Looking for the highest paid surveys to make money online?
When you’re looking into how to make extra money online, doing surveys for money is usually one of the first things that comes up.
And for good reason! It’s one of the easiest ways to start making money online for beginners.
Anyone can get paid to do surveys – all you need is an internet connection.
Wondering how much can you make with paid surveys?
Most people can make at least £20-£50 a month without too much trouble.
And I know some dedicated survey-holics who make around £200 or more each month!
- Make up to £40 with a free trial
- Potential earnings of £500+ per month
- Personally tried and tested
- 150,000+ members
- 4.7 Trustpilot rating
Surveys for money UK
Here are some of the other advantages to completing online surveys for money:
- It can be a great first step into the world of making money online.
- The best UK survey sites pay out faster than a lot of other online money making methods – so it’s a great solution if you need to make cash fast.
- Most surveys don’t require a whole lot of brainpower, so you can complete them while doing something else, like watching TV.
- You can often complete paid online surveys on your phone. This is perfect for people who spend a lot of time on public transport, waiting for appointments, or who want to replace their social media scrolling habit with something more productive!
However, survey sites sometimes get a bad rap because the average pay is low and some surveys waste your time by screening you out half way through.
The secret to getting paid for surveys is this:
Not all survey sites are created equal.
You have to know which sites to prioritise, and which ones to avoid.
Which survey sites are the highest paying, and which ones waste your time.
Best survey sites UK
For these reasons, I decided to put together this list of the best online paid survey sites in the UK.
By the way, if you’re not in the UK, some of these sites will still work for you – but not all. You should check out my list of sites to earn money online worldwide to find options that will work in your country.
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate or referral links. If you sign up for some of the survey sites through a link on this page, I may earn a small referral fee at no cost to you. This helps to support my site!
The list: best survey sites in the UK for 2021!
Note: The more sites you sign up to, the better chance you have at making good money.
Limited on time but still want to get paid for surveys?
I have put the highest paid surveys towards the top of this list, so I recommend starting at the top and working your way down.
Sign up for at least the first 5-6 survey sites, but ideally as many as you have time for!
Prolific
Prolific (previously known as Prolific Academic) is well known as one of the best paying survey sites in the UK – or anywhere!
Prolific’s main advantage is that they are very transparent. You’ll always know upfront how much you will make (in cash, not points), and how long it will take.
Plus, you never get screened out! Prolific will only show you surveys that you’re already qualified for.
All the surveys are for academic researchers, which means they are usually on very interesting topics such as psychology.
This site has the absolute best paid surveys in the UK as far as I’m concerned. It’s my personal favourite UK survey site, and it’s a favourite with my readers, too.
If you only sign up for one survey site, make it this one!
Payment method: PayPal
Payment threshold: £5
Testable Minds
If you’re looking for more survey sites like Prolific, you need to check out Testable Minds. This is an academic research website that pays you to take part in psychological research studies.
It’s fairly well paying, and very transparent. You can see in advance how much the study pays, and how long it should take.
And you’ll only be offered studies that you are qualified for. No disqualifications!
All this makes it a great alternative to Prolific.
You can increase the number of studies you’re offered by filling out your profile and verifying your ID.
You can take part in as many studies as you like, but be aware that earnings are capped at $50 per month.
Payment method: Revolut or PayPal
Payment threshold: $10 for verified members, $20 for non verified
YouGov
YouGov is a famous market research company, and it’s one of the best survey sites UK residents can join. Government agencies and media often use YouGov surveys – it’s quite cool when you see the results of a survey you did in the papers!
Most surveys are fairly short (less than 10 minutes) and there is a short daily survey to get a guaranteed 50 points each day.
I really enjoy YouGov surveys. The only problem is it can take a while to reach the £50 threshold.
Still, this is a legit and well-respected way to get paid to do interesting surveys. I definitely recommend signing up for this one.
Payment method: bank transfer
Payment threshold: £50
Pinecone Research
Each survey pays £3 and takes around 15-20 minutes. This makes Pinecone one of the best paid survey sites!
Also, you can cash out after every survey, so it’s great when you need to make money fast.
However, unlike the other sites on this list, it can be difficult to join because they are often closed to new members.
If you are looking for a UK Pinecone Research sign up link for 2022, I have an exclusive link that is working at the time of writing (April 2022), but I don’t know how long they will be accepting new members for – so get in quick!!
