Paid studies › Respondent
Paid studies guide
Respondent: what participants should know
Respondent matches a detailed participant profile to researchers' studies: you answer unpaid screeners, and researchers invite the people who fit to paid interviews, focus groups, surveys and diary studies. Professional (B2B) studies need a verified work email, and incentives arrive as a Tremendous gift card or virtual Visa, minus a 5% fee.
Go to Respondent's participant page
The facts
| Who can join | Adults (18+) who can verify a non-VoIP mobile number and an email. A work email on a company domain unlocks professional studies and is re-checked every 90 days. |
|---|---|
| Study types | Remote and in-person interviews, focus groups, surveys, unmoderated tasks, diary studies, and some AI evaluation work. |
| Typical pay (Respondent's own examples) | Remote interview of 30–90 minutes about $40–$150; short unmoderated task or survey about $5–$25; diary studies about $50–$200+ in total; in-person sessions about $75–$250+. Senior professional roles can earn more. |
| Fees | 5% of each incentive, minimum $1 (help centre and terms). The marketing page says 'Fees: None', so expect the fee. |
| How you're paid | Tremendous digital rewards: virtual Visa or retailer gift cards, in USD. PayPal only in limited cases. |
| When | Most payments arrive 7–10 business days after the researcher confirms you took part. |
| Verification | SMS and email checks; work-email check for professional studies; a profile photo; some identity checks. |
| How selection works | Your profile and screener answers are matched to studies, and researchers choose whom to invite. Respondent says most people get one to three invitations a month. |
| Rules worth knowing | Keep study details confidential. One account per person. Answers that conflict with your profile, or AI-written answers, can cost you the incentive. Don't accept payment outside the platform. |
| Referral programme | Respondent's pages describe a friend-referral reward (amounts differ between its referral page and help centre). It isn't an affiliate programme for websites. |
From Respondent's own help pages and terms, checked October 2026. Platforms change their rules; check the linked pages before you rely on a figure.
Sources
- Earning with Respondent: what to expect
- Getting paid: timeline, currencies, redeeming
- Phone and email verification
- How to get selected
- Participant terms
- Become a participant
A message claiming to be from Respondent asks you to pay, share a password, or move to WhatsApp or Telegram? That's a scam. Here are the warning signs.
Compare with
User Interviews
Studies listed from about $20 to $300+; average over $45 · Tremendous gift cards or prepaid cards (or the researcher's own method)
Prolific
At least £6 / $8 an hour; recommended £9 / $12 · PayPal only
dscout
Most payouts $25–150; quick studies $2–25 · PayPal only
UserTesting
Shown per test (example rates: $4 short test, $10 standard, $30 per 30-minute live call) · PayPal only (USD)
TestingTime
Not published per study · PayPal or bank transfer (IBAN)
FocusGroup.com (Sago)
Not published per study; points (100 = $1) · Points for debit cards or retailer gift cards