If you want to get paid to test websites and apps, you actually have to be a computer genius.
Just kidding. That's what a lot of people think but it's actually not true at all.
In fact, getting paid to test websites is pretty much just the upgraded version of filling out surveys for cash. However, instead of answering questions about products, you'll be helping with the functionality, usability, and design of a website or app.
Basically, you'll be making the web a less buggy, more functional, better place, all while making money at the same time!
What Does a Website/User Tester Do?
The obvious answer here is that you test websites, but what does that mean?
Well, you'll actually be doing a variety of different things:
Most commonly, you'll be what's known as a user tester. As a user tester, you test a website or apps functionality. You pretty much just use the site/app as a normal user would, making sure the user experience is a good one.
Most of the time these “user tests” will require you to record your screen and voice so that you can voice your opinions and give feedback as you go.
The more complex user testing jobs on this list will require you to be a bug tester. As a bug tester, you're basically trying to make the website or app that your testing break. You're looking for important technical issues.
Once you find an issue, you report it to the developer and get rewarded. That may sound easy, but a lot of bugs are actually quite difficult to find. It takes practice.
What You Need to Start Testing Websites Online
Here's everything you might need to get started testing websites and apps online:
- A computer, keyboard, and mouse
- An internet connection
- A microphone (not always required) (here's what I use)
- A webcam (not always required) (here's one)
You should also be able to speak and write in English because most tests will require it.
My Experience Testing Websites for Money
I got my first paid web testing job from UserTesting on February 27th (got paid $10) and since then have done five more tests earning $60 in the bank! For a month this isn't a lot of money earned but that doesn't matter, it was fun and it took me less than two hours to earn that $60.
You see, there's only one downside to the web testing side hustle:
It's not a full-time gig.
For most of us at least.
As you'll learn below there are some lucky individuals who manage to earn a full-time income testing websites, but they're the 1%.
For the other 99% of us, this is a side hustle to earn some extra money every month. You could use that money to pay off debt, save up for a video game, you can do whatever you want with it!
Even if you just make an extra $50 a month, that's $600 in the bank every year.
Why Can't We Earn More?
Because there are more testers than customers, you can't expect to get a bunch of tests every day. You might qualify for one test a month or you might qualify for fifty, it's impossible to predict.
However, there are a couple ways to increase your chances of making more money:
- Sign up for as many sites as you can – The more sites you're on the more job opportunities you'll see.
- Have a good tester rating – Most sites on this list have ratings for all their testers. If your rating is high, you'll get sent more jobs. Make sure that you are giving quality feedback and following the tester guidelines on each site.
If the site you're on has free courses and training available, take advantage. Most sites will also have a section like “How to be a great tester” or something similar, make sure you study it.
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Get Paid to Test Websites and Apps With These Sites
1. UserTesting
UserTesting is one of the more well-known websites that pay users to test websites (never thought I could use the word website so many time's in one sentence).
The first thing you have to do is take a practice test, then you'll get to start doing paid tests. You'll get reviewed for these tests so make sure you're providing value and voicing your thoughts out loud the entire test.
After your practice test is approved you'll start receiving paid tests in your dashboard. You'll have to take a short screener (takes one minute) for each paid test to see if you qualify because the customers want specific users taking their tests.
I get about 1-2 tests per week that I actually qualify for, so you can expect the same. For each of these tests, you get paid $10 via PayPal seven days after you complete the test.
They have tests for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Occasionally you may be able to take part in a live test where you talk to a customer live while testing a website. These tests usually pay $30 per 30 minutes.
Learn more:
2. UTest
UTest is a bit overwhelming at first because there is a lot more going on with it then the other user testing sites. But don't worry! Once you spend a bit of time on it and learn the layout everything will start making sense. Make use of their help desk. Don't give up on this one because it has a ton of earning potential.
I say this because there are users making a full-time income ($3,000/mo+) with UTest. Now this obviously won't happen quickly and it won't be easy but it is proof that it is possible if you put the work in.
So, what you'll be doing on UTest will be looking for bugs in a piece of software. The pay varies for each test cycle, but you can expect $5 per bug on average.
However, when you sign up don't expect to be getting paid jobs in your inbox right away, you could be waiting up to 2 weeks just to receive your Sandbox test, which is a practice test you must complete before receiving paid projects. You'll then have to build up your rating slowly to get more test invites.
There's a ton of useful and free info on UTest so be sure to look around at the courses and forums for that.
3. UserPeek
UserPeek (previously User Test) is currently in development but they're beginning to accept tester applications. Test pay $10 for 10-15 minutes of work and payments are sent via PayPal.
