Looking for good survey sites? You may have heard of Prolific Survey before, but you don’t want to sign up until you know it’s legit. After using Prolific for over 5 years I can tell you that it is completely legit and can be a fun way to make money online.
In this Polific Survey review, we’ll cover everything you want to know about Prolific: how you can get started, what qualifications you need, how much money you can make, and some pros and cons.
What is Prolific?
According to Prolific, “As one of our participants, you can contribute to high-paying academic studies, answer industry surveys, and complete tasks that help inform important research, drive technology development, or AI train.”
You might even find yourself participating in a research study from a university in your town (it happened to me) or a study with a researcher on the other side of the world.
If you’re worried about security or privacy, don’t worry, Prolific will provide you with a Prolific ID. This is the only information the researchers will receive about you, so they have no personal information about you.
Prolific has participants from over 38 countries and speakers of over 80 different languages.
Do you need any experience or other qualifications?
Prolific only has a few simple qualifications. First, you must be over 18 years of age. Second, you must be from a country where Prolific is available. The list includes the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada and most OECD countries. To check if your country is on the list of available countries, click here.
The exception is that you can still participate if you currently live in an OECD country, even if your home country is not an OECD country.
Some surveys are mobile-friendly and allow you to use a mobile device or tablet, while others require a desktop computer. If you have one, it’s best to use a desktop or laptop as this will give you the most options.
Before taking surveys, you should fill out the “About You” section thoroughly, as these answers will help you get surveys based on your demographics and experience.
How to start?
Step 1: Join the waiting list for Prolific Survey
On the Prolific website, you can register by clicking “Become a Participant” and then scroll down to “Sign up.” From there you can clickJoin the waiting list.” This will take you to a form where you will have to answer some basic information such as name, country of residence, country of birth, date of birth, ethnicity, gender and email.
Step 2: Accept the invitation
Once you’ve registered, you’ll wait until you receive an invitation.
Step 3: Complete the verification
Once you have the invitation, you will need to get verified. This step should only take about 15 minutes and involves 3 steps. You must verify your phone number, participate in a practical study and upload a document to prove your identity.
Step 4: Participation in studies
Now you are ready to start! You are not required to take a certain number of studies, so you can choose what seems most interesting.
How do I qualify to study?
Do you remember the demographics you entered when you signed up? Researchers use this information to determine if you are the type of participant they are looking for. Once you’ve registered, you don’t need to do anything else. You’ll only see surveys you qualify for, so if you don’t qualify, they won’t even show up on your dashboard.
If you’ve been in the academic or business world, you may be familiar with SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics, which are often used for surveys.
You will find that most of the studies you participate in are either academic research studies at universities or conducted by startups. Plodný collaborates with researchers around the world.
How do I choose which survey to take?
When you’re logged into your Prolific account, you’ll see several tabs at the top left of your screen: “Studies,” “Posts,” “About You,” and “News.” At the top right, you’ll see how much you’ve earned and your account information.
If you click on “Studies” you will see all the surveys available to you. Most surveys will provide you with the following information.
- How many seats are available
- Title or topic
- How much money you can earn
- How long should the survey take?
- What devices can you use (computer, tablet, mobile)
How do I get the most surveys?
One of the best ways to get quick access to new surveys is to download the Prolific Survey browser extension. This allows you to view new studies as they become available.
You can also receive emails notifying you about surveys, but you won’t receive emails for every new survey, so a better option is to download a browser extension.
Click here for more information about the Prolific browser extension.
How much money can you make with Prolific?
Let’s talk about earnings! According to Prolific, “All participants receive a guaranteed minimum of $8 per hour with instant withdrawals after your first 4 payments. Some studios even pay hourly rates of $20+ with additional bonuses.”
While it certainly won’t be a full-time job, Prolific Survey can be great side hustleespecially for those who need something flexible.
Payment is made via PayPal. You can easily cash out your earnings once you’ve earned at least $6, so you’ll want to make sure you have an active PayPal account. This instant withdrawal system allows you to get paid quickly and easily. I have never had any payment problems with Prolific.
What happens if I start a course but can’t finish it?
No problem! You can end the survey. If you start but need to withdraw, there is no penalty. Of course, you won’t get paid, so try to only start the course you plan to finish.
A few studies will require a camera and microphone, so if that’s not something you have on your device, just leave the survey and do another one.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
For:
- Fun and quality surveys on interesting topics
- Fast payment with instant withdrawals
- Lots of surveys to choose from
- You can easily choose based on time, topic and payment amount
- Possibility to get a bonus
- The fertile gets a 4.4 stars rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Disadvantages
- Low payment
- Good survey topics can be competitive
What if I have more questions?
Prolific Survey has a very engaged subreddit where you can chat and interact with other Prolific participants. This can be a great place to ask questions. Or, if you’re still not sure if Prolific is right for you, you can browse the subreddit and see what others are saying.
There is also useful Help Center which can answer other questions.
Alternatives to Prolific Survey
While Prolific Survey is a great choice for conducting surveys, opportunities may not always be available. Sign up for several surveys and market research companies can help ensure you have a steady stream of additional income generating opportunities.
Here are some other reputable survey platforms to explore:
A fruitful summary of the survey
As you can see, Prolific Survey is a great platform for making money in your spare time. You can easily choose which research studies sound the most interesting to you and start working on the study right away.
You can fill out some surveys on your phone or tablet when you’re on the go, and finish the rest on your laptop or desktop at home. You can find surveys at all hours of the day to suit your schedule and location.
While it won’t be a full-time option, Prolific Survey is an excellent option for side income, especially if you want something fun and simple that requires no experience.
