If you’re researching Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie, you’re probably looking for ways to make extra money online—without wasting your time or falling for a scam.
The good news is that both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are legitimate platforms that have been around for years and have proven they pay. But as you explore both, you’ll notice the experience and earning potential vary.
Wondering which one is best suited for you? Below, you’ll find a clear, unbiased comparison of Swagbucks and Survey Junkie to help you decide what’s worth your time.
While you’re exploring your options, be sure to check out KashKick, a similar rewards platform that pays you to play games, take surveys, claim deals and shop online. Check out the beginner’s guide to KashKick if you want to learn more!
Key Takeaways
- Swagbucks offers more ways to earn, including games, cash back shopping and surveys—making it better for users who want variety.
- Survey Junkie provides a low minimum and faster payouts, but earning is mostly limited to surveys.
- KashKick is a strong alternative with clear earning expectations, quick payouts (1-3 days) and straightforward tasks that make it easier to earn consistently.
What Are Swagbucks and Survey Junkie?
Not too familiar with either of these sites? Let’s start with the basics.
Swagbucks is a legitimate rewards platform that pays users in points—called SBs—when they take surveys, play games and shop online. When you collect enough SBs, you can claim gift cards or cash out through PayPal.
Swagbucks is owned by Prodege, which launched the platform back in 2008 and operates other brands like MyPoints and InboxDollars. To learn more, review our guide: Is Swagbucks legit?
Survey Junkie is a paid survey website that pays users to take surveys and share their data. You’ll earn points when you qualify for and complete surveys, which you can then convert to gift cards or cash through PayPal or your bank account.
Survey Junkie launched in 2013 and is owned by DISQO, an insights and data analytics platform based in California. Big brands use DISQO to learn more about consumers—and DISQO collects those insights, in part, through Survey Junkie. Go deeper into the platform in our guide: Is Survey Junkie legit?
If you want to further understand why these sites pay you, it’s similar to why KashKick pays you.
Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie: A Quick Comparison
To fairly evaluate both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, let’s compare them across several important categories, including: ways to earn, earning potential, payout options, eligibility requirements, app experiences and more.
| Swagbucks | Survey Junkie | Winner | |
| Ways to earn | Surveys, games, cash back shopping, referrals | Surveys, data sharing | Swagbucks |
| Minimum payout | $5 (PayPal); gift cards from $3 | $5 (or 500 points) | Tie |
| Cash out options | PayPal, gift cards | Bank transfer, PayPal, gift cards | Survey Junkie |
| Payout speed | Up to 10 business days | Gift cards: Within a few hours typically; PayPal: 1-3 business days; bank transfer: up to 5 business days | Survey Junkie |
| Sign-up bonus | $10 when you spend at least $25 in a store featured on the site within 30 days of sign-up | Small onboarding bonus (value varies) | Swagbucks |
| Locations | Most countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia | U.S., Canada, UK and Australia | Swagbucks |
| App ratings | App Store: 4.4 stars with 148K ratings Google Play: 4.2 stars with 450K reviews | App Store: 4.6 stars with 86K ratings Google Play: 4.4 stars with 108K reviews | Survey Junkie |
How Swagbucks Works
Swagbucks rewards users for completing small online tasks. For each activity completed, users earn a specific number of “SBs,” which can be redeemed for gift cards or PayPal cash.
Ways to Earn on Swagbucks
- Take surveys: Answer questions about your lifestyle, shopping habits and more to earn SB. Expect to earn around 25 to 500 SB per survey, according to the site.
- Play games: Play popular web and mobile games through Swagbucks to bank SB as you achieve certain milestones.
- Shop/earn cashback: Shop in-store and online through Swagbucks to earn cash back on your purchases. (Technically, you’ll earn SB, which you can then exchange for cash.)
- Complete offers & daily goals: Keep an eye on Swagbucks’ Daily Goal Meter to earn bonuses. For example, if you earn 40 SB, you could get 3 extra SB.
- Refer friends: Invite your friends to Swagbucks to get 10% of whatever they earn.
You might come across some resources that say you can make money watching videos on Swagbucks. Unfortunately, that program ended in 2022.
Swagbucks Payouts and Minimums
Swagbucks payout minimums vary by payout method. For example, you might be able to snag a $3 Applebee’s gift card, but you need $5 to cash out via PayPal. Check the Rewards Store for the latest offers.
It can take up to 10 business days to process your reward, including PayPal transfers and gift cards. Swagbucks allows you to check the status of your reward through the website.
Pros and Cons of Swagbucks
Positive Swagbucks reviews mention the variety of ways to earn and how easy it is to use.
- “I’ve been a user for Swagbucks for 5+ years, and I think that says enough. Tons of surveys, games and shopping offers that are fair and easy to succeed with.” (Trustpilot)
- “It’s an engaging app with varied enough tasks to keep you interested longer than most survey sites and such, so that’s 4 stars in my book.” (Google Play)
- “I really love this app! It not only allows you to make extra money doing surveys, but it also provides different offers for tasks to complete or games to play to earn more rewards. … It’s definitely worth using on a daily basis!” (App Store)
Negative Swagbucks reviews mention that earning rewards is time-consuming. Some say recent updates have made it even more difficult to earn SB, and others note difficulties cashing out and frustrations with customer service.
