22 Best Trusted Survey Apps: Earn Cash from your Phone

A girl holding a cell phone taking a survey.

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Would you love to find the best mobile survey apps that could earn you money? We’ve done all the work for you by researching and testing them.

Do you enjoy sharing your opinion about things? Most of us do.

We’ve researched the 22 of the most popular survey apps that pay you for sharing your views.

The promise of making some money for answering questions might sound too good to be true. And there are some instances where it is.

It’s true that some survey companies might be less than ethical. But the list below only includes legitimate survey companies with good reviews.

These survey companies will help you earn some extra cash in your spare time. You won’t get rich, but earning $5 to $30 per month is better than nothing.


If you want to make some real money … full-time money check out this article:


Related Article: Retail Arbitrage: How to Make Full-Time Income Bargain Hunting



To help you choose with confidence, we’ve included TrustPilot rankings for each survey company when available.

The Best Survey Apps that Pay You Cash

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie allows you to earn points for taking surveys. Trade in these points for cash (via PayPal) or e-gift cards.

You can use this survey site to make money. You’ll need to earn a balance of $10 to cash out. But that threshold is easy to reach.

Cashing out: Once you’ve earned $10 all you have to do have is request that your balance sent to your PayPal account.

It’s that easy!

When cashing out you can choose between receiving gift cards versus money sent directly to your Paypal account.

SurveyJunkie has more than 6 million members. These members are loving cashing-in on this money-making survey app and website.

SurveyJunkie is one of the top-rated survey apps out there.

SurveyJunky has a Trust Pilot score of 8.8 out of 10, with 5409 reviews. So it is clear that many people have good experiences with this company. Steve & Annette also earn money with Survey Junkie.

2. Swagbucks

You can earn money in many ways with Swagbucks survey app. You can sign up using this link – it’s easier on desktop or tablet.

Swagbucks is one of the most versatile and interesting “survey websites.”

Yes, you can earn money by answering surveys. But Swagbucks also rewards you for shopping, watching videos, surfing the web, playing games, doing tasks and more!

The threshold to cashout is 3 dollars, so you can collect the money you earn quickly.

The surveys on Swagbucks generally take 15 minutes or less to complete. This makes it easy to fill them out when you have a little bit of spare time and want to make some extra cash.

Swagbucks has an app for iOS and Android and can turn downtime into earnings.

If you’re like us; there always seems to be unproductive time spend waiting every day. It’s either on the subway, in a doctor’s office, sitting on hold or waiting for kids’ activities to end.

The amount of points earned per task varies, but the points can be exchanged for cash (via PayPal) or a gift card.

The points earned in each task may seem small, but they really add fast.

Steve and Annette have earned more than 800 dollars worth of gift cards through this survey site! If you want to learn more about Swagbucks, read their detailed Swagbucks review. They even share how much they earned and how.

Swagbucks is one of the best survey sites and apps out there.

Swagbucks has a Trustpilot score of 8.6 out of 10, with 4787 reviews. Steve & Annette love Swagbucks and earn money every month.

3. Inbox Dollars

You can make money answering surveys for Inbox Dollars, but that’s not the only way to earn!

You can also get paid for many other small tasks that you already do every day. They’ll pay you for redeeming coupons or shopping online.

You can also earn money testing products, watching videos, reading emails and more.

It almost sounds too easy. But like Swagbucks, you can earn extra cash doing things that you already do on a regular basis.

An important note about Inbox Dollars is that is an Inc. 500 company, so you can definitely feel safe working with them. They are a really popular survey platform.

InboxDollars has a Trustpilot score of 8.1 out of 10, with 3088 reviews.

4. National Consumer Panel (shopping app)

National Consumer Panel is a well-established company. This company is back by two powerful research groups: Nielson and Iris.

NCP isn’t about taking surveys. It’s all about earning rewards by scanning what you buy at the grocery store. How simple is that?

Earning points takes less than an hour per week.

All you do is download their app and then go shopping. Bring home your items and scan the barcodes and earn reward points.

