I have done paid surveys for 6 years. Here is what I actually earned.
Since 2020, I have been using online paid surveys as a way to make money. Not passive income. Not “10k a month”.
Since 2020, I have been using online paid surveys as a way to make money. Not passive income. Not “10k a month”.
Just real money for sharing your opinion online. Read on to find out how much I’ve earned across multiple sites, along with brief reviews on the sites + some tips.
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Freecash
Freecash is one of the most popular sites — for offers and surveys. This was one of the sites I started with in 2020. With my time on this site, mostly focusing on surveys, I have been able to make a lucrative amount.
The points system should be divided by 1000 for the true earnings. So I have earned $1892 from Freecash. Most of this money came from surveys, but I did do a few offers around the place.
Over time, I’ve moved away from Freecash, mostly due to better sites that have arisen over the past few years which have turned out to be better than Freecash. But it has served me well.
Gemsloot is a newer, Freecash competitor site which I have picked up recently. It has great desktop survey offers and pretty lucrative surveys compared to other sites. My earnings are more modest with this one but the earning potential is there. It has the same model as Freecash but pays better.
If you make this one of your main sites, you can definitely earn way more than me, but I prefer other sites that focus more on surveys. If you use Gemsloot, make sure to focus on Your Surveys. Their surveys are split into bands and pay up to $2 per survey!
Keep in mind though, that it will be harder to qualify. But when you do, it will definitely be worth it. Always make sure to answer honestly, or they will charge back.
Five Surveys is one of the survey sites under the Prime Insights family and they released in 2024. They are really lucrative as you can earn a consistent $1 (or your currency) for every survey, and you can withdraw your $5 once you complete 5 surveys. For this reason, I have been able to earn the most with them in the shortest amount of time.
For Five Surveys, it’s really important that you focus on surveys during the weekdays. This applies for all sites but for this site in particular, they will dry up fast on the weekends.
This is definitely a great site, as they cash out instantly, while other sites make you wait for your money. Definitely explore this one. Right now this is one of my favourite sites.
This is another one of the PI family sites. This site is a great option when surveys on Five Surveys are dry, but the pay is average. They shine due to the low withdrawal minimum and near endless survey availability. My use of HeyCash has been consistent since early 2025, when they released, but this is not my main site.
Remember that you can definitely exceed my numbers depending on how much time you decide to put in. This is a decent option, but if you are having success on higher paying sites, then there is no need to add this to your survey regime.
Qmee is a very popular and established site. This is a great earner for me which I took for granted until a few months ago. Since I started using it properly I have made some nice earnings. Qmee has higher paying surveys than average. However, it can be difficult to qualify for surveys at times.
Some important tips for Qmee are to use the mobile app wherever possible. This is because this will give you access to a disqualification bonus on surveys, which will benefit you a ton, as the bonus can be up to 75% of the original survey! Also, you are more likely to qualify for surveys on the mobile app.
Surveys have served me really well over the past few years and they are continuing to do so. If you are wondering whether surveys are still worthwhile in 2026, the answer is yes. These are just a few of the sites I’ve used to make a solid income online since 2020. Combine these sites, and many more, and you can do the same (or better). Hope you found this article useful.
If you want the full list of sites I’ve used with ranking, along with tips that I have gained with my experience to earn the most, as well as up to date tricks, join my free email list here. I will be publishing detailed breakdowns of each platform separately. Follow to get notified.