Tests seem mostly focused on usability, requiring you to use a website or app while following a specific set of tasks and speaking your thoughts out loud.
4. Enroll
- No microphone required
Enroll is different from most of the other sites on this list because it doesn't require a microphone or webcam to record your tests. The tests on Enroll contain simple tasks, asking you to compare two web pages or click somewhere on a webpage. You can also take these tests on any device, mobile, desktop or tablet.
This makes the tests a lot easier to take but it also means they pay less. There is no exact number but most tests pay anywhere from $0.10 to $1.50. Oh, also you get some cool badges when you complete tests which are a fun addition.
Currently, 367,688 tests have been taken on Enroll, which means they've paid out thousands of dollars to their users!
5. UserFeel
On UserFeel each test will take you around 10-20 minutes and pay out $10. You can take the tests on your computer or smartphone.
You will have to take a qualification test (what's new) and you should check out their tester FAQ because they have a lot of useful information to help you become a better tester.
6. TryMyUI
- Who can join: Anyone 18 years or older, fluent in English, with access to PayPal.
- Average earning potential: $10 per test, around $10-$30/hour.
- Average work volume: 1-3 paid tests a week.
- Ways to earn: Usability tests for websites and mobile apps (Android and iOS).
- Payout options: PayPal.
- Minimum payout: None.
- Payment speed: Weekly; paid out every Friday.
- Sign up bonus: None. Sign up here.
- Learn more: TryMyUI Review and Guide.
TryMyUI is similar to many other paid usability testing sites. However, it does have some issues: support is at times unresponsive, and test graders can be really strict. There have been multiple reports of people having their tests rejected for small issues, and TryMyUI doesn't pay for rejected tests.
That being said, some people use TryMyUI without issue, with some even saying the high standards help them become better testers.
7. Userlytics
Userlytics brings nothing new to the table:
- Web and mobile app testing
- Microphone required
- $10 payout per test
- Payments sent via PayPal every Friday
Although it's nothing new, it's extra income.
8. TestingTime
TestingTime conducts longer tests over Skype that will record your voice and face, so make sure you're comfortable with that before you apply.
Each test session lasts 30-90 minutes on average and the pay can reach as high as $50! You'll be paid out in 5-10 days via PayPal when you complete a test.
9. IntelliZoom
IntelliZoom provides users with the speak out loud screen recorded tests AND standard survey tests. It's the best of both worlds. And yes you have to take a sample test before you can start getting paid, you also have to be 18 or older.
Most of their tests last 10-20 minutes with the recorded tests paying $10 on average and the easier survey tests paying $5 on average.
After you take a test and the results are approved (takes 3-5 days) you'll be paid via PayPal within 21 business days.
10. Validately
Validately is a panel that offers talk aloud tests and moderated live tests.
The talk aloud tests should take around 5 minutes to complete and pay $5-10 which is great for only 5 minutes or work. The moderated live tests require a webcam and pay a minimum of $25 for 30 minutes.
I tried applying for Validately but it says my device is incompatible even though I'm on Window 8.1, so this might be a bug.
11. UserCrowd (Formerly UsabilityHub)
- No microphone required
UserCrowd tests are simple, less than a minute long tests that pay out 10 cents each.
HOLD UP, 10 cents?! Yes, but stick with me here:
The test tasks will be things like clicking somewhere on a site, answering a question, navigating a site, etc. Easy stuff you can complete in seconds once you get the hang of it. Bust out 10 of these tests a day and you're making $365 extra every year.
Sadly you probably won't get 10 tests a day, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't sign up. Even if you only make an extra $50/year it could still be worth the time.
Once again cash out is via PayPal and you must have at least 100 credits ($10).
12. UberTesters
UberTesters is all about testing apps – no website testing here!
All you need if you want to join is a tablet or smartphone, then just follow the sign-up process provided. They do note that some previous experience may be required.
13. Loop11
To become a tester on Loop11 you'll need to take a sample test which requires you to record your webcam, screen, and microphone. Yes, this is one of the few sites that also requires a webcam.
Loop11 seems a lot more exclusive than some of the other sites I've listed, and they also claim to pay more and provide frequent opportunities and bonuses to high-quality workers.
14. UserBrain
UserBrain allows you to test websites on your computer, iPad or iPhone. They record your screen and microphone during tests using their Chrome extension or iOS app.
Once you take a short sample test (took me 10 minutes) and are approved, you will start receiving paid tests. The tests pay $5 each which is lower than some other sites, but UserBrain tests are also shorter. You should receive a few tests a month.
