I’ve been filling in surveys on and off for years — and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on where you look. Since I first wrote this post, I’ve gone and signed myself up to a big stack more survey sites, so I’ve completely updated it below with my real experience of each one. Fair warning: I’m not going to pretend they’re all brilliant, because they’re not.
Let me be upfront with you: online surveys are never going to replace a job. But if you have a spare ten minutes — sitting on a delayed train, waiting for a friend, or just between tasks — they’re a surprisingly painless way to earn a little extra. I’ve been doing this casually, very casually, for a few years now, and I wanted to share which platforms have actually been worth my time (and which really haven’t).
Some of my survey links have referal codes – which means that I may get rewarded if you sign up, most of the links aren’t referral – This has not affected the order of my preferences and my recommendations at all.
My Favourite survey sites
Prolific
Academic research surveys that are genuinely interesting — and pay a fair amount for your time. You can cash out from just £6.
Prolific is, without question, my favourite. The surveys on here are almost all university research studies, which means they’re actually interesting rather than just trying to sell you something. Over the years I’ve answered questions on psychology, economics, social behaviour, and plenty more. It never feels like a chore.
I recently looked back at my earnings and I’ve made over £3,000 — and bear in mind I’ve barely logged in regularly. I just dip in occasionally when I have a moment. The minimum payout is also very low at just £6, so you’re not waiting for weeks before you can actually see any money. If you only try one site from this list, make it Prolific. I’m genuinely considering getting back into it more seriously after revisiting my totals!
Testing Time
It seems to be the most well paid of the survey sites, plus the surveys are interesting! The only downside is that there seem to be fewer surveys coming up. However, it’s much better to do one paid survey there than hours of seemingly meaningless surveys on some other sites — so this is definitely one I’d recommend.
YouGov
Points-based system that converts to cash or prizes. Slower earnings, but you’re contributing to real public opinion research.
YouGov works differently — you accumulate points rather than direct cash, which you can then redeem for prizes or actual money. It builds up more slowly, but there’s something genuinely satisfying about it because you know your answers are contributing to the kind of opinion research you see quoted in the news. I stuck with it long enough to cash out my first £50, then drifted away — but the surveys themselves are often more thoughtful and varied than other platforms.
“If you have a spare ten minutes on a delayed train, why not fill in a survey or two?”
OnePoll
This is one that’s worked well for me so far — I stacked up £20 on here really quickly. OnePoll is run by 72Point (part of SWNS Media Group), the press agency behind a lot of the polls you see quoted in the Mirror, Sun and Telegraph, so it’s a genuinely established UK company. Surveys are short and there’s a decent supply of them. The one thing to know: payouts are slow, often 14–30 days once you request one, and the threshold sits somewhere between £20–£40 depending on which version of the site you’re on. Worth having, just don’t expect a quick turnaround on the money.
I just prefer the surveys on here to other sites too.
AttaPoll
My referral code: xknxm
Using a referral code helps support this website at no extra cost to you.
AttaPoll is one of my favourite survey apps because it’s easy to use, has a low payout threshold, and regularly offers short surveys that can be completed in just a few minutes.
One feature I particularly like is the referral programme. If you enjoy using the app, you can invite friends and family and earn a percentage of their survey earnings. In the UK, AttaPoll currently states that both the referrer and the new user receive a bonus when a valid referral is used, and the referrer earns 10% of the referred user’s survey earnings for life (this doesn’t mean you earn 10% less — you still earn the same!). Terms and conditions apply and rewards may vary by country.
PatientFirstResearch
This is a new site, but I have already found I like it. At the moment (when writing this!) it’s giving you £5 just for signing up and completing your profile. The questions and surveys are about health and it makes it feel worthwhile. So this is in my good list, but I havien’t used it that long, so let’s see if it stays here.
Sites I found annoying!
Swagbucks
Please note some people love Swagbucks, so do see for yourself. Easy to earn small amounts, but surveys tend to be long, repetitive, and occasionally you won’t get paid for completing them.
Swagbucks is one I found easy enough to rack up the odd £5 on , but, honestly, I grew to find it a bit soulless. The surveys are often very long for what they pay, they can be repetitive and dull, and occasionally you’d complete one only to find yourself screened out at the end with no reward. For some people the variety of earning options (watching videos, cashback on shopping etc.) makes it worthwhile, but it’s not one I go back to personally.
Five Surveys
A bit hit and miss for me. In theory you complete 5 surveys and get £5, but in reality (well, my reality — you may have a different experience), you get screened out a lot, and some of the surveys are ‘half surveys’, meaning you have to do 2 of them to count as one. It’s not too hard to rack up a fiver, but it can be annoying if you get screened out a lot, and I don’t find the surveys as fun as some of the other sites.
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OK Survey sites
What I mean by OK, is that you do get paid, but can be time consuming. Some of them offer a boost or free points for new members, so getting your first payout might be easier. Anyway here is a list of the ones I have tried.
Norstat Panel
I made £15 on here fairly easily, and my own experience has been fine. That said, I want to be honest that Norstat’s wider reputation is patchy. Its Trustpilot score sits low (around 2.5–2.7 out of 5), with a real cluster of complaints about accounts being frozen or closed and rewards not being paid out after long-standing use. Pay per survey is also on the low side generally. I’ll keep using it based on my own results, but I’d suggest cashing out regularly rather than letting a big balance build up, just in case.
