The thing we love about online surveys compared to other side hustles is that they’re a very low stress and mindless way to make extra cash. Seriously, you can chill out on the sofa taking surveys while watching Netflix! It’s not the most lucrative way to make money, but we love an easy side hustle!

Now, you’re not going to make a ton of cash taking online surveys, but you can earn enough points to cash out for PayPal cash or gift cards, which is how the best survey sites pay.

If you’re looking for the best survey sites of 2024, check out our top recommendations below:

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie

About Survey Junkie

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $1-$3
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, Bank Transfer, or Gift Card
  • Min. Cash-Out: 500 Points ($5)
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.4/5.0

Survey Junkie is one of the most well-known and best survey sites available in 2024. It’s 100% free to sign up for Survey Junkie, and the sign-up process takes 5 minutes or less.

Once you sign up for Survey Junkie, you should start filling out their survey profiles, which ask questions about things like health, fitness, technology, and hobbies. You will earn 5-10 points for each profile you complete, and filling out these profiles will help you get matched with surveys that fit your interests and demographic profile.

Survey Junkie users can cash out after earning 500 points. Previously, you needed 1,000 points to cash out, but you only need 500 points now. Each point is worth $0.01, and the points can be converted to cash or gift cards.

Survey Junkie also has a web browser extension called SJ Pulse that you can download to earn even more points. You’ll need to keep it for at least three months to receive the payout, and it looks at which websites you visit, what ads you see, your online shopping activity, and the kind of content you engage with. The browser does not collect sensitive data like email addresses, credit card numbers, etc.

Survey Junkie Eligibility: Must be 16 or older and reside in the U.S., Canada, or Australia.

Survey Junkie

Get paid $1 to $3/survey!

Signing up for Survey Junkie takes 5 minutes or less.

2. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys

About Branded Surveys

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $1-$3
  • Payment Methods: Bank Transfer, PayPal, or Gift Card
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: 500 Points ($5)
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.3/5.0

Branded Surveys pays you points for taking surveys on their platform, and your points convert to cash, PayPal, or gift cards. They just launched a brand new mobile app, which makes it easier than ever to take surveys on the go. We also love that Branded Surveys lets you cash out with only $5 worth of points!

What’s interesting about Branded Surveys is that they reward users with badges that help you earn more — Bronze, Silver, and Gold — and you earn higher ranking badges as you take more surveys or refer friends. In addition, you unlock more earning opportunities as you move up levels. So it pays to spend more time on their site.

The only real downside to taking surveys on Branded Surveys is that some surveys take you offsite. Those sites may run slower, which can get frustrating.

Branded Survey Eligibility: 16 years old and reside in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

3. Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost

About Opinion Outpost

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$5
  • Payment Methods: PayPal or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $10 for PayPal, $5 for Gift Cards
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.3/5.0

Opinion Outpost  is a 100% free paid survey site. In addition to paying you to take surveys, Opinion Outpost occasionally has product testing opportunities where you’re sent free products to try and share your feedback.

You can expect surveys on Opinion Outpost to take 10-15 minutes to complete, which is on the shorter end, but longer surveys do pay pretty well, around $5 on average.

There’s also a referral program that pays $1 for every friend you refer, up to $5. They’ll need to complete at least one survey before you can get paid.

Opinion Outpost Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old and a resident of the U.S.

4. Inbox Dollars

InboxDollars

About Inbox Dollars

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$5
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, Check, Visa Prepaid Card, or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $15
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.1/5.0

One of the reasons that InboxDollars is one of the best survey sites is because they’re straightforward with the amount of money you can make – before you even sign up to start taking surveys.

InboxDollars says its surveys pay $0.50-$5 and take 3 to 25 minutes to complete. It’s free to sign up for this online survey site, and you see your earnings in dollars, not points. You can also get paid to watch videos, play games, read emails, and earn cash back for shopping online.

It takes about 30 seconds to sign up for InboxDollars so you can start making money.

InboxDollars Eligibility: Must be at least 18 years old and live in the U.S.

Survey Junkie

Get started in 5 minutes or less!

Sign up for Survey Junkie and start making $1 to $3 per survey.

