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Home » Platforms » Crowdsourcing Marketplace Platforms » Prolific
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Prolific

Rated 4.13 out of 5
4.1/5

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This is our carefully calculated overall editorial review rating, calculated based on in-depth independent research, testing, and user-reported statistics. Learn more about our editorial review process.

Rated 4.5 out of 5
4.5/5 (31)

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This is an aggregate overall user rating, calculated based on real reviews from Prolific users. Learn more about our editorial review process.

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    What Is Prolific?

    Prolific is a crowdsourcing platform that connects researchers with paid study participants. Supported study formats include surveys, video interviews, diary studies, and more. Founded in 2014, the platform claims to be home to over 120k participants and 30k researchers.

    General Details 📜

    Status:Active, Legit
    Helps You:Hire Help Make Money
    Platform Type:Crowdsourcing Marketplace
    Opportunities:Academic Research Participation Diary Study Participation Focus Group Participation Market Research Participation Research Interview Participation

    All Opportunities

    ×
    All of the opportunities available on this platform.
    Academic Research Participation Diary Study Participation Focus Group Participation Market Research Participation Research Interview Participation Survey Taking Video Response Research Participation

    Contact Info ☎️​​

    Socials:Linkedin • Twitter • Facebook • Subreddit
    Emails:support@prolific.co (for general support) • dpo@prolific.co (for privacy related inquiries)
    Support Pages:Participant FAQ • Participant Help Centre • Researcher Help Centre

    Company Details 🏢​​​

    Founded:2014
    Legal Name:Prolific Academic Ltd.
    Founders:Phelim Bradley • Ekaterina Damer • Jim Moodie
    Headquarters:Green Lanes, London, England

    Who Is Prolific For?

    Prolific is for two groups: (1) Researchers looking to conduct academic research and market research with participants from around the world; and (2) Individuals looking to earn money by contributing to research and taking part in a variety of studies.

    Requirements 🔎

    Minimum Age:18 years old
    Supported Locations:Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile

    All Supported Locations

    ×
    All of the locations this platform is accessible from. User experience may vary by location.
    Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
    Researchers can sign up from anywhere in the world. As a participant, if you are from one of the supported locations above but live elsewhere, you can still participate in paid studies.
    Supported Languages:English
    Supported Devices:Computer, Smartphone, Tablet
    Prolific can be accessed via web browser on any device (user experience may vary).

    How Does Prolific Work?

    There are 2 types of users on Prolific: Participants and Researchers.

    Here's how Prolific works for each of those user types:

    For Participants

    Prolific participants can earn money by participating in academic and market research-related surveys, focus groups, interviews, diary studies, and more. After accumulating £5, earnings can be cashed out via PayPal.

    Key Points 🔑

    Work Type:Casual
    Income Type:Active
    Work Schedule:Flexible
    Workplace:Remote
    Minimum Payout:£5
    You can only cash out once every 24 hours.
    Payout Options:PayPal
    Payout Speed:0-4 days
    Prolific processes payouts every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. After you've requested at least four (4) payouts, you'll be moved to instant payouts. Note that the earnings from a study won't be available for payout until they're approved by the researcher running the study, which can take up to 22 days.
    Other Notes:Prolific may require you to verify your identity with an ID check.
    Pros:
    • Fair pay. Prolific enforces a minimum hourly rate of around $8 USD/hour, which is much higher than most other survey platforms. If a researcher really likes your response, they may even give you a bonus.
    • Mostly accurate time estimates. Unlike some survey sites that say a survey is 5 minutes when it's really 30, Prolific offers much better estimates. Not perfect, but better.
    • Descriptive surveys. Before taking a survey, you can see what it's about.
    Cons:
    • Limited study invitations. You won't be earning super consistently in most cases. On top of this, studies fill up really fast, so you've got to be quick if you want to qualify.
    • Delayed earnings. You need to wait up to 22 days for your study submissions to get approved by researchers.
    • Can only cash out via PayPal. This isn't a huge con, but it's a downside for anyone who can't get a PayPal account.
    Pros and cons are based on real Prolific Participant reviews.

