Best online platforms for simple paid studies: where to find them and what 5–30 minute studies pay (1,479 studies analysed)

What counts as a short study

By short we mean anything up to 30 minutes from start to finish. In practice it is one of three formats: an unmoderated task (you complete it alone, often recording your screen and voice), a survey, or a short video call with a researcher.

Short studies are where most people start, because there is no scheduling: many unmoderated tasks can be taken right away. They are also the bulk of what is posted. In our Respondent data, studies of 30 minutes or less were 61% of everything with a stated length.

What short studies pay, by length

Here is the full breakdown. The hourly rate is the median of each study’s own pay divided by its length, so it shows what a typical study in each group pays per hour.

Why 11–15 minutes is the sweet spot

The 11–15 minute group stands out with a median of $100 an hour. The reason is the format mix: 40% of these studies were short interviews, which pay more per minute than solo tasks. In the 10-minute group, 84% were unmoderated tasks and only 5% interviews.

Above 15 minutes the share of studies paying $50 or more jumps from 3% to over 30%. If you want short studies that still feel worth it, 15–30 minutes is where the larger amounts start.

Who can take them

About 73% of the short studies were open to ordinary participants, with no professional requirement. The rest wanted a specific role, such as software buyers, nurses or small-business owners.

Location still matters. Most short studies on English-language platforms recruit in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and larger EU countries. Respondent says the main factors in who gets invited are fit (role, industry, region), method and length, how quickly you respond and the quality of your profile.

Where to find short paid studies

Short studies exist on almost every research platform, but each has its own style.

• Respondent: unmoderated online tasks and surveys of 5–25 minutes, which Respondent itself describes as typically paying about $5–$25. Short video interviews appear too.
• Prolific: academic and commercial online studies, many of them 5–20 minutes. Researchers must pay at least £6 or $8 an hour; Prolific recommends £9 or $12.
• UserTesting: short website and app tests where you think out loud. There is no fixed rate, but the amount is shown before you accept a test.
• dscout single-session studies: one-sitting tasks of $2 to $25 that qualified participants in the US and UK can take without an invitation, if they meet the criteria and have a record of good-quality answers.
• LazyBounty gathers studies from these and other platforms into one feed, so you can filter by length and pay instead of checking each site.

How to get more of them

Short studies close fastest, because many people can take them and places run out. These habits make the most difference.

• Turn on notifications. Prolific, for example, notifies only a random subset of eligible participants by email for each study, and offers an official browser extension, Prolific Assistant, with desktop notifications.
• Check on weekdays during US working hours. On Respondent almost all studies are posted Monday to Friday, mostly between 13:00 and 19:00 UTC.
• Keep your profile complete and consistent with your answers. A mismatch between profile and screener lowers your chances on Respondent.
• Have a quiet place, a microphone and a working webcam ready. Many short tasks record your screen and voice.
• Do not rush. Platforms reject submissions that fail attention or quality checks, and a rejection costs you the payment.

Short studies versus long interviews

Long interviews pay more per study but not necessarily per hour. In the same Respondent data, studies over an hour had a median of $130 and about $83 an hour, which is in the same range as short studies.

The difference is access. Long interviews are rarer, often ask for a specific job, and need a scheduled slot. Short studies are steadier and easier to start with. Many participants combine both: short tasks for regular small payments, interviews when they are selected.

Warning signs

A short study should never ask you to pay anything, install unknown software outside the platform, or hand over passwords or card details. Payment always comes from the platform after you complete the task, not from a person who contacts you directly.

If a “5-minute survey” promises $100, it is almost certainly not real. Respondent itself says “$100 per survey” is rare and that $100 is more typical for a 60-minute interview.

The four platforms side by side

What it takes to start and how you get paid, from each platform’s own help pages.

Which one to start with

There is no single best platform for everyone; the right first choice depends on where you live and what you have at hand.

Most people get the steadiest results by joining two or three of them, because each platform has its own studies and its own quiet weeks.

• You live in the US or UK and want the most volume: Respondent and Prolific.
• You are comfortable speaking your thoughts aloud on a recording: add UserTesting.
• You prefer to work from your phone: dscout, which runs through its mobile app.
• You live outside the countries these platforms accept: check each platform’s country list first, and look at survey panels that operate locally.

Simple studies from your phone or your computer

Most simple studies run in a desktop browser, especially those that record your screen. dscout is the exception: it is built around its mobile app and needs an iPhone on iOS 16 or later or an Android phone on Android 9 or later, with a camera and microphone.

If you only have a phone, start with dscout and the mobile-friendly surveys on other platforms. If you have a computer with a microphone, every platform in this article is open to you, subject to your country.