how to get paid for market research

Online Focus Groups: 28 Paid Research Companies that Pay Up to $250 an Hour for Your Opinion

I recently participated in a paid focus group in San Francisco. You know, the kind with the one-way mirror on the wall.

We talked about travel habits and preferences for an hour and half, and I got paid $150 for my time and opinions. Not bad!

The whole thing was pretty quick and painless—and actually kind of interesting—which got me thinking that this could be a great side hustle . Especially if I could do it from home!

So down the rabbit hole I went, trying to find other companies that conduct paid research studies online .

And I should note before we get started that these aren’t the typical companies that pop up when you search for “online surveys.” Those companies, like Swagbucks and  InboxDollars , are legit, but pay relatively little .

The companies I was after here were the ones that pay bigger sums to make it more worth your time. I earned $100 an hour for my little focus group adventure, and you can too.

Earn $50-150/hr, with thousands of new studies added each month.

Earn an average of $75 per project, and get notified of upcoming studies you may qualify for.

Patients and caregivers can earn $120/hour while helping advance medical research.

1. User Interviews

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User Interviews facilitates in-person and online consumer conversations about products, websites, and services. The pay rates vary, but the average seems to be around $50-100 an hour.

I’ve earned $105 through the site so far, in exchange for about an hour a half.

In one of my studies, I earned a $10 Amazon gift card for completing a short online survey for bald guys! It said it should take 15 minutes, but all the questions were straight yes/no, so it probably only took 5.

User Interviews is a legit facilitator of online (and in-person) consumer research studies. Participants can get paid (generally $50-150/hr) to share their opinion and shape future products and services. While this won’t replace your day job, it can be a nice supplemental income.

• One of the best-paying survey companies I've found.
• Easy to sign-up.
• Lots of new studies added every week.
• Can be difficult to get selected.

Click here to join User Interviews .

Or check out our full User Interviews review .

Respondent is a cool service that facilitates consumer research studies online—and often pays $100+ an hour !

Once you create your account, you’ll be able to browse all the open studies you might qualify for. The research brief shares the type of person the company is looking to connect with, the expected time commitment, and pay rate .

If it looks like a fit, answer the brief screener questionnaire to throw your hat in the ring. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get selected right away—I’ve been selected for 5 studies out of 50 screeners so far.

While there are some “general population” studies, the best-paying opportunities are for industry professionals— up to $750 an hour!

The company takes a 5% processing fee, but the rest of the funds you earn will hit your PayPal account within 8-10 days of your study. (I’ve earned $395 through Respondent so far! )

Click here to join Respondent .

Read our full Respondent.io review here .

(Since recording, I’ve done a couple more studies.)

A leading source for medical research, Rare Patient Voice pays patients and caregivers $120 an hour. You can browse a full list of available studies on their site—nearly all of which are phone or webcam interviews.

If you suffer from any sort of medical condition (even if it’s not super rare), this one is worth a look.

The site is open to residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand.

While most Survey Junkie earning opportunities don’t pay much, you’ll occasionally get emails for better-paying focus group and product testing studies.

These admittedly are pretty rare, but pay up to $75.

Still, power users of the regular Survey Junkie site/app report earning up to $40 a month. 

Super popular survey app that rewards you for sharing your opinion.

The site boasts more than 20 million members and pays out more than $1 million every month.

Click here to sign up for Survey Junkie .

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Another well-established market research company is Product Report Card . They offer paid surveys, product testing and review gigs, and online focus groups.

The best-paying work is for in-home product tests and remote interviews and focus groups — often in the $75-$150/hour range.

Product Report Card will also give you a $5 welcome bonus for completing a short survey after you join. There’s a $25 minimum to cash-out.

Wynter is a newer market research company that pays up to $600 an hour for your opinion. 

They focus on B2B studies targeting industry professionals, and list clients like:

Studies are invite-only, so make to fill in as many of your professional details as you can when you create your profile.

I made $15 on my first 15-minute test.

Lightster is a unique money making app , where you get matched with brands and researchers based on your profile.

To get started, you’ll add some demographic information about yourself and answer some questions about your experience and interests.

After that, you may see some questions pop up in the app. Answer those to qualify for paid research conversations that pay $1 per minute.

I got invited to my first half hour session within a couple weeks of downloading the app, and got paid (via Amazon gift card) right away.

I was excited to discover PingPong as a newcomer to the online market research field. The service specializes in user experience testing for apps and websites, with pay rates ranging between €10 and €100 an hour. (Roughly $11-110.)

You might be curious—with the rates in euros—if this one is open to non-Europeans. PingPong let me join as an American and says they welcome testers from all over the world.

Since joining, I’ve received invites to several studies but haven’t been able to book one just yet.

Fieldwork was the company that hosted the San Francisco focus group I participated in. They have locations throughout the US:

• Los Angeles (Orange County)
• Minneapolis
• San Francisco

Compensation starts at $75 for participating in focus groups, which usually last between 1-2 hours. The drawback was I got paid in Visa gift cards instead of cash, so I went to the grocery store and bought Amazon gift cards with them instead.

Maven is a unique on-demand consulting platform. You can set your own rates to participate in one-off expert interviews, paid market research studies, and online industry surveys.

(Experts can also get hired for longer-term consulting projects, as well.)

Maven has been around since 2008, and routinely has projects paying anywhere from $25-$500+. 

Experience Dynamics specializes in user experience and user interface testing (UX and UI). Corporate clients pay Experience Dynamics to help “make their users smile,” and they turn around and pay people like you for honest feedback on website designs and software applications.

According to the site, they recruit testers worldwide with all levels of technology experience. Most studies pay between $50-$150 dollars.

Experience Dynamics also facilitates:

• Field Studies, 1-2 hour interviews at your home or work
• Diary Studies, where you record your thoughts over 1-2 weeks
• Phone Interviews
• Online Focus Groups
• Online Surveys

American Consumer Opinion is another market research company where you can qualify for several surveys a year.

Annoyingly, they insist on using their own “virtual currency” point system. Still, you can earn up to $50 worth of points for longer market research surveys.

There’s a $10 minimum to cash out and you can deposit your earnings directly into PayPal. To give you an incentive to complete the low-paying screener surveys, American Consumer Opinion will add your name to a monthly $50 drawing .

On L&E Opinions , I found nationwide studies paying $125-250.  The company has been in business over 30 years and pays out millions of dollars in research incentives every year.

FocusGroups.org is an aggregator service that lists focus groups and paid research opportunities around the country. When I registered, I saw online focus group options that paid anywhere from $75 to $625!

Topics included pets, hygiene, cooking, luxury cars, and lots more. There are some handy filters you can use to select only online or “National” studies.

Another site that pulls in lots of different paid studies, FindFocusGroups.com was a great find. 

At press time, they had the best-looking interface of most of these sites, but hadn’t been updated in several months.

When I checked, the compensation for these ranged from $50 to $200.

Through “compensated interviews” and focus groups, SIS helps brands figure out direction for their products. You’ll have to register for their database to get notified about upcoming paid studies.

I found rates from $25-200, depending on the time required and complexity of the topic. SIS recruits participants from all around the world, not just the US.

Similar to FindFocusGroups above, SurveyFeeds isn’t a market research company itself, but instead a promising “feed” of paid survey opportunities.

I found their Facebook page updated more frequently than their website, so it might be worthwhile to check there and see what you might qualify for.

The online studies I saw ranged from $75 to $300 .

Recruit and Field is one of the longest-running national market research companies. Since 1977, they’ve built up a participant database of over 300,000 consumers, business leaders, and medical professionals.

The company works with lots of name-brand clients and typically pays $100-275 for in-person and online surveys.

I recently earned $250 for a 1-hour call about business banking!

FocusGroup.com offers nationwide paid research opportunities. (The site is powered by Sago, a leading market research company.)

Be on the lookout for the “National” studies that pay between $75 and $200 . These are scheduled over the phone or webcam so you can take the calls from anywhere at times that are convenient to you.

It took a while, but I eventually earned $115 for an online study related to a well-known Seattle-area company.

The next one I did was an hour-long online focus group on credit cards that paid $100.

Other studies I saw were  related to cars, technology, and banking.

I receive a few email notifications every month with studies. Those range from around $2 for 20-minute surveys, up to $150 for 90-minute in-person or online focus groups.

Check out my full FocusGroup.com review to learn more.

When I checked out Field Voices , I found a couple available studies to apply for.

One was a neighborhood improvement interview that paid $150 for one hour, and the other was a group workshop on snacking habits that paid $300!

This firm works directly with companies as well, which means they’re not just pulling together lists of other research projects.

Consumers, medical professionals, and executives are in demand for Probe Market Research’s panels. Focus groups pay between $50 and $400, and you can often participate online or over the phone.

Major brands enlist Probe to conduct online surveys, mystery shopping gigs , mock juries, product trials, and more .

The popular and well-rated dscout app connects you with “engaging research missions.” Through those, you can get paid to share your feedback on a product or service.

Typical studies pay anywhere from $2 to $100 , paid out via PayPal. The biggest complaints from users are that the often in-depth screener surveys are unpaid.

