Sites Like Prolific (2026)

Prolific is a paid research platform where you take studies from academics, AI researchers and brands. You get paid in real money, not points or gift cards. Prolific’s founders started it at Oxford University in 2014, and its help center says researchers must pay at least $8 an hour, with $12 an hour or more recommended. You can cash out to PayPal once you’ve earned $6, and payments land instantly after your first four cashouts. The catch is getting in: you’ll join a waitlist first, and Prolific says it sends invites once tasks are available.

Below, we compare seven sites like Prolific plus two cash advance apps, each with an “earning potential” note sourced only from that company’s own site.

Our picks

• CloudResearch Connect — best for academic studies with a guaranteed hourly pay floor
• User Interviews — best for higher-paying interviews, focus groups and diary studies
• Respondent — best for professionals who want premium-rate research sessions
• UserTesting — best for recorded feedback on digital products
• Dscout — best for app-based research studies with set reward amounts
• Survey Junkie — best for quick surveys with a low $5 cashout floor
• KashKick — best for combining surveys, deals and games in real dollars

Plus two cash advance apps for when you need quick cash rather than study payouts:

• EarnIn — best for accessing wages you’ve already earned
• Brigit — best for a cash advance bundled with budgeting tools

Earning potential at a glance

Provider	Cashout minimum	Payout format	Earning potential (per its own site)
CloudResearch Connect	$5 for PayPal; $25 for bank transfer; no minimum for Amazon gift cards	Cash	Researchers must pay at least $7.50/hour
User Interviews	None — each study pays out separately	Digital gift cards when User Interviews pays; researcher’s choice otherwise	Average study pays more than $45
Respondent	None — each study pays out separately	Tremendous payout, minus a 5% fee ($1 minimum) per its help center	Most sessions pay $250; senior B2B roles $400+
UserTesting	None — each test pays out separately	PayPal (USD)	Not listed — varies by test type, length and customer demand
Dscout	None — each study pays out separately	PayPal	Most payouts up to $150
Survey Junkie	500 points ($5)	Points, redeemable as cash or gift cards	Not listed as a fixed rate
KashKick	$10	Real dollars ($1 Kash = $1)	Not listed as a fixed rate
EarnIn	N/A (wage access, not a reward program)	Cash to bank account	Up to $150/day, max $1,000/pay period
Brigit	N/A (cash advance, not a reward program)	Cash to bank account	$500 ($250 in Maine); average advance $73

CloudResearch Connect — best for academic studies with a guaranteed hourly pay floor

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Researchers must pay at least $7.50/hour	$5 for PayPal, $25 for bank transfer, no minimum for Amazon gift cards	Not listed

Connect is CloudResearch’s participant platform, where researchers from universities, companies and labs recruit people for online studies. It’s the closest thing to Prolific on this list. CloudResearch won’t let researchers save a study that pays less than $7.50 an hour, and it calls $10 an hour its baseline for fast data collection. If a researcher doesn’t approve or reject your submission within 14 days, Connect approves and pays you automatically.

Getting in takes a few steps. You’ll upload a government-issued ID, complete a 5–10-minute verification survey and wait for a review that can take up to 30 days. CloudResearch says its approval decisions are final, and it won’t share why it turns someone down.

User Interviews — best for higher-paying interviews, focus groups and diary studies

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
The average study pays more than $45	No cashout balance — each study pays its own incentive	Not listed

User Interviews is a research recruiting platform where companies find people for interviews, focus groups, diary studies, surveys and product tests. It’s now part of UserTesting, Inc. User Interviews says the average study pays more than $45, more than 5,000 studies launch every month and it paid more than 94,000 participants in the last year. Its published ranges run from $300+ for one-on-one interviews to $1,500+ for online research studies.

User Interviews studies pay you in one of two ways, and each study listing tells you which before you apply. In some studies, User Interviews pays you itself with a digital gift card through Tremendous. You can’t get PayPal, Venmo or a bank transfer on these studies. In others, the researcher pays you directly and picks the method, which could be cash, PayPal, a check or a gift card. Either way, most incentives arrive within a day or two, though researchers have up to 10 business days to pay.

Respondent — best for professionals who want premium-rate research sessions

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Most sessions pay $250; senior B2B roles regularly pay $400+	No cashout balance — each study pays its own incentive	Not listed

Respondent matches you with paid interviews, focus groups, surveys, diary studies and usability tests based on your work background and interests. Respondent says it has more than 4.3 million verified participants, and most get one to three study invitations a month. Its FAQ says focus groups and in-person studies pay the most and that most participants get paid through Tremendous within five to seven business days of their session.

Respondent’s own pages disagree on fees. Its participant page says payouts come with no fees, but its help center says Respondent takes a 5% fulfillment fee ($1 minimum) out of every incentive — so a $20 study pays $19.

UserTesting — best for recorded feedback on digital products

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Not listed — UserTesting says pay varies by test type, length and customer demand	No cashout balance — each test pays separately	Not listed

UserTesting pays you to record your feedback so companies can improve their digital and product experiences. You’ll take an unpaid practice test as part of your application. After that, your dashboard shows what each test pays before you start, and UserTesting says customers expect a 15-minute recording on average.

