In-person and online focus groups are an incredible side hustle opportunity. And I've actually been making money for the last couple of years by taking part in different market research groups.
Unlike survey sites, focus group opportunities often pay $50 to $100+ per hour. Plus, you get to take part in interesting research and studies in a variety of fields.
However, not all focus groups are the same. And some are downright scams or aren't worth your time. This is why I'm sharing some of the best paid focus groups you can use to start earning today!
The Best Focus Groups For Money
Table of Contents
1. User Interviews
User Interviews is my favorite paid online focus group. I've been using it since 2022, and I've completed studies on it before and have always been paid on time.
The company has over 2,000 focus group studies per month. Pinterest, Adobe, Spotify, and