Less of a market research firm and more of a consulting marketplace, GLG Insights aims to match you up with their clients looking for industry-specific expertise. Request to become a “Council Member” to get notified when relevant paid studies are available.

On GLG, you’ll be asked to connect your LinkedIn profile and upload a resume (or link to an online resume) to verify your career credentials. You can also name your own consulting rate — usually $100-150 and up .

After that, I answered a series of ethics questions based on GLG’s terms and conditions.

Since 2007, Zintro has been connecting researchers with industry experts. According to the site, the vast majority Zintro’s consulting and online focus groups pay between $150 and $300 per hour.

Popular industries include:

• Software and tech
• Banking and finance
• Healthcare and insurance
• E-commerce and retail
• Travel and hospitality
• and lots more

It’s free to set up your expert profile and start to get invited for calls.

WatchLab has an obnoxiously inadequate website, but they claim to facilitate all sorts of focus groups, usability tests, interviews, mock juries, and more.

The pay varies depending on the research, and may be in the form of gift cards or cash. I saw ranges from $100 to $175 for 1-2 hour focus groups. WatchLab has locations in San Francisco and Chicago, as well as online options.

For in-person focus groups, you get paid on the spot — online may take 4-6 weeks.

Mindswarms is a unique video consumer research platform. They’ll pay you $50 via PayPal to answer 10 questions about a product or service.

These studies normally take around 10 minutes and can be recorded via your webcam or smartphone, but competition to get selected can be fierce.

To create your account you’ll need to record a 60-second video about one of your passions. Or you can do this through the Mindswarms app on iOS or Android .

Earn $50-150 for online focus groups and studies. While the website doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence, 20|20 Panel has been around for over 30 years.

I found several online focus groups paying $50-200 on Focus Insite . The company popped up in my Instagram feed, a signal they’re actively recruiting new participants.

You can join their panel database as a medical, technical, or business professional, or just as a general consumer. Alternatively, you can apply directly to the available market research studies listed.

The companies listed above certainly aren’t the only research companies around, and for this side hustle, it makes sense to join as many firms as you’re comfortable with.

That way, you’re presented with all the opportunities available, not just the projects managed by one company.

Here are a few more to consider:

• Prolific  — When academic and research institutions need opinions from the general population, they turn to Prolific. The pay is a bit lower — often in the $8-15/hr range — but in my Prolific review , I found plenty of quick and easy surveys available, and you can cash out to PayPal.
• Elliott Benson — Conducting paid market research since 1995.
• PRC Market Research — You can browse upcoming projects (and their pay rate) before registering. Most studies pay $100-300/hour.
• NewtonX — Strictly for industry professionals to share their insight and get paid.
• UserTesting – Earn $10 for completing 20-minute online user tests of websites, apps, shopping portals, and more. This is pretty fun but you have to be fast because these tests get snatched up quickly.
• Pulse Labs – Earn up to $100 a week providing video feedback on products.
• Intellizoom – Get paid an average of $10 testing and reviewing websites.
• UserBrain – Receive new websites to test every week, and earn $5 for each 5-15 minute test.
• Google User Experience – Google pays gift cards for feedback on their products.
• Nelson Recruiting — Nationwide market research company established in 1980.
• Marketade – Specializes in remote usability testing, market validation, navigation research, and more.
• Engage Studies – Earn as much as $100 per focus group through this research company.
• Tell Us Your Opinion – Mainly operating in Tulsa but may have online/phone opportunities as well.
• Adler Weiner Research – In-person studies in Chicagoland and Southern California, plus remote studies nationwide.
• PrizeRebel – Earn $10-12 an hour doing surveys or completing other tasks. (Just avoid the low-paying ones.)

One big drawback to focus groups or online surveys is you’re limited in how much you can earn. It’s a great side hustle, but it’ll never be a full-time income.

Focus groups or paid research studies won’t pay your mortgage, but one or two a month will definitely help build your side hustle snowball .

Have you had any success in landing paid focus group studies? What do you think of this little supplemental side hustle?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Is there such thing as an online focus group?

Yes! Several companies facilitate online consumer research focus groups, which is great because that means you can earn money from the comfort of your home or office. Check out our full list to learn more.

How much do focus groups pay?

The pay for focus groups depends on how long the session lasts. Most commonly, you’ll find rates average around $100 an hour.

Where can I find legit paid focus groups?

Companies like Respondent, Fieldwork, and FocusGroup.com are all legit facilitators of paid focus groups. Or, for the best results, you might try an aggregator service like FindFocusGroups.com, which pools together focus group opportunities from several sources. Be sure to check the list of providers on Side Hustle Nation as well.

How do online focus groups work?

Online focus groups work either via conference call or more commonly, through a group video chat to more closely mimic the in-person experience. A moderator will lead the group discussion and participants can chime in through their webcam and computer microphone or phone line.

********* Stock photo  by Akhenaton Images via Shutterstock

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About the Author

Nick Loper is a side hustle expert who loves helping people earn more money and start businesses they care about. He hosts the award-winning Side Hustle Show, where he's interviewed over 500 successful entrepreneurs, and is the bestselling author of Buy Buttons , The Side Hustle , and $1,000 100 Ways .

His work has been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Forbes, TIME, Newsweek, Business Insider, MSN, Yahoo Finance, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Financial Times, Bankrate, Hubspot, Ahrefs, Shopify, Investopedia, VICE, Vox, Mashable, ChooseFI, Bigger Pockets, The Penny Hoarder, GoBankingRates, and more.

59 thoughts on “Online Focus Groups: 28 Paid Research Companies that Pay Up to $250 an Hour for Your Opinion”

Nice job, Nick! I have only ever been able to score low paying “mystery shopper” gigs. I get a free meal and $15 or $20 for my trouble. It usually takes about an hour, so am making $15 – $20 per hour. I have repeatedly mystery shopped a “Roy Rogers” restaurant that is on the NYS thruway. Almost every time I have had to travel to or from my daughter’s college campus I have been able to get a free meal, $10 or $15, and a portion of my tolls paid. I wouldn’t make the effort except that I am already driving by and there is a good chance that I would need a bathroom break anyway. Everybody wins. :>) I will be checking on a couple of the sites you provided to see if there is anything I qualify for.

Thanks Kevin. I’ve been half-heartedly attempting to find a mystery shopping expert to school me on how it really works :)

Hi Nick – If you are still reading these comments, I hope you will remove User Interviews from your list. After reading your article, I applied with them and was excited at first, but they have a serious flaw. They do not screen what the companies post for the surveys. First you have to take a questionnaire to see if you will be selected for the survey. Time after time you spend time answering the flawed questionnaire, and then not being selected, probably because of being forced to complete an answer that is not correct. Here’s an example that I just sent to Tabitha at User Interviews:

“I was applying for the Medical Injectibles survey, and the first several questions went well. Then there was the question “Do you care for a child with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis?” with the options of yes or no. I checked no, and I cannot imagine there are vast numbers of people who would have been able to check yes.

The next question was required, and it asked for the age of the person I care for, and had a box, also required, asking for the required medications.

Why was I prompted with that question when I had answered no?”

So that was yet another questionnaire that was flawed that completely wasted my time because I could not proceed. I have asked them to remove me from all further communication as I want nothing to do with them anymore, and I honestly don’t think you should be recommending them.

Hmm sorry for the trouble, Balinda. I agree, their conditional logic on the screener surveys could be better — or they could just advance to a “thanks but you’re not a fit” page. When those types of funky follow-up questions happen for me, I just back out and go back to the list since it’s clear I’m not going to qualify.

Nick, this list is AWESOME! I’ve been using User Interviews for about a month and a half and it seems like I hardly ever get selected for any of the surveys. In fact, I’ve only been selected for 1 so far (which literally took 10 minutes and I got a $30 Amazon gift card) and the second one I got approved for, by the time I got around to actually confirming my spot that evening, it was already fully booked up! I’m wondering with all the different options available if it would be feasible to make some decent side money – assuming the time commitment doesn’t get overwhelming. I’m gonna dig into this a little I think and see what I can come up with.

Hey Kyle, I hope you found some good “side jobs.” You mentioned that you used user interviews and only got 1 job. I’m so surprised by that. I have been using them for a few months and I have made a good bit of money. I had a 20 minute telephone survey and was paid $150! I had another that was in person. They came to my apt (they originally said to see my wardrobe in closet, but never did) they interviewed me on camera for about 10-15 minutes and then we went to a clothing store! They asked me if I liked the store, clothes, etc. In all I was with them about an hour. I got $350! I could have made another $100 for doing “homework,” but I was too busy. That’s just 2 of jobs I had from them. Anyway, I just wanted you to know, bcuz you should keep trying with them. I plan on hitting all these new ones, thanks to Nick! Good Luck!

It’s funny you bring this topic up. I LITERALLY started signing up for focus groups last Monday (going on two weeks) and I’ve already made $650. Most have came from respondent. I also signed up for the Reddit r/paidstudy group as well as the cool work ideas.com FB which posts multiple studies a day. I’m loving it so far!