You can exchange your points for gift cards, donations to charities or household items. Yout points can buy things like kitchen appliances, vacuums or several other things.

They also give away bonus prizes each week, month, quarter and year. Their quarterly Grand Prix drawing is worth $20,000! That’s something that other apps aren’t offering.

5. CashCrate

CashCrate is another survey app and website that allows you to earn up to $50 per month. You’re limited to taking two surveys per day.

But, you can earn more money if you take part in other activities.

CashCrate is like Swagbucks in that you can earn money by playing games, shopping and doing other online activities.

You can also earn even more by participating in other online activities.

You can turn in your points and receive payment via a check in the mail. If you take a picture with your check and share it on social media you can earn a bonus.

CashCrate has more than 2 million members. You have to be at least 13 years old to join. A good option for young people.

They have a Trustpilot score of 5.4 out of 10 with only 4 reviews. Three of the reviews are positive (4 stars), one was not.

6. Pinecone Research

If you have been thinking that you don’t have time to answer surveys, then Pinecone Research is for you. New registrations are limited. So you may not find the signup link the first time you go to the site. Be patient and visit often.

They are very selective. You won’t receive many survey invitations, but the invitations you do get will be worth your time.

For every survey, you will earn 3 dollars worth of points. You can redeem these points for cash or prizes.

Most of the surveys offered are either opinion-based or new product testing. Besides your cash earnings, they occasionally sent free products to test.

You get to try these products out before they hit the shelves. Free stuff is never a bad thing! This is a great app to earn free stuff.

Pinecone Research has a Trustpilot score of 5.6 out of 10 with 7 reviews.

7. YouGov

YouGov is a global public opinion and data company. The size of the organization is so large that it has surveys on just about everything imaginable.

Each day you’ll find questions ranging from a brand you like to your political opinion. The number of possibilities with this survey app makes it a fun way to earn some extra cash.

You will receive points for the surveys you answer for YouGov. The points you earn can be traded in for gift cards to retailers and restaurants. This is a good survey app with a high trust score.

YouGov has a Trustpilot score of 7.3 out of 10 with 7 reviews.

8. Ipsos I-Say

Ipsos I-Say is another great company that will pay you cash for answering surveys.

With Ipsos, you earn points by taking a survey. But it doesn’t stop there. At the end of each survey, you have a chance to earn even more points through the Poll Predictor game.

In the game, you’re asked to guess what the final survey results will be. Kind of like Family Feud.

Plus, you will receive a loyalty bonus at the end of each year based on the number of surveys you have completed.

The company also awards points at random to 10 of its members, just for fun!

It’s easy to convert your points can into cash (via PayPal) or through one of the many gift card options.

Cashing Out: They do have a $5 minimum for cashing out. But you should have no trouble reaching that if you use the app a few times each week.

Ipsos I-Say has a Trustpilot score of 2.5 out of 10 with 18 reviews.

9. Mindswarms

If you want a completely different survey experience, try Mindswarms.

The app asks you to record yourself testing out a new product for 10 minutes (or less). In those 10 minutes, you get to say what comes to your mind without a filter.

Share anything that pops into your head and then you answer the 7 questions provided at the end of the video.

Shooting the video and evaluating the product isn’t difficult. But the pay off is that you’ll earn 50 dollars per survey. That is a good return for the amount of time you will spend making the video.

Cashing out: Mindswarms sends payment via PayPal 24 hours after you complete a video survey.

If you aren’t shy about being on camera, then definitely give Mindswarms a go! Even if you are unsure about making a survey video, give it a try because you might like it!

10. Shopkick

The Shopkick app has many different options to earn points.

You can take surveys, watch videos or simply walk into a store and scan a barcode.

It is a great app to have if you already do a lot of shopping. Hey, you might as well earn some extra cash while you are out and about, doing what you love.

 11. Life Points

Life Points is another app that lets you earn rewards for completing surveys.

