Is YouGov Legit? (My Honest Review)

YouGov is a legit paid survey company that's been in business since 2,000. And it lets people make money for sharing their opinions.

But is YouGov worth signing up for? And how much money can you realistically make with this website?

I signed up for the platform to try it out. And in my YouGov review, I'm going to share my experiences with the platform, its pros and cons, and how you can ultimately decide if it's worth using or not.

Key Takeaways:

• YouGov is a free survey site that's available in dozens of countries
• Surveys pay $0.25 to $1.50 worth of points on average
• You can cash out a $15 gift card at 25,000 points
• YouGov offers a range of gift cards and bank transfer payments as rewards

Is YouGov Legit?

YouGov is legit and lets people make money by completing short surveys in their spare time. It also has a 4.6 star rating on Trustpilot and over 48,000 positive reviews.

It also lets people from around the world join, and it's been in business since 2000. I could also sign up easily and begin answering surveys when I tested it out.

However, the most common complaint people have about YouGov is that it takes a while to cash out. In comparison, many competing survey sites and reward apps let you cash out at just $1 and $5 reward tiers.

For example, Swagbucks has rewards starting at just $1. And Branded Surveys, my personal favorite survey site, lets you cash out at $5.

That said, YouGov is pretty reliable in terms of regularly pushing new surveys your way. But it can take a long time to redeem your rewards, so keep this in mind.

What Is YouGov?

YouGov is a United Kingdom based research firm that conducts surveys and polls for consumers from around the world. For users, YouGov presents a way to share your opinion to start making money online in your spare time.

The platform is pretty similar to other paid survey sites like Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie. Once you sign up, YouGov conducts surveys on topics like:

• Consumer preferences
• Public affairs
• Entertainment
• Health and food
• Politics

Despite its name, YouGov isn't affiliated with any central government. But it's been in business since 2000 and has thousands of members from around the world.

How Does YouGov Work?

I created a YouGov account to find out how the platform works and to test if it's legitimate. And, the process was very straightforward.

As a side hustle, YouGov is quite simple. All you have to do is sign up, begin answering surveys, and build up your earnings until you're ready to cash out.

I was able to sign up for YouGov in a matter of minutes, and the platform is very easy to use. But let's take a deeper look at how the platform works and how much money you can make.

1. Sign Up

To get started with YouGov, you can register online or download its free app in the App Store or on Google Play. Once you open the app or visit the website, you create an account which is easy and only takes a few minutes.

Like other gpt sites, you have to fill out some basic demographic information like:

• Age
• Gender
• Education
• Job type
• Languages you speak

It's important to fill out this information honestly since YouGov uses this data to match you to more relevant surveys and studies for its market research purposes.

2. Answer Surveys

The main way to make money with YouGov is to answer paid surveys when they're available.

The first few surveys primarily ask info about you so that the app can better find the surveys you are a fit for. You may be asked questions about where you live, education level and more.

After that, you can find paid survey opportunities on your main dashboard. Generally, there's enough paid surveys for you to keep answering them, and they replenish fairly quickly if you ever complete all of them.

As you can see in my YouGov dashboard above, there's a paid survey section with surveys that are available. There's also a daily question and more profile questions I can answer.

Unfortunately, surveys don't say how much they pay or give a time estimation, which I find frustrating.

Generally, surveys pay a few hundred points, but some pay a few thousands. Overall, this means most YouGov surveys pay around $0.25 to $1.50 worth of points. Once you successfully complete a survey, points deposits in your YouGov account.

3. Join YouGov Pulse

If you want to earn passive income, another way to make money with YouGov is to join the YouGov Pulse program.

YouGov Pulse is a free app that you can download for desktop or mobile devices. According to YouGov, it pays $50 per year just for browsing the internet!

This app basically tracks your use of apps, media players and the internet and provides data on how individuals visit sites online. Some of the data it collects includes:

• Browsing History: This app records the browsers used to go online, the websites you visit and when you visit them and the search terms you use online.
• App History: Records the apps that are used including when they are used and the amount of time you used them.
• Media Players: Shares information on what media players that you have used, and what you have watched including when you watched it and for how long.

The YouGov Pulse app also collects information such as IP addresses, device info and operating systems.

The site states that passwords and information entered on secure forms including usernames and passwords are not collected.

Overall, this is a similar premise as platforms like the Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel that also let you make money on autopilot for sharing your data.

I think it's a bit too personal for my taste, but it is a nifty passive income app you can test out.

4. Refer Your Friends

Like many survey companies, YouGov rewards you for referring friends. It pays you with 200 points after the person you refer registers and completes 6 surveys.

This is honestly a pretty poor referral bonus since you're not even getting $1 for inviting friends like many beermoney sites pay. But at least you can earn some extra points if you know someone else who wants to join.

How To Cash Out With YouGov – Rewards & Withdrawal Requirements

Once you earn enough points, you can redeem various free gift cards or request a bank transfer. Some of the notable gift card partners YouGov lets you cash out with include:

• Amazon
• AMC
• CVS
• Nike
• Macy's
• Lowes
• Sephora
• Target

The lowest gift card you can redeem is a $15 Amazon gift card, which requires 25,000 points. This means each YouGov point is worth about $0.006.

This point-to-dollar ratio is pretty confusing, and many other gift cards also require 25,000 to 60,000 points to redeem gift cards of different value. Furthermore, the lowest cash reward is a $50 bank transfer for 55,000 points.

A lack of free PayPal cash rewards and cheaper gift card rewards are downsides. This means you have to answer a decent number of surveys before you can cash out with YouGov.

How Much Does YouGov Pay?

While survey rates vary, users report on average 25 to 100 points per YouGov survey. This is also what I found in my account, so YouGov pays a bit less on average that survey platforms like Pinecone Research or Branded Surveys.

