Online surveys offer a flexible way to earn money without leaving your home. But with tons of survey sites to choose from, which ones are actually worth your time?
To find out, we signed up and completed surveys on 13 different platforms. We compared ease of use, maximum payouts, number of ways to earn, minimum cash-out amounts and more to work out which are the best surveys for money sites in Canada. Here are the 5 platforms that came out on top in our testing.
1. Freecash
Why we like it
We think Freecash is the best survey site for several reasons. When we tested the Freecash app and website, we immediately found its clean design and sleek interface perfectly simple to navigate. We were impressed with the range of surveys on offer, with payouts of up to $3 available, and we were also happy that there were plenty of other ways to earn money when we got tired of answering questions.
How much you can earn
When we signed up to Freecash, we were offered surveys with payouts ranging from $0.50 - $3. You can also earn by playing games, signing up for offers and completing app tasks. It’s possible for users to earn an average of $30 per hour, though it depends on the tasks they pick and their level of engagement. There’s also a Freecash bonus for new users.
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HeyCash offers multiple ways to make money online, and in our real-world testing, we found it to be a reliable way to earn extra cash. We found it easy to check for survey opportunities in the app whenever we had a spare moment. There was a decent range of surveys on offer, plus other ways to earn when we got tired of the survey grind. We also found the HeyCash app to be very user-friendly, so it was no surprise to see that it has plenty of 5-star user reviews. And with a low minimum cash-out and the ability to redeem for PayPal cash or gift cards, it didn’t take long to turn our opinions into rewards.
How much you can earn
We were offered surveys with payouts ranging from $0.50 – $3. You can also make money by playing games, completing offers and referring friends. HeyCash claims its most active members can earn up to $1,200 per month.
The first thing that impressed us about Swagbucks was that it only took a couple of minutes to download the app, sign up and start earning. We were offered a wide selection of surveys straight away, and we were pleased that Swagbucks also provides a wide range of other ways to make money. We did suffer some survey screen-outs, but that’s a problem we encountered across all the sites we tested. And with the flexibility to redeem rewards for gift cards or for cash via PayPal, we found Swagbucks to be a solid option for anyone looking to make money online.
How much you can earn
We were offered surveys with payouts ranging from $1 to $5. You can also earn money by playing games, shopping online, installing a browser extension and browsing the web.
On some apps, playing games is the main way to make money. Right off the bat, we liked the fact that the number-one focus at Branded Surveys is earning money by sharing your opinions. We were offered a wide range of survey opportunities after signing up, and it only took a handful of minutes to earn our first rewards points. We also appreciated the fact that we only had to earn $5 to be eligible to cash out, and that there was a huge range of gift cards to choose from when we were ready to redeem our rewards.
How much you can earn
When we checked, survey payouts ranged from $0.50 – $5. You can also make money by taking polls and questionnaires as well as earning loyalty program rewards. Branded Surveys says you can expect to earn between $5 - $100/month per month.
Why we like it There are lots of reasons why we think Prime Opinion is one of the best survey sites in Canada. For starters, the number-one focus here is making money from surveys, and we were impressed to find a wide selection of surveys of varying lengths and payout amounts. We also found the Prime Opinion mobile app simple and straightforward to use, so it only took a couple of minutes to sign up for an account and start answering questions. Best of all, we only had to accumulate a balance of $1 before we could cash out, so we didn’t have to wait long to get rewarded for our work. How much you can earn We found survey payouts ranging from $0.09 to $7. You can also make money by completing offers, reaching milestones and referring friends.
There’s no single site that is the overall “best” option for surveys for money in Canada because it depends on your needs. If you want a combination of diverse tasks, high earning potential and easy payouts, look into Swagbucks, Freecash and HeyCash. If you want to focus primarily on surveys, consider Branded Surveys or Prime Opinion. And if you want a low minimum payout amount and fast withdrawals, sites like HeyCash and Prime Opinion have got you covered.
"I’ve tested out several survey platforms, including Ipsos iSay and Swagbucks. I liked both platforms and was able to earn rewards from each, but I found Swagbucks more versatile. It offers multiple ways to earn, including surveys, playing games and even cashback shopping, while Ipsos iSay primarily focuses on surveys. I also found that I didn’t qualify for a ton of surveys on Ipsos iSay, so when I ran out of available tasks, I had nothing to do on the platform. I mainly use Swagbucks for its cashback opportunities, but I complete surveys on there occasionally. In my experience, it can take around an hour or two just to earn $5 from surveys, so these platforms are best for earning extra cash rather than replacing a regular income."
If our in-depth testing of 13 survey platforms revealed one thing, it’s that surveys for money aren’t going to make you filthy rich. But they do offer a simple and legit way of earning extra cash, and we discovered several simple things you can do to boost your earning potential.