Once you make $10 you can cash out via PayPal.
15. TestBirds
TestBirds is a software testing site sort of similar to UTest. They've conducted over 1,500 tests and found 110,000+ bugs.
One of the things that stands out about TestBirds is the pay, for a regular usability test you'll earn 20 euros (almost $25USD), and that's just the start. For each bug you find you can earn even more money.
TestBirds also provides free training to make you an even better tester so you can earn more money.
16. User Interviews
User Interviews isn't solely a paid web testing site, but they do have a great selection of jobs in that category. For example, look at this one:
$125 for a 60-minute test! That's an insane hourly rate. As you can see though, it's an in-person, 1-on-1 interview. That's one of the big reasons it's paying so much.
However, here's an online-based, paid usability test I found with a quick browse through the listings:
As you can see, it's another big boy, paying $100 for 1 hour and 15 minutes of work. The payment is in the form of an Amazon gift card though.
Bottom line?
With over 500 studies launched each month on the platform, there are plenty of worthwhile opportunities on User Interviews.
Best of all, they accept participants from the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., France, Germany, and South Africa. With more international studies launched every week, it's a good place to be!
17. PlaytestCloud
- Who can join: Anyone 18 years or older, fluent in English, with access to PayPal and a iOS or Android phone.
- Average earning potential: $15
- Average work volume: A few opportunities a month
- Ways to earn: Testing mobile games on iOS and Android.
- Payout options: PayPal
- Minimum payout: $0.01
- Payment speed: Within 7 days.
- Sign up bonus: None. Sign up here.
- Learn more: PlaytestCloud Review and Guide
PlaytestCloud is a unique paid testing opportunity as it pays you to exclusively test mobile games on iOS and Android — you won't find any website testing here.
18. Tryber
Tryber is a paid testing platform based in Italy that works with a range of testing types. You can find tasks related to bug-finding, usability testing, and more.
Learn more:
Other Places to Find Usertesting Jobs
Ok, so the sites above are dedicated to helping you find website testing jobs and app testing jobs, but they're not the only places on the web where these types of jobs exist.
Below are some sites you can check out that are more general remote job sites that will occasionally have usertesting jobs available. They won't be as consistent as the sites above, but they're still a good place to lurk during downtimes.
- MTurk – This is one of the most popular micro job sites around. You'll find all sorts of work here, including web testing and app testing. Read my full MTurk review to learn more.
- Respondent.io – This is a site for finding focus groups, so if you sign up here just be aware most researchers are looking for specific people to conduct interviews with. Sometimes that might mean you'll just be answering questions, or you'll be going through an app or website and speaking your thoughts. Learn more here.
- Clickworker – Similar to MTurk, Clickworker has a ton of different micro tasks available including web testing and app tester jobs. Read my Clickworker review to learn more.
- Upwork – This is one of the biggest freelance job sites in the world and it has both app and web testing jobs available. Some of the work involves simple usability testing while other job posters are looking for people with much more specialized technical knowledge. Learn more here and here.
One more thing to keep in mind with the sites above is that since they have a variety of work available, you might end up finding other tasks you enjoy doing as well.
Final Thoughts
The fact that you can get paid to test websites and apps from home with no prior experience is pretty awesome. It's honestly one of my favorite ways to make a quick extra buck online.
It's fun, you get to improve websites and apps with your feedback so it's actually productive, and getting paid $10 for 10-20 minutes of work is pretty good in my books.
If you're a beginner looking to get started testing websites, I highly recommend trying out user testing.
Also, remember to follow these tips I listed above:
- Apply to as many sites as you can for more testing opportunities
- Provide high-quality feedback to improve your tester rating
- Take advantage of the free training provided on sites if available
Check out these other similar money-making opportunities:
- How to Start Working From Home: The Ultimate Guide
- Transcription Jobs From Home No Experience
- 11 Online Writing Jobs
- 32 Easy Ways to Make Money Fast
- 10+ Apps That Pay You to Walk
wow thank you for these gems 🙂 btw how about test.io??
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check that one out. Have you used it yourself? How was it?
Kindly list companies that accept Nigerians for these jobs. Thanks.
Be sure to check out the platform discovery tool. You can filter by your country — I’ll be adding platforms with testing opportunities soon!
Many thanks to you for this special write-up, you did well bro. But it seems most site don’t accept African countries, e g Nigeria 🇳🇬 my country
Thanks for the feedback Ayeh. And sorry to hear that. I’d recommend checking out the Hustle Finder to find sites that work in Nigeria — more sites/apps will be added to it soon.