Besides surveys, you can earn points for several other activities. These include participating in daily challenges or on-the-go opportunities. You’ll also earn for completing a personality profile, taking a daily trivia quiz and more.

If you are into privacy, you may not like this next option. LifePoints awards you points for allowing them to access to your phone’s GPS system. This is optional.

Cashing out: You can redeem your points for cash (via PayPal) or cards to retailers like iTunes and Amazon.

12. Toluna

Toluna is one of the largest survey sites out there.

You’ll find plenty of surveys and great rewards for completing them here. Besides surveys, you can test products and interact with other people that use Toluna.

In exchange for your responses, you will receive points. Like other survey apps, the points can be traded in for cash (via PayPal), gift cards to many places.

Unlike other apps, points can also be traded for sweepstake entries for larger winnings.

We usually recommend taking the gift card option to be spent as you wish. But make sure to check out all the available options before trading in your points.

13. Google Opinion Rewards

Google Opinion Rewards is a great place to take surveys if you shop at the Google Play Store often.

You know Google is always gathering information. This app wants to know what you think of new products, new logo designs, marketing campaigns and more.

The app is not available on iOS devices. But it is unlikely that you use the Google Play Store if you have an iOS device anyway.

The downside is that all surveys pay the same. You’ll earn $1 per survey whether it’s short or long.

Cashing out: Payment is in cash (via PayPal).

14. Harris Poll

Harris Poll is one of the oldest and most respected survey companies in the industry.

Their survey data influences the decisions of governments, nonprofits, and other corporations.

You will earn points that you can redeem for gift cards to iTunes, Amazon, and Starbucks. You also receive automatic entries into regular sweepstakes that have cash prizes.

One unique thing about the Harris Poll company is that it accepts younger people for its surveys.

You can join as a panelist at age 13, so it could be a great place for kids to earn a little extra money too! This is of the best survey apps for young people.

HarrisPoll has a Trustpilot score of 5.4 out of 10 with 2 reviews.

15. Global Test Market is Now LifePointsPanel

Global Test Market is one of the older survey companies. Founded in 1999, they have more than 4 million registered survey takers all around the world. Participants include people in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. They were recently acquired by LifePointsPanel.com

Their average survey takes 15 minutes and pays an average of $5 per survey – that’s higher than most. Do the math, that’s a potential of $20 per hour.

Points can be exchanged for cash (via PayPal), gift cards or other prizes. The company has paid out over 32 million dollars to its users. Will you be the next person they pay for opinions?

Global Test Market has a Trustpilot score of 2.9 out of 10 with 54 reviews.

16. Surveys on the Go

Most survey apps have a mobile and desktop option, but Surveys on the Go only has a mobile option.

Survey topics sports, news entertainment, politics, business and more. It is likely that you will receive one or two surveys per week.

Cashing out: The only way to get paid is with cash (via PayPal). So if you are looking to get paid with cash (instead of earning gift cards) then this is a great option for you.

17. iPoll

iPoll has two different ways in which you can earn cash. You can either choose to do surveys or go mystery shopping.

Unlike most other mystery shopping companies, you do not have to commit to a visit in advance. You simply check to see if iPoll is looking for mystery shoppers in the store you are currently in.

If there is no mystery shopping opening, it is likely that there will be a survey for you to take.

Cashing out: You can exchange the points you earn for cash (via PayPal), iTunes gift cards or Amazon gift cards. To cash out your reward points, you will need to hit a threshold of 25 dollars.

iPoll has an added bonus. For each activity (survey or shop) you complete, you get entered into quarterly drawings to win $10,000. Definitely one of the most interesting survey apps we’ve seen.

iPoll has a Trustpilot score of 4.2 out of 10 with 6 reviews.

18. Mobile Xpression

The unique thing about this app is that it collects your opinion, but you never have to fill out a survey!

Mobile Xpression simply asks you to download the app to your cell phone. You’ll be asked to allow the app to track the data you’ve used your phone’s internet capabilities. You are still helping a company do market research, but without ever taking a survey.

It does not get any easier than that!