If the sign-up link doesn’t work when you try it, this means they have temporarily stopped recruiting new members. But they open up again every few weeks, so remember to check back.
Also, even if you don’t get in the first time you apply, you can always apply again. They need different kinds of people from month to month.
Payment method: PayPal or Amazon gift cards
Payment threshold: £3 (this means you can cash out after each survey!)
PaidViewpoint
PaidViewpoint offers lots of short surveys that don’t kick you out.
You will start out doing lots of short surveys (around 10 questions) that pay around 10 cents each. But over time, as you build up your profile, you will get access to higher paying surveys.
They use lots of images and videos to keep things interesting, and you don’t have to write super long answers.
You earn over $1 just doing the initial sign-up questions. You can cash out to PayPal once you’ve reached $15.
Payment method: PayPal
Payment threshold: $15 first time, $10 second time, $5 third time onwards
Qmee
Qmee is better known as the site that pays you to search the web (by showing you adverts that you get paid to click on). But recently they’ve become more of a ‘Get Paid To’ site, with paid surveys, cashback offers, gaming, and various other ways to earn money. So it’s definitely earned a place on this list of UK survey sites.
A couple of things I like about Qmee:
They tell you upfront how much you will earn for each survey in cash, not points.
And you can cash out instantly at any time! A great option when you need a little extra cash fast.
When you sign up with my link below, you’ll get a bonus 50p credited to your account after you cash out for the first time.
Payment method: PayPal or gift vouchers
Payment threshold: £0.01
Swagbucks
This is not just a survey site – it has all kinds of opportunities such as paid website sign-ups, product trials and cashback.
You can also get paid to watch videos and play games!
It always has loads of surveys available so you can also use it just for surveys.
But to really maximise your earnings, definitely check out all the other ways to earn!
Payment method: PayPal or gift cards for Amazon, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and lots more.
Payment threshold: £5 – and you currently get a £3 bonus when you register!
Maru Voice
Maru Voice is a newer survey site, but it has a fair amount of interesting surveys.
One thing I like about this site is that they email you when a new survey is available for you, so you don’t have to waste time logging in to check.
You will also be entered into a £1000 prize draw when you sign up.
Payment method: vouchers for Amazon, iTunes and more
Payment threshold: £10
Testing Time
Testing Time has paid surveys, website and app testing opportunities, and paid focus groups. This is a high paying site, and the opportunities are interesting and rewarding!
The downside is that you have to wait to be invited to each survey or opportunity by email – and invites can be few and far between.
However, when surveys or testing jobs do come up, they typically pay very well. So it’s worth signing up, filling out the screening questions, and keeping an eye on your email.
Testing time pays around £4 for a short survey, and £25-£50 for a focus group or market research call (which usually take around 45 minutes to an hour).
Payment method: PayPal or bank transfer
Payment threshold: No threshold – payment is sent after each test
LifePoints
LifePoints is a relatively new one formed from the merger of two of the best known UK paid survey sites, MySurvey and GlobalTestMarket.
It is a huge global company which has a lot of surveys available. It can be used in many different countries.
As well as normal online paid surveys, you can also take part in special studies such as keeping a diary of your spending habits.
Payment method: You can redeem your points as PayPal cash, various gifts and products, or gift cards such as Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes and more
Payment threshold: Varies depending on the reward you request, but starts at around £5
InboxPounds
As the name suggests, this site sends money straight to your inbox!
You can make money for reading emails (all adverts, obviously) and playing games online, as well as surveys.
I definitely recommend making a new email address for this one because you will get a lot of offers!
There’s a £1 bonus just for joining.
Payment method: Cheque, vouchers or prepaid Mastercard
Payment threshold: £20
InstaGC
This is a ‘get paid to’ site like Swagbucks and Inbox Pounds.
You earn points which you can swap for gift cards by doing surveys, watching videos, ‘get paid to click’, cashback on your shopping, and more.
Payment method: Lots of different gift cards options including Amazon, Starbucks, iTunes, Google Play, M&S and more. You can also get cash in the form of a prepaid Mastercard, PayPal or Bitcoin.
Payment threshold: Depends on how you want to redeem, but generally from about £5. You can only get PayPal or Bitcoin once you’ve already redeemed £50 in gift cards.
