If you’re looking for a bit of extra cash, doing online paid surveys for money through PayPal could be just what you need.
That said, let’s be honest upfront: while you can get paid to take surveys, you’re not going to become a millionaire from doing these.
But what you can do is get some extra money to add to your budget this month – and it’s especially worthwhile if you’re able to earn this when you wouldn’t have been doing anything else!
Personally, that’s my favorite part of these survey sites: the fact that you can use your spare time to scroll through your phone for a few minutes, finish a survey and get a few extra dollars.
Doing surveys while watching TV is a personal favorite, but they’re also a great option for when you’re sitting on the train to work or waiting in the car outside your kids’ sports practice.
This is why we’ve gathered the best online survey sites to make money, so that we can help you use that spare time as effectively as possible to get a bit of cash on the side. After all, some paid survey sites have a reputation for not paying anything at all, which is why it’s important to only focus on those sites that actually pay – particularly those that have proven to be some of the highest paying survey sites around, like these ones!
That said, the email notifications about new surveys can get annoying fast. This is why creating a new email account specifically for signing up with survey sites and getting survey offers is a great strategy for avoiding a flood of emails in your main account.
Best sites offering surveys for money via PayPal
1. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of the biggest survey sites in the world. This gives it a massive advantage over many of the others as it means that it’s pretty much guaranteed that there’ll always be surveys here that you qualify for.
And based on the earnings that people reporting getting through Survey Junkie compared to other places, this is easily one of the highest paying survey sites.
Another great advantage of Survey Junkie is that the minimum cash out amount is only $5 AND they transfer your earnings directly to your PayPal account rather than giving you a gift card. This means you’ll be able to have access to your earnings almost as soon as you earn them.
But the biggest benefit of Survey Junkie is the fact it also gives you access to a ton of paid focus group opportunities. These involve answering questions on a certain topic, similar to doing a survey except you’ll actually be interacting with a person.
And you’ll get paid up to $150 per hour for this – which is, frankly, incredible as it’s far more than you’d ever earn from a survey.
They often fill up fast so doing this will make sure you’re able to get to the front of the line each time!
2. PointClub
PointClub is focused entirely on offering surveys for money, with payouts being done either as gift cards or as direct PayPal payments. This actually puts PointClub a step above most of the other survey sites, as many of them actually pay with PayPal gift cards instead of depositing the money directly in your account, so this can make your overall payment process smoother.
This onboarding process is very straightforward – just verify your email address and provide some basic information about yourself so you can be matched with qualifying surveys. This includes things like your age, gender and where you’re located as some surveys are targeted at specific demographics.
(Be honest here as giving accurate information makes it much more likely you’ll be offered surveys that you actually qualify for, rather than wasting your time scrolling through a bunch that aren’t for you.)
3. Swagbucks
When it comes to the question of what are the best surveys to make money, Swagbucks is definitely up there in terms of what it offers.
Specifically, in my opinion, they’re easily one of the highest paying survey apps. You can find out more in our article on Is Swagbucks Worth It? but, spoiler alert: it definitely is based on how much you can earn.
In fact, Swagbucks has paid out over $500 million to its members since it started!
As you’ll see, not only do you get a free $5 welcome bonus just for signing up (and verifying your email address – don’t forget!) but you’ll quickly be able to accumulate points based on things like playing games, watching videos and, yes, doing surveys.
When it comes to cashing out what you earn through Swagbucks, PayPal gift cards are one option but so are a ton of others, like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart and more.
Swagbucks
Free sign-up bonus: $10
A great app for making extra money, including with cash back from online shopping, watching videos, playing games and more.
And given it’s paid out over $550 million through Amazon, Paypal and other gift cards, it’s 100% legit.
4. MyPoints
MyPoints is another great app where you can do surveys for money through PayPal, but especially when you combine it with its online shopping benefits.
That is, it basically pays you for shopping online by letting you earn points for your purchases. These then essentially become cash back as they can be redeemed for gift cards.
But we’re mainly here for the paid surveys, of course, and MyPoints definitely delivers on that. You’ll earn up to around $2 per survey so your earnings here will quickly add up.
After all, just consider the fact that MyPoints has paid out over $236 million in gift cards and PayPal cash!
5. InboxDollars
InboxDollars lets you earn money in a bunch of different ways, mainly focusing on having you do surveys for money but also through playing games and watching videos.
It’s the surveys and videos that pay best here, with most of them paying between $0.50 and $1.50 for each one you get through. And sometimes you can even combine the two with their high paying video surveys.
Once you sign up, you’ll also get an extra $0.50 for completing your profile and another $0.50 for going through their “welcome list” – which is probably the easiest $1 you’ll ever earn.