    Getting Started 🔢

    To become a participant on Prolific, head over to the platform's website, find the signup button, and select that you're interested in participating in studies. You'll have to fill out a waitlist with your full name, country of residence, country of birth, date of birth, ethnic group, sex, and email.

    Waitlisted participants are invited based on undercovered or in-demand demographics, so you may receive one really quickly or you could be waiting months.

    Once you're invited, you can finish your account setup and take the first practice study. This is a simple example study that will give you an idea of how the Prolific platform works.

    From there, you'll want to fill in your "About You" page, which asks for more info about your demographics, hobbies, etc.

    Earning Money 💵

    You can earn money on Prolific by participating in studies. Studies are typically academic-related or market research-related and can be in the format of:

    • Short surveys (5 questions or less)
    • Long surveys (more than 5 questions, mix of multiple choice, written responses, etc.)
    • Focus groups (studies with multiple participants at a time)
    • Video interviews (1-on-1 interviews with researchers)
    • Diary studies (studies completed over multiple days)
    • Multi-part studies (studies completed in multiple sessions)

    After completing a study, you'll need to wait for it to be approved by the researcher running the study. This can take up to 22 days.

    Cashing Out 💰

    Once you have at least £5 in your balance, you can cash out your Prolific earnings via PayPal.

    After cashing out, you can expect to receive your Prolific payout in 0-4 days. (Prolific processes payouts every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. After you've requested at least four (4) payouts, you'll be moved to instant payouts. Note that the earnings from a study won't be available for payout until they're approved by the researcher running the study, which can take up to 22 days.)

    For Researchers

    Prolific researchers can use the platform to create and distribute academic and market-research-related studies to a large pool of paid participants. Studies can be created on-platform or with external software and can be in the format of an online form, video interview, diary study, or similar.

    Key Points 🔑

    Commissions / Fees:Service fees are calculated based on total spend. The rate is 30% for corporate customers and 25% for academia and not-for-profits.
    Payment Options:Credit Card, Debit Card, Direct Deposit, Invoice
    Payments can be made in USD or GBP.

    Getting Started 🔢

    To become a researcher on Prolific, head over to the platform's website and create a researcher account. You'll be asked for your full name, country of residence, and work email.

    After your account is approved and your email is verified, you can start creating your first study.

    Prolific has a built-in survey builder (it allows 5 questions max) and supports a variety of external survey software for you to build and launch your studies. Besides regular form-style surveys, you can also use Prolific to conduct diary studies, video interviews, multi-part studies, and more.

    During your study setup, participants can be targeted based on a range of demographic factors.

    After launching a study and receiving submissions, you have 21 days to review them (unreviewed submissions will be automatically approved). Prolific will republish your study automatically to replace rejected submissions, if necessary.

    Pricing 💼

    Funds must be added in advance to cover total study costs.

    Prolific recommends paying study participants at least £9.00/$12.00 per hour. The minimum pay allowed is £6.00/$8.00 per hour.

    You can get an estimate of how much your entire study will cost by generating a quote. You can generate a quote for any study you create on Prolific. The quote will be broken down into participant rewards + service fees + VAT (if applicable).

    Note that study estimates may not be exact. There are some situations where your final study cost may be higher than the quoted amount.

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    Prolific Images

    Prolific website homepage
    Prolific participant dashboard for available studies
    Prolific participant demographic information (about you page)
    Example of a short survey on Prolific for participants
    Example of a completed study as a Prolific participant
    Preview of the Prolific Assistant browser extension for participants
    Creating an external survey on Prolific as a researcher
    Creating a survey with the Prolific survey builder for researchers
    Selecting participant targeting preferences when creating a Prolfic study
    Setting up study details as a Prolific researcher
    Example study cost estimate as a Prolific researcher
    Dashboard for tracking Prolific study stats as a researcher
    ×
    Prolific website homepage
    Prolific participant dashboard for available studies
    Prolific participant demographic information (about you page)
    Example of a short survey on Prolific for participants
    Example of a completed study as a Prolific participant
    Preview of the Prolific Assistant browser extension for participants
    Creating an external survey on Prolific as a researcher
    Creating a survey with the Prolific survey builder for researchers
    Selecting participant targeting preferences when creating a Prolfic study
    Setting up study details as a Prolific researcher
    Example study cost estimate as a Prolific researcher
    Dashboard for tracking Prolific study stats as a researcher
    ❮❯
    (click/tap to enlarge)

    Our Editorial Prolific Review

    Rated 4.13 out of 5
    4.1/5

    What's This?