5. Swagbucks

Swagbucks

Swagbucks Overview

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.40-$2
  • Payment Methods: PayPal or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $1 for Gift Cards, $5 for PayPal
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.3/5.0

Swagbucks has hundreds of paid survey opportunities on their platform every day, but they’re more than just a paid survey site. Swagbucks has a full-blown rewards program that pays you points for online and in-person shopping, watching videos, discovering offers, searching the web, playing games, and more.

You’re paid in points called SB (for Swagbucks), and each SB is worth $0.01. You can redeem your points via PayPal or Visa gift card. Or you can convert them to an e-gift card for more than 140 different companies, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and more.

Swagbucks also has a solid referral program that helps you earn more points. Every user gets a unique referral link to share with friends and family, and here’s how you earn points with it:

  • When your referral sign-ups and earns their first 300 SB, you both get an additional 300 SB
  • You earn 10% of their SB earnings for as long as they are using their account
  • Earn an additional 100 SB if they add the SwagButton extension

Swagbucks Eligibility: Must be 13 years old, and minors are strongly advised to have parental permission before signing up to make money on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is available in most countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and throughout part of Africa.

6. MyPoints

MyPoints

About MyPoints

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$5
  • Payment Methods: PayPal or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $5
  • Trustpilot Rating: 4.4/5.0

MyPoints is owned by Prodege, the same company that owns Swagbucks, so there are some pretty significant similarities between these two best survey sites. 

It’s free to sign up for MyPoints, and they offer more than just paid surveys. You can also get paid to:

  • Shop online
  • Download the MyPoints browser extension
  • Read emails
  • Watch videos
  • Play games

There’s also a strong referral program that pays you points when friends or family sign up through your unique MyPoints link. You can earn extra points when they take surveys for money too. Another reason MyPoints is one of the best survey sites is that you earn some points even when you don’t qualify for the entire survey. 

MyPoints also pays in points, and 150 points are worth approximately $1. 

MyPoints Eligibility: Must be at least 18 years old to take surveys on the site. Users must be residents of the U.S. or Canada.

7. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research

About Pinecone Research

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$3
  • Payment Methods: Check, PayPal, or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $3
  • Trustpilot Rating: 2.1/5.0

I know Pinecone Research is one of the best survey sites available because I used this platform to take online surveys when I was in college and making extra money. Pinecone Research is owned by Nielsen Holdings, a well-known company for consumer engagement ratings for TV shows and networks.

Pinecone Research is 100% free to sign up for, and you earn points for every survey you complete. 

The paid surveys on Pinecone Research are invite-only, which means you’ll have to fit their demographic profiles to be chosen, but it means you’re less likely to get a late-stage disqualification.

Pinecone Research Eligibility: 18 years old and reside in the U.S., U.K., Canada, or Germany.

8. Prize Rebel

PrizeRebel

About Prize Rebel

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$1
  • Payment Methods: PayPal or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $5
  • Trustpilot Rating: 3.1/5.0

Prize Rebel is another paid survey site where you can earn points that convert to cash or gift cards through its free membership platform. Besides taking surveys, you can get paid to sign up for trials and sign up for email lists.

Each point is worth $0.01, and you’ll need 500 points (or $5) to reach the minimum payout threshold. There are account levels you can reach as you take more surveys, and they unlock benefits like automatically processing rewards.

Speaking of rewards, Prize Rebel gives you the option to cash out almost instantly with gift cards, direct deposit, and PayPal cash. They also have a referral program that pays you a commission plus 20% of each referral’s earnings.

Prize Rebel Eligibility: Must be 18 years of age and reside in the U.S., U.K., Canada, or Australia for paid surveys. Users who live outside of those countries can still sign up for Prize Rebel and earn points for completing tasks and gaining referrals.

9. Life Points

lifepoints

About Life Points

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$1
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, Gift Cards, or Charitable Donation
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $5
  • Trustpilot Rating: 2.8/5.0

Life Points was founded in 2019 after the market research companies MySurvey and Lightspeed merged.

Most of the surveys on this site are around 10 minutes long – this is a little shorter than some of the other survey websites. Short surveys typically pay less, but most of the surveys on Life Points are easier to qualify for. 

Life Points pays you points that can be converted to cash. Besides taking surveys, you can also earn points by completing online diaries. This involves recording your behaviors or habits related to a specific product or service.

Life Points Eligibility: Must be 16 years old. Users can reside in over 40 different countries through the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

10. Harris Poll Online

Harris Poll Online

About Harris Poll Online

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.50-$2
  • Payment Methods: Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $10
  • Trustpilot Rating: 2.7/5.0

Harris Poll Online is another survey website owned and operated by Nielsen, like Pinecone Research, so you know it’s legit.