Hi Nick, I’ve been using ACOP for a few years now it does take a long time to gather up money. I usually wait till I get up around $50 or so to cash in. The problem I find is it takes two to three months for it to show up in my Pay Pal account, very slow turn around.

Nick, I’ve been doing these for several years. I probably average about $1,000 per year doing these. This a great comprehensive list!

I tried Mindswarms. I had no trouble creating a profile video (though it really does not flatter me, nor had I trouble applying for studies. However, I have been on there for over a month, and I have been rejected for every. Single. Study. Besides that, they do not ever bother telling me, or giving me helpful suggestions. Their FAQ section is so useless as to be counterproductive. And I suspect that my mind and my interests are not average enough to make Mindswarms (or online studies/surveys in general) worth my while.

Here is a good rule of thumb: if you prefer the musical works of Vasily Kalinnikov (or just know who Vasily Kalinnikov was) over “Lady” Gaga, do not bother with surveys. Only the most average individuals with the most average minds can succeed with this rubbish. Or so my experiences would indicate.

Actually, the opposite is true. just regular surveys do kind of suck. However, the focus groups and interviews and so forth, all the ones that I’ve actually gotten into have been because I’m weird or different. That’s why so many people get declined. They look for people who don’t conform, mostly because they’re looking for new and innovative ideas. Why would you research the monotonous and mundane?

Thanks so much for the information. I signed up on Respondent today and have a 71% match on 1 survey. We’ll see how it goes.

I just tried to sign up with Respondent, and probably I’m the only one in the world with this problem of not having any social media sites. They want to verify your work on LinkedIn or your FB profile. I don’t have a FB account nor do I have a LinkedIn account. I know, I must be living in a cave, but the work I do does not allow me to use social media. What to do? I guess Respondent is out. Bummer.

This is pretty much the same for me too, Shari. Even if I had an account on social media I would only have my family and close friends on it. I wouldn’t want to give some site access. I also ran into one (can’t remember the name) where they wanted you to upload a video of yourself in order to get the surveys. I am also not comfortable with that. I’ve signed up with all that was listed above. We’ll see how it goes. Good luck to you!

Since I haven’t seen it noted in the comments or main blog anywhere I just wanted to put it out there that technically if you make over $600 with any single company like this they are supposed to issue a 1099 for your payouts. Normally if you accumulate that much over a year they may not bother BUT I was lucky enough to get into a study that paid $875 which immediately put me over that threshold. So then they issued a 1099 for all my earnings from them in that year. That hurt at tax time. This year I’m going to spread it out over as many companies as I can to hopefull get a lot but no single one over $600. And if you are lucky enough to get into a single high paying study, keep the tax implication in mind.

Very nice blog post. Thanks for sharing. On respondent I made $30 today. Not bad!

Thanks Nick, this list is AWESOME! I’ve been doing surveys and focus groups for about a year. I’ve had some great paying, easy jobs. I’ve also spent, what felt like like forever, time trying to qualify for them to no avail. However, from my experience, I can definitely say not to give up! Surveys are time consuming with little pay, for the most part. Focus groups, interviews, etc., is where the money is! I have been looking for more sites and you just gave me a bunch! I am gonna try them all! Keep the info coming! Thanks again!

I’m wondering if the earning need to be claimed on our taxes? Is there a record that we are being paid? Do these companies ask for any personal information? Thanks

Try Jackson/Adept in Los Angeles. They have a Beverly Hills and Encino location.

Here are Metro Detroit Focus Groups and my reviews of them

Morpace Inc. 31700 Middlebelt Road Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Phone: (248) 737-5300 http://www.morpace.com Pays $80-$250 Focus Group Surveys (In Person). If they over fill the group which happened to me on one occassion then you get paid instantly without doing the survey. They pay by check or cash after the 1-2 hour in person survey. They offer surveys 1-2 times a year.

Shifrin Hayworth 26400 Lahser Rd #430, Southfield, MI 48033 Phone: (248) 223-0020 https://www.shifrin-hayworth.com/ Pays $50-$300 Focus Group Surveys (In Person). They pay by check or cash in person after the 1-2 hour survey. They offer surveys about 1-2 times a year.

I recently learned that you can only participate in 1 survey every 6 months which is why after being asked if you’ve done one recently you get disqualified.

I just did a study for them last week. They promised a $200 virtual gift card within 48 hours but it’s been a week and still nothing. They’ve stopped answering my emails and I can’t find a phone number for them, which seems pretty shady.

Did they ever get back to you/pay you?

So I have had really good luck with a lot of these companies you listed. I am a stay at home mom have been looking into all this and actively participating for about 6 weeks and made over 3000 dollars I have made 630 dollars on users interviews, 585 on respondents, 310 on user testing, 270 on validately usability studies , 250 on 20/20 panel, about 140 on intellizoom/ what users do Usability studies, 90 dollars on TrymyUI, and 50 on ping pong research. I have also made 375 dolars from focus point global. plus more companies that i got under 20 each from so there is money to be made here if you invest the time. I have done one on one studies with a web cam, phone interviews, product testing (shampoos, and even new cereal), online diary studies (usually about things you eat), and lots of usability studies. the key is knowing how to answer the screener questions. Thank you so much for your list I am going to check out the companies I have not uses yet

Whoa that’s awesome Casondra – thanks for sharing!

Hi Nick-I just found this post and thank you for “heads up”… I’m writing to share with you two top performers here in Seattle for in-person focus groups. In-Sight Space and Fieldwork / Seattle.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few gigs with each of these company’s who conduct only focus groups. Most of the time the pay is cash on the spot and the groups range from 45 minutes to 2 hours. These two company’s have frequent remarkably high-paying gigs. It’s fairly common to attend a 90 minute focus group that pays anywhere from 150.00 – 350.00. On occasion I’ve landed one of their mock jury groups, sometimes held at one of Seattle’s finest hotels and lasts close to 8 hours. These mock jury groups have paid me between 300.00 to 550.00 for the gig and always provide a catered breakfast and lunch. Again, thanks for sharing your information and I hope you’re able to use my information and experience to help others.

Sincerely, Jason B.

Nice, Jason — thanks for sharing!

I’m registered with two companies for focus group and mock jury participation. I’ve done both and found them enjoyable and worthwhile. Usually payment was cash. One time it was a VISA gift card. The mock juries required more hours than the focus groups. One was Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Saturday evening. My experience has been food and beverages were provided when the event was more than 3 hours.

Participants were usually limited to one event in 6 months.

I’ve seen a large dropoff in opportunities since I reached a certain age. Sigh.

Very occasionally the local newspaper has a classified ad for focus group participants.

I need the mock jury site

Ok…I see several people are interested in Mystery Shopping so I thought I’d share a little info. I have done a lot of mystery shopping in the past and love it. Not amazing money but interesting and I enjoyed it. So…here are a few sites to start with…I hope this is OK…I see a few people said they would send information, but a lot of others requested info and I don’t know if they got what they needed. I hope this helps. So…first… this is the official website of the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association…it has a ton of good info and resources https://www.mspa-global.org/index.html Work available always depends on the type of job you are interested in and where you are located so the best companies to work with will vary for different people. Here are some other resources that may help… https://www.mysteryshopperjobfinder.com/members/resources/mspa-interview/ https://www.mysteryshopforum.com/ https://www.mysteryshoppermagazine.com/?source=forum-top-discussions and last but not least… https://www.shadowshopper.com Shadow Shopper…the first thing that pops up when you google Shadow Shopper will be scam alerts. I’m here to tell you it is not a scam. I have used them for years off and on. They do have a fee option, and to get anywhere, you probably will want to use it at least for a short time. But a lot of job boards charge a small fee. Basically it is where companies post work that they need to get done and shoppers go to find work. It’s a great way to see what is available in your area and skill set and interest and sign up with those companies offering that work. You can go out on your own and start just looking into shopping sites, but that sign up processing can be lengthy and if you pick one that doesn’t offer work in your area or jobs you want, you have wasted time and effort. Once you sign up with a few companies that you’ve found on Shadow Shopper, move on until you want to look for more. No need to keep your subscription if you have the work your want. Just my suggestion, but it has landed me several really good opportunities. One lasted years and was around made me around $2000/yr. Oh…and if you are wanting a list of companies…go here… it’s a tedious process to choose, but it’s an option… https://www.mysteryshopforum.com/companies/ Good luck and enjoy :)

Thank you Anna!

I’ve used Focus Pointe Global and Schlesinger in the Boston area for years. I’ve made really good money with them ($75-200 per session). People seem to over-estimate how difficult this all is. Sign up in the database, fill out a survey if you get an e-mail, if you pre-qualify for a study they call you to screen you again, you either qualify or you don’t on that phone call. If you’re picked, you go to their office and sit with the other people picked and just give your opinion for about 90 minutes. The hardest part for me is fighting traffic to get to the office in the city. These focus groups have been a lifesaver for me in periods of unemployment.

