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Apex Focus Group Reviews: $35-$500 per Study?

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I have talked about focus groups many times before, particularly in my paid online focus groups as well as my 15+ jobs you can do from anywhere in the world posts.  If you’re unfamiliar with this term, picture it almost like a group setting, where you participate in a discussion, either online or offline.  It can be on a myriad of topics, but the end game is to collect information and usually help a company improve a product, service, etc.

The great thing about focus groups is that they pay very well and it doesn’t eat up a lot of your time.  I’m talking $50 to $300+ for about 60 to 90 minutes of your time.  It’s some of the easiest money I have ever made, and I’m sure you could say the same if you have ever took advantage of one.

The thing about these focus groups is that there are hundreds, if not thousands of these studies out there at any given time, making it very hard to find them.  Thankfully, there are some online resources, such as the Apex Focus Group (maybe), that can help you find a focus group that fits your demographic.

Apex Focus Groups Review:  Legit or Scam?

As I have seen this company pop up a few times in my research particularly in advertisements, I figured I would talk a pinch about it in this review.  It will look something like this…

Are they worth your time?  Can they find you a lot of focus groups?  How does it work?

As in all of my reviews, I will walk you through the entire process, from start to finish, letting you know exactly how they work as well as if I recommend them.  If you have ever read my reviews, then you know that I only recommend products I personally would use. I never would recommend a scam nor would I recommend something that pays me a commission.  This isn’t how we work here.

If you want help finding a focus group near you, then the Apex Focus Group may be a website to consider.  Let’s find out.

What is the Apex Focus Group?

I couldn’t find much on the official website, only that they said they “offer a wide range of market research groups that fit your interests, background, lifestyle and location.”  In joining them, you can receive compensation for making your voice heard.  It wasn’t much, but I had to dig outside of the website to see what they were about before I even considered joining.

In my research, I did find some information on their CareerBuilder profile, where they stated they started more than seven years ago, offering consumers the chance to share their opinions while being compensated.   Every month, they carefully curate and publish about 150 to 200 paid focus groups, surveys and clinical trials, with studies hosted in person, online or even over the phone.

As I write this, they have more than 50,000 registered members with more than 1,000+ market research opportunities inside their database.  This stat was according to the main website’s statistics.

The history was vague, both in my searching as well as on their website.  This kind of raised a red flag at first, but it doesn’t mean it’s a scam, per se.  They at least have a physical address as well as a contact form, so that’s a positive.  Will you receive a response if you have a question?  Who knows?  I have just found that most of the companies I review often have a lot more information than what they have stated.



Signing Up

To join the company’s panel, you will want to click on the “join a focus group” button located near the top of your screen if using a desktop.

In doing so, the company will ask you to fill out a focus group profile, but before doing so, you will land on what looks like a job posting.

In this job posting, they state that they are looking for individuals who want to participate in both national and local paid focus groups, clinical trials and phone interviews, either online and/or in person.  It lists the most popular focus group topics, your responsibilities as well as the qualifications required to start.  It looks like a typical job posting, only that you’re not really applying to a job.  At least read through it to know what’s expect of you if you were to be chosen for a focus group.

Honestly, as long as you’re 18+ years old and have a working desktop/smartphone with webcam capabilities, then you can join.  No experience is necessary nor do you have to pay a fee to join.  Plus, there’s no commitment, so you can join and do nothing if you so choose.  It’s up to you as to which jobs you want to accept as they come your way.

Signing up takes about three minutes in total.

The E-mail Confirmation

Once you sign up, the company will ask you to confirm your email, asking you “whitelist” them so that you can receive the private only invites that can pay up to $750. This is optional, of course, but if you don’t do it, then you may want to check your spam/promotions folder as this is where I found most of my emails.   I have a feeling they want you to whitelist them so that you can view all of the e-mails coming in.

Aside from that tip, the company then asks you to click on a “private link” to complete your first focus group questionnaire.