Opinion Outpost
This is a popular survey site. As well as earning points per survey, each completed survey is an entry into a quarterly prize draw to win £5000.
Opinion Outpost has one of the lowest payment thresholds at just £2.50.
Payment method: PayPal, Amazon gift cards, iTunes gift cards, or you can spend your points in their online shop with various retail partners.
Payment threshold: £2.50
Featurepoints
Featurepoints is an app and site like Qmee where you can make money from surveys, cashback, contests, and by downloading apps. Easy to use on the go!
You get 50 points just for signing up with my link (below), and I’ve found points add up fast on this one.
If you’re looking for apps like Qmee in the UK to earn money on the go, I recommend Featurepoints.
Payment method: PayPal or various different vouchers
Payment threshold: $3
i-Say
i-Say (previously called Ipsos) is known as one of the best paying survey sites. Unfortunately they only pay in vouchers, with no option to claim your earnings as cash – but Amazon vouchers are always handy.
Payment method: gift cards (including Amazon, Argos and John Lewis) and charity donations
Payment threshold: £10
Crowdology
This is another well-paying site with a low payment threshold.
Payment method: PayPal or Amazon vouchers
Payment threshold: £4 for PayPal, £10 for Amazon
Panelbase
This one always seems to have a lot of short surveys available, so you can hit payout quickly. Plus you get £3 just for signing up!
Payment method: Bank transfer or vouchers
Payment threshold: £10
Opinium
This is a London-based market research company that works with a lot of well-known brands. It pays 50p per survey.
Payment method: cheque or bank transfer
Payment threshold: £25
Valued Opinions
Valued Opinions sometimes pays up to £5 per survey! Also, you’ll occasionally get the opportunity to take part in focus groups, which are interesting and pay well.
Payment method: Gift cards for various brands including Amazon, John Lewis, M&S and Boots.
Payment threshold: £10.50
Bonus! Paid survey apps
These are surveys that you can complete on your phone only. Great for people who are always on the go.
If you like the idea of making money on the go, check out my post on top Money Making Apps to Earn Cash From Your Phone!
Top tips to get paid for surveys
Before you get started, make sure you know how to make the most of paid surveys:
It’s all about the volume
If you want to make real money with surveys, it’s all about the volume.
Some of these sites might only send you one or two surveys a month. You need to be on several different survey sites if you want to make anything approaching a regular income.
Sign up for at least my top five, but preferably more, to maximize your chances to earn!
Prioritise
That said, bear in mind that all these sites have different payment terms and minimum thresholds.
If you need cash fast, prioritise sites that let you cash out at a low sum (I’ve marked the payment thresholds above).
Create a new email address
I strongly recommend having a separate free email address just for surveys.
This way you can easily check for new survey notifications without clogging up your normal inbox. Also, some of these sites will email you a LOT!
Bookmark your favourites
I recommend signing up for as many survey companies as you can and then bookmarking them all in a special folder.
This means you can open up a whole load of survey tabs very quickly and keep them open to be alerted of new surveys.
Don’t lie!
It gets difficult to remember what you’ve told a company, and come surveys will lock you out if your answers don’t match up.
Stay on the ball
One advantage of getting paid for surveys is that you can do them while multitasking.
But don’t zone out too much if you complete surveys while watching TV or something. Some surveys will put in trick questions to make sure you’re paying attention.
Look out for scams
All of the survey sites above are legit and FREE to join.
There are certain sites out there that will charge you to get ‘access’ to paid online surveys.
Sites like this are generally scams and there is no need to pay anything, because you can find all the surveys you need on legitimate sites for free.
Surveys should be making you money, not costing you money!
Other ways to make money online in the UK
Not a fan of surveys? Or want to make even MORE money?
I have lots of other recommendations for making money online!
Why not try one of these:
Ways to make some quick extra cash
- How To Get FREE Money In The UK (£130+ worth of sign up offers)
- Cashback (earn £150+ for completing offers online)
- OhMyDosh! (a site like Cashback that pay for offers and free trials)
- Respondent (earn up to $200 for online focus groups if you meet specific criteria)
- ‘Get Paid To’ (GPT) sites – get paid to do offers, watch videos, download apps and more
How to make regular extra income online
- Matched betting (it’s not gambling! I made £1000 in 12 weeks)
- Testing websites (pays approx £7 for 20 minutes)
- Teach English online to foreign students
Make a full time income online!
