Want to get paid for your opinion? There are several different paid survey sites out there, but they are not all created equal.
The best survey sites pay you per survey and offer cash payouts, so it’s easier to be compensated. If you don’t mind sharing your opinion on camera, you can make $10 to $50 per survey (sometimes more) with Mindswarms.
What Is Mindswarms?
Mindswarms is a part of the Fabric DIY market research firm that works with top brands in tech, advertising, retail, healthcare, entertainment, and other industries.
They offer video survey opportunities to users who get matched with a company’s survey based on their interests. Users can take surveys from their smartphone, laptop, tablet, or computer with a webcam. Mindswarms gets paid by the brands they partner with, and that’s how they pay you.
Getting started takes just a few minutes, and you could be well on your way to making money flexibly from the comfort of home.
How to Get Started with Mindswarms
Sign Up
You must be at least 18 years old and speak English fluently to sign up. Create your account by confirming your email, creating a username, and then setting your password.
You can also create an account via your phone or tablet by downloading the Mindswarms mobile app via the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Fill Out Your Profile
Next, you can fill out your profile by adding details like your country, state, age, PayPal account email address (so you can get paid), and gender.
To maximize your opportunity of landing a study, be sure to select the “immediately” option so you’ll be emailed right away when you are matched with a study.
Most of us are on our email throughout the day. If you’ve used other survey sites, you know that it’s best to respond promptly to survey requests before they are no longer available.
Record a Great Video Profile
This step is essential. In fact, you can’t move on in the signup process without completing it. Your profile video is used to help you share your interests and also to verify the quality of your audio and video.
Since you will have to submit a video response for each survey, Mindswarms needs to check to see that you can record a video clearly and meet their standards. Your video profile also helps match you with opportunities.
You only have 60 seconds, which is not a lot of time to share your interests and passions. I actually re-recorded my video after my first attempt, so I’m grateful that you can replace your video with a new one at any time. The second time around, I focused on sharing some interests I have that may help me qualify for survey opportunities.
I had used survey and focus group sites before, so I was sure to include details like being a mom, loving travel, healthy eating, and testing out new businesses, products, and services. This lets screeners know that I have a range of experience and may be able to offer some valuable feedback on their brand.
Wait for Available Surveys
Once you submit your video, your profile set-up should be complete. Then it’s time to wait for a survey invitation to pop up.
To boost your chances of being selected for a survey, update your interests in the settings section of your profile.
You can add up to 10 interests at a time. As you can see by the example below, I tried to include a variety of interests that could be relevant to future surveys.
You can always tweak your strategy by replacing some of your existing interests with new ones to see if it could help you qualify for more survey screenings.
How Video Surveys Work
First, you will need to apply for a study by filling out a quick screener. This is done to see if you qualify for a survey, and you won’t get paid for this process.
If you do qualify, you’ll move forward and be asked to answer around 10 questions with video responses. Overall, a survey shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes to complete.
How Payment Works
Mindswarms will pay you $50 for each 10-question survey you complete. Payment will be sent to you via PayPal within 24 hours.
Pros and Cons of Mindswarms
Mindswarms gets mostly positive reviews. On Trustpilot, they get a 2.8-star rating out of 5 stars, with users complaining about a lack of available studies. In the Google Play Store, users give the app a 3.3-star rating out of 5 stars, and in the Apple App Store, it gets a 4.1-star rating out of 5 stars.
Pros:
- Get set up quickly in as little as a few minutes
- Take surveys and get paid from the comfort of your home
- Earn around $10 to $50 per survey
- Take surveys from your computer, mobile device, or tablet
- Get paid cash within 24 hours of completing a survey
- Apps for iOS and Android phones
Cons:
- Prequalification surveys are not paid
- Limited number of survey invites
- Must provide video answers (not ideal for introverts)
Alternatives to Mindswarms
To increase your survey invite frequency, you can sign up with multiple platforms. Here are a few other reputable and good-paying video survey sites.
Gauge Research
With Gauge Research, US residents can respond to survey questions via text, audio, or video, with the latter offering higher rewards. Just sign up for an account and wait for survey invites. Sometimes, you must answer an unpaid screener survey to see if you’re the right target demographic. Surveys pay anywhere from $5 up to $500 per study! With this Gauge Research, you can cash out your earnings via the Tremendous platform, which has over 2,000 payment and gift card options.
Influence – Paid Video Surveys
Influence is a paid video survey app for Apple and Android devices for residents in the US, the UK, and Australia. To get started, download the app, fill out your profile, and record your first 15-second survey, which usually has a $0.25 payout. After you submit your first video, you’ll unlock more video survey opportunities. You’ll want to ensure you have good lighting and sound quality when you record videos, and that you answer thoughtfully. Individuals in this Reddit thread have suggested that the better-paying surveys go to survey takers who submit higher-quality answers. You’ll need to reach $10 in earnings before you can cash out via PayPal.
Respondent
Respondent is a market search firm that conducts online and in-person focus groups, surveys, and website testing. Each study varies in format from a simple survey style to telephone interviews, video chats, and diary studies. Respondent accepts participants from around the world, and the average project incentive is $75, and payments are distributed via PayPal.
User Interviews
User Interviews accepts study participants from the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, France, and the UK. Studies are conducted in various formats, including online surveys, interviews, diary studies, and focus group studies. The average pay rate is $50 or more per study!
Mindswarms Review: Is It Worth It?
Mindswarms is a legitimate survey site that may be great to add to your list if you’re already taking surveys online. They pay well, and if you don’t mind being on camera, you could easily earn some extra money.
However, don’t expect to earn a consistent income with Mindswarms. Personally, I saw better results using focus group sites like Respondent. After signing up for Respondent, I immediately saw opportunities I qualified for, and I landed my first high-paying focus group. Some focus groups may require that you travel to a central location. Mindswarms offers more convenience by letting you record video responses at home.
Just realize that you will need to fill out your profile in full and that you will only be matched with survey opportunities if you match the demographic each company is looking for.
Originally published May 18, 2020. Content updated May 2025.