Absolutely, paid surveys are a legitimate industry supported by market research investment. It's the internet so, yes, there are scams in the paid survey world. Conveniently, we only review the legitimate ones!

Many businesses have large budgets devoted solely to learning about their target markets. A lot of this money goes to firms who specialize in market research, but the actual information about consumers has to come from somewhere. That's where paid survey companies come in. They pay people to answer targeted surveys using money paid to them by businesses, who then use the survey results to improve their brand strategy and marketing.

Which gives consumers a fantastic opportunity to get paid for their opinions, rather than giving them away for free to social media companies.

No. Look at paid surveys as free extra money. You can make a surprising amount if you put a lot of time into it, but unless you refer a large number of friends (some survey companies reward you for this) you're not going to be quitting your day job.

Yes. In fact some of the companies we review pay members for things like trying new products, shopping, completing simple tasks, watching videos and signing up for free trials.

The biggest red flag is requiring payment before you can participate. Legitimate paid survey companies will never ask you for money. Beyond that, do some quick Google searches about companies you're not sure about. Or, find a review site you can trust. You know, like us.

A lot depends on where you're located and what demographics you fall into. In our opinion, the companies reviewed here are the best options for most people.