Is Respondent Legit Or A Scam? (My Honest Review!)
Completing surveys online is one of the most popular online side hustles. And survey sites are an effective way to make a bit of money on the side while you relax at home. However, the downside of most survey and research panels is that they only pay a few dollars per hour at most.
That's why Respondent.io, a B2B and B2C research participant recruiting platform, is so unique.
It hosts studies that can pay $700 per hour or even more according to its website. And it also wants to hear from a wide range of professions and people in different countries.
But is Respondent legit? And does this website actually pay? I signed up for Respondent to give it a try. And this Respondent review is covering how it works, what the earning potential is, and what other research participants are saying so you can make the best choice for you.
Looking for other easy ways to make money? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys: Share your opinion to get cash and gift cards!
- Trial Search: Find high-paying and local studies to participate in!
What Is Respondent?
Respondent is a research platform that helps connect brands and researchers with panel participants. The company specializes in specific business professions, so it's more niche than general paid survey sites.
The company also works with some massive brands, including the likes of Dropbox, IBM, Microsoft, GoDaddy, and Intuit.
If you've used market research panels like Prolific before, then Respondent.io should feel a little familiar since the site focuses on research.
And since Respondent is looking for very specific professions and people for its client's studies, payment per study can easily be $100 to $750 or even more according its website.
Is Respondent Legit?
Yes, Respondent is legit and lets you make money by taking part in various research studies. The platform has over 2 million participants from around the world and also works with plenty of Fortune 500 companies and large research groups.
I also like that Respondent has in-person and online opportunities, so it's a flexible side gig you can try.
However, pay is very inconsistent because qualifying for studies is so difficult. This is where most negative Respondent reviews come from, so keep this in mind.
How Does Respondent Work?
I signed up for Respondent to research how the platform works, and it's a pretty simple process overall that takes five steps:
- Sign up as a Respondent participant
- Apply to studies
- Participate in studies
- Invite other participants
- Get paid
Let's take a look at how the platform works in a bit more detail.
1. Sign Up
Signing up for Respondent is completely free, and you can sign up if you're 18 or older. You simply select “Respondent participant” on the sign-up page and then enter your email and name to create an account.
You can also sign up with a work email to speed up your account verification. And this is an excellent idea since some research projects only accept participants with a work email to ensure they work in the right industries.
Respondent is also a global platform, although most studies are available in these 10 countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Netherlands
- Spain
- The United States
- The United Kingdom
Note that most Respondent research projects are only available in the United States since this is the largest market. You also need a PayPal account since this is how Respondent pays its participants.
2. Apply To Studies
Once you create your Respondent account, you can begin to screen for available studies. Your main dashboard makes this easy to do, and you can look for studies based on filters like being remote, total pay, required time, and if it's a general population or industry-specific study.
Some of the available research studies and groups Respondent wants to hear from in my Respondent dashboard right now include:
- Production supervisor study ($100 for 40 minutes)
- Team owners of Canva accounts ($100 for 60 minutes)
- Home furnisher shoppers ($100 for 60 minutes)
- People who use car-sharing services ($25 for 30 minutes)
- People who make money with gig apps ($75 for 60 minutes)
- People who use Solidworks ($100 for 60 minutes)
- People considering a hearing aid ($75 for 60 minutes)
- Anyone who is a freelance writer ($80 for 60 minutes)
As you can see from the dashboard screenshot I took above, many of the available research studies are paying around $100 for 60 minutes of a one-on-one remote call with the researcher.
This is an exceptional hourly rate. And I like that there's a mix of industry-specific studies and general population ones. Plus, you can potentially qualify for a study if you use certain software or even if you're shopping for a type of product at the moment.
Once you find a study you want to participate in, you apply to it. You then complete a short survey, usually 3 to 10 minutes, to see if you're eligible for it.
This is where many negative Respondent reviews come from since you get disqualified from most study screeners. This is because researchers usually want to hear from very specific groups, so your demographics don't always match.
I applied to three studies in the week I was testing out Respondent, and I haven't qualified yet. I'll update this review if I do, but know that it can take a week or even longer to eventually match with a study.
I've heard that you qualify for about 5-10% of study screeners you attempt, so know that Respondent isn't quick money for most people.
3. Complete Studies
If you qualify for a Respondent study, the researchers running the study contact you via email or through Respondent's platform to move forward.
Many studies are completely remote and just involve having a phone or Zoom call with researchers for an hour or two and answering questions.
Some studies are on-site however. So, you might actually get paid to show up somewhere and complete some type of research task, challenge, or take part in a focus group with other people.
In-person studies tend to pay m
ore than remote ones to compensate for travel time, so this is a plus. Just note that on-site studies are more common in major cities, not remote areas.
4. Refer Other Participants
Completing studies is the main way to make money with this side hustle. However, you can also make money with Respondent with referral bonuses.
There are actually two different types of referral incentives: one for inviting people to sign up for the program and one for inviting people to complete specific studies.
Here's how each referral bonus works:
- General referrals: Earn a $20 PayPal cash bonus when someone you invites earns at least $75 on Respondent.
- Project referrals: Earn a $50 PayPal cash bonus if the person you invite completes the research project you invited them to.
You can refer several different people for each project, but there is a limit of 5 separate referral bonuses per project.
5. Get Paid
Respondent pays users via PayPal. You must have a current PayPal account and provide your account information during registration. Payments are usually made within 8 to 10 working days.
Just note that Respondent charges payment processing fees of $1 or 5% of the research project fee, whichever amount is higher. So, if you complete a $100 study, you pay $5 in fees when getting paid.
This is a pretty high fee in the world of get-paid-to sites. However, since Respondent pays so much per hour, it's less of an issue for many users.