    ×

    This is our carefully calculated overall editorial review rating, calculated based on in-depth independent research, testing, and user-reported statistics. Learn more about our editorial review process.

    Is Prolific Legit?

    We believe Prolific is legit. It was founded in 2014, has built up a great reputation across the web, and its worked with well-known organizations like World Bank, Standford, the University of Oxford, Meta, Google, and more. Overall, we have no reason to believe Prolific is a scam.

    Green flags:

    • Founded in 2014.
    • Trusted by leading organizations for online research.
    • Officially registered business in the U.K.
    • Plenty of positive reviews across the web.
    • Straightforward and transparent website.
    • Active social media presence.

    Trust Rating:

    Rated 5 out of 5
    5/5

    What's This?

    ×

    This is our carefully calculated editorial Trust Rating. This rating gives you an idea of how trustworthy a platform is. It's calculated based on the age of the platform, company information, social sentiment, and more. Learn more about our editorial review process.

    Note: All research is done independently and could be wrong or change as new information is gathered. Please do your own due diligence.


    Is Prolific a Good Way to Make Money?

    Prolific is a legit survey site with some of the highest-paying (and most interesting) surveys in the game. However, there isn't a huge quantity of paid studies available on the platform, so if your demographics aren't in demand, or you aren't able to apply to new surveys quickly, you may have a hard time earning.

    Earner Rating:

    Rated 3.26 out of 5
    3.3/5

    What's This?

    ×

    This is our carefully calculated editorial Earner/Saver Rating. This rating gives you an idea of how strong a platform's earning/savings potential is. It's calculated as a weighted average based on safety, earning/savings potential, support quality, and more, with earning/savings potential holding the most weight. Learn more about our editorial review process.

    Safety Rating: 4/5

    Prolific may ask for sensitive user information to keep their site high quality and free from fraud, but they also have detailed security and privacy practices to keep this info safe. Still, watch out for sketchy surveys on the platform as Prolific doesn't seem to catch these all the time.

    Also, keep in mind that you may be asked for ID verification.

    Support Quality: 4/5

    Prolific support isn't perfect, but they have good help center resources and a decent response time.

    Earning Potential: 2/5

    Prolific enforces very reasonable hourly rates (which are very high compared to some other survey sites). The only problem is that survey availability can fluctuate a lot depending on your demographics and your ability to check for new surveys.

    Payout Minimum Rating: 3.5/5

    Prolific has a minimum payout of £5.

    Payout Speed Rating: 4/5

    Prolific processes payouts every Tuesday and Friday afternoon. After you've requested at least four (4) payouts, you'll be moved to instant payouts. Note that the earnings from a study won't be available for payout until they're approved by the researcher running the study, which can take up to 22 days. Overall, based on our data, you can expect to get paid in 0-4 days after reaching the minimum payout amount.

    Ease Of Entry: 3/5

    Being a popular spot for survey takers, Prolific can be difficult to join (at first) due to their participant waitlist. Other than that though, it requires no special skills or qualifications.

    Commissions / Fees Rating: 5/5

    No commissions or fees to worry about.

    User Experience Rating: 5/5

    Even non-tech-savvy people should have no problem earning money on Prolific.


    Write Your Own Review!
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    Prolific Statistics

    General Platform Statistics

    #7,447

    Global Site Rank

    8.7M

    Avg. Monthly Site Visitors

    120K

    Total Participants

    30K

    Total Researchers

    Data as of July 24, 2023 • Sources: Similarweb, Prolific

    Participant Earnings Statistics

    $5.64
    Avg $/hour
    $15.00
    Top $/hour
    $41.30
    Avg $/month
    $150.00
    Top $/month

    Based on real data from our 31 Prolific Participant reviews. View all Participant statistics here.

    Help make this data more accurate by writing a review!