Can you please drop the link to most of this sites you listed? cause there is a little difficulty in finding the main site.. an example is startuplift.
Hey! Sorry for the difficulty. You can click the name in the heading (e.g. “1. UserTesting” <- click that) to go to the main site. Let me know if that helps. Unfortunately, looks like StartupLift no longer offers paid testing opportunities.
Hello, I want to thank you for taking your time to research and post the information above, I have never worked online but thanks to you I now have the information I need to start off.
God bless.
Cheers.
Thanks for your comment Fransciscah! Really happy you’ve been finding the content helpful. Good luck getting started!
I am new here and I want to know more
Sure, feel free to ask any questions you like!
Hello,
WhatUsersDo was acquires by UserZoom in 2018 apparently. You need to fix that part of the article!
All the best,
Thanks D, I need to update this article. Will make the change soon — I have a full IntelliZoom review on the way.
One addendum: Userbrain now pays $5 per test, not $3 and you can cash out after two tests / $10. I get about 5 tests per month, so it’s worth doing.
Thanks Steve! I’ve updated the post. Appreciate it.
Over 30 years in the computer field teaching, testing, quality assurance, project management and contingency planning then retired at 58 years old.
Worked for great companies such IBM, Teleglobe Canada, Government of ONTARIO, city of Toronto, ORACLE and more
My preferred field is testing as I am like testing functionality case by case and the integrated testing, I am fully experienced with all the testing methodology.
Nice Michael. Have you tried any of the sites above? Sounds like UTest might be a good fit for your experience.
Hi Dylan, Appreciate your effort of sharing this stuffs! This is Arnab from India, and I want to know from you about the sites among this 17 which will turn out to be a fruitful business other than that usertesting site! I know usertesting is much fruitful but similar to that which others will you recommend to be useful living in India, considering the flow of opportunities. Thank you 🙂
Honestly, the best option is to test them out for yourself! I’m in Canada so my experiences will be a bit different than yours.
If you come back and share your experiences later, that would be extremely helpful.
I discover that UserTesting.com has the highest paid test but it requires some level of expertise
So my question is which one is convinient for a person like me with just basic computer skill and web surfing?
Hey Makapolo, some of the tests on Usertesting require very little expertise (web surfing and basic computer skills will be more than enough) you just have to wait to find them.
Thanks for the useful information. It’s interesting that many ve had beautiful results from this. God helping me, I will join the bandwagon.
Welcome! Ya, usability testing is a great way to earn some side cash. Good luck, let me know how things go.
Do you have to be USA or Europe based?. I am self employed in the IT field and have my own company but not based in Europe or the States. Can you get paid in any country in the world? I want to retire for medical reasons but could still be useful in this field as I was an ex Beta Tester for a few years.
I believe some of the companies above hire worldwide. I’d have to do another check-through to be sure, but you could find out by simply visiting each site. In a future update, I’ll work on adding info on where each company accepts applicants from.
Dude, the user interview hustle is promising – just signed up and there are jobs in there already. Thanks for the plug – will be visiting your site regularly too!
It is surprisingly good for being so simple. Thanks for visiting!
This seems really interesting and I think I will be trying some of these testing programs. Thanks for the recommendations.
Happy to help! Good luck with em.
Hi Dylan,
I am from India. I want to make money by testing websites but i only have smartphone nothing else such as PC, webcam, Microphone. And i am also a begineer. I don’t know how to start. So which website is best for me ? Can you please help me ?
Hey Ramesh, maybe try out Teston.io – it’s a bit of a new one that I just discovered. They have iPhone testing (Android is coming soon), and allow signups from anywhere in the world.
Let me know how it goes or if you find anything better!
Hi Admin how can I get started on the stuff and what are the requirements to get started in testing app and get pay
Hey Stephen, a lot of the sites you can just sign up for and they’ll put you through a tutorial to help you get started. Requirements vary for each site, but typically you just need a computer, internet, a microphone, and some basic computer knowledge. Hope that helps.
I was curious if you ever considered changing the structure
of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so
people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for
only having 1 or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
I appreciate the constructive feedback. You’re completely right, this article definitely needs an update.
Thanks Dylan for sharing such a valuable piece of in-depth content up on the website. Really appreciate the quality of article you put out. Keep up the good work coming.
Regards
Kathy
Thanks Kathy!
Good info! Thanks. I’ve worked for usertesting since Jan. & make on average about $400/month. I always aim for a minimum of 10 tests/week. I never seem able to exceed the $400 mark, but the other sites tests are usually few & far between. Usertesting has it’s tech issues, but to me, they have a better system than the rest. I am currently a 5 star tester, but that can also fluctuate as you are at the mercy of the one’s conducting the test. (they don’t all seem to like honest feedback if it is negative 🙂 ).. There is also no predictability as to when the tests come thru. Could be morning one day, afternoon the next, etc… Weekends are slow.