I also like that Respondent is the one that pays you. There are other paid research gig websites out there, like Apex Focus Group, that don't actually pay people and just advertise research opportunities and are pretty scammy.
How Much Does Respondent Pay?
Respondent campaigns typically pay extremely well and can offer as much as several hundred dollars per hour. However, extensive qualification is needed for each project and you will not be chosen for every opportunity. Users report an extremely low acceptance rate for campaigns which significantly reduces the amount of money that they earn.
This makes it difficult to predict how much Respondent pays on average; you might make $0 one month, and then $100 to $500 the next.
Thankfully, Respondent provides some averages you can expect for different industries, including:
- Business Owners: $500 average hourly incentive.
- Executives: $700 average hourly incentive.
- Enterprise Software Users: $750 average hourly incentive.
- Marketers: $150 average hourly incentive.
- Sales & Support: $100 average hourly incentive.
- Software Developers: $200 average hourly incentive.
Again, this is just what Respondent says, and there's no guarantee that you qualify for studies after completing a screener.
It's still a very high-paying hustle and great way to make money online or with in-person studies. However, don't expect consistent pay.
Who Can Join Respondent?
Individuals who are age 18 or older and have a valid PayPal account can join Respondent. While applications are accepted from many countries, most opportunities are focused on the United States.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Payments are made via PayPal
- The platform is globally available
- Completed project pay a high hourly rate
- You can find online and in-person studies
Cons:
- Most opportunities are for the United States
- There's a high disqualification rate for study screeners
- Very inconsistent pay
- High payment processing fees
- Users frustrated with never getting chosen for projects
- Customer service is slow to respond
Other Respondent Reviews
I signed up for Respondent to try it out, and like many others, I'm still trying to get accepted for a project and to finish a screener. However, the low acceptance rate makes sense for this kind of pay and niche studies, so I'm still hopeful.
That said, it's always good to read other reviews from real people to learn if a side hustle is legit or not.
Unfortunately, many Respondent reviews express frustration with a large number of screener surveys and very few actual paid opportunities. Some users report filling out qualification surveys for months, only to receive very few actual surveys, if any.
Here is what some recent reviews say on Trustpilot:
- “78 prescreening test were taken, only 2 surveys were completed. ABSOLUTE WASTE OF TIME. As someone pointed, you already do the survey for free by completing the prescreening so they don't need to invite or pay you anymore.”
- “The screening is the survey. From the screening process you give up a lot of information that can be used and stored. They don't need you after that. Waste of time.”
- “I'm hoping to get an interview soon because it's been like almost 4 months and I haven't been picked yet. Just be patient and professional and things will work out.”
- “I have been filling out screeners for about 4 months now and have not been chosen for a single one. I have wasted about 15 hours doing screeners in this time… waste of time!”
As you can see, a lot of these Respondent reviews are negative and experience the same problem I'm having, which is even qualifying for studies.
This is the main downside to using Respondent, and it's unfortunate that it can take a long time to ever get paid.
This Respondent review from YouTuber and gig expert Your Driver Mike also shares how Respondent works and what type of earning potential to expect.
In his review, Mike points out the same downside to Respondent that others do; it can take forever to qualify for a study and get paid.
Because of this, I think Respondent is a good side hustle to keep in your back pocket. If you see a study you're a great fit for, apply to it, but don't spend hours a day on this site.
Extra reading – 10+ Best Ways To Make Money With A Laptop.
The Best Respondent Alternatives
After signing up for Respondent and not qualifying for any studies, I think it's fair to say this shouldn't be your only side hustle. It's simply too inconsistent despite its high hourly pay.
Thankfully, there are plenty of sites like Respondent you can use instead, including:
- FocusGroup: One of the best Respondent.io alternatives for online and in-person focus groups.
- Branded Surveys: A fun way to share your opinion for free PayPal money and gift cards.
- Swagbucks: Another versatile website that pays you to answer surveys, shop online, play games, watch ads, and install apps.
- PlaytestCloud: One of the most popular user-testing gigs for mobile devices.
- User Interviews: This is one of the most similar sites like Respondent that recruits people for studies and focus groups.
- Fieldwork: One more market research company like Respondent you can work with.
I also made a video on some of his favorite paid survey sites you can use to answer questions for money. The video includes sites like Prolific and other popular Respondent alternatives that are more consistent.
Ultimately, these sites won't make $500 a day or some crazy amount. But you can use them to reliably boost your income each month.
Is Respondent A Scam?
No, Respondent isn't a scam, and you can earn real money by taking part in a wide variety of research studies and trials. However, many users complain that qualifying for studies is difficult, so earnings are very inconsistent with this gig.
If you want consistency, you're better off selling your skills online as a freelancer or finding a legit online job.
However, Respondent does pay you if you complete a study, and it also has plenty of positive reviews and online payment proof.
Is Respondent Worth It?
Respondent is worth it if you want to occasionally share your opinion and take part in studies for excellent hourly pay. In contrast, it's not worth using if you want steady monthly income or to earn a full-time income.
Even the opportunities that the Respondent platform says you are a great match for, you still have to qualify for and you won’t necessarily get chosen. Many Respondent users express frustration that they get chosen very rarely despite completing many different qualifier surveys.
But, if you can qualify for studies, then it's one of the highest-paying gigs out there.
Final Thoughts
I hope my Respondent review helps you understand how this research panel works and what you might expect in terms of earning potential.
After failing five screeners when trying out Respondent, I'm a little disappointed in the platform. However, I'm still hopeful I'll eventually qualify for something, so I'll keep on testing it.
Besides, Respondent's hourly pay for most studies is quite impressive. And I like that there are available studies for a range of careers and industries.
Sure, you won't make $5,000 a month with this gig. But for the occasional $100 to $200, I think it's worth trying out.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck!
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