Surveys – Are They Worth the Time?

Surveys can earn more than $100 a month, and when I count the minutes I spend on all sites, it’s less than $10.00 per hour. It’s still worth it to me, which leads to the question likely on your mind: Is this worth it to you?

My Situation

In my case, I am an affiliate marketer, disabled, and an online gamer. Most of what I do revolves around my PC. I keep browsers and tabs open in a way that lets me check for opportunities throughout the day. For example, I may pause writing this post to knock out a 10-minute study that pays $1.60. It all adds up.

Discovering Prolific

It also helps a lot that I am on the best site for surveys — Prolific.com. I signed up via their waiting list and forgot about it. Then, in November 2024, I was approved. That month, I cashed out about $120.00! It has been a pretty consistent earner because I can sit here and notice opportunities as they come in all day and night.

Early Struggles

Honesty is one of my hallmarks, so here’s some truth from my experiences. Before November 2024, I was earning less than $10 every few months with surveys. Since then, I’ve spent more time working on profiles with other survey sites. And guess what? I could have been earning more if I had been more proactive earlier.

Making Surveys Work

For surveys to be worth it, you need time in front of your screen. Some sites send emails; a few require you to check in regularly to find opportunities. On Prolific.com, I keep the site open on another monitor because opportunities can disappear fast.

Other Survey Sites

While I’m earning more on sites other than Prolific, it’s still only about $20–$40 per month total. That means a lot to me, so it’s worth it. I’m confident that as I improve my process, I can increase my earnings on other sites. Think about your situation: can you check for opportunities several times per day? Sites like Branded Surveys, Opinion-Edge, and User Testing have all paid me for activities they emailed to me. However, the site that pays best — Prolific.

Why It’s Worth It

Yes, this is very worth it to me. I feel more hopeful and empowered to meet my needs. Is it enough? Not yet. The good news is, the more I do, the more I do. For example, I’ve been working with User Interviews to get in on a high-paying study. I stuck with it because I felt encouraged by my minor successes with Prolific and other sites. Persistence paid off — I was invited to participate in a study that pays a whopping $120.00! As of this writing, I’m sure my participation will be approved, but I only submitted the 90+ minutes of video yesterday.

What’s Next?

While surveys have been worth it for me, it took time and strategy to make them work. In my next post, How to Make Surveys Worth Your Time, I’ll share my best tips for maximizing your earnings and turning surveys into a valuable part of your income stream. Stay tuned!