/images/2018/01/23/navina-side-hustle-mid_MPfEDfV.jpg)
/images/2019/12/06/smart_strategies_to_save_money_on_car_insurance.jpg)
/images/2023/05/12/testing-products.jpeg)
/authors/danielle-letenyei-financebuzz.jpg)
/authors/kate-underwood-headshot.jpg)
/authors/yahia-barakah-financebuzz.jpg)
Do you enjoy sharing your opinion? Just check out any online comment section or site like Yelp and you’ll see people expressing their opinions (often in all caps). But fortunately, instead of shouting into the void, you can actually get paid for offering your opinions on products and services.
You’ll probably need to enjoy being online, since you’ll be watching videos, testing apps, and completing surveys most of the time.
I don’t want you to plan on quitting your job or anything, but you can definitely earn money or rewards doing this in your free time. Here are seven platforms that offer legit ways to get paid to test products.
Key takeaways
- Market research companies pay people for their opinions on products and services.
- Most rewards are given as points that can be redeemed for gift cards, prepaid cards, or cash payouts, often through PayPal.
- The reward points you receive typically expire only after a long period of inactivity, such as a year or longer, so keep track of which sites you’re using and their rules.
- Several survey and market research rewards programs value their points at one cent per point.
The pros and cons of product testing
- Make money on your own time
- Provide valuable input to companies
- Free to try out
- Low reward for sometimes lengthy surveys
- May be difficult to qualify for surveys
- Points may expire quickly
- Must earn a minimum amount before cashing out
As you’ll see, you definitely can get paid to test products and offer your opinions and your experience as a user. Just be aware of the limitations of this as an income-earning activity, and don’t forget to cash in your points before they expire.
Product testing platforms at a glance
| Pay expectations | Minimum redemption | Redemption method | |
| Survey Junkie | $1-$3 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $5 (500 points) |
|
| InboxDollars | $0.25 to $5 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $15 for the first payment, $10 thereafter |
|
| Branded Surveys | $.50 to $3 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $5 (500 points) |
|
| Ipsos iSay | $0.75 to $1.50 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $5 (500 points) |
|
| Swagbucks | $0.50 to $3.50 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $1 (110 Swagbucks) |
|
| LifePoints | $.90 per survey (in our experience using the platform) | $5 (550 LifePoints) |
|
| American Consumer Opinion | $0.05 to $50 per survey (according to their website) | $10 (1,000 points) |
|
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a popular platform for answering online surveys and testing products. You can earn money on this platform by creating a profile on its website and completing studies or surveys relevant to your background and interests as they become available to you.
You get to choose the surveys you want to participate in once you’re deemed qualified. I appreciate that even if you don’t qualify for a survey, you’ll receive a few points for trying. It’s nice to know it’s not a total waste of your time if it happens to be about a product or brand you’ve never used.
After completing a survey, the platform rewards you with virtual points that you can redeem for gift cards to major retailers like Target and Amazon, cash payouts via PayPal, or transfer right into your bank account.
In addition to surveys, opting in to Surf to Earn allows you to earn a bit more by sharing your online activity with Survey Junkie. (All sensitive information is blocked, so it appears to be safe.)
You won’t get rich on Survey Junkie, but you can earn a little extra money to spend. Each survey indicates how many points you can earn by completing it, and you can cash out your points after accumulating 500 points in rewards. Survey Junkie states that completing three or more surveys per day could earn you as much as $100 per month.
/images/2018/01/18/surveyjunkie.png)
Get your share of $55,000 paid out daily to Survey Junkie users.
InboxDollars
Like Survey Junkie, InboxDollars pays users like you to take surveys, test apps, shop online, explore new products and services, and play games. InboxDollars even pays you for reading emails it sends that include promotional materials.
I like that InboxDollars has a pretty long history (it’s been around since 2000). In our experience testing InboxDollars, we saw that it generally pays between $0.25 to $5 for surveys that take three to 25 minutes to complete. However, the platform states that some surveys may pay $10, $20, or even more. And you get $5 as a thank-you when you sign up with your email.