The profile questions are pretty detailed and involving you giving information on things like any medical conditions you may have and your eating habits. It’s fine though, as the goal is to match you with surveys. While you’re able to select that you “prefer not to answer”, it’s actually better for you if you do as then you’re less likely to be shown surveys that you don’t qualify for.
Looking for other ways to make real money with PayPal? Check out 21 Legit Ways to Get Free PayPal Money Instantly
6. Nielsen
You’ve probably heard of Nielsen in terms of its information on TV ratings, but it’s also been a major player in other consumer areas for years now. And it has to get this information from somewhere – which is where you come in.
That is, you can reach out to them to get Nielsen surveys by mail to answer questions on things like what your household spends money on and what it does in its spare time. I will say that it’s not entirely clear how much you’ll get paid for doing Nielsen surveys but the option is definitely there for you to help shape various products, given how reputable Nielsen is.
FYI: One other easy way to make money with Nielsen is through the Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel. You can earn $50 per year just by using your computer or phone how you normally would!
This other point is actually one of the best passive income apps out there. How it works is that you install the app on either your computer or mobile – and that’s literally all you have to do to earn $50 from this.
The goal here is for them to see how people use the internet day-to-day so the app will be tracking how you use your device. Don’t worry, the information they collect is completely anonymous, meaning it’s completely untraceable to you, and the app is very small, so it won’t impact performance.
7. PineCone Research
Pinecone Research is another name that often pops up when people are listing the highest paid survey sites. In this case, that reputation is completely warranted, given that their payout amounts, which are some of the best in the business.
How it works is that each survey you complete will earn you $3 worth of points, which is a lot higher than you’ll see on a lot of other paid survey sites. You can then choose to be paid in a variety of ways, including getting your survey money through PayPal
Keep in mind that joining Pinecone Research can be quite exclusive, in that you can only sign up if you have an invitation link. Luckily, you can use our invitation link here!
Like other online survey sites, you do have to meet their requirements in terms of being in a certain demographic. You’re generally going to have the best luck here if you’re around college age, which seems to have the most surveys available. Keep checking though as they’ll be there eventually!
8. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys keeps it just as straightforward as you can see in that screenshot above: you’ll get paid to take surveys. That’s it.
It’s got over two million users and has paid out almost $17 million, so there’s definitely money to be made here. And perhaps more impressively, it’s got a 4.3/5 review on Trustpilot, which is one of the highest out of all of the survey sites.
There are also a bunch of ways to be paid out, including by PayPal or even direct deposit, so it’s great if you like to have options for how you get your money.
And to really build on your earnings, Branded Surveys has a loyalty program called Branded Elite. This offers the chance for you to earn bonus points every week. You can even increase your bonus amount by levelling up through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers by completing a certain number of approved surveys through Branded Surveys, with your bonus being based on your badge level.
9. American Consumer Opinion
American Consumer Opinion has been around for years, making it easily one of the most established options on this list.
Its surveys are – as you may have guessed from its name – mostly aimed at consumers, so there will be a lot of product-related questions. So if you’re fine with making money from questions like “What’s your favorite brand of cola?”, this is for you (hey, at least they’re easy!)
And they’re definitely legit, with over 7 million active members and over $30 million having been paid out.
Survey payouts start at $1 per completed survey and can even go all the way up to $50, although I will say that it’s more common to find opportunities at the lower end of that scale. Their surveys are also generally quite quick to do, making this a great option if you have a bit of spare time and want to earn some easy extra cash.
10. Survey Voices
Survey Voices isn’t strictly a paid survey site in itself. Instead, it’s an aggregator of other survey sites. How it works is that it asks you to provide a bunch of information about yourself and then sends you surveys from other sites that you qualify for.
This definitely has some advantages, in that it saves you from having to visit a bunch of different sites to find qualifying surveys every single day. You will still have to go to these sites to actually do the surveys, but at least you’ll be going directly to where you already know there’s a money making opportunity. This makes it a really efficient option for doing online surveys for money.
That said, there’s a risk here that you’ll end up receiving more emails than you probably bargained for. This is why it can really help here to create a separate email address for the survey sites you sign up for, to avoid your inbox from overflowing with survey notifications.
Related: 41 Easy Ways to Make an Extra $500 a Month
11. OurFreeRewards
OurFreeRewards is another site where you can get paid to take surveys that’s a bit newer than some of the others. This means that it doesn’t have as many users as other sites – but still has its list of available surveys updated regularly.
This is great for you, as it means that there’ll be less people competing to sign up for each survey before it’s full, which can be a problem with some of the other sites, particularly where surveys you qualify for have already met their quota by the time you find them.
That isn’t an issue here though. While I wouldn’t recommend that this be the only survey site you sign up for, it can be a great one to add to your list for a steady stream of surveys to do for money.