    Prolific Reviews From Participants

    Average Scores

    Overall
    Rated 4.5 out of 5
    4.5/5
    Pay Rates
    Rated 2.6 out of 5
    2.6/5
    Consistency
    Rated 1.9 out of 5
    1.9/5
    Safety
    Rated 4.6 out of 5
    4.6/5
    User Experience
    Rated 4.4 out of 5
    4.4/5
    Support
    Rated 4.1 out of 5
    4.1/5

    Reviewer Recommendation

    😁 97%
    of Participants recommend this platform

    Rating Breakdown

    555%
    439%
    33%
    23%
    10%

    Reviews By Total Earnings

    • Unknown (0%)
    • Less than $100 (26.67%)
    • $100-$999 (63.33%)
    • $1,000-$9,999 (10%)
    • $10,000-$49,999 (0%)
    • $50,000-$99,999 (0%)
    • $100,000+ (0%)

    Reviews By Age Range

    • Unknown (3.33%)
    • 13-17 (6.67%)
    • 18-24 (53.33%)
    • 25-34 (33.33%)
    • 35-44 (0%)
    • 45-54 (3.33%)
    • 55-64 (0%)
    • 65+ (0%)

    Reviews By Length of Use

    • < 1 month (0%)
    • 1-3 months (13.33%)
    • 3-6 months (23.33%)
    • 6-12 months (23.33%)
    • 1-2 years (26.67%)
    • 2-3 years (3.33%)
    • 3-5 years (10%)
    • 5+ years (0%)
    Write a Review!
    Read All 31 Participant Reviews
    Anonymous reviewer avatar
    Anonymous
    United States
    User for 3-5 years
    Verified Redditor
    Total Earned: $1,050.00
    Reviewer Source
    ?
    We invited this reviewer to leave an honest review and offered them a small incentive as a thank you.
    #20265

    Great way to earn extra money

    Rated 5 out of 5
    2 years ago

    It's a really great site overall! It's been a really nice way for me to make some extra money, and I'm really grateful to have stumbled upon it one day. I definitely think it's one of the best survey sites around because it seems more reliable, less gimmicky, and more serious, not to mention that the studies are much more interesting (at least in my opinion).

    It's also very easy to use, and I feel like I've been able to make quite a bit of money without spending a huge amount of time working on it. I have never had any kind of issue getting paid, and the site is maintained very nicely. Prolific was really the first survey site I ever found that I didn't think was too much of a hassle or too gimmicky for me to stay involved.