With a 50,000 point minimum required for a $50 payout, and an average of 1 to 2 surveys per week, it will take most users a considerable amount of time before they are able to redeem their points for a reward.

Some surveys pay around $1 worth of points, but generally, surveys don't pay much.

That said, surveys can be pretty quick unlike sites like InboxDollars, so this is reflected in how much each survey pays.

Is YouGov Safe?

YouGov is safe, and the company is a reputable, long-standing member of the market research world. You don't need to enter your credit card to sign up either.

However, make sure you're comfortable sharing your personal data, especially if you use YouGov Pulse. Personally, I'm not a fan of using Pulse, but you have to decide if the free money is worth it or not.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Surveys are easy to complete
• Accepts users 14 years and older (16 in the U.K.)
• Variety of gift card rewards
• YouGov Pulse pays you with passive income
• You can download the YouGov survey app to earn with your phone

Cons:

• There's a high minimum cash out amount
• Low Pay – while survey amounts vary, users will have to complete 100 – 200 surveys to earn $50
• YouGov Pulse has privacy concerns
• No sign up bonus
• Answering surveys is really the only way to make money

Other YouGov Reviews

I signed up for YouGov to find out how the platform works. I enjoy how easy it is to use, although I wish surveys paid a bit more. I also wish rewards started at just $5.

However, one of the best ways to tell if an online side hustle is legit or not is to read reviews from other people.

Thankfully, most YouGov reviews are quite positive. People generally have positive things to say about this survey app. After all, it's rated 4 out of 5 stars on Google Play and has thousands of ratings.

Common complaints include difficulty in claiming rewards, lack of surveys and high payout levels making it difficult for this to be a way to earn money. Some users also state that the number of surveys diminish after the beginning weeks on the app.

In this Reddit thread, other users also share their YouGov reviews and their experiences with the platform:

• xxPlsNoBullyxx says: “I haven't used YouGov in a while. It took a long time to reach the £50 minimum payout. Things may have changed since I used it though.”
• lpstrong says: “They're decent. I've been with them for 2+ years. I'm glad they finally switched from sending physical cards and now send it virtually. Sometimes I get it within 48 hours or within 5 days. The surveys are easy and can take between 5 to 10 minutes. Try and do them as soon as possible because they can fill up within hours. It takes me about 6 – 8 weeks to cash out for a $15 card.”
• OokeepeeeO says: “I use it. Every time I cash out I think “ok, I'm done”……….and then I end up doing it again. The nice thing is you always seem to qualify and I've never not been paid for a survey. It does take a minute to reach the cashout threshold though.”

As you can see, users seem to dislike how long it takes to cash out with YouGov. But the site does pay on time, and it's very easy to use.

This YouGov review from Martin Burt also shares how YouGov works and his experience with the platform.

In his review, Martin shares how he earned 500 YouGov points pretty quickly and that he likes how easy the platform is to use.

But, he also explains how it will take him about 20 weeks to cash out at his given rate of earning, which isn't fast at all.

Overall, it's important to know that YouGov isn't a full-time online job. It's a source of side money, and it takes many people a long time to cash out.

The Best Sites Like YouGov

Personally, I think YouGov is legit, and after testing it out myself, I found the interface was very easy to use.

However, I really dislike the high cash out requirements. Thankfully, there are numerous YouGov alternatives you can use that pay you faster and have more rewards:

• Branded Surveys: A leading survey website that lets you earn PayPal money and gift cards.
• Freecash: My new favorite gpt site.
• Swagbucks: This site lets you make money by playing games, answering surveys, shopping online, and more.
• Kashkick: A fun way to answer surveys and earn PayPal money for playing games.
• InboxDollars: Another popular paid survey site like YouGov that also has a $5 sign up bonus.
• Survey Junkie: Another leading survey site with a low $5 cash out requirement.
• MyFreeApp: Get paid to try out new games and apps.
• Nielsen Panel: Like YouGov Pulse, you can earn up to $50 a year in passive income for sharing your data.

I also made a YouTube video sharing some of my favorite survey sites you can use alongside sites like YouGov.

These sites won't make you rich. However, they're an easy side hustle you can try, and many of them pay out much faster.

Extra Reading – The Best Sites Like Prolific.

Is YouGov A Scam?

YouGov isn't a scam. It has millions of registered users and an established history and pays out people on time. However, don't expect to make $100 a day or anything close to that amount with this website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does YouGov Take To Pay?

While the YouGov support site states that rewards will take 1-3 days for payment to take place, many users report a much longer period. Many users state that 11 to 15 days is not uncommon for a reward to arrive, and that some have taken as long as 30 days.

Who Can Participate In YouGov?

Currently, YouGov is available in the following areas:

• Australia
• Austria
• Brazil
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Middle East
• Norway
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Poland
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Vietnam

Individuals ages 16 from the United Kingdom and ages 14 and older in select countries can create an account and participate in opportunities.

My post on the best survey sites for teenagers has even more options younger side hustlers can try!

Final Thoughts

Completing surveys online is a legitimate side hustle and a way to make money from your laptop. And when it comes to YouGov, it's a tried and true player in the paid survey space that's completely legit.

However, it doesn't pay very much as mentioned, and it can take a while to cash out.

That's just the nature of these paid survey sites, so make sure you have some realistic expectations.

Again, I think options like Branded Surveys and Swagbucks are better if you want quick money. And, of course, you can always use various gig economy apps if you want some higher-paying side hustles.

Hopefully, our YouGov review helps you decide if this survey site is worth using for you or not.

Looking for even more ways to make extra money? Checkout:

• The Best Ways To Make Money With Your Phone.
• The Best Ways To Make Money In One Hour.