Thanks, Alexis! $400/month is really good. I think my top month was around $300 on Usertesting.com. It’s definitely my favorite site to use as well, but you’re right about the tests coming in unpredictably. Some days I get multiple tests and others I get none.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Dylan,
A few minutes ago, I became your 40th follower at uTest. So, you’d better start moving up the testing ranks (Rated, Proven, Bronze, Silver, and the all-coveted Gold) lest I un-follow thee! Lol
Haha thanks, Wayne! Unfortunately, I don’t really do tests on the platform as I’ve got a lot of other stuff going on.
It seems to be a great post! Do you know if those sites allow people under 18 years old and from the countries outside America to use them? Thanks and take care 🙂
Hi Magdalena, I believe most of the sites require you to be 18 years old due to privacy reasons. Most of the sites will accept testers from other countries though so that shouldn’t be a problem!
I really love and appreciate your work. I’m a beginner and hope to start testing with these sites. Thanks.
Thanks, Joe! Good luck with the user testing, let me know how it goes!
Hello and thank you so much for this informative post. I’m curious which ones you have personal experience with? I have had success with Usertesting, Validately, Userlytics, and Userzoom but was wondering if you’ve had personal success with any of the others listed. Thank you.
Hi Kelly, I’m glad you found the post helpful! My favorite is UserTesting.com (I’ve done over 30 tests with them) and I also like UserCrowd because the tests are quick and easy.
Thank you for the insight on which sites you’ve had success with!
I’m a recently retired SQE with a CSTE(2007). I have 43 years IT background. With my background I am an experienced Java tester and have reviewed and retested multiple platform defects.
Would I start at the bottom and work my way up for any of these business?
Hey Randy. So there are two types of usertesting sites on this list: ones that give usability tests and others that give functionality tests. With your experience, it sounds like you already know a bit about the functionality tests (finding bugs in software, etc) so I’d start on those (UTest is one of them). The usability tests basically anyone can do so they don’t pay as much.
You would still start at the bottom with these websites (as all users do) but you would probably be able to climb the ranks a bit faster since you have experience. Good luck!
Hi Dylan & Randy
uTest has both functional and usability testing available. I earn a living on uTest, and most of my money is made from doing usability testing. Usability testing is much more involved on uTest than TryMyUI, and the pay reflects this.
Regarding starting at the bottom or top, as far as uTest goes, you’re an independent contractor, so you work whatever hours you want to work each day. You pick and choose the projects you want to work. The better quality of work you put out, the more devices you own, and the more specialized skills you have, the more jobs you will be offered. You can support yourself working only as a tester. Now, they do promote people to be team leads and other positions from time to time. For some, this has happened as early as one month’s time. For others, it can take two or more years.
Also, it’s been about a year since they’ve done the sandbox. Now, interested testers start out Immediately with uTest Academy, which teaches them the ropes and prepares them to start taking jobs.
I really enjoy doing projects on uTest and highly recommend giving them a try for people who love technology and want to work a truly flexible schedule from home.
Thank you for sharing that in-depth answer, Dee! That’s extremely helpful.
Really impressive that you’ve been able to earn a full-time income from UTest.
Hi Dee,
Thanks for the information. I was a software developer for ten years, so I understand with a different type of test and what the software company is looking for before the software deployed. I am looking for some testing web site do some testing now. I will Utest and see how it go.
Hey Dylan, thanks for sharing all this good info! Just curious, have you ever tried test IO for website testing?
Thanks!
Hey James, I haven’t tried Test IO before but I’ll definitely check it out when I get a chance! Thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you so much for sharing this article. This will surely help a needy person.
Glad you enjoyed it!
According to this guide:
https://www.webemployed.com/how-to-become-website-tester/
Amazon MTurk and Upwork freelance portal also offer such website testing jobs. They aren’t meant primarily for such jobs but they have all sorts of freelance work available including testing jobs. So these 2 options shouldn’t be ignored at all.
You’re right Denise, you can definitely find website testing jobs on those sites! Thanks.
How do I get started. It is interesting to know that I can get paid testing websites. I want to be part of that success
Hey Emmanuel,
If you want to start getting paid to test websites simply pick one of the sites above and go through the sign-up process. Most sites will ask you to complete a test before you can start doing paid work. I recommend signing up for UserTesting.com first as they’re one of the best.