Complete your profile. When we took the time to answer all the profile questions on our account, we were matched with a much wider range of suitable surveys.
Download apps. We found it was easier and more convenient to complete surveys in-app rather than on a website. Downloading survey apps lets you complete surveys whenever you want, like on the bus to work or while the kids are at soccer practice.
Set up notifications. We quickly learned that surveys on popular platforms fill up fast. Turning on email and mobile app notifications ensured that we were alerted as soon as a new survey became available.
Log in daily. Making a habit of logging into our account each day to check if there were any new surveys available helped us maximize our earning opportunities.
Set aside specific times. Dedicating specific times each day to answer surveys helped us keep our earnings ticking over.
Use multiple sites. We quickly realized that just sticking to a single survey site would limit our earnings. Signing up for multiple platforms is a simple way to make more money.
How much can you expect to earn monthly and yearly?
We didn’t get rich testing out survey sites, but we did make real money. Our earnings from online surveys varied widely depending on the platform and the time investment required. Most surveys pay between $0.50 and $3, although some high-paying surveys can offer more.
We found that if you dedicate an hour a day to taking surveys, you might earn between $50 to $100 per month. So over the course of a year, it’s possible to earn more than $1,000.
But it’s important to note that, while online surveys are a convenient way to earn a little extra cash, they’re unlikely to replace a full-time income.
Benefits of taking online surveys for money
Earn extra income. We found that answering surveys for money is a legit way to supplement your income with a little extra spending money.
Make use of your spare time. We discovered that it was convenient and easy to answer surveys whenever we had a few spare minutes. So if you’ve got time to kill on your public transit commute or while you’re waiting to pick up the kids from school, you can use it to make money online.
Easy to sign up and get started. It only took us a couple of minutes to create accounts on the best survey sites to make money in Canada.
Free to do. It’s free to create an account and complete surveys online.
Multiple sites to choose from. There are several sites that offer legit surveys for money in Canada, so you can sign up with multiple platforms to maximize your earning potential.
Downsides
Not going to make you rich. Surveys for money provide some extra cash on the side, but don’t expect to be raking in huge amounts of money.
Not a replacement for your regular income. We didn’t earn enough from completing surveys for money in Canada to get a full-time income.
Getting disqualified from surveys. Perhaps the most frustrating problem we encountered while testing sites was answering survey screening questions and then getting disqualified from the survey because we weren’t in a suitable demographic.
Watch out for high minimum cash-outs. We found that some sites require you to earn at least $20 before you can cash out. Be aware that it might take you a while to build a big enough rewards balance to be able to make a withdrawal.
Some rewards are not available in Canada. We were sometimes annoyed to find that some advertised rewards were only available in the USA, so check the fine print to find out how you can cash out your earnings.
How to get started
It’s quick and easy to start completing surveys for money. Here’s what we did to get started.
Choose a platform. Compare the best-paying survey sites in Canada to decide where to open an account.
Sign up. Provide your personal information and contact details. Then create a password for your account.
Create a profile. Answer questions about yourself, including your lifestyle, family situation and hobbies, so you can be matched with survey opportunities.
Find a survey. Browse available surveys on your account dashboard and select the one you’d like to complete.
Probably not. When testing 13 different survey sites, we found that most surveys pay between $0.50 and $3, so it's unlikely that you'll be able to earn $500 a month. Surveys can be a great way to earn extra cash, but they shouldn't be considered a reliable or significant source of income. They work best as a side hustle for small earnings.
Yes, we trialled 13 survey sites and discovered that it is possible to make $100 a month from surveys. However, doing so won’t be easy. You'll need to be willing to devote time to completing surveys most days, and you may also need to sign up to multiple survey sites to maximize your earning potential.
Freecash, Branded Surveys, Ipsos iSay, Pinecone Research, and SurveyLion are among the highest-paying survey sites in Canada. However, the rewards on offer depend on the length and complexity of the survey, while the amount of survey opportunities available to you will also vary depending on your demographic profile and the platform you choose. Check out our guide on the highest-paying surveys for more information.
There are many sites and apps that offer legit surveys for money in Canada. Some popular options include Swagbucks, Prime Opinion and Branded Surveys.
There are several large online survey platforms available in Canada that boast millions of users globally. Some of the biggest providers include Ipsos iSay, Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, Freecash and Branded Surveys.
Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 20-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors.
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Megan B. Shepherd is a personal finance expert and editor for loans and insurance at Finder.
Her personal finance expertise has been featured on Forbes, Nasdaq, MediaFeed, Fox News, Time, Reviews.com, and carinsurance.com, adding invaluable information related to personal loans, financial strategies and smart borrowing tactics.
Megan graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business Administration with an entrepreneurial focus. She's worked as a certified financial adviser and has earned certificates of completion from A.D. Banker & Company.
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