Paid Survey Sites in the UK: 18 Established Panels and How to Choose

Short answer: paid survey sites can pay a little for spare minutes, and a few research platforms pay a fairer hourly rate, but almost none pay like a job. This guide explains how the main types of site work, names 18 established panels that UK users commonly use, and gives you a simple way to test them without losing a month.

Disclosure: we run Instuly Pulse, a rewards platform that includes surveys, so we have a stake in this topic. We have kept this guide to things you can check for yourself, and we explain where our own platform fits near the end.

How paid survey sites make their money

A survey pays you because someone wants answers from people like you and will pay to get them. Knowing who is paying whom explains most of what frustrates people about these sites.

• Panels run by research companies. The company running the panel sells access to your answers, usually in combined form, to brands and researchers. They want you to stay active, so they send regular invitations and pay per survey in cash, points or vouchers.

• Rewards sites. These route you to surveys from other companies, alongside games, offers and cashback. They earn a fee when you complete something and pass part of it on. There are plenty of surveys, but you are often screened out of them.

• Research platforms. Academic and professional platforms connect researchers directly with participants and set a price per study or per session. Pay is more transparent and can be higher per hour, but studies are less frequent and some need a particular job role or skill.

What you can realistically earn

Most survey sites pay per survey, not per hour, so your real rate depends on three things: how long surveys take, how often you are screened out, and how much time you spend logging in and waiting for invitations.

Here is an illustration, not real data. Spend 10 minutes on a survey that pays £1 and 4 minutes on two surveys that screen you out, and you have earned £1 in 14 minutes. That is about £4.30 an hour, not the £6 an hour the survey looks like on its own.

One platform publishes a floor. Prolific says researchers must pay at least £6 an hour and recommends £9 or more. It also displays rates based on how long studies actually take participants, so a study that takes twice as long as the researcher estimated halves the real hourly rate. Many other sites pay a fixed amount per survey instead, which means your hourly rate is whatever your time turns out to be.

For a deeper look at hourly rates and screen-outs, read Are paid surveys worth it for UK students?

18 established paid survey sites for UK users, by type

These are long-running names that UK users commonly use. We have not tested every site for this guide, and terms change, so treat this as a shortlist to check, not an endorsement. We have left out payout thresholds and payment methods on purpose, because they change often and the site's own help page is always more accurate than a list. The next section shows exactly what to check.

Panels run by research companies

• YouGov. Best known for opinion polling. Surveys cover politics, brands and everyday life, and rewards are collected as points. Suits you if you like giving opinions on current topics.

• Toluna Influencers. A large community panel with surveys, polls and sometimes product tests. Suits you if you want variety and do not mind a points system.

• Opinion Outpost. A long-running market research panel offering paid surveys. Suits you if you want a simple, survey-only panel.

• LifePoints. A market research panel that rewards completed surveys with points. Suits you if you want another steady source of invitations.

• Ipsos i-Say. The panel run by the research company Ipsos. Suits you if you want to take part in research from a large, well-known firm.

• Valued Opinions. A market research panel run by Dynata. Suits you if you want surveys from a panel operated by one of the larger research companies.

• OnePoll. A UK research company that runs polls and surveys for brands and media. Suits you if you like short, topical questionnaires.

Research platforms and paid studies

• Prolific. Academic and commercial research studies, with a published minimum pay rate for researchers. One of the more transparent options, though availability varies with what researchers are looking for.

• Respondent. Paid research sessions and interviews, mainly for professionals and specific job roles. Rewards are per session and can be higher than a survey, but you need to match the study's criteria.

• User Interviews. Matches people to paid interviews and usability tests run by product and research teams. Like Respondent, there are fewer opportunities, with more reward when you qualify.

Apps and short tasks

• Google Opinion Rewards. Short surveys from Google, delivered on your phone. Best for small gaps in your day, not for steady income.

• Streetbees. An app that asks about your daily life, sometimes through photos or short videos. Suits you if you enjoy quick, creative tasks.

• CitizenMe. An app where you can choose to answer questions or share information about yourself in return for rewards. Suits you if you want control over what you share.

• Qmee. An app and browser extension that rewards you for surveys and offers. Suits you if you want something light that sits in the background.

Rewards sites that include surveys

• Swagbucks. A rewards site with surveys, shopping offers, games and video tasks. Plenty to do, but expect many screen-outs on the survey side.

• Branded Surveys. A survey-focused rewards site with regular invitations. Suits you if you mainly want surveys rather than games and offers.

• PrizeRebel. A rewards site offering surveys, offers and games for points. Suits you if you are happy to mix surveys with offers.

• ySense. A survey and task site, formerly known as ClixSense. Suits you if you want a mix of surveys and small tasks.

How to compare any survey site in ten minutes

You do not need a ranking. Use this checklist on any site, including ones that are not listed here.

A site that fails the check on cost or on who runs it is not worth your time. The rest are trade-offs: a higher minimum payout is fine if the surveys pay well and you know you will reach it.

Test sites for 30 days before you commit

1. Pick no more than three sites from different types, for example one panel, one research platform and one app. Joining ten sites mostly creates ten inboxes to manage.

2. Complete your profile properly. Surveys are matched on it, and a thin profile means more screen-outs.

3. Log every session. Write down the date, the site, the minutes you spent including screen-outs, and what you earned. A notes app is enough.

4. At the end of 30 days, divide. Total earnings divided by total hours gives your real hourly rate for each site. Keep the best one or two and drop the rest.

Why this list is short

Many pages list 50 or 100 survey sites. Long lists tend to copy each other, include sites that have closed or stopped paying, and repeat payout thresholds that are years out of date. We would rather give you a short list and a method for checking it yourself.

Red flags that mean walk away

• You are asked to pay to join, or to pay for a list of surveys.

• It promises a guaranteed amount per day or per week.

• It asks for your bank login or card details just to sign up.

• There is no company name, address or support contact.

• The minimum payout and terms are hard to find.

• A "survey" turns into a sales pitch. The Market Research Society's code says research is for collecting and analysing information, not for creating sales, so a survey that tries to sell to you is not genuine research.

• You are sent a cheque or asked to move money for someone. That is not how research works.

Your data and who sees it

Surveys ask personal questions about age, income, health and politics. Answer only what you are comfortable with. Reputable panels explain why they collect your data, who sees it, and how to delete your account. In the UK you can ask a company what personal data it holds about you. If a site makes that hard to find, that tells you something.

Tax and benefits

Money you earn from surveys can count as income. The trading allowance covers up to £1,000 of income from self-employment and casual services in a tax year, but whether it covers survey money depends on your circumstances. Our guide Do UK students have to pay tax on side hustle money? explains the allowance and when to tell HMRC. If you claim benefits or are on a Student visa, check how extra income affects you before you start earning.

Where Instuly Pulse fits

Instuly Pulse is free to join for adults aged 18 and over. Instead of running its own panel, it gives you one account with surveys from research partners including CPX Research and PureSpectrum, plus student deals and skills-based tasks. In practice that means you do not need a separate login for each source, and you see surveys from several partners in one place. It does not remove screen-outs, because those come from the companies buying the research.

Most surveys pay between $0.10 and $5, and you can cash out to PayPal or your bank once your balance reaches $10. Balances and withdrawals are in US dollars, and PayPal or your bank may convert the money to pounds at their own rate, so check their fees.

Whether it beats a single panel depends on you. Treat it like any other site in this guide: join, log your time and earnings for a month, then decide. You can see how Instuly Pulse works for UK users or read our guide to mystery shopping companies if you prefer work that gets you out of the house.