InboxDollars sometimes runs focus groups, which may take place on weekdays or require travel. You can often earn more or get extra perks like free lunch, so as long as it’s not a long drive, I’d be hoping to get into local focus groups.
InboxDollars claims it has paid its members over $80 million in cash rewards. The platform occasionally holds promotions and contests to help its users earn more. You get paid in cash, not points, but you must earn at least $15 to make your first withdrawal. After that, the minimum withdrawal is $10.
Payments are made via PayPal, virtual gift cards, or prepaid Visa cards. There are no additional fees for virtual gift cards. If you’re super-nice, you can donate your rewards to charity.
… Or learn more in our InboxDollars review.
/images/2018/01/18/inboxdollars.png)
Get paid to take surveys, play games, read emails ... even to go grocery shopping.
Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys is another platform that pays you to give feedback on products and services. It conducts market research for Fortune 500 companies.
When you sign up, you’ll answer questions to build your profile. That information helps Branded Surveys match you with appropriate surveys, and the more details that you provide, the more surveys you may be eligible to take.
Depending on your habits and lifestyle, the surveys you receive may be about health, politics, shopping, travel, music, sports, education, and other topics. They vary in length, usually between five and 20 minutes, but Branded Surveys gives you an estimated time before each survey (which is nice, so you know what you’re getting into.
You earn points for each survey you take. You can choose to have the money you earn deposited directly into your U.S. bank account or exchange the points you earn for merchant gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, cash via PayPal, or direct bank deposits. The minimum redemption is 500 points, which are worth $5.
You can make even more money as a Branded Elite loyalty program member. This program allows you to earn bonus points for completing at least 12 surveys a week, which gives you a 5% bonus. Completing 30 or more surveys qualifies you for the highest bonus of 19% more points. Plus, you get bonuses for referring friends.
Learn more in our Branded Surveys review.
Ipsos iSay
iSay is a survey site from Ipsos, a multinational market research and consulting firm based in Paris, France and founded in 1975
By joining the iSay rewards community, you can earn rewards for giving your opinions via surveys. You can join online or through the iSay mobile app. If you haven’t noticed the pattern yet, it works like other survey sites, with onboarding questions that help the platform select relevant surveys for you.
iSay will contact you as often as twice a day if it has available surveys for you. Most members receive at least one survey per month. The number of points you earn per survey depends on several factors, including length. The platform also holds sweepstakes that enable you to make additional points.
In our personal experience, Ipsos iSay offered surveys that pay 75 to 150 points each, valued at $0.75 to $1.50. I love that Ipsos states flat-out that “you will not earn big money by taking surveys.” But it’s a little extra money in your pocket, redeemable in convenient ways like gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, or cash via PayPal.
… Or learn more in our iSay review.
Swagbucks
With Swagbucks, you can earn Swagbucks (SB) for various activities, including answering surveys, watching videos, shopping online, and trying game apps. It’s another fun way to earn small amounts of money with extra pockets of time.
The company says you can complete surveys with as little as one question and others that could take up to 30 minutes to finish.
My kids would love the daily trivia and web browser game option on Swagbucks, but maybe you’d prefer regular old surveys.
You can redeem the Swagbucks you earn for gift cards to over 100 top retailers, virtual prepaid Mastercard and American Express reward cards, cash via PayPal, or a direct bank deposit. Your Swagbucks can also be redeemed for Swagbucks swag.
Another feature is that you can earn points for spending at 1,500 online retailers and get access to exclusive deals and coupons.
… Or learn more in our Swagbucks review.
/images/2018/01/18/swagbucks.png)
Get gift cards to Amazon, Target, and more for surfing the web and taking fun surveys.
LifePoints
As the name suggests, LifePoints rewards you with LifePoints (LPs) when you complete surveys.
After signing up and answering several lifestyle questions, we got access to a number of surveys that would take 15 to 20 minutes each to complete. Upon completion, each survey we completed paid 100 LPs, valued on average at $0.90.