Also make sure you check out this list of work from home jobs in the UK perfect for stay at home mums.
Share your experience with taking surveys for money
What are your favourite survey sites? Do you have any more favourites to add to my list?
Let me know in the comments!
This post was first published on 26 July 2017 and was last updated on 30 July 2021.
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Populus Live pays very well, but be aware that their surveys are only available for a short time so it’s worth checking your inbox regularly for notifications.
Great tip, thanks!
YourSayPays is quite a good one too, their surveys are pretty quick and quite varied. They also have a community you can join to share tips, tricks etc. They don’t pay mega-bucks each time, but doesnt take long to reach the £20 threshold.
Thanks, I haven’t tried that one!
Also try e-rewards, mingle, surveybods, viewsbank and maximiles. Beware of branded surveys. Didn’t get paid last time out and STILL WAITING!!!
Thanks for the warning!
Are there any surveys that I can do whilst traveling with my partner who is disabled – I am his carer. I am usually in England or Spain, but all the ones I apply to in Spain seem to be in Spanish only. Really need something to fill some of my spare time. Many thanks
Sue
Hi Sue,
You might have to wait until you are back in the UK to sign up to some of these sites, because some of them will only accept UK residents and they might block you based on your computer tracking/IP address if you apply when you’re abroad. Once you are accepted though, I think you should be able to do the surveys wherever you are.
If you are already signed up but the site is showing in Spanish, it could be the settings on the website or your computer. I am not very techy I’m afraid, but I would try the following things:
1) See if there is a way to change the language on the website. Each site will be different, but sometimes there will be a little flag symbol in a top or bottom corner which you can click on to change language or region.
2) If you are already a member, try going to your personal profile/account settings and see if you can change language and/or region there.
You can copy and paste the URL into Google Translate to translate the whole site and help you navigate there.
3) Try changing the default language on your internet browser. It will be different for each browser but it should be under ‘settings’. Sometimes it will automatically show websites in the language of the country where you are located, but you can force it to show English instead.
I hope one of these works! If you still have problems, I would email the support of the sites you’re interested in and ask if you can use it from abroad. Unfortunately I can’t really advise on individual sites as they all have different rules.
Good luck and I hope you can make surveys work for you 🙂
Populuslive is driving me crazy – about 3 out of 4 surveys – and they are long ones – bomb me out because “my profile has already been completed” – or “thanks but something”. I suggest you select this one last of all..
Oh no, I hate it when that happens! Prolific is my favourite for that reason – you never get screened out. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Very informative thankyou.
Will sign up with a few:)
Glad you found it helpful 🙂
Getting REALLY deflated now after being so excited from reading your post(s). Most surveys that are worth more than 20p as me a few questions (wasting my time) and then just say ‘sorry not this time’. I have a lot of spare time in my hands and thought that this could be a great way to make the most of it, but I feel like I have wasted almost 2 days of solid work to get just over £11.
Surely the profile you set up should only allow surveys suitable for you to come through?
It is really not worth the time of you are making 20p very 15-20mins and then wasting 30mins on surveys that just tell you you don’t qualify half way through.
Really looking for a words of advise here, please tell me I am doing something wrong.
I have a lot of spare time (as I work from home) and really want to maximise the profitability of my time, but don’t have any skills or services to sell 😭.
Hi Cameron, unfortunately getting screened out is a big problem with surveys and I agree it is so frustrating! Some people do better with surveys than others as the companies seem to look for certain demographics.
My top two sites are Prolific (you only see surveys you’re eligible for so you never get screened out, plus they pay better than other sites) and YouGov (they have a daily 50p survey that anyone can take). I would just stick to those two for now.
If you are looking for other ways to make money from home, have you looked into matched betting? It’s MUCH more profitable than surveys and it’s easy to fit in if you work from home! Also OhMyDosh and 20 Cogs for quick(ish) cash, although they are not so sustainable long term.
Inbox pounds never paid me so avoid that one I spent weeks getting to £20 then no payout that was 3yrs ago and I never got paid. Onepoll is my favourite a they are quick always pay and they update at 9am 4pm and 7pm with new surveys the more you complete the more you get sent.