The surveys on Harris Poll take 5-25 minutes to complete, and you only get paid for the surveys you complete. For ones you can’t complete, Harris Poll will put your name in its quarterly sweepstakes for each disqualification. The drawing pays out $10,000.

Harris Poll has extra opportunities to earn money with focus groups and telephone-based surveys. You’re paid with points that convert to gift cards, and each point is worth a little less than $0.01.

Harris Poll Online eligibility: Open to residents of the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Must be at least 13 years old in the U.S. and Canada, at least 12 years old in other countries.

11. Ipsos i-Say

Ipsos i-Say

About Ipsos i-Say

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $0.10-$1
  • Payment Methods: PayPal, Gift Cards, and Prepaid Debit Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $5
  • Trustpilot Rating: 1.9/5.0

Ipsos i-Say is an online survey community that’s part of the market research company Ipsos. The sign-up process is quick and easy, and you earn points that can be converted to cash via PayPal or gift cards.

Besides online surveys, you can also make money with online focus groups, product testing, video surveys, diary surveys, and the refer-a-friend program.

Ipsos i-Say eligibility: 13 years old with parental consent and to residents in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

12. Valued Opinions

valued opinions

About Valued Opinions

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $1-$5
  • Payment Method: Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $20
  • Trustpilot Rating: 3.6/5.0

Valued Opinions is a fairly large market research company, and they pay users points that can be converted to gift cards. The sign-up process takes you through a series of questions to build a profile that helps you qualify for surveys. So you might not see as many survey opportunities on the site, but you’re much more likely to qualify for the ones you see.

One of the reasons Valued Opinions is one of the best survey sites is that it has a fully responsive mobile app. This makes it easy to take surveys from your phone for even more flexible earning opportunities.

Surveys take about 15 to 20 minutes on average and pay $1 to $5 per survey. Valued Opinions emails you updates when new surveys are available, and their emails include an approximate time it will take for each survey.

Valued Opinions Eligibility: Open to residents of the U.S. who are 17 years old and up.

13. Toluna

About Toluna

  • Avg. Payout Per Survey: $1-$5
  • Payment Methods: PayPal or Gift Cards
  • Min. Cash-Out Amount: $10
  • Trustpilot Rating: 2.7/5.0

Toluna works with massive companies like Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Expedia to gain customer insights that influence the products and services they offer.

You earn 500 points just for signing up for Toluna, and they pay points for every survey you complete. They say you can earn anywhere from 15 to 50,000 points per survey.

Once you’ve earned enough points, you can start redeeming them for PayPal cash or gift cards.

Besides paid surveys, Toluna will reward you with points for:

  • Participating in sponsored polls
  • Creating content for polls, discussion topics, and opinions — you can earn up to 1,000 points for the content you create, but Toluna is pretty selective.
  • Filling out surveys
  • Playing games
  • Referring your friends

Toluna Eligibility: Open to anyone 17 years or older

How to Watch Out for Survey Site Scams

The best survey sites on this list are 100% legit companies, but there are definitely some scammy ones out there. 

Here are some red flags to watch out for so you don’t get caught in a scam:

  • The promise of a major payout. None of the sites above pay a ton, and that’s a sign of a legitimate company. Sites that say you can earn $100 taking one survey are probably too good to be true.
  • There’s no “About” page. Some of these survey websites have antiquated-looking home pages, but they all provide basic company info. You should be able to find out who the company is and how to contact them.
  • There’s no privacy policy. Survey sites collect a lot of data about their users, and real companies will have a privacy policy that explains how that information is used.
  • They ask for sensitive data. Your Social Security number, bank account info, credit card numbers – you shouldn’t give that out to any of these sites, ever. Doing so puts you at risk for identity theft.

The Final Word on the Best Survey Sites of 2024

Taking online surveys is an easy and mindless way to earn extra money. The commitment is low and pretty much anyone can do it.

Again, you’re not going to get rich taking online surveys, but it’s a little extra money that you can put towards paying off debt, investing, your vacation fund, etc. Every little bit counts!

While there are good opportunities with all of these sites, our top pick is Survey Junkie . You can earn $1-$3 per survey and cash out with as little as $5.