12. iSurveyWorld
iSurveyWorld is, as you can probably guess from its name, entirely focused on surveys. All you have to do is create your profile, click the confirmation link that they’ll send to you by email and you’ll immediately have access to your survey dashboard with all the information you need.
One great benefit here is that it’s not only open to those in the US, with people located anywhere in the world able to sign up (and get the welcome bonus!) It’s worth keeping in mind though that those in the US and Europe tend to be more likely to qualify for surveys.
Another advantage is that iSurveyWorld appears to be much less likely than other survey sites to disqualify you from surveys you can see in your dashboard. Basically, if you can see it, you can get paid for it – which is great for saving you time.
And if you’re looking to get paid via PayPal for surveys, that $5 welcome bonus plus your other earnings can actually only be paid this way with iSurveyWorld. As one of the few that doesn’t offer gift cards, it’s great for those wanting to earn some extra cash in this way.
(It’s also good if you’re looking for how to make instant cash online, as Reddit users report that they’re very quick to pay out.)
Related: 17 Ways to Make $200 a Day Online That Are Proven To Work
13. LifePoints
LifePoints is another survey site that doesn’t also have things like videos and games. Instead, it’s paid out over $22 million to its users just on survey earnings. And you only have to be 14 to sign up, making it a great way for teens to make money.
The sign up bonuses aren’t amazing, to be honest, as you’ll earn 10 points for registering and validating your email address and an additional 10 points for answering some questions about yourself to match you to surveys. With each point worth between eight and nine points, this isn’t an incredible amount of money – but doesn’t hurt either.
They’re upfront on how long each survey will take, so it’s a good way for you to confirm that something is worth your while before starting. Most surveys will earn you between 50 to 350 points each depending on how long they are.
Interestingly, they also have another feature similar to paid panel surveys where they ask you to track something for a certain period of time. For example, someone on one of the subreddits that shares information on how to make money online on Reddit was asked to track all of their credit card purchases for a month. When they shared that information, they got 1,000 points.
As things like this are very easy to do (that is, just check your card statement), this is a simple way to make good money with LifePoints with very little work.
14. Ipsos i-Say
Ipsos i-Say is another market research company that you’ve probably heard of, as its analysis is used in marketing strategies and consumer opinion pieces all over the world.
This means you know that your inputs here are going to have actual influence – with the added bonus that you can use this to earn rewards!
A great aspect of using Ipsos i-Say to do online surveys for money is that your inbox won’t be flooded with offers. Instead, you’ll generally receive eight or so per month, with a range of points you can earn for each one. These can then be exchanged for rewards.
You can also earn points for other things, like referring friends, winning prize draws or as a bonus for completing a certain number of surveys.
15. OnlineMom
OnlineMom is a site aimed at moms with tons of articles on a whole range of things like advice on raising kids, lifestyle tips and more.
But they also let you get paid to take surveys! All you have to do is sign up to get access to their surveys (plus a bonus 10 points to get you started) as well as some other ways to earn money, including a ton of daily giveaways. At the time of writing this, you can win $10 gift cards from Old Navy and Walmart, $15 gift cards from Target, $25 gift cards from Etsy and more.
While their surveys may be “mom-related”, these definitely won’t only be about having kids given how broad the subjects are on their site. This means that even if you’re not a mom, there are still plenty of options here for you.
16. Survey Club
Survey Club is one of the more international options on this list, as it claims to have over 16 million users on every continent (except Antarctica – not too many penguins are keen on doing online surveys for money via PayPal, apparently).
This makes it a solid choice particularly for anyone outside of the US, who may be more limited in terms of their survey site options.
It’s a mix between having its own surveys and being a survey aggregator. This means that while you’ll find yourself doing some of the surveys directly on Survey Club’s site, you could also have to sign up for other sites to do the surveys that Survey Club sends to you.
Are paid surveys worth it?
Paid surveys are worth it if you keep your expectations reasonable. That is, it can be a great way to make some extra money by doing surveys at times when you wouldn’t be doing anything else. You won’t, however, become rich from completing surveys.
For example, if you spend most of your commute scrolling through social media, using that time to do a couple of surveys can be a great way to use that time to earn some extra cash, especially if you focus on only a few of the highest paying survey sites. Other people also like to do them when they’re in front of the TV or, say, waiting for the kids to finish soccer practice.
At the same time, let’s be honest: they’re never going to become a main source of income for you. And that’s fine! Just keep your expectations in check and realize you’ll probably earn up to around $100 at a maximum.
(That’s in total per month. You won’t get, through PayPal, a free $100 per survey – unfortunately!)
That extra money is still great to have and could easily be put towards things like paying off your credit card or topping up your budget.