Will you get called every week about a survey? No, you definitely won’t, maybe not every month either. But if you sign up with 5-10 companies your chances of getting picked go up. And I agree that sites like Swagbucks are more or less a waste of time. It’s very small money.

Everyone is asking: How do I join? You have to go to the companies website and sign up for the panel (“Join the Panel”) and then wait. Also, the bigger companies post surveys on their Facebook pages so sign up for their notifications.

I do the best with Respondent, User Interviews and UTest.com. Also check out Affectiva’s job listings if you’re in the Boston area. I’ve made a lot helping to test out their automotive AI.

I have been doing focus groups online for prob 3 years or so. I have done a lot of them with watchlab and user interviews. Also accelerant research is a good one. Field work is another I’ve done them with. I’m sure there is more that I’ve used but i gotta tell u that these have been a life saver for me at times. I most recently did one that paid $400 which is the most I’ve made. I am signed up and in the databases of all that u listed plus a few others like accelerant research. Oh yeah another great place is Elliot Benson research.

Thanks for sharing Shelley!

you might try Mturk if you money to pay…

Great job on this article! I’ve been doing focus groups for many years. Probably made about $2,000 or so altogether.

I’d also recommend instapanel. I’ve been using them for several years to complete video surveys. They pay $20 for about 5-10 minutes of work. Here’s a link: https://instapanel.com/ .

I work for one of the market research companies that hire these focus group facilities/recruiters to get us the research we need. For in person focus groups (in facility) you can expect to get paid around $100 per hour, and more expensive if you’re in a specialty group (certain ailments, professionals such as tech). For online focus groups they run around $75 per hour.

If you want to know the panels to join around your area to join focus groups, I’d recommend going on Green Book (for research) and search on recruiters or facility around your neighborhood. This is where researchers go to find panels to do research with and you’ll get more opportunities with the facilities/recruiters there.

I don’t recommend online surveys bc you might terminate out of many surveys before you complete one and they won’t pay you more than $5 for one, and that’s on the rare end. Hope this helps!

Appreciate the insight — thanks Michelle!

I love love love all the great information I just obtained by reading your blog. OMG ! If anyone has any leads for Indiana specifically please let me know. I know of Herron Associates does a lot of research focus groups. Just go to their website and sign up. Ive done a few for them in the past and made anywhere from $50-150 for about an hour or so in person focus group. I think those are great and very interesting. If anyone wants to contact me to give me some tips on the mystery shopping I’d greatly appreciate it. TIA ( Thanks in Advance) Carrie

Thanks a bunch for the informative post! I signed up for several of the ones you have on this list and already got selected for a study. Just curious – most of the prescreen questions ask if you’ve recently participated in a study. If you have (I’ll fall into this bucket once I complete the study I just got picked for), does that greatly reduce your chances of being selected for another one?

Hi, are any of these open to people under 18?

All clinical trials are for ages 18-99.

Amalia, I apologize. I read your question to quickly & transposed the numbers. I thought you said 81.I’m rarely asked to prove my age, but they may have some way of checking. Product reviews are open to 16+, I believe. I’ve never had to show my ID online, only when I do things in person. Obviously medical care you’d show your ID.

Withpower.com is a great website to checkout medical trials. There are all sorts & bonus if you need medical care & don’t have the money to pay for it. Some just monitor or interview you…all the way up to getting medicated treatment for your condition. I even saw dental work on there.

Every clinical research compensated me for my time & travel. It’s always paid out very well for me & it’s definitely worth the time. I got $365 for downloading an app on my phone that I recorded how long I slept the night before.They sent a little survey with 4 questions every day to the app & I told them what time I went to bed, did I wake up during the night, how long did it take me to get back to sleep, and what time I woke up. I got paid in intervals at week 2, 6, 10, & 14. Super easy money.

I’m on #4 of this list now. User interviews has been fair to me. I’ve seen product reviews, online, and focus groups on there. If they let you know that you are qualified, act quickly!

Clinical research & focus groups are my favorite. I used to like doing product reviews & I still do. But once you really start getting into it, the rewards get better & better. Thank you so much, Nick. Yes, I referred you when signing up. You deserve it.

Hi Nick, this is a great job.

Many of these websites do not authorize participants from Nigeria and Africa. They have country-based restrictions. It sucks.

I have a master’s degree in business administration. I have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I have a postgraduate diploma in economics, a postgraduate diploma in education and a professional diploma in early childhood education. I have a CEFR Level C1 in IELTS exam. I have done some surveys in my country, Nigeria and I performed well.

What survey sites do you recommend that do not have country-based restrictions? I am really curious Nick.

Great article! Was certain of when it was published until I checked the comments, so it is a few years old. Has anyone ever worked with SCR (SmartConnectResearch) and have any feedback to share here?

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33 Best Paid Focus Groups Online (Make $450+/Hour)

Getting paid for sharing your opinions sounds pretty great, right? That’s exactly what online focus groups offer – an easy way to earn extra cash without leaving your home.

But not all focus groups are created equal – some pay much better than others, and it can be tough to know which ones are worth your time. So how do you find the best paid focus groups online that actually pay well?

Stick around, and I’ll show you where to find the top options and how you can maximize your earnings.

Key Takeaways

Here are my top three picks when it comes to companies that offer focus group opportunities that pay seriously well:

✔️ Survey Junkie – Easily my top pick. Plenty of options available at any given time, with some paying seriously well (some even pay you up to $150 an hour – truly), and it’s free to sign up for. This one is definitely legit.

✔️ Respondent – Very high quality surveys on offer, which is why they’re used by major companies to get information. I’ve even seen them offer $250 for a one-hour focus group , which is basically unheard of elsewhere.

✔️ Ipsos i-Say – One of the largest market research companies in the world, particularly for politics. Their biggest advantage is that they accept people signing up globally – although those $100 per hour focus groups are pretty good too.

Table of Contents

Best paid focus groups

There are a ton of sites setting out options for you to do paid focus groups online or near you, with all of them being free to sign up for. 

In most cases, actually signing up for the sites is the only way to see the available focus group opportunities. This is why it’s a good idea to sign up for as many as you can to give yourself the best chance possible to qualify for a focus group and to make some extra money.

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is mainly focused on offering surveys for you to complete, which take just a couple of minutes each and will pay you a few dollars per survey.

However, they also offer focus groups online, as well as sometimes conducting them in-person or even by phone. In fact, Survey Junkie pays up to $150 for you to join one of their paid focus groups , which will usually require you to go through a few pre-qualification questions to allow you to be selected.

The best part here is that signing up for Survey Junkie is completely free , allowing you to keep an eye on what’s available at absolutely no cost to you.

QUICK TIP:  Given how popular Survey Junkie’s focus groups are, it’s a good idea to select the option to be notified of these by email – that way, you can grab one as soon as it’s available.

All you have to do is sign up for Survey Junkie , then go the notification part of your profile settings. Click to receive the notifications you want and you’re good to go!

2. Respondent

Respondent is well known for offering a massive range of paid focus groups online. But what’s even better is that when it comes to high paid market research online, Respondent is easily the best around.

In fact, you can earn up to $250 just for a one-hour focus group . You can also be based anywhere in the world to do this. 

To apply to join a Respondent focus group, you simply need to create an account and set up your profile.

One great part of using Respondent is that, after you sign up with them, you’ll immediately have access to all of the different focus groups that are currently available to you.

This is much better than some of the other companies , which only reach out to you by email if they think you’re a fit so it can be hard to know exactly how many are on offer.

Sign up for Respondent here to see which paid focus groups are available to you right now.

Related: Make $200 a Day Online: 17 Ways That Are Proven To Work

3. Ipsos i-Say

Ipsos i-Say is one of the largest market research companies in the world, having been in this business for decades now. Not only does this mean they work with companies in all sorts of industries, but they also accept focus group participants from all over the world.

Their paid focus groups will generally let you earn up to around $100 for a one-hour session, however you can also download the i-Say app to do surveys through your phone. These will only pay up to about $1.50 per survey, although they’re much faster than the focus group sessions.

Sign up for free with Ipsos i-Say here.

4. User Interviews

User Interviews is one of the most well-known companies offering paid focus groups and it helps that signing up is very simple.

Essentially, simply create your profile and the system will start automatically linking you up with any offers you qualify for.

And regarding how much you can earn, the starting range is around $75 for a half-hour session . From there, the amount you can earn can go way up depending on how much of your time is needed and how specialized the questions are. 

In cases where you really need some background experience to participate, you can even earn up to $450 just for a one-hour focus group session.  While this is the crème de la crème of high paid market research online, opportunities at this rate aren’t so common – but there’s no reason why you couldn’t strike the jackpot and qualify for one!

5. Recruit and Field

Recruit and Field mainly does online paid focus groups, although there are occasionally options to do these in person.

And given how highly rated this company is online, you know they’re legitimate.

You’ll generally earn anywhere between $100 to $300 per study , with payment usually being made by PayPal although you can choose to get this paid through gift cards instead.

Recruit and Field does a lot of market research in professional and technical areas, meaning they are particularly on the lookout for focus group participants with specialized backgrounds, such as in the medical or legal fields. This means that if you’ve worked in these areas, Recruit and Field could be a good fit for you.