You can redeem your LifePoints for gift cards to many top brands or for cash through PayPal. The minimum redemption available is 550 LPs for $5. LifePoints states that it paid over $22 million to its members in 2022.
Keep in mind that the points you receive on LifePoints expire within 30 days from your initial registration or following a 90-day period without any member activity.
American Consumer Opinion
American Consumer Opinion (ACOP) is another free survey platform, and it says it’s paid out $35 million to date, across over 20 million surveys.
After you sign up as a panel member and enter some information about yourself, ACOP will invite you to participate in surveys through email notifications it sends out. The surveys should also appear on your account’s homepage.
When you complete a survey, you earn points equal to one cent each. So 100 points are equal to $1. You can redeem these points for cash via PayPal or Hyperwallet. (FYI, Hyperwallet takes 8-12 weeks for your money to arrive, so I’d steer clear of that if I were you.)
Some short surveys on American Consumer Opinion reward you with 5 to 50 points for completing them, valued at $0.05 to $0.50. Longer surveys may reward you with 50 to 5,000 points, valued at $0.50 to $50. The minimum balance needed for redemption is 1,000 points, a $10 value.
Visit American Consumer Opinion
Additional options to consider
/images/2020/07/30/kashkick-logo.png){kind=logo}
How to become a product tester
Joining a product testing program or platform so you can get paid to test can be simple. Of course, you'll need a reliable internet connection to complete the surveys or participate in focus groups.
Assuming you have that, here are the steps to creating an account on most product-testing platforms:
- Provide your name and email address
- Create a password
- Answer questions about yourself and your lifestyle
- Provide details about the products you use or the products you’re interested in
- Link your bank or PayPal account, if applicable
Once you’ve signed up, the testing platforms typically send you an email inviting you to participate in the survey or product test and provide details on the completion deadline and compensation.
While many platforms reward product testers with points that they can redeem for gift cards and cash payouts, other platforms may send them free products for their insights.
For example, Amazon Vine doesn’t pay you as a product tester for your opinion, but you get to keep the products or the free samples sent. Keep in mind that you need to be invited to join the Amazon Vine program.
FAQ about product testing
Are product testing jobs legit?
Yes, plenty of legit product-testing platforms exist, and some companies also form focus groups for more in-depth research.
For example, McCormick & Company has a consumer testing program. National Consumer Panel learns about consumer spending habits by having people scan the products they buy.
However, scams do exist. Check online for honest reviews of any platform before signing up.
Red flags of illegitimate companies include:
- Requiring you to pay
- Offering to send you a check for a mystery shopping assignment
- Asking for sensitive data like your driver’s license or Social Security Number
Does Amazon work with product testers?
Yes, Amazon hires product testers through its Amazon Vine Voices program. It’s invitation-only and doesn’t pay for your opinion. If you are invited and accepted, you can order items without having to pay for them in exchange for your product review. I like this for the chance to get free products (and would hope the products align with my interests).
Can you be a full-time product tester?
Becoming a full-time product tester may provide enough earning potential to become a primary source of income. ZipRecruiter lists the average wage for product testers at $37 per hour. The average annual income for a full-time product tester is about $45,500. However, to be hired and get paid to test products, you typically need extensive experience in the field.
For example, a successful product tester working with a market research firm that tests beauty products or care products may need experience in the beauty industry and familiarity with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, L’oreal, and more. This could include experience as a makeup artist, esthetician, or cosmetologist. In other words, not just anyone can jump into a full-time product testing position.
Bottom line
If you are looking to learn how to make money in your spare time, working with product testing sites and platforms to provide your opinion on consumer products via questionnaires can be a fun way to get paid as a side hustle. It typically costs nothing to sign up as a product tester and begin answering online surveys.
Alternatively and if you want to earn at a faster rate, you can explore our list of the best side hustles to find other opportunities to earn extra cash.
/images/2018/01/18/inboxdollars.png)