UserTesting sends payments to your PayPal account in US dollars, usually 14 days after you complete a test. PayPal is the only payout method, and UserTesting doesn’t withhold taxes. Customers can cancel payment if you skip tasks, don’t meet a test’s requirements or submit a short, superficial recording. Contributors with higher ratings get more test invites.

Dscout — best for app-based research studies with set reward amounts

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Most payouts up to $150	No cashout balance — each study pays its own reward	Not listed

Dscout runs paid research studies through its mobile app. Applications are unpaid, but each study card shows the reward amount before you apply. Dscout says most payouts range up to $150, depending on the time and effort a study takes.

Once you finish a study, the study leader reviews your entries. After they approve, Dscout messages you in the app and by email with the exact date your reward will arrive. Dscout sends every reward through PayPal, and payments should land within 10 business days of the study closing.

Survey Junkie — best for quick surveys with a low $5 cashout floor

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Not listed as a fixed rate	500 points ($5)	Points for signing up, confirming your email and completing your profile; amount not listed

Survey Junkie (owned by DISQO) is a survey community where you earn points for surveys and profile questionnaires. You can cash out starting at 500 points ($5) through PayPal, bank transfer or gift cards to retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart, though options vary by location and verification status. You need to be at least 18 and live in the US, Canada, Australia or the UK.

Survey Junkie isn’t a research-study platform like Prolific — most of what you’ll do is shorter consumer surveys. It does give you a few points even when you don’t qualify for a survey. An optional program called Surf to Earn pays monthly points for sharing your browsing activity.

KashKick — best for combining surveys, deals and games in real dollars

Earning potential	Cashouts from	Signup bonus
Not listed as a fixed rate	$10	$1 Kash for completing your General profile

KashKick is a rewards platform for US residents that pays in Kash, where $1 Kash equals $1 USD. You earn by taking surveys, completing deals, playing games and shopping. You’ll need to finish your General profile before you can take surveys, and KashKick pays you $1 Kash for doing it.

You can cash out once you have $10 in your available balance, through PayPal, Venmo or KashRewards gift cards. KashKick says processing takes one to three business days, and you may need to verify your identity first. Some earnings sit as pending while advertisers verify them, which KashKick says can take up to 14 days or more.

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Compare other get-paid-to sites

How we picked these

We picked platforms that pay you for taking part in research or surveys, the way Prolific does, and pulled every figure from each company’s own website, help center or app listing. If a company doesn’t publish a detail, we say so.

Cash advance apps: A different route to quick cash

If what you need is money before payday rather than pay for your time, cash advance apps are a different type of product. Here’s how two popular options compare.

EarnIn — best for accessing wages you’ve already earned

EarnIn lets you access money you’ve already earned before payday — up to $150 a day, with a max of $1,000 per pay period. EarnIn bases your limits on your earnings and risk factors, and the service is only available in select states. Standard transfers are free and take one to three business days, or you can pay a small fee to get your money in minutes.

Detail	Info
Advance amount	Up to $150/day, max $1,000/pay period (varies by eligibility)
Advance term	Not listed on the EarnIn pages we checked
Cost	No mandatory fees or interest; optional tips; fee for instant transfers

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Brigit — best for a cash advance bundled with budgeting tools

Brigit’s Instant Cash advances range up to $500 ($250 in Maine), with no credit check, interest, late fees or tips. Brigit says the Plus plan costs $8.99/month and the Premium plan costs $15.99/month, and Plus also bundles credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

Detail	Info
Advance amount	$500 nationally ($250 in Maine); average advance $73
Advance term	Repaid on the date you set, with no mandatory minimum or maximum repayment period
Cost	Plus $8.99/month or Premium $15.99/month; no interest, late fees or credit check; Express Delivery fee may apply on Plus

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How to choose the best site for you

• Decide what you actually want. If you need cash before payday rather than pay for your time, EarnIn or Brigit fits better than a research site.
• Match the work to your schedule. Paid surveys fit into spare minutes, while interviews and focus groups need a booked time slot.
• Check how you get paid. Some sites pay through PayPal only, while others pay in digital gift cards or let the researcher choose.
• Look at the payment timeline. Payouts range from a day or two after a session to 14 days after a test, depending on the site.
• Be ready to verify your identity. Several platforms here ask for ID or another verification step before you can cash out or take studies.
• Think about your background. Senior B2B roles can earn $400+ a session on Respondent, but plenty of studies and user testing gigs are open to everyday consumers.

Bottom line

Prolific isn’t the only place to get paid for research. CloudResearch Connect comes closest, with an enforced hourly pay floor and studies from universities, companies and labs. User Interviews, Respondent and Dscout publish bigger payouts per study, while UserTesting suits you if you’re comfortable recording your feedback. Survey Junkie and KashKick are easy add-ons if you want quick surveys between studies, and they sit alongside plenty of other money-making apps and ways to make money online. If what you need is cash before payday, EarnIn and Brigit offer a different route.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I use more than one site like Prolific at once?

  Yes. Each platform has its own pool of researchers and studies, so many people sign up for several to get more invitations.

• Do I have to pay taxes on what I earn from research sites?

  Usually, yes. UserTesting says it doesn't withhold taxes and you're responsible for any you owe. User Interviews says it requests a W-9 and files 1099 forms with the IRS for US participants whose yearly study payments total $600 or more. Talk to a tax professional about your situation.