About Prolific (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.
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 |
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.
- Studies may appear in your native language. That means if you speak Spanish, you'll occasionally receive Spanish studies in your dashboard.
- No mid-study screeners. Prolific researchers can’t screen you out halfway through a survey. If a survey appears in your dashboard and you qualify for it and fill it out honestly and accurately (watch out for attention checks!), you should always get paid.
- Instant payments are available after you've made a certain number of payouts.
- Low payout minimum.
- Studies should never require any personally identifiable information. You can report studies that breach this.
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.
- No paid referral program.
Tips:
- Make use of the Prolific Assistant browser extension. It's available on Chrome and Firefox and will notify you when new studies are available.
- Keep your dashboard open so you can reserve a spot in new studies as soon as they become available.
- Be sure to read all questions carefully and provide quality responses. Low-quality responses may be denied. Watch out for attention checks and comprehension as well. If you answer an attention check or comprehension check wrong, the researcher has the right to reject your answers (which means you don't get paid).
- If you believe your study submission was wrongly rejected, kindly reach out to the researcher to try and work something out. If they don't respond, reach out to Prolific support.
- If you run into a study that's taking much longer than the estimated time, paying way too little, or asking for sensitive personal information, report it! Prolific will ban the researcher and sometimes even reimburse you for lost time.
Note: The pros, cons, and tips featured above are manually curated summaries and/or direct excerpts from our 31 Prolific Participant reviews.
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Our Editorial Prolific Earner Review
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.
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.
Want to write your own review of Prolific? Go here!
Prolific Participant Statistics
We've gathered 31 Prolific Participant reviews from 11 unique countries/regions.
Here are some insights and statistics from those reviews:
Reported Hourly Earnings
Reported Monthly Earnings
Reported Time to Reach Minimum Payout Amount (For the 1st Time)
- Unknown (3.33%)
- <= 5 minutes (0%)
- <= 1 hour (0%)
- <= 1 day (6.67%)
- <= 1 week (56.67%)
- <= 2 weeks (16.67%)
- <= 3 weeks (6.67%)
- <= 1 month (10%)
- > 1 month (0%)
- > 1 year (0%)
Statistics above are based on self-reported data from our 31 Prolific Participant reviews.
Help contribute by writing a review!
About the Reviewers
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%)
Are you a Prolific Participant?
Share your experience with other Prolific Participants by writing a review!
31 Prolific Participant Reviews
Rating Breakdown
Filter Reviews
Great way to earn extra money
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Interesting studies and honest platform
I can definitely recommend.
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.
As with all platforms, Bots are a problem, but their is signs that they are actively weeding them out.
Download the Prolific Assistant
It won't make you rich but consistent useage could pay for your groceries
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.
- 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
- survey availability is iffy during summer time/holidays so staying consistent is difficult
- just keep it on in the background
- be consistent
- be thorough with your answers. They'll screen out careless answers
Above average rating
It's a catch 22 situation here. If you get more surveys, you can make a lot of bucks here. Helps if you are in a favorable location.
- High value surveys which pay well
- Low value surveys with low rates.
- Fill in the profile as much as you can to increase your chances of gaining surveys.
- I just wait to be informed through email when an opening is available.
Very easy to use and a much more reliable way to earn some extra money compared to other beermoney sites.
Prolific is easy to use and reliable for making a bit of extra money each month -- not enough to live on of course but you could probably make $50 or more each month if you're really committed. The pay rate is good, and it is much more reliable compared to other beermoney because there is little to no risk of disqualification from surveys. Cash out is to Paypal and has worked well so far for me. Highly recommended if you're looking to make some extra pocket money.
- Surveys are pre-selected for you, and you never get disqualified
- Most surveys pay at least close to minimum wage if not more
- Nice user interface, site is easy to use
- Paypal cashout works reliably
- Re: the previous question about payment. The first few times I cashed out, it took several days to receive the payment in my Paypal, but after cashing out a few times you can get an option for instant cashout which is what I have been using for several months.
- Amount of surveys available can vary, e.g. during the summer there are usually not as many (I assume because school is not in session).
- Not entirely sure about this but I think they have increased the amount of identity verification you need to do since I joined the site. When I joined I did not have to submit any sort of ID to get verified but I have heard that new users might have to submit that now.
- Fill out your profile/About Me section to qualify for the maximum number of surveys
- Try to cash out if you have more than £5 in your account -- you don't want to risk having some sort of account problem and losing a large amount of money that you haven't cashed out yet.
- I try to do the surveys with the highest $/hour rate first (the site will tell you the approximate $/hour rate, which is quite helpful.) If I get longer surveys (e.g. 30+ minutes) with a good pay rate I will try to do those first as well since you get more money for them.
It's a great way to make some decent money.
It's a great way to make money. Within my few months I made over 150$ so its definitely worth the time.
- quick payout
- simple, fun studies
- pretty good payout amounts
- its easy to get banned for no reason and I have
- be careful, it's easy to get banned
- if banned, you get one chance to get re-accepted
- payouts are good and worth the time
An easy way to make money for those who love surveys
Can be a good source of income if utilized well
- High pay
- Easier tasks
- Faster payouts
- Cumbersome tasks
- Low number of tasks
- Fill in the About You correctly
- Verify your account
- Add correct payment methods
- Take long surveys, they pay well
Has good paying surveys
Prolific is a very legitimate and arguably the highest paying survey site. The pay is approximately $5 per hour. The surveys given are based on some demographics. Payment is done through paypal
- You get access to high paying surveys
- There are no special skills required to perform the surveys
- You are not guaranteed that you will qualify for these surveys
- Survey availability is a major issue that has made my daily earning fall drastically.
Be online for many hours to know when any survey opportunity become available. Applying to many surveys improves the chances of qualifying.
I highly recommend Prolific.
I love this site.
I love the low levels of disqualifications from the academic surveys.
There have been less academic surveys than there were several years ago, because of COVID19. It has created less surveys and less earning potential.
Download the chrome extension called Prolific assistant. It alerts me to new studies.
Prolific is one of the best research sites right now because of its high paying projects
Prolific is the best platform for paid research studies although of late there are very few studies available. You rarely get screened out since they will only bring you the studies you qualify for.
- Very fast payout speed
- They also has responsive customer support
- Low number of studies
- Keep the dashboard of the studies open so as to get to know when new studies are available
- Read the instructions to get a scope of what the researcher actually wants. This will help you submit high quality feedback