You can join for free and earn points. Points are traded for cash, gift cards or other prizes. Besides earning points, you will be entered into weekly sweepstakes for merchandise prizes.

MobileXpression has a Trustpilot score of 2.4 out of 10 with 20 reviews.

19. Vindale Research

Vindale Research is a reputable company that pays its survey takers in cash.

You can earn up to 50 dollars per survey, but the average rate per survey is 5 to 10 dollars.

The types of surveys available to you may vary, but if you qualify for a survey it is well worth your time to complete it.

Cashing out: To cash out, you’ll need a minimum of $50 in your account. But with the high payouts, you will reach this with ease. Another one of the more unique survey apps.

The company will pay you twice a month as long as you have reached that threshold. You can choose to receive payment via PayPal or check, there are no other options.

Vindale Research has a Trustpilot score of 5.1 out of 10, with 8 reviews.

20. Quick Thoughts

The name of this survey app says it all, you earn points for answering short consumer opinion surveys. The number of points earned is based on the survey topic, difficulty, and length of the survey.

You can redeem your points for cash or gift cards.

One great thing about Quick Thoughts is that the app will send you an email when you qualify for a survey.

This makes it easier to spend your time earning money instead of searching for surveys.

21. Shop Tracker

If Amazon is your favorite store, then this one is for you.

Shop Tracker will pay you for tracking your Amazon purchases, all you have to do is download the app.

Once you have the app, you will need to answer a few questions each month about your Amazon purchases.

The surveys are very short, only about two to three minutes long, but you will earn 3 dollars – that’s like $60 per hour. Yes, it really is that simple. Not a bad return for 3 minutes of your time.

Shop Tracker is a division of the Harris Poll company, but you will need to sign up for it separately.

You will receive a 3 dollar Visa gift card that you can use at any online store.

22. Panel App

Panel App might be one of the easiest ways to earn extra money in exchange for your information.

The Panel App simply runs in the background of your phone. While it’s running it collects information on how you are using your data. Definitely one of the more invasive survey apps out there.

You can earn more points by taking surveys and referring your friends.

Cashing out: Your points can be exchanged for gift cards that aren’t quite as good as cold hard cash, but they are close enough. You can even get a Visa gift card that will essentially act as spendable cash at any store.

It is possible to earn big prizes by exchanging your points for entries into sweepstakes. But like we said earlier it’s probably smarter to exchange your points for gift cards.

Best Survey Apps for your cell phone or computer.

Extra Tips on Earning Money Taking Surveys

It is unlikely that you can solely take surveys to provide for you or your family.

But with earning potentials of between $10 and $60 per hour, it is a great source of side income. And this can definitely help your budget and boost your savings.

The compensation for individual surveys may seem small, but it will add up over time.

If you were able to make 20 dollars a week taking surveys, that would end up adding over 1,000 dollars each year. Who wouldn’t want to add that extra money into their life?

If you don’t think you have time to earn money with surveys, then try using your spare time. Instead of scrolling through your social media, use one of these survey apps and earn some cash.

Or take a survey while waiting in line or while watching TV. Surveys are so quick to complete, everyone really has the time to earn some extra cash.


Related Article:
Retail Arbitrage: How to Make a Living Bargain Hunting


Survey Pitfalls

Steve & Annette Economides from MoneySmartFamily.com wanted me to add the following information.

“We need to be totally honest with you. You won’t qualify for every survey you try to take. We know this after having taken hundreds of surveys.”

Steve & Annette continued, “We’ve also talked to many people at these survey companies. They told us that you should expect to only qualify for about 20 to 25 percent of the surveys you take. This is normal.”

If you want to maximize the amount of money, you can make with surveys, download several of these apps. Surveys will not always be available at every site, every day. Having several options gives you the flexibility to earn money more often.

When you are cashing out your earnings, make sure to get the best deal possible. It is likely that some apps will give you more value on a gift card than with actual cash. If the gift card is to a store you will go to anyways, then claim the gift card!

Which apps will you use to make money with surveys?

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