Related: 29 Quick Tips on How to Make $300 Fast

6. PingPong

PingPong is one of the newer sites offering paid focus group opportunities, but this doesn’t make it any less legitimate. In fact, their clients include companies like Skyscanner, Nestle, Dropbox and McKinsey.

You can earn up to €100 per hour for their focus group sessions, which are also open to those in the US and other countries outside of Europe, despite their rates being in Euros.

There’s also the chance to get paid to test websites with PingPong, if you’d prefer that as a money making option.

Related: 25 Websites Where You Can Get Paid to Type Online

7. Google Usability

Google Usability allows you to participate in focus groups online for money directly through Google. These surveys specifically focus on you sharing your thoughts on Google products, which are mostly done online but there is the chance to do in-person studies from time to time.

You’ll earn around $75 per hour which, while not the top paying focus group on this list, does have the perk of knowing you’re directly shaping the products of one of the biggest companies in the world.

8. American Consumer Opinion

American Consumer Opinion has over six million users worldwide and is mainly focused on paying you to complete surveys. These don’t pay that much (up to around $0.50 per survey), but it does also have longer focus group surveys from time to time that pay up to about $50 each.

You’re not paid in straight up cash – instead, you earn points for each one you complete. These points can then be cashed out either through PayPal or by check.

9. 20|20 Panel

20|20 Panel pays between $50 to $150 for giving your ideas on its clients’ products and services. Having existed for more than 30 years, it’s considered as being one of the more established market research companies.

While they do have offices in several US cities, they mainly do online paid focus groups, meaning you can apply to participate from anywhere in the world.

10. Focus Pointe Global

Focus Pointe Global in the US (and its sister company in the UK, Inspired Opinions ) mainly offers online focus groups, although there are also sometimes in-person options in one of their 16 offices throughout the US.

You’ll be paid anywhere between $50 to $250 for participating and it seems that they have a particular preference for anyone interested in discussing their thoughts on various medical issues. 

This doesn’t only mean people with a professional medical background, as it can also include those who’ve suffered from an illness in the past and are willing to share their thoughts on various aspects relating to this.

It’s also worth mentioning that Focus Group by Schlesinger reviews, as this company is now more commonly known after it was bought out by Schlesinger, aren’t always amazing. That said, a lot of these seem to arise from some confusion by those who filled in their profiles and thought that this automatically qualified them to do paid market research. 

Just be aware that that’s not the case for any company that runs paid focus groups – and the reviews of this company for people who did actually do some of their surveys are generally positive in terms of how much and when you’re paid.

11. Mindswarms

Mindswarms takes full advantage of the fact that we all have phones with cameras by having participants answer market research questions by simply filming themselves then uploading their responses to the Mindswarms app.

This is much easier than having to attend an online focus group at a set time, as you can be as flexible as you want in terms of when you record and share your opinions.

It’s also very quick, as you’ll only ever have to answer up to seven questions in one go, allowing you to earn $50 for doing this.

12. Survey Feeds

Survey Feeds may not have the fanciest looking website on this list, but it has some incredible payouts for participating in a paid focus group.

These are offered both online and, in some cases, in-person, with the rates being among the highest you’ll see in this field. Standard rates are up to around $175 for a one-hour session but, as you can see below, they also have offers for you to earn $500 for a 60-minute in-person survey.

And you can even find the occasional one that will pay you $2,000 for a two-day market research workshop, as well as travel costs.

13. Find Focus Groups

Find Focus Groups has been around since 2006 and claims to have listed over 70,000 legitimate focus groups in the US.

They offer the chance to discuss your thoughts on all sorts of topics, including finance, travel, video games, food, sports and more.

You can search by city or state to find paid focus groups near you on their site. There are also options for those aged from 16 years old, for any teens looking to make money .

Related: 29 Legit Online Jobs for Teens to Make Serious Money

14. FocusGroups.org

FocusGroups.org has focus group opportunities in more than 47 cities around the US, allowing you to earn up to $250 per group. In fact, they say that they’ve paid out over $16.5 million to participants.

You don’t even need to create a profile to see the paid focus groups near you, as you can simply click on your city on their homepage to see what each group will discuss and the payout.

15. Apex Focus Group

Apex Focus Group is essentially a search engine for different paid focus groups being offered around the US. While some of these are online, many of them let you find focus groups near you given that they all list any location requirements.

Almost all of them pay well in excess of $100, with several paying between $300 and $400 for your participation in what are mostly consumer-related questions.

Find out more in our Apex Focus Group review .

16. Fieldwork

Fieldwork focuses on consumer-related questions, so if you’re interested in doing a paid focus group where you talk about the clothes you buy or the banks where you have accounts, this could be for you.

They have a list of cities in the US where they hold in-person focus groups. However, if you don’t live in one of these cities, you can also register to join their National Database for when they need focus group participants who aren’t located in a particular place.

17. Craigslist

From time to time, you can find paid focus groups on Craigslist. These are often with legitimate companies who aim to get a wider range of people by advertising on there.

Of course, as with all things Craigslist, make sure you check what’s involved before going somewhere in-person for this.

18. Facebook

Facebook can be great for finding out about opportunities to join paid focus groups. For example, the Find Focus Groups page lists all of their recently added opportunities for which they need participants.

By following these pages, you’ll increase your chances of seeing it and applying before anyone else.

More focus group panels to do high paid market research online

If the options above aren’t quite enough for you, then there are plenty of other sites offering opportunities to do focus group surveys that pay!

Check out the list below for some extra options to do focus groups online for money.

• Brand Institute
• Experience Dynamics
• Field Voices
• Focus Group
• GLG Insights
• Maru Springboard America
• Plaza Research
• Probe Market Research
• SIS International
• Survey Squad
• 2020 Research

How much do focus groups pay?

While rates will vary, most focus groups pay anywhere between $25 to $150 per session. The amount you’ll receive will depend on how long the session takes and the level of expertise required to participate, with some even offering up to $450 per hour for your time.

If you attend an in-person focus group, you could also get some money to cover your transport costs and, if the session takes more than a few hours, even some money for food.

Based on my experience, the sites with the most frequent availability of high-paying focus groups are Survey Junkie (up to $150) and Respondent (up to $250).

While some there are some high paid market research opportunities that do pay more from time to time, they don’t tend to have offers available as frequently as these two. That means that you tend to earn more over time with these sites.

The ones that pay more generally require you to have some specific expertise in a certain area. It’s worth noting though that these aren’t the norm and so don’t expect these to become available all the time.

Most companies that hold pay focus groups pay via check, bank transfer or as PayPal cash . In some cases, especially with online focus groups that pay, you may get paid with a gift card for companies like Amazon, Visa or even PayPal which is, in effect, getting paid in cash.

In the case of a few sites, you’ll earn points instead of straight up cash. Those points can also be exchanged for gift cards.

Related: 43 Amazing Under the Table Jobs that Pay Cash

Can you make a living doing focus groups?

Doing paid focus groups is great to earn some extra cash, but it’s going to be difficult to make a living doing this. This is because while some market research groups do pay well as an hourly rate, it’s generally not going to be enough to replace your main source of income.

This is why your goal in doing paid focus groups shouldn’t be to make a living. Instead, it’s a great way to make some extra cash in addition to your more consistent ways of making money.

Are $350 surveys real?

The possibility of doing $350 surveys is definitely real, although it’s good to keep in mind that this isn’t a standard rate. Instead, these tend to only be available to people with specific expertise in a certain area who thus need to be paid for their experience.

It’s much more likely that you’ll earn anywhere between $25 and $150 for doing paid focus groups. Only in some very specialized cases can you earn much more than this, although these definitely can go up to and even exceed $350.

It’s also worth highlighting the fact that these great earning rates apply to paid focus groups, not the kind of surveys you’ll find in apps. While those surveys can be a very good way to make a few extra dollars, especially at times when you’d probably just be wasting time on your phone anyway, you’re more likely to make $3.50 from these rather than $350.

What is a paid focus group?

A paid focus group is a small group of people who earn money in exchange for providing their opinions on a particular topic, such as for market research or political analysis. The aim is to use this information to determine the position of the general population on these same issues.

Focus groups can be conducted either online or in-person, but generally aim to have a diverse set of people participating. This is so that the company doing the research can have as wide a range of opinions represented in their findings as possible.

What is an example of a focus group?

An example of a focus group is one that’s held prior to the launch of a new product. In doing this, the company developing the product is able to gauge the general public’s opinion on issues relating to the product, including any marketing campaigns surrounding this.

The people participating in a high paid market research focus group like this won’t only be asked about the new product itself. They may also be asked about any competitors, such as their opinion on these competitors, whether they’ve used any competing products and what made them choose to use that specific competing product (or not, as the case may be).

Focus group participants may also be asked for their opinions on advertisements, either for the product in question or other similar ones.

By doing this, it helps a company to shape both the product and the marketing around it to suit their target audience before the actual launch.

How do focus groups work in-person?