Over the years I’ve signed up to plenty of other sites too, there are dozens of them out there. Most don’t make it into my regular rotation for one reason or another: surveys that are too long for the payout, endless disqualifications, or interfaces that feel designed to waste your time.
My honest advice? Don’t go into this expecting a significant income stream. But if you approach it as something to do in dead time, commutes, waiting rooms, the odd quiet evening , it can quietly add up to a surprising amount over time. My Prolific earnings are proof of that.
LifePoints
This one lived up to its reputation for me because it’s really easy to cash out, and it’s currently my pick of the new sites. It’s owned by Kantar (a serious, well-known market research group) and has one of the lowest payout thresholds around at £5, with PayPal cash landing within a few days. Reviews are generally solid, though a handful of users report accounts being suspended over ‘quality’ concerns with points confiscated. I’ve had no issues so far, and the low threshold makes it genuinely satisfying to use.
Branded Surveys
A well-established site (formerly MintVine) with a strong Trustpilot score of around 4.1. The threshold is low — $5 (about 500 points) , this was about £3.70 last time I cashed out. It pays via PayPal, bank transfer or a good range of UK vouchers. One quirk: payouts are calculated in US dollars, so the exchange rate nudges what you actually get in pounds, but the payout is so low I don’t think this would bother you. Screen-outs are the main complaint, which is fairly standard across the board. On the whole, it’s an ok one to add to the rotation, but on the bottom of the pile.
I did find that the surveys vary, some where easy, and some took much longer than they predicted – so I may add this to my annoying pile.
Panel Opinion
A smaller panel with a solid Trustpilot rating (around 3.8–4.0). Recent reviews mention fast payouts and a responsive support team, which is more than can be said for some of the others on this list. I haven’t built up a big enough history with this one yet to give you my own numbers, but the early signs, and other users’ experience, are promising.
YourSayPays
Run by The Leadership Factor, a Huddersfield-based research agency. Surveys are short and you can pause partway through and come back later, which is a nice touch. The downside is the £20 threshold takes a genuinely long time to reach because survey invitations are infrequent. Reviews describe it as fair and reliable, just slow — a top-up site rather than a main one.
Valued Opinions
Valued Opinions has been running in the UK since 2004 and is a solid, if unspectacular, choice. The catch is that you can’t get cash, everything comes out as gift vouchers (Amazon, Tesco, Boots, M&S, Argos and the like), and you’ll need a selfie plus photo ID before your first payout. On the plus side, the minimum to redeem is only around £10, most surveys pay 50p–£5 and vouchers usually land in your inbox almost instantly once you hit the threshold. Fine as a steady little earner if you don’t mind vouchers over cash.
I have to say though there hasn’t been many surveys lately – but hopefully they will come back.
‘Maybe’ Survey sites.
These are sites that others say are OK, but don’t really use them myself – (plan to try them all out thought!)
Pinecone Research
Pinecone is Nielsen-owned and has a long history. I was a member of this years ago, and I remember it being quite good back then. I rejoined for this blog and it did say a £5 bonus for your first survey – but their survey link was broken! Recent Trustpilot reviews have taken a real dip , with complaints about frequent screen-outs and a clunky website. I might come back to this, I’m undecided.
QMEE
I’ve heard this is a good one because it has a low cash out threshold, so you don’t have to rack up loads of points or balance before you can cash out. I’ll be trying this out shortly and keep you informed.
IPSOSisay
I’ve joined this, but I can’t seem to find many surveys, so far I’ve earnt 20p. Perhaps you can do better than me!
Survey Friends
This one is new to me, but I have heard some good things about it, so I hope to come back with a follow up in a month ot two.
Opinium Research
Opinium runs a lot of the current-affairs and political opinion surveys you’ll have seen referenced in the news, and it has a genuinely good reputation — Trustpilot scores have been sitting around 4.1–4.3. Rewards run from about 25p to £1 per survey, paid directly to your bank account once you reach roughly £25. If you enjoy surveys with a bit more substance (politics, the cost of living, current events) rather than pure brand marketing, this is one of the better options here.
This one says it is full at the moment – so I will be chacking back with this one.
Approach with Caution
MindMover
This is one I’d genuinely think twice about. The £20 payout threshold takes a long time to reach, and there’s a long trail of reviews , on Trustpilot and elsewhere , from people who say they’ve been waiting months for redeemed rewards, with little response from customer support. It’s a legitimate, UK-based company, and plenty of people do get paid eventually, but the pattern of complaints is hard to ignore. Approach with caution, and don’t let points build up for too long before trying to cash out.
Pureprofile
This one had been good, but my balance went down by £15, and despite them (the help centre) saying that they would look into it, nothing happened and nothing was resolved. After a lot of hassle I gave up chasing it, so I don’t use this one anymore.
Other survey sites
I know there are other sites like Toluna, Ylive and Newvista to name a few. I have tried to join these, but the joining process doesn’t seem to work! So these are ones I will come back to.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Payout thresholds matter more than you think – some sites (like YLive or NewVista) require £50 before you can withdraw.
- You’ll earn more by combining sites – no single platform gives enough surveys consistently.
- Screen-outs are normal – don’t take it personally, it’s just demographic targeting.
- The best earners prioritise time vs reward – Prolific tend to pay far better per hour.