Related: 41 Ways to Make $100 a Day That Actually Work
How much money can you make from surveys?
Most surveys pay between $1 and $5 for each one you complete, with most of them paying at the lower end of that scale. Given that you can easily do several surveys every day, most people report being able to earn around $20 per week.
It’s worth noting that your issue will sometimes be finding paid surveys you qualify for rather than finding the time to get paid to take surveys. That is, most companies have certain demographics that they target with each survey, whether it’s “female between the ages of 25 and 35” or something more random like “owns a fish tank”.
This means that you won’t necessarily qualify for all the surveys that each site has available, which can impact your earnings.
However, there’s a simple solution: sign up for as many of the highest paying survey sites that offer surveys for money via PayPal as you can manage. That way, you’re setting yourself up to find as many surveys as possible for which you’ll qualify.
Find out more about: 31 Legit Ways to Make Extra Money in the Military
How can I get free PayPal money?
To get free PayPal money, you can take advantage of the free sign up bonuses that many sites and apps offer. You can even further add to these earnings by getting referral bonuses. That way, when your friends sign up for these sites, you’ll be paid too.
For example, if you sign up for Swagbucks (and verify your email address!), you’ll get a $5 bonus. And for every friend you invite, you’ll earn an extra $3 plus 10% of whatever your friend earns forever!
Similarly, you’ll get a free $5 welcome bonus by signing up with InboxDollars – not to mention $1 for each referral and a massive 30% of your friends’ earnings.
Take a look at our article on this to find other ways to get free PayPal money instantly.
Do surveys really pay $350?
While some ads on social media have been promoting people apparently making $350 per survey, these are almost guaranteed to be a scam. While it’s possible to earn up to around $100 per month from doing surveys, earning $350 from a single survey isn’t legit.
The closest you will get to these kinds of earnings is from joining paid focus groups. While they’re not exactly the same as doing online surveys for money through PayPal, they’re similar in that you’re paid for the time you take to answer questions.
And some of them pay seriously well. For example, if you join Survey Junkie (which in itself is one of the highest paying survey sites), you’ll immediately have access to all of the focus group opportunities that are available now through their site – and some of them pay up to $150 for one hour of your time.
Sure, it’s not $350. But it’s definitely not bad money to make either.
Related: 29 Quick Tips on to How to Make $300 Fast
How can I earn PayPal money?
Signing up for various survey apps can be a great way to earn PayPal money instantly. In addition to taking advantage of some generous welcome bonuses, you can then work on completing some surveys in your spare time. Your earnings from doing these can then be cashed out as PayPal gift cards.
You won’t, however, get paid immediately by PayPal as you’ll need to earn each app’s minimum cashout amount. For Swagbucks, that’s $25 – which is surprisingly easy to reach given the $5 boost you get just for signing up and verifying your email address (plus those pretty amazing referral bonuses).
Is doing surveys for money safe?
Doing surveys for money is safe as long as you stick to doing these through reputable sites. This will make it more likely that your surveys are legitimate and will actually pay you, as well as avoiding problems such as your data being sold to third parties.
This isn’t a question of sticking to surveys that pay cash only as many very reputable survey sites pay in “points” which you can then convert into cash (through PayPal gift cards). Some examples of this include PointClub and Swagbucks, both of which are entirely legit in terms of how they use your data and the fact they’ll pay you out.
(Not to mention that PointClub, like Swagbucks, gives you $5 for free just for signing up and verifying your email address!)
All of the sites in this article that offer online surveys for money via PayPal are legit. That said, some things to keep in mind when reviewing a survey site for whether or not it’s safe include:
- Create an email address just for surveys rather than using your “main” one. They can still be directed to your inbox so you don’t have to click away to find them, but it helps to avoid your main address being spammed.
- If you’re being asked to pay a fee to sign up, it’s probably a scam.
- If there are flashing messages all over a site saying that it’s not a scam, the lady doth protest too much. That is, it’s probably a scam or they wouldn’t have to say it.
- Check the Privacy Policy and other disclaimers on how they say they use your information.
- Google usually doesn’t lie, so searching the name of the site and “reviews” (or even “scam”) should show you other people’s experiences with that site.
Final thoughts on the best surveys for making money via PayPal
There are a ton of survey sites out there, so it can be tough to know exactly which ones are legit and which ones are a waste of your time.
But you can rest assured that the sites on this list that offer surveys for money will pay you cash through their apps. Most will pay you directly into your PayPal account, although there are some that only pay this cash in PayPal gift cards – but as it’s exactly the same outcome (money in your account!), then you shouldn’t consider that as a negative.
So in the meanwhile: happy answering questions and enjoy that extra cash that your spare time can bring you!