Focus groups that are held in person are undertaken by having you and the other participants come to a venue to discuss a particular topic together. Usually, there will be a moderator in the room guiding the discussion and taking notes.

Their job isn’t to encourage you to have a certain opinion. Instead, they simply want to hear your thoughts on each of the different questions they want the discussion to cover.

You’ll often be sharing your thoughts as part of a group in the same room, meaning you’re able to discuss your opinions with the other participants to hear what they have to say and vice versa.

Not all in-person focus groups take place over just one session. However, if you’re asked to come a few times, you’ll also be paid for each session you attend.

How do online focus groups work?

Online focus groups work in a similar way to in-person focus groups, except that you join via an online platform. You’ll often be asked to do this with your webcam turned on, meaning that everyone can see you and discuss the various questions essentially the same way as they would in-person.

Expect to receive a link to access the discussion in the days before the focus group session. This may be using more generic software, like Skype, but some paid market research companies do have their own applications they ask you to use.

You’re also likely to be recorded if you join any online focus groups that pay, although this is also similar to what happens during in-person focus groups as well.

Online focus groups are becoming more popular these days for doing paid market research, as it’s much cheaper and logistically easier than trying to get everyone into one room. It also allows for a more diverse range of opinions, as people can join from literally anywhere in the world. This clearly compares to in-person focus groups, which have to generally be limited to those who are within driving distance of the venue.

Pros and cons of doing focus groups for money

When looking at the pros and cons of doing focus groups for money, the advantages include the following:

• It’s a quick way to make a good amount of money. It’s rare to find a side hustle that can make money in one hour (up to $150!), but doing paid focus groups definitely meets that criteria.
• It’s fun to talk about your opinions. Most people like to talk about what they think, so the fact that you can actually get paid well for this is just icing on the cake.
• Your opinions can have an actual impact. By doing paid focus groups, these companies use this information to shape consumer and political action going forward. It can definitely be nice to know you have that kind of influence.

That said, there are some disadvantages in using focus groups as a way to make money that are worth considering. In particular:

• It’s not a steady way to make extra money. While the hourly rate of doing paid focus groups is amazing, it’s difficult to do this consistently. With paid market research companies often looking for a specific demographic, you’re not always going to qualify, meaning you can’t rely on this as an extra source of income.
• It can be hard to find paid focus groups that actually pay well. While there are plenty of options out there to earn good money doing this, there are also a lot of companies that try to undercharge. It can be tempting to accept any focus group opportunity in the hope of making some money, but make sure you know what your time is worth.
• The process of getting accepted into a focus group can be frustrating. Basically all of the sites advertising paid focus group opportunities require you to apply to participate – which you can only do if you meet some prerequisites. Even ticking off all the initial criteria doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be accepted, meaning it can get pretty frustrating when you want to make money in this way but don’t seem to be able to crack the code.

Are paid focus groups legitimate?

Paid focus groups are definitely a legitimate way to make money. There are dozens of major market research companies out there that rely on focus groups for shaping their customers’ activities, which means they pay very well for you to participate in these.

This doesn’t mean that all companies that run paid focus groups are legitimate, of course. Some do try to undercharge, which is why the list in this article focuses only on those that are known to be legitimate, including in how they treat participants.

Given that you can be paid upwards of $150 for only an hour of your time, this is clearly an hourly rate that you’re not going to get everywhere. In addition, by sticking to the market research companies on this list, you can be assured that they’re reliable and that you’ll actually get paid each time.

How do you find focus groups?

You can find focus groups by signing up with companies that make paid market research opportunities available and completing your profile. This is because, even if they have open focus groups currently, you will generally only be accepted if you are in their target demographic .

This is why it’s a good idea to sign up for as many of the best focus group websites and focus group companies as you can. By doing that, you’re making yourself available for as many focus groups as possible, in allowing these companies to check your personal characteristics and determine if you’re a fit.

Of course, you should also do your own research to make sure you’re comfortable sharing this information with each company. A simple Google search is usually a great start to see other people’s reviews on their own experiences doing paid focus groups with these companies. Checking these companies’ social media profiles can also really help.

How to join a focus group

To join a focus group, you must first complete your profile with the relevant company and then apply to join available focus group opportunities. The researcher will review your profile to see if you’re in the target demographic, so you may be contacted for more details about yourself.

Paid focus groups often need a wide variety of people to ensure they’re getting the broadest range of opinions possible. This is why they need this information about you – to make sure you’re the right fit and not waste your or their time.

How do you get picked for focus groups?

To get picked for a focus group, make sure your profile is as complete as possible. That way, researchers will easily be able to tell if you’re a good fit for their group. You should also apply for as many as possible to give yourself the best chance of success.

Researchers are just as busy as the rest of us, so they don’t have time to stare at your profile for a while and wonder if you tick all of their boxes. Instead, they’re much more likely to quickly check your details and, if anything is missing or not clear, just skip over you for someone else who’s been more detailed about who they are.

The other tip to get picked for focus groups is simple: you gotta be in it to win it. Simply applying for a paid focus group definitely doesn’t mean you’ll be accepted, so the more you voluneer for, the more likely it is you’ll be selected.

Are focus groups good for making money?

Doing paid focus groups is definitely a great way to make some extra money. The hourly rate is almost unmatched and there’s no question that it’s fun to talk about what you think with a captive audience. However, it isn’t a consistent way to increase your income.

That is, the biggest downside in treating paid focus groups as a side hustle is a lack of consistency in terms of your earnings. It’s almost impossible to guarantee that you’ll qualify for participating in one of these groups every week, for example as it’s so dependent on what paid market research is needed – and, in particular, from who.

No matter how great your experience has been in participating in paid focus groups previously, if you’re not in the demographic they’re looking for in a specific session, you’re not going to be able to participate in the next one. This can be pretty frustrating, especially if you’ve had success before doing paid focus groups and making serious money doing this.

This is why I recommend that while paid focus groups are great for making money, treat it just as one of your side hustles, not your main one. That way, you’ll be sure that you have as much money coming in as possible – and if you happen to qualify for a well-paying focus group at any point, then even better!

Anna is the founder of LogicalDollar and a personal finance expert, having been featured in Forbes, HuffPost, Reader’s Digest, Bankrate, MSN Money, Yahoo! Finance, CreditCards.com and many more. With more than 10 years of experience in the financial and legal industries, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in these fields, as well as her own journey in turning $60,000 in debt into a thriving investment portfolio, she’s committed to helping others get on the path to financial freedom.

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The 15 Best Sites for Paid Research Studies

Jenni Sisson, Contributor

• Updated May 24, 2024

Paid research studies are somewhat similar to survey sites , but these studies go a lot more in-depth. The marketing company may ask you to keep a diary of your activities for a week or longer, or they may conduct multiple hour-long phone interviews. They’ll also screen your demographic info much more carefully than if you were conducting simple product tests . 

As such, the payout for research studies is much more than for surveys, with between $50 and $100 per hour being common. Read on to find out more about paid research studies, and which ones are worth your time.

Table of Contents

Key Facts About Paid Research Studies

These studies vary in form and topic and sometimes go by different names, like clinical trials, focus groups, shopalongs, user surveys, paid research opportunities and more. In each case, a company or organization hires a market research firm to answer a question. It could be anything from “Which baby food logo do moms prefer?” to “How many Hispanic citizens in Cincinnati have a favorable view of candidate John Doe?” 

The topic of the research determines what kind of study subjects the project requires, so researchers have to gather respondents of specific demographics. If you sign up for the research company’s database and you fit the profile, they will email or call you to participate in the study. In some cases, you can browse research opportunities and apply to the ones you’re most interested in.

Studies can take various forms: an emailed survey, a phone interview, a video chat, an in-person group panel, keeping a diary of certain activities and more. Your honest responses help companies make marketing and product decisions. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you pursue this side hustle:

• You won’t qualify for every study, so plan to apply to a lot of them and with multiple marketing companies.
• Answer honestly. Lie on the surveys and the recruiter will likely ban you from the platform permanently.
• Check your email regularly. Paid research studies are usually time-sensitive, and often the first respondents are rewarded for their punctuality.
• Do your homework. Not every company that claims to do research is legit. Some take your info, “disqualify you” for the study, then sell that info to other companies. Check sites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Reddit and Trustpilot to sift out the time wasters and bad actors.
• Check their payment terms. Companies pay in gift cards, cash, or via apps like PayPal. The timeframe of when you’ll be paid varies widely between companies, so read the fine print.

We’ve compiled a list of some popular companies that conduct paid research studies. Some are generalists, while some cater to a specific clientele or demographic. 

#1. User Interviews

In our experience, User Interviews offers a very high payout compared to the time spent. During our test, we earned a net rate of $55 per hour . Most of the payments are in the form of Amazon gift cards rather than cash, though there are occasionally PayPal options.

#2. Respondent

Respondent focuses their recruitment on IT/tech employees, CEOs and other industry professionals. They offer hefty compensation for participants, which can rise to as much as $750 per hour (according to their website). Respondent pays in PayPal only and only allows you to apply to three studies per day.