This questionnaire, however, when I clicked on it, directed me to Field Work, a very reputable focus group company I have mentioned a ton of times.  This was kind of confusing, but I went ahead with it anyways.  It was to screen for an upcoming 90-minute study for business professionals.  Keep in mind that Field Work has nothing to do with Apex.

Scam? That’s Not the Right Word to Use

In my signing up and research, I found Apex Focus Group to be putting on a front.  They make it sound like they are the focus group, but in reality, they are just referring you to reputable companies.  While there is nothing wrong with this, I find it a bit misleading to act as if you are the company.  Not cool.

Are they making a referral commission?  Maybe, but my gut instinct tells me that they are just selling your information to third parties so that they can start sending you unwanted advertisements.

While I’m not going to say it’s a scam, I will say the company is misleading in many ways, the reason I give it a fat F.  The only good part is that they do direct you to a reputable focus group company, but I could have told you that well before joining.

Final Thoughts

0/10In the end, I don’t recommend Apex Focus Groups one bit.

While the website looks professional, they only push you to a reputable focus group and then spam your inbox with offers.  Not a cool practice if you ask me.  Like I said, they are probably selling your information.

If you want a legitimate focus group opportunity, there’s a reason Apex isn’t mentioned on this website!  It isn’t a focus group.  It’s as simple as that.  If you want a legitimate focus group option, I highly recommend you check the many focus groups mentioned here.  I promise those are 100% legitimate and will pay you the money promised.

For now, give Apex a pass.  Don’t sign up, and definitely don’t give them your e-mail.  Unless things change, this is one to avoid 100%.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

22 comments

  • Thank you. As I saw Apex posted on a Jobs Career site, the positions and the pay they offer seem to good to be true. So I decided to do some research on this and came across your article as well as a few others that all pretty much feel that Apex is not what it tries to appear to be. The old saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t” …..

  • Thank you so much! Not looking for my info to be sold to who knows who. To bad, I would love to do that sort of thing, review products. 🙂

  • I actually did sign up for their focus group $50-150. then I started getting email for ads and more surveys. I did one survey and waited for a month — “NO PAYMENT”. After reading on this site, I unsubscribe and block their emails.
    When I unsubscribed, it’s still trying for me to sign up with “LIFEPOINTS survey.”

    • Their company also did pop-up on my searches and got curious about it and checking what they are. Luckily, I found your review and it was very helpful. Thanks for this!

  • Thanks for the discussion — I get enough junk emails, and enough true valid Survey Invites. However, the Apex Focus Group does put out an interesting ‘teaser’ link. DO you have links to true Focus Groups that are willing to compensate for educated opinions and experiences. With my family obligations and health risks of Covid-19, I am very hesitant to get out of the house for any more than the essentials — sign me educated Life Science Ph.D.

    • Hi, Berry!

      I wrote on this very topic in the past and recommend you check it out: https://lushdollar.com/paid-online-focus-groups/

      There are a lot of legitimate focus group companies out there. You just need to know where to look! Thankfully, I did the dirty work for you and posted only the best of the best who, indeed, pay out.

      Best of luck to you!

  • Thank you for posting your research on Apex Focus Group. I am always wary of these types of job ads and came across one this morning. I wanted to research their legitimacy and came across your article. That you actually tried them out and speak from your first hand experience is helpful.

  • Thank you for posting this, I was skeptical to say the least. Also, I noticed they heavily spammed kijiji Toronto. 326 ads currently. When you click on their link it says *only 3 positions left*. So they have over 300 ads up on (Toronto) Kijiji to fill 3 spots? Doesn’t add up.

  • Thank you! This was on Linkedin and I went to investigate as it didn’t seem quite right to me. I’m grateful I did as their AD on Linkedin is very misleading as you say. I don’t need or want any advertising sent my way by email spamming so I’m glad I checked.

    • Yes, Swagbucks, Prolific.co and Freecash are a few of my favorites. You won’t get rich, though 🙂

  • Sorry, Apex surveys are a big scam. I’ve tried for a year to get just one that pays over $50 and it either says its full or don’t qualify. It takes 5-10 minutes to complete the questionnaire only to get rejected. Then you get spammed with surveys that pay pennies