    Pros:
    • They seem to have pretty high standards as far as what is allowed on the site is concerned. For example, studies generally aren't gimmicky (like on some sites where you waste too much time filling out questions only to be rejected before you can even submit your work), they're usually focus on academic research, and they generally pay well for the amount of time you're investing. Some more problematic studies occasionally slip through the cracks, but it's usually not an issue.
    • With very few exceptions, the studies you are offered are ones that you definitely qualify for, so the hassle of answering a bunch of questions and then getting turned away is pretty much never an issue. Even the few times I have been disqualified from studies for demographics issues, it's only happened after answering one or two short questions.
    • Payment is super fast! After the first few withdrawals, cashout becomes instant.
    • The limit to cash out is pretty low; much better than certain sites I've used where you have to wait until you've reached a fairly large amount to cash out at all.
    • You have the option to directly contact researchers with questions or problems with the studies. They aren't always responsive or helpful, but I really appreciate that the option is there, and they usually ARE helpful.
    • The studies are often very fun and interesting! I usually enjoy taking them, especially when I get ones that are very relevant to my own interests or things that impact my life.
    • It's nice to be able to see an estimate for how long each study will take to complete, as well as a pay rate, so that you can decide whether or not a study would be worth completing. It's also nice that the time estimate and pay rate change and become more accurate as more people complete the study.
    • If your response to a study is not approved or rejected by the researcher within a certain number of days, it will automatically be approved, so you will definitely be paid for anything that doesn't get rejected.
    • I have never personally experienced this, but I've heard a few stories of people having their work rejected by researchers under very shady circumstances, and it sounds like Prolific Support usually handles this very well.
    • There is a minimum pay rate that researchers are allowed to offer, and if the average completion time of the study ends up being longer than expected and causes the pay rate to dip below that threshold, you will usually be given a bonus payment to accommodate for that.
    • While there are consequences for having a large number of studies rejected, quitting a survey and returning it has no consequences at all, so there is no pressure to finish a study if you happen to lose interest, feel you won't have enough time to complete it, or don't want to proceed for any other reason.
    Cons:
    • You can't directly cash out in USD; only GBP. This is a very minor/negligible issue, but it can get a little annoying at times.
    • While I've had luck with getting issues revolved in the past, in recent months, it has seemed like reporting certain problematic studies has been a bit less effective. That said, I've only ever had relatively minor issues to report, and I feel confident that a major problem would be handled much better.
    • The number of studies you get each day can vary quite a bit from time to time. I have had weeks where I had 20+ studies each day, and I have had weeks where there has been almost nothing the entire week. There are some perks to this, but it can also be a little frustrating.
    • I've heard that you generally aren't supposed to use it when you're away from home, and that doing so can result in a ban. I know this is supposed to help ensure that the same person is answering all the questions, but it can be inconvenient and a bit disappointing. There have been many times when I would have loved to be able to participate in surveys when I was out an about, having downtime at school, etc.
    • They no longer have a referral program. I used the referral program to make quite a bit of money when I first joined Prolific, so I'm sad that that's no longer an option.
    Tips:
    • Install the Prolific Assistant extension for Google Chrome so you will miss out on fewer studies.
    • Pay close attention to the pay rate for each study so you can more easily know whether or not something will be worth your time.
    • Always watch for attention checks and be sure to read all instructions.
    • Become at least somewhat familiar with the rules of Prolific, so that if you encounter a study that asks for information researchers are not allowed to ask for, you can report it accordingly. Also, be wary of studies that include certain kinds of attention checks that are against the rules, and be sure to report those.
    • Be sure to fill out as many of the "about you" questions as possible, and if one of your answers changes, delete it and wait for the question to reappear so that you can add the new information.
    Anonymous reviewer avatar
    Anthony
    South Africa
    User for 1-2 years
    Total Earned: $550.00
    Reviewer Source
    ?
    This review was submitted organically.
    #20394

    Interesting studies and honest platform

    Rated 5 out of 5
    1 month ago

    I can definitely recommend.

    Pros:

    I have tried many platforms and can honestly say that Prolific offers the most interesting surveys yet. Many studies are research projects by universities. Not only are they interesting, but also thought-provoking. You can download Prolific Assistant to give you notifications of available studies as well. Rewards vary, but you can earn the more you do. Another plus in their favour, is they monitor the reward payout, and if it is too low, the researcher is obliged to reward correctly for the amount of time spent. Once you are established as a regular contributor, Your payout is cleared immediately.

    Cons:

    As with all platforms, Bots are a problem, but their is signs that they are actively weeding them out.

    Tips:

    Download the Prolific Assistant

    Anonymous reviewer avatar
    Elizabeth Schloeder (u/Givemeacat)
    United States
    User for 6-12 months
    Verified Redditor
    Total Earned: $460.00
    Reviewer Source
    ?
    We invited this reviewer to leave an honest review and offered them a small incentive as a thank you.
    #20277

    It won't make you rich but consistent useage could pay for your groceries

    Rated 5 out of 5
    1 year ago

    I would recommend this program for anyone looking to get some extra money with minimal effort. The surveys don't feel like work and contribute to scientific research. You may make less money than you would per hour in your actual job, but it's all extra. You can do as little as you want.

    Pros:
    • wage per hour/the fact it indicates it
    • non commercial research makes me feel useful
    • awesome cash out timeline
    • only one submission denied, rarely have to return
    Cons:
    • survey availability is iffy during summer time/holidays so staying consistent is difficult
    Tips:
    • just keep it on in the background
    • be consistent
    • be thorough with your answers. They'll screen out careless answers
    Write a Review!
    Read All 31 Participant Reviews

    Prolific Reviews From Researchers

    No reviews yet. Help out by writing one!

    Write a Review!

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