If you’re a fan of the beer money subreddit like I am, you will find that a lot of people highly recommend Prolific. It’s brought up often and is highly praised.
I have mentioned them before, such as in my ways to make money without a job post, but I really haven’t played around with the site too much to give my honest opinion. Today, that changes.
Quite possibly one of the best ways to complete surveys online, Prolific may be one to add high to your list. You get paid cash and can get started in as little as a minute. Plus, the surveys are pretty fun!
If you want to make cash on the side, all while helping researchers, then let’s dive in and see if it’s one worth joining. You may be surprised with the results.
Prolific Surveys Review
What is Prolific?
Founded in 2014, Prolific is a pinch different than the many I already have mentioned, such as Swagbucks. It’s more of a crowd-sourcing platform for both researchers and participants, almost similar to that of MTurk, only that it focuses on surveys. Most of what you will find here comes from researchers, and the surveys are a lot different than what you’re expecting.
It was founded by two PhD students because they found it hard to recruit participants for their research. This is how this platform was born.
To date, more than 3,000+ charities, universities and businesses have used Prolific to find people like you to help learn about what you feel about a particular product and/or service.
As I write this, the company has more than 70,000 participants and studies are guaranteed to a pay a minimum of $6.50 per hour. The company is based in Oxford, England.
Signing Up
Even though the company is based outside of the United States, you can still sign up as a U.S. resident. You must be at least 18+ years old.
As I write this, the company accepts members from 30 countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, to name a few. Signing up is 100% free and can be done directly on the official website by clicking on the “participants” page.
You can also click on “Sign Up,” but if you do, be sure to click “I want to take part in studies” from the drop down box.
Signing up is straightforward as all they ask for is a few personal questions, as seen in the graphic above.
Immediately after doing so, you will be able to access your dashboard.
Prolific Dashboard
After you sign up, you will be able to access your dashboard, which will look something like this:
Unlike a lot of your survey-like websites that are riddled with ads and a ton of links, Prolific makes it very easy to find what you’re looking for. As you can see, you can see the studies available to you, the submissions you made in the pass as well as an “about you” section, all of which I will talk about next. It’s very simple and easy to navigate.
Below, I talk about each section and how it works.
The Studies Section
In the studies section, you will find all of the studies you currently qualify for. At first, you will see a “waiting for studies” message, but this is just because you haven’t filled out your personal profile yet, so don’t worry about that just yet. I will talk about your personal profile later.
Once you do see studies, it will look something like this:
You will be able to see the survey title, who it’s hosted by, how much you can get paid as well as how long it will take to complete it. If any surveys are of interest, click on the link for more information in regards to the study. If it’s something that you want to complete, then you can click on the “start now” button and proceed to get your credit once you complete it.
By default, Prolific will default to the survey dashboard so you don’t have to click on it when you first log in.
The cool thing about these surveys, unlike the many I talk about, is that you qualify for every single one. Yes, that means you won’t have to answer a few questions only to find out you get the dreaded disqualification message. This is a huge plus and the reason so many people recommend it.
How much can I make?
I can’t offer a definite answer as this greatly varies on your demographic, but from my personal experience, it’s not too hard to make $10~ a week. This could be much more or less. From my research, most people earn $40 to $90 a month, on average.
How many surveys should I get?
Again, this is heavily dependent on your demographics again, but it could range anywhere from 1 to 20+ studies a week. Some studies go fast, so be sure to constantly log in to see if any new options have popped up. It also depends on how fast you snag these surveys as some go quick.
TIP: As a tip, make sure you keep your notifications on so that you can receive a survey invite anytime a new one pops up. You can also download a Chrome extension called Prolific Assistant which helps alert you the minute a survey pops up on your dashboard.
Submissions Section
The submission section is straightforward and is important to check whenever you complete a study.
Whenever you complete a study, it will show up on this dashboard, where you can see it pending at first. Once the researcher accepts your answer, then the survey will flip to an approved status and your account will be credited.
After completion, it can take up to 21 days to see a credit, but this will be dependent on the researcher you’re working with.
About You Section
When you’re first starting out, this is the most important section to pay attention to. If you have ever signed up for a research company in the past, then you probably already know how important a demographic survey is. These demographic surveys will tell researchers more about you so that they can send you targeted surveys. After all, a cat litter company wouldn’t want to send you a survey if you didn’t own a cat, right?
In this section, you will see a ton of sections, most of which look like this…
It will range from your basic demographics to your family, languages and more. You won’t get paid for these, unfortunately, but it’s very important that you take the time to fill them out to maximize your earnings. The more these companies know about you, the more surveys that will pop up on your dashboard.
Each section takes about 30 seconds to complete, so it shouldn’t take you too long to complete everything. I highly recommend you answer these questions right away so that you can start to get surveys.
Cashing Out
When you’re ready to cash out, the great thing about Prolific is that you only need to accumulate $5 to do so. When you’re ready, all you have to do is log into your account and then click on the “cash out” button in your profile to start the transfer.
There’s no points system or rewards store; it’s strictly cash. This makes it a lot easier to know what you’re getting in exchange for your time.
The company does pay out in GBP (£), but you do not have to worry if you’re a U.S. resident as you can convert to your local currency in your PayPal account.
Reviews (The Pros and Cons)
As in all of my reviews, I love to comb the internet and see what other people are saying. It’s not always about me! I can always find both the good and bad, but just because I find the bad, it doesn’t mean it’s one you should steer clear of.
In my hunt, I found quite a few reviews, mainly positive, but I did find some negativity as well. I included all of my findings in each of the sections below:
The Pros
- they reward quickly and seem to act fairly
- great customer service
- always seem to have a mixed bag of surveys
- surveys seem more interesting than your average survey site
- pays well
- qualify for every survey that comes your way
- great reviews on third-party websites
The Cons
- you can get rejected by the researcher (rare, though)
- not a lot of opportunity for some demographics
Final Thoughts
10/10In the end, Prolific should be high on your list for a myriad of reasons.For one, the surveys are fun and much different than what you’re used to, so if you want something that won’t bore you to death, it’s something to consider. Secondly, every survey invite you get means you won’t get disqualified, meaning you get the credit noted in the beginning. Just make sure you get in before the spots are filled. And, the last point I want to mention is that the surveys are short and pay handsomely. In using Prolific, I have made more in a few days than I have made in an entire month on other sites. It does pay nice!
It’s hard not to give Prolific a perfect 10 out of 10. It’s easily one of my top five and will continue to stay there, unless things change, of course.
Now, I leave the podium to you.
Have you tried out Prolific?
Are you thinking about trying it?
As always, you’re more than welcome to sound off in the comments below!
In the meantime, sign up! It only takes a minute to do and 100% free to do.
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