Great tip about Onepoll! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips and list resource of legit survey sites. I personally like Swagbucks and LifePoints but is also member with a few other sites. I agree that the more sites you join, the more side income as possible. And yes, being consistent and honest are two main factors to succeed in doing online surveys.
The link to Pinecone isn’t working. You normally have to be invited but there is a page where you can ask to sign up and they will tell you if there are any openings. Some of the sites like Opinion Outpost send lengthy surveys for just a few pennies. I found myself spending a lot of time just hunting for any survey and ending up not earning anything. You have to spend a long time on Swagbucks to make a small amount of money. They used to be ok but not any more. I’ve belonged to Your Say Pays for several years.
Thanks for sharing your experience! The Pinecone link is an invitation link but it only works when they are accepting new members but unfortunately that isn’t all the time so sometimes the link breaks 🙁 it is good to know there’s another option to sign up when the invitations aren’t open.
Swagbucks and Toluna have been my go-to survey sites. But after reading this, would love to try Prolific! Hope I’ll have the same success in earning extra side income with these other sites you’ve recommended. Thanks!
Prolific is definitely the best UK survey site in my experience! Hope it works well for you!
I have tried qmee. I love qmee as i am able to cash out any money even if it is only 16p or less. I usually wait until I get to over 1 pound before cashing out into paypal. It has helped me a lot especially as my husband and i are on benefits. Even when we get paid each month I still do surveys on qmee each day and save it into paypal incase for an emergency.
Sometimes what frustrates me is when I do a survey on qmee and then get logged out half way through, sometimes i get rewarded 6p for doing half the survey or I get nothing at all. I go on my account each day but sometimes I get no surveys for days which is a downside. I am looking for other survey sites to join but most of them you have to reach a certain amount before cashing out which is very annoying. But I am hoping I can find the right one as joining more survey sites increases of earning just a bit more money.
Thanks for your comment! That is a great thing about Qmee. I agree with the frustration of getting logged out of surveys though. This is one of the reasons I love Prolific – you only see surveys that you are eligible for, and I rarely have any technical problems. There is a higher threshold to cash out but in general all the surveys pay well so you can reach the threshold before too long.
For some other sites that pay fast, take a look at this post: https://www.boostmybudget.com/how-to-make-money-fast/
In particular, I recommend checking out the Lightening Payouts section in Oh My Dosh, but just be careful to cancel any subscriptions you sign up to before the billing period.
I was very happy to see Prolific at the top of your list. This is by some distance the best survey site I have used. You complete a comprehensive profile and then surveys pop up based on that profile. Although I’ve had a couple of odd balls slip through the net. I’ve been a member for two years now, completed over 450 surveys and earnt just over £500. The only snag is surveys tend to come out at random times, often through the working day and unless you’ve pre-registered for one they can fill up quickly. I’ve never had a problem getting paid and can cash out at £5.00 directly to paypal. Get the populus notifier for your internet browser so you get pop-up notifications when a survey is available.
I’ve been a member of Yougov for around 5 years and have reached the £50 threshold maybe three times. I find a lot of their surveys tedious and over long. Plus the equivalent points value is 50p, often for around 25 minutes of survey. The plus point is surveys get held for a little bit, so you don’t have to be constantly watching the site or have to jump on the email immediately.
I’ve been a member of Populuslive for around 4 years and find it infuriating to the point I don’t bother any more. They send emails when a survey is available and you have to jump on it right away else your demographic will likely have filled up. Every survey asks the same pre-screening questions (why they don’t use a profile I have no idea) and often you can spend 10 mins before getting screened out. It is also possible to get screened out mid survey after investing time because you bank with the wrong bank or eat the wrong food and have answered honestly. I have earnt the payout about three times (£50 threshold) despite its clunky UI. That said I have fibbed on a lot surveys so I can complete them.
Swagbucks was garbage for surveys. Every survey I did I got screened out, often at the 90-95% point as if to say, we’ve got the data we wanted, we aren’t going to pay!
Thank you for your detailed reviews of the survey sites you use! I’m sure this will be a useful reference for other readers 🙂
This list has been amazing! I tested them all out and I found that I only really enjoyed YouGov.
I was also surprised that you didn’t have the site Panel Opinion on the list as I have had the most pay outs from them. Have you heard of them?
I haven’t tried them but thank you for sharing – I will check them out!