouts:  One Opinion offers both gift cards and Paypal as payout options, and you can collect once you’ve amassed 25,000 OneOpinion credits ($25).
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

VIP Voice

VIP Voice is definitely a legit survey site because it functions as the research arm for many household name retailers who want customer data and consumer opinions. This is why it’s one of my favorites.

As an added bonus, they often conduct sweepstakes to incentivize users to take more surveys. If you really like taking surveys for money, VIP Voice is one to add to the roster because of their tiered rewards program, the more surveys you do, the more you earn. There's also a wide variety of surveys, so it's not like you'll only get one or two good offers.

• The TL:DR: Double opt-in survey form so it's a bit more “legit” than some others.
• Payouts:  Use points you use on surveys to bid on bigger prizes like physical items, vacations, gift cards and more. Need thousands of points to bid, but competition is low so you’re likely to win.
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

Survey Sites Offering a Cash Sign Up Bonus

Panda Research

• The TL:DR: Standard survey site, but you can also earn extra by using coupon codes and discounts. Also, this one wins points because it is easy to cancel at any time. 
• Payout: Via Paypal. Minimum $25 to cash out, paid on the 1st and 15th of each month.
• Sign up bonus: $3. Click here to grab your bonus with my link!

Inbox Dollars

• The TL:DR: Easy to sign up and easy to earn, but mixed customer reviews so do your own research if this is right for you. Playing around with it on my own, it seemed like there were lots of ways to earn a dollar or two here and there. 
• Payouts:  Via Paypal, Giftcard, or you can request a check
• Sign Up Bonus: Get an instant $5 bonus just for signing up! Click here to get your bonus with my link. 

Inbox Pays

• The TL:DR: Take surveys, sign up for trials and services, join clubs, sample products, clip coupons for cash, go shopping at branded stores and get paid for it all. Large amount of clicking to get through to surveys, but once there it's easy to sort and find cash offers vs. payouts for referrals, etc. 
• Payouts:  Via Paypal. 
• Sign Up Bonus: $5 sign up bonus for new users! Click here to claim your bonus. 

iSurvey 

• The TL:DR: Pays cash for each survey completed, they’ll ask for feedback on certain products and services based on your purchasing preferences.
• Payouts: Via paypal.
• Sign Up Bonus: $5 sign up bonus. Click here to snag it.

Inbox Research

• The TL:DR: InboxResearch 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 (compared to others who ask you to click and answer questions endlessly.) I appreciated the quick, straightforward approach. 
• Payouts: $30 minimum threshold to request cash payout. 
• Sign Up Bonus: $2.00. Click here to sign up. 

Vindale Research

• The TL:DR: Join Vindale Research and earn up to $50 per online survey completed. After completing the information and confirming my email, I got matched with three surveys ranging from $1.35-$25.60. Really nice interface that makes it clear to read and understand what you're doing.
• Payouts: Cash out with PayPal.
• Sign Up Bonus: $1.00. Click here.

Legit survey sites that pay cash

No signup bonus on these, but these survey sites still pay cash (usually paid out via Paypal) and offer great opportunities to earn extra. 

Pinecone Research

• The TL:DR: Standard survey site, but this one guarantees a solid $3 per survey, which is very good in the online survey world.
• Payouts: Cash OR Prizes
• Sign Up Bonus: No.

Panel Station

• The TL:DR:  Not just surveys about retail but for healthcare, finance, and travel as well, making this one different from the other, more “retail heavy” survey sites on this list.
• Payouts: Via Paypal
• Sign Up Bonus:  No.

Mindspay

• The TL:DR: Get up to $50 for each completed survey, product and service reviews. Plus earn up to $.50 for every email you read.
• Payouts: Via paypal.
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

Opinion Outpost

• The TL:DR: Opinion Outpost pays users cash and rewards for completing paid surveys online. It’s free to sign up. LOTS of questions at the outset, but pretty decent paid survey opportunities once you are inside and through the qualifying survey. 
• Payouts: Via Paypal
• Sign Up Bonus:  No. 

Survey Junkie 

• The TL:DR: Popular because it pays actual Paypal cash and surveys range 50-450 per survey meaning you have to do less surveys to make a real profit. 
• Payouts: By completing surveys you earn points, and 1000 points can be exchanged for $10.00 – redeemable to your Paypal account.
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

Prize Rebel

• The TL:DR: Join PrizeRebel and you can earn rewards such as Paypal, Amazon gift cards, and more for your opinions. 
• Payouts: Paypal or gift cards (including coveted ones from Amazon)
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

Other paid survey opportunities

With these you get paid, and can stand to “earn more', but you won't be paid in cash. Instead, users accrue points for gift cards. If you're smart, you can use the points to get grocery, Amazon, and gas gift cards and put that cash toward your debt repayment. Or, you can use the points to get gift cards to your favorite retailers and fund your shopping habit for free. 

Catch Panel

• The TL:DR: Different from other survey sites because you are sharing your opinion directly with a brand rather than going through a research/ad agency.
• Payouts: Get paid in Amazon Gift Codes for your time. Which, honestly, nowadays is just as good as cash. 
• Sign Up Bonus: None.

MySoapBox

• The TL:DR: You collect points redeemable for gift cards at your favorite stores and restaurants.
• Payouts: Earn points for each survey, points then turn into gift cards. 
• Sign Up Bonus: Earn a BONUS of 2,000 points just for signing up!

Travel Trails

• The TL:DR: You collect points redeemable for gift cards at your favorite stores and restaurants. Earn with surveys and also providing feedback in their forums. A little strange, but if you're someone who loves doing Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews, might as well put that energy into someplace you can earn something for your opinion.
• Payouts: Earn points for each survey, points then turn into gift cards. 
• Sign Up Bonus: Earn a BONUS of 2,000 points just for signing up!

Least favorite survey sites

In doing my research for this piece, I found a few survey sites I didn't think were worth the time and effort involved. 

• Opinion Network – The only send one survey a day and it's only worth $1.00
• My Survey – Hourly “rate” answering surveys from this site is pretty low, but you can rack up points for Paypal payments, gift cards and more. 
• Opinion Square Meter – Too many questions. 
• I-Say – Is the survey site of one of the largest research firms in the world, so there are lots of opportunities. I dislike their interface so that's why it is only an honorable mention, but it still could be a good way to earn extra cash. 
• Opinion City – Also, too many intake questions. 

The Final TL: DR

*Torie Winkler contributed to this post.

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