The highest-paying research studies: what 126 studies paying $200+ have in common (2,279 studies analysed)

Where these numbers come from

LazyBounty collects open research studies every hour. This analysis covers every Respondent study that listed both an amount and a length and was published between 10 August and 3 October 2026: 2,279 studies, of which 659 were still open on 3 October. Amounts are the incentive the researcher offers, before Respondent’s 5% fee (minimum $1).

We publish only totals, never individual studies. Respondent is the only platform in our catalogue that publishes amounts and lengths for every study, so this is a picture of one platform. It is still the most detailed public picture we know of, because no other platform publishes amounts this way.

For comparison, Respondent says most sessions pay $50–250 and its average payout is $75. Our median is lower because unmoderated tasks and surveys, which pay little, make up more than half of what is posted.

The headline numbers

Read the table from the bottom: the further you go up the pay scale, the faster the number of studies falls.

What $200+ studies have in common

We compared the 126 studies paying $200 or more with all 2,279. Four features are strongly overrepresented, and one is almost absent.

• in person: 34% of $200+ studies take place in person, against 3% of all studies
• home visits: 14% of $200+ studies are a researcher visiting your home, against 1% of all studies
• professionals: 52% of $200+ studies look for people in a specific job, against 29% of all studies
• interviews: 63% of $200+ studies are moderated interviews, against 37% of all studies
• unmoderated tasks are rare at the top: 10% of $200+ studies, against 54% of all studies

In person pays most: median $225

Only 79 of the 2,279 studies were in person, but their median was $225, and 54% of them paid $200 or more. The 19 home visits were the best-paid format of all: median $300, and all but one paid $200 or more. Home tests and diaries, where you try a product over several days, had a median of $125.

The catch is geography. An in-person study has one address, so it is open only to people who can get there. If you live near one, in-person sessions are the single best way to move into the $200+ range without a specialist job.

Professionals earn more than double

Studies looking for professionals had a median of $70, against $30 for studies open to everyday consumers. Per hour the gap is the same: a median of $120 an hour for professionals and $60 an hour for consumers. One in ten professional studies paid $200 or more, against fewer than one in twenty consumer studies.

The clearest comparison is the same format and length. A remote 60-minute interview with a professional had a median of $120 (141 studies), and 76% of them paid $100 or more. A remote 60-minute interview with a consumer had a median of $65 (99 studies).

Respondent itself advises researchers to pay professionals at least twice their hourly rate, and gives examples from $100 for a remote interview with an entry-level specialist to $600 with a C-level executive. Our data confirms the direction, but the very top of that range is rare in practice: only 4 of 2,279 studies paid $500 or more.

Longer studies pay more, but not more per hour

The median amount rises steadily with length, from $10 for 15 minutes or less to $150 for studies longer than 90 minutes. Of the studies longer than 90 minutes, 84% paid $100 or more.

Per hour the picture is flat: the median sits between $60 and $100 an hour for every length. So long studies are not a better deal per hour; they are simply where the large single payments are. That matters if you have limited time: two well-paid 60-minute interviews earn the same as one long session.

How to get into the well-paid studies

High pay means high competition and strict screeners. These are the practical steps that follow from the numbers above.

• fill in your work profile completely: job title, industry, company size and the tools you use decide whether you see professional studies at all
• apply to interviews and focus groups, not just quick tasks: they are 37% of studies but 63% of the $200+ ones
• keep your city up to date in your profile: in-person and home-visit studies are where the $200–550 payments are
• answer screeners honestly and consistently: researchers check answers on the call, and a mismatch costs you the payment and the account
• count from the right event: Respondent pays 7–10 business days after the researcher confirms you attended

How this compares with other platforms

Other platforms do not publish per-study amounts, but some publish ranges. User Interviews says the average study pays over $45, quotes $20–1,500+ for online studies and $40–1,000+ for in-person ones. Prolific sets a floor rather than a ceiling: at least £6 or $8 an hour, with £9 or $12 recommended.

The ranges point the same way as our data: in-person and specialist studies sit at the top, short online tasks at the bottom. If you want steady small payments, short online studies on Prolific or UserTesting fit; if you want occasional large ones, build a strong profile on Respondent and User Interviews.

What these numbers do not tell you

They describe what researchers offer, not what a typical participant earns in a month. You are selected for only some of the studies you apply to, and screeners take time that nobody pays for.

They also cover one platform. Respondent leans towards interviews and professionals, so its top end is probably higher than on survey-heavy platforms. We will update this analysis monthly, with the date next to every figure.