- “Takes hours and hours, or even multiple days of work to earn even 5 or 10 dollars…” (Trustpilot)
- “This app is totally useless. I have never had it credit a survey. It says receipts need to be manually reviewed. I have played several hours a day and earned 30 cents. I tried to use customer service, but it only repeats, ‘I don’t understand this language. Please continue in English.’ You can probably guess, my query was written in English. I took a screenshot as proof of AI ignorance.” (Google Play)
- “Although you may be able to be legitimately paid, it is hardly worth the time and effort that must be put in. … It takes hours to get anything, and overall it’s just more effort than I personally find it worth. It may be beneficial to some, but it just drained my time and I can’t pull out the $5 that I have unless I make $10 more.” (Google Play)
How Survey Junkie Works
Survey Junkie is a paid survey site. In other words, you get paid to take surveys.
Once you sign up, you’ll answer a few profile questions, which helps match you to relevant surveys. (That’s because some brands only want insights from specific consumers, like Floridians or car owners, for example.)
Keep your earning expectations realistic. Most members earn a modest hourly rate on survey sites, so think of these platforms as supplemental cash, not a paycheck.
Ways to Earn on Survey Junkie
- Take surveys: Complete surveys to earn points. Each survey notes the points and required time. Think: 110 points for a 30-minute survey.
- Surf to Earn: Opt to share information about your online searches, site visits, app usage, shopping activity and ad views to earn points.
Survey Junkie Payouts and Minimums
Once you earn 500 points on Survey Junkie, you can request a $5 payout as a bank or PayPal transfer or gift card.
Payout speed varies by method: Get gift cards typically within a few hours, PayPal takes 1-3 business days to process, and bank transfers can take up to 5 business days.
Pros and Cons of Survey Junkie
Positive Survey Junkie reviews mention legit payouts, the user-friendly interface and low payout minimum.
- “This survey site can be a suitable option if you have additional time available. A significant advantage is the immediate redemption of rewards, which sets it apart from other platforms.” (Trustpilot)
- “This is one of the better survey apps. You can earn a good bit and there hasn’t been an issue with not finding any surveys.” (Google Play)
- “This is a great no-nonsense way to make a few bucks every few days. Instead of playing dumb games on my phone in my spare time, I take surveys on this app and get money transferred directly into my bank account. I’m glad I signed up for this!” (App Store)
Negative Survey Junkie reviews mention frequent survey disqualifications, low earning potential and technical glitches.
- “Disqualified for about two-thirds of the surveys I tried. The payout for the few I qualified for was very little. I spent most of the time just trying to qualify after wasting 5-15 minutes just to be told I didn’t qualify.” (Trustpilot)
- “If you can deal with the constant ‘you don’t qualify’ after you finish really long surveys then this is for you. In the beginning this was a great app and then after I went through an update it just kind of stopped working in a beneficial way.” (Google Play)
- “I hate this app with a passion. You are not only disqualified 99% of the time, they kick you out of surveys when you are 20 minutes into a survey AND even when you finish a survey. They won’t give you credit. If you contact them, they do nothing about them. I’d love to do a class action. Save your time on this scam site.” (App Store)
Survey Junkie vs Swagbucks vs KashKick
Now that you understand the big differences between Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie, let’s add one more option to the mix: KashKick.
KashKick is more similar to Swagbucks in that it offers you a variety of ways to earn, including playing games, taking surveys and claiming deals. Here are some specs:
- Minimum payout: $10
- Cash out options: PayPal, Venmo, gift cards, charity donations
- Payout speed: 1-3 days
- Location: U.S. only
- App ratings: 4.7 stars with 101K ratings in the App Store; 4.5 stars with 128K reviews on Google Play
Beyond the specs, you’ll find tons of positive KashKick reviews. For example, Eric, who describes himself as an “average Joe,” made more than $500 in less than a year. Stay-at-home mom Christina made around $75 to cover expenses for her kids.
It takes just a few minutes to sign up and start earning.
Choose the Best Alternative to Swagbucks and Survey Junkie
Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are two legitimate apps to make money from your phone. If you’re not sure which one is right for you…
- Choose Swagbucks if you want multiple ways to earn (including games, cash back and surveys).
- Choose Survey Junkie if you prefer to stick to surveys.
If you want fast, reliable payouts, clear expectations and straightforward tasks without the clutter, choose KashKick.
FAQ: Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie
Is Swagbucks or Survey Junkie legit?
Yes, both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are legit. Swagbucks has operated since 2008 under the parent company Prodege, and Survey Junkie has paid members for more than a decade under DISQO. Both pay real cash and gift cards, though earnings are modest. If you want clearer earning expectations and faster payouts, KashKick is a solid alternative.
Is Swagbucks or Survey Junkie better?
To determine if Swagbucks or Survey Junkie is better, consider how you want to earn. Swagbucks offers more ways to earn money, while Survey Junkie offers a simpler, survey-only experience. If you want faster payouts and more predictable earnings, KashKick may be the better option.
Which pays faster: Swagbucks or Survey Junkie?
Survey Junkie typically processes payouts faster than Swagbucks, though timing varies by method. KashKick offers consistently fast 1-3-day payouts, making it one of the most reliable options.
Can I use both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie at the same time?
Yes, you can use both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie at the same time. In fact, many users “multi-app” to maximize available surveys and offers. The downside is time management; juggling multiple platforms can get overwhelming. KashKick’s streamlined interface makes it easier to earn in one place.
Are there better alternatives to Swagbucks and Survey Junkie?
There are plenty of alternatives to Swagbucks and Survey Junkie. KashKick is one of the most popular thanks to its transparency and fast payouts. Some of the other best apps to make money include InboxDollars and Rakuten, but each has different earning structures. For the clearest earning expectations, try KashKick.