While the payouts for Respondent studies are high, it can be difficult to qualify for them. Professionals in IT and other technology business roles tend to have an easier time. You can only apply to the B2B studies if you link your work email to your Respondent profile.

We only earned $31 per hour in our Respondent testing , but that still makes this one of the highest-paying market research opportunities we’ve discovered. 

A Reddit user who goes by the screen name sauciestcoconut claims to have made over $2,000 with DScout , noting that their key to success is that they “literally apply to almost every single mission that I might qualify for. I skip the ones that obviously don’t relate to me (about kids or certain occupations) but I submit several applications a day.”

#4. Universities

These are the original source of paid research studies, so if you live near a university, they can be a great option to make some extra cash. They can be trickier to locate, as each department will have its own recruitment methods.

There is no central repository for these studies that we could find, but here is a list of a few major institutions to get you started:

• Carnegie Mellon (offers online research opportunities)
• University of Nebraska
• University of Texas
• University of Colorado

To sign up to be part of the pool of research study participants at your local university, do an internet search for the university’s name and “paid research studies.” Many (though not all) research studies are conducted in person.

Here’s another route to find these opportunities: if you live near a medical research university, ask your doctor if they know of any clinical trials going on that you may qualify for.

#5. Fieldwork

Fieldwork offers focus groups in 13 locations around the U.S. If you don’t live near one, you can join their online database. They especially need doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals for their studies.

After you register with their site, an employee will call or email you when you come up as a match for a study’s requirements. They have a good reputation as a legitimate company, but users say it’s imperative that you answer the phone when they call . Otherwise, they’ll move on to the next qualifying person on their list.

#6. U.S. Government Clinical Trials

The federal government is always looking for people to participate in clinical trials of various medications and treatments, many of which are conducted through the National Institutes of Health.

These studies can be a particularly good option if you suffer from a chronic medical condition, as you may gain access to cutting-edge treatments before they’re widely available. And as a general rule, these trials are safe; although they may not produce the results that the researchers are hoping for, researchers don’t conduct trials that they believe have the potential to cause harm. 

You can find a list of ongoing clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov . This is just a repository for the information; each trial is conducted by a different company, university or organization, and you’ll have to contact each study you’re applying for by phone or email. No compensation information is available on the site, and pay rates vary widely depending on factors such as the required time commitment. 

#7. FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com has 16 facilities nationwide where you can participate in face-to-face focus groups and panels. These typically pay well, since there’s more work involved in attending an in-person interview than a phone or internet survey.

This company is now owned by Schlesinger Group (rebranded as SAGO), and the change has caused some operational hiccups. For example, there have been several complaints to the Better Business Bureau of participants not getting paid and receiving poor or no communication from the company. However, most of these issues have reportedly been resolved. 

#8. Rare Patient Voice

Due to the nature of this company’s clientele, it is extremely difficult for them to match people to research studies, as they focus on rare diseases and conditions. That said, if you do qualify (and they list their ongoing studies directly on their site), you are handsomely compensated.

Rare Patient Voice has a good reputation, earning an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau . Most of the complaints from participants are related to delayed payment due to an investigation on whether the participant sped through the questions too quickly to give a thorough review. 

#9. FindFocusGroups.com

This site doesn’t host paid research studies directly; it’s more like Craigslist for vetted, high-paying focus groups. (That means you’ll have to apply to each study individually.) Focus groups are sorted by city and state, but there are nationwide online groups as well.

The interface of the site is filled with ads, so make sure that when you click on a sign-up link you’re signing up for an individual study, not clicking over to a random advertiser (some of whom make their ads looks like study invitations).

The reputation of FindFocusGroups.com is hard to speak to as the site is just a board that posts the focus groups of various companies.

#10. SIS International

As you might guess from the name, SIS International is one of the few companies on this list that is open to participants around the world. Their research covers a broad range of industries — everything from burgers to butane.

Participants seem to like participating in SIS International’s research. The company has five stars on Trustpilot and many complimentary reviews from former study participants. 

#11. Probe Market Research

Probe Market Research has three focuses: consumer studies, business-to-business research and healthcare. It’s a legit company, though some participants complain of late payments and the inconvenience of getting paid in virtual Visa cards , which can only be used online and expire in 90 days. However, the company has four stars on Yelp and most reviews are positive.

#12. Focus Insite

Though they pay well, several Reddit users note that it’s pretty hard to qualify for these studies . Though the reviews aren’t all bad; for example, Redditor stormborn29 said , “Focus Insite sent me a really nice vacuum to test, and I was paid $200 — plus I got to keep the vacuum.” 

Focus Insite does, however, have a few unresolved BBB complaints regarding the lack of payment to participants . They have an active Facebook page, but the reviews on that page look unrelated to market research or surveys. In other words, this research company appears to be legit, but we still recommend proceeding with caution. 

#13. WatchLab

If you’re curious about the latest WatchLab studies, check out their Facebook page . WatchLab’s website is geared toward companies that employ them, not participants, so you’ll get more information on Facebook. Many studies are related to social media use.

This firm is notorious for taking a long time to pay , and they’ve been dinged by many users for not paying at all. They only have 2.5 stars on Yelp (based on 32 reviews), and most of the complaints are due to nonpayment. 

GLG presents a different type of opportunity than most of the other companies on this list. They do research on big purchasing decisions, recruit expert witnesses for trials and more. They keep a list of industry experts in management, law, finance and other professional fields to interview or consult on special cases or niche studies.

“Consultants” usually have years of industry experience, and often have leadership roles. A handful of other companies do this too; AlphaSights, Guidepoint, Third Bridge and Coleman are a few others. 

The screening required to become a consultant for GLG and other high-paying research firms is extensive, as they only want respondents that have specific credentials. To get selected, veterans in this consulting side gig world recommend being very detailed in your LinkedIn profile, as recruiters for these studies rely heavily on the platform to identify potential participants.

Many studies are geared toward mid to senior-level professionals, and if you’re matched with a study, you can make up to $500 per hour or more.

#15. Recruit + Field

Recruit + Field covers the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They have an impressive list of clients, including Apple, Netflix, Clinique, Spotify and more. This company is somewhere between a GLG (looking for experts) and FieldWork (looking for all walks of life plus healthcare professionals), as they recruit in each of these areas.

Their reputation is fairly good; Recruit + Field has an A- rating on BBB (only 4 complaints, all of which have been answered). 

What About Apex Focus Group?

When we tested Apex Focus Group , we found that the platform offers none of its own paid research studies and uses misleading marketing tactics to get users to sign up for its email list. Once opted in, the company sends affiliate marketing messages to your inbox. Some of those messages contain legit focus group opportunities, but they’re the same focus groups you could find on your own — often by visiting the sites listed above.

Paid Research Study Sites: Summary and Final Thoughts

You won’t qualify for every study, and unfortunately, no amount of hard work will change that. (Plus these companies now have layers of checks and AI algorithms to vet cheating and lying, so don’t try that either). 

Because of this, paid research studies fall squarely in the side-hustle-only camp. For the best return, apply to a number of studies you have a good chance of qualifying for, and quickly respond when you get a call or email from the market research company (as many studies are deadline driven). 

Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent looking to make a few bucks during naptime or a senior project manager looking for a good-paying, low-maintenance side gig , paid research studies can be an easy way to make extra money.

Different companies cater to different demographics, and hence, want different research participants. So do your homework on the research company before you sign up to get a better response rate. 

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22 Best Places to Find Paid Research Studies (High Paying)

Last updated August 8, 2024 By Dylan Houlihan 0

Note: We may earn a commission from affiliate links on this page. These do not affect our ratings or recommendations.

Looking to level up your survey earnings and step into the world of paid research studies?

If so, you came to the right place.

Surveys are great to start out with, but doing 1-on-1 interviews and focus groups can be much more fulfilling and a higher paying, so it's worth trying out.

Below, you'll find some of the best platforms (sites and apps) to find paid research studies online and near you.

Featured Paid Study Platforms

Featured platforms are are selected based on financial incentives like affiliate partnerships and sponsorships. They help keep Swift Salary free. Thanks for your support!

User Interviews

User Interviews is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with paid study participants. Founded in 2015, the platform supports a variety of study formats (in-person, online, etc.) and types (focus groups, 1-on-1, etc.), and has been used by companies like Adobe, Spotify, Amazon, and more.

TestingTime

TestingTime is a crowdtesting platform that connects businesses and researchers with individuals looking to participate in paid user tests, interviews, focus groups, diary studies, and more. Founded in Switzerland in 2015, TestingTime is now part of the Norstat Group, and claims to pay over €1M per year to its pool of over 940k testers.

Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is a survey platform that rewards users for sharing their opinions. Founded in 2005, the platform is quite well-known in the survey space and is home to thousands of survey takers earning extra cash every month.

What Are Paid Research Studies?

The criteria a site or app has to meet to make it onto this roundup is that it must either have:

• Paid research interviews (1-on-1 interviews where you get paid to talk with a researcher face to face or over the phone)
• Paid focus groups (group interviews where you get paid to talk to researchers as part of a group)

These types of research participation opportunities typically pay a lot more than regular online surveys, questionnaires, and polls, so it makes sense to give them their own breakdown.

That said, they're not all perfect…

Pros and Cons of Participating in Research Studies

• They pay well. I've done research, participated in these, and talked to others who've participated in them, and the hourly rates you can earn from paid research studies is quite high. You're typically looking at $50-$200+ per hour for your participation.
• Fewer disqualifications. To qualify for a paid research study, you'll typically need to answer some screener questions, but these are usually short and won't take more than 5 or so minutes. From there, once you're qualified, you're in. Unless the study is cancelled (which can happen), you're almost guaranteed to make some money once you set up your interview date. No more annoying survey disqualifications 30 minutes into a questionnaire.
• Chance to make a real difference. When answering online surveys, it's hard to tell if your contributions are really making a difference. With research interviews and focus groups, you'll feel a lot more involved and your opinions feel more valued. You'll most likely meet some interesting people and learn new things along the way as well.
• The earnings aren't consistent. This is the big downside with paid research studies. While they pay really well, you most likely aren't going to be able to make a full-time income out of them. Researchers are looking for very specific people the majority of the time, so you'll have to be patient.
• You've got to be comfortable in-person, on camera, or on the phone. Some research studies take place via webcam, others take place in person, and some are done over the phone. If you're not comfortable with any of those, these types of studies aren't going to be for you.
• You'll need a proper schedule. Answering surveys from your phone can be done almost any time and anywhere. But, with research studies, you'll typically need to book in a specific time slot for your interview. Many studies are at least thirty minutes to an hour long.

Top Sites and Apps for Finding Paid Research Studies Online and Near You

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Prolific is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with paid study participants. Supported study formats include surveys, video interviews, diary studies, and more. Founded in 2014, the platform claims to be home to over 120k participants and 30k researchers.

Chicago Booth CDR

Chicago Booth CDR (Center for Decision Research) is a crowdsourcing platform for behavioral science studies and research. Here, participants from around the world can get paid to take part in studies that help researchers better understand human interaction, thinking, feelings, and more. The CDR has been conducting this type of research since 1977.

IntelliZoom

IntelliZoom is a user experience (UX) research platform where panelists can get paid to give feedback on various companies' websites, apps, and other digital products via paid studies. Founded in 2007, the platform claims to have over 1.2M panelists and over 400 customers.

Respondent is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with high-quality study participants from around the globe. The participants -- who earn money for taking part in studies -- are fully vetted and include industry professionals and general consumers.

L&E Opinions

L&E Opinions is a rewards platform where regular people and working professionals can get paid for sharing their opinions and expertise. Owned by L&E Research (a market research company founded in 1984) the platform claims to have over 1.6M panel members and over $8.8M in yearly payouts.

FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com is a rewards platform where members can get paid to participate in online surveys, research interviews, focus groups, and more. Founded in 2002, the platform claims to have paid out over $65M in a single year.

dscout is both a crowdsourcing marketplace and a rewards platform. Researchers can use it to conduct studies while Scouts can join and make money sharing their insights and experiences. The types of research conducted on dscout can include diary studies, photo/video responses, usability tests, and much more.

Testable Minds

Testable Minds is a crowdsourcing platform that connects participants with researchers conducting psychological and behavioral experiments and scientific studies. Founded in 2015, the platform claims to have 12k+ researchers and 85k+ participants.

UserCrowd is a crowdtesting platform where testers can get paid to provide feedback on products, websites, and applications via surveys, usability tests, and more. Founded in 2008, the platform claims to have over 320k clients, including brands like L'Oréal, GoDaddy, Asana, Google, Airtable, and more.

Ubertesters

Ubertesters is a crowdtesting platform that facilitates the connection between those looking for testing services and those looking to make money testing things like websites and apps. Founded in 2013, the platform claims to have over 80k testers across the globe and to have worked with well-known clients like Zalando, Monday.com, NBC, and more.

Tryber is a crowdtesting platform where testers can earn money for finding bugs, usability issues, and other problems in websites, applications, physical products, and more. The platform is owned and operated by Unguess (formerly AppQuality), a crowdsourcing platform that was founded in 2015.

UserTesting

UsertTesting.com is a crowdtesting platform focused on usability testing. Companies can use the platform to get feedback on their websites, apps, prototypes, and more, while contributors (aka testers) can use it to make money by participating in usability tests. Founded in 2007, the platform has grown to become one of the largest and most well-known in the crowdtesting space.

Crowdtap is a rewards platform where members can earn points for answering surveys and sharing their opinions. Surveys can range from one question long to full-on interviews.

Userlytics is a crowdtesting platform that connects organizations with UX testers who get paid to provide feedback on websites and apps. Founded in 2009, the platform claims to have over 2M testers, around 50 new studies uploaded every day, and worked with companies like Riot Games, Microsoft, eBay, Verizon, Coca-Cola, and more.

PlaytestCloud

PlaytestCloud is a crowdtesting platform that connects mobile game developers with paid freelance playtesters from around the globe. Founded in 2014, the platform claims to have over 1M playtesters who get paid for providing feedback on a variety of mobile games from developers like Zynga, Ubisoft, Gameloft, and many more.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a rewards platform and market research community that pays members for completing surveys and contributing their opinions, insights, and data. Founded in 2013, the platform is owned and operated by DISQO, an award-winning insights platform based in the U.S.

iPoll is a rewards platform that pays members for sharing their opinions, testing products, completing real-world missions, and more. Founded in 2012, the platform was previously known as Surveyhead and is currently owned and operated by Dyanata.

Product Report Card

Product Report Card is a rewards platform that pays members to take surveys and participate in free product tests. Founded in 2012, they claim to offer more high-paying surveys and product test opportunities than any other platform.

American Consumer Opinion

American Consumer Opinion (ACOP) is an international rewards platform that pays people from all around the world to share their opinions on a variety of products and services. They offer paid surveys as well as occasional product testing and mystery shopping opportunities. Founded in 1986 as a small U.S. mail survey panel, the platform has since grown into an online community of over 7 million members worldwide.

Find More Paid Research Participation Opportunities

Check out our free Platform Discovery Tool . With it, you can find and filter through dozens of money-making platforms to fine-tune the results to your liking.

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Paid focus groups

Make money by participating in online focus groups with Respondent. Researchers from leading brands use focus groups to understand pain points, sentiments and identify product usage patterns that can help build better experiences. Share your insights and get paid to participate in a focus group. You can find focus groups targeted at professionals in industries such as software as well as consumer audiences such as for packaged goods. Apply below to get started.

Type of research

Research methodology, paid studies faq, how does participating in a paid research project work.

The first step is to apply to a project, you can do this by signing up as a participant or logging in and selecting 'Start Screener' on the project you are interested in. Researchers will then review your responses and invite qualifying participants for the project. You will receive an email notification if you have been selected, with instructions on how to participate in the research session. Upon successful completion of the project, the researcher will typically initiate payment within 5 business days.

How much can I earn with Respondent incentives and how long does it take?

Research incentives vary from one research project to another and can range from $5 to $1000 per project, the average incentive for an active participant is around $100. Before you apply to a project you will be able to view the time required for the research task, the type of research and the incentive offered. Research studies on Respondent are typically open for 1-2 weeks and incentive payout is usually processed within 5-10 business days after successful participation.

Is Respondent legit? Can I really make money here?

Respondent is 100% legit and pays participants for completing research studies and is an attractive source of side income. Successful participants on Respondent create a strong, accurate profile and apply to relevant projects, and share their insights with researchers in different kinds of research tasks. Highly trusted platforms such as G2 and Side Hustle Nation rate Respondent as a reliable platform for supplemental income.

How can I find participants for a research project, as a researcher using this service?

Researchers can publish their projects to this page and to the entire Respondent participant panel in 3 easy steps: 1. Create a researcher account 2. Create your project and define the target audience 3. Publish your project Learn more about how to recruit participants with Respondent.

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Help shape the future

Participating in paid market research studies allows you the unique opportunity to have an impact on how the products and services you encounter everyday are developed. From providing feedback on a TV pilot, to taste testing a new chip flavor, you’ll have the chance to influence the latest concepts in development by the world’s largest brands.

Signing up for an account is quick and secure, and your information will never be sold.

2. Participate

Participate online or in-person across a variety of topics and study types.

3. Get Paid

You'll receive your payment within 5 business days.

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We’ve have the know-how to ensure you have a smooth and fun experience.

The amount that we’ve paid out to research panelists over the years.

Feedback is key

Honest, insightful user feedback is an essential factor in the product development process. Participate today and allow your unique viewpoint to be heard.

We value your time

Generous participation compensation is provided in exchange for your valuable time and opinions.

Many opportunities await

We help to conduct hundreds of in-person and online studies every year, all across the U.S.

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Our primary research panel. Provide feedback on various consumer goods and services in development such as food, tech, and vehicles.

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Business owners and executives can share their opinion on B2B services and products in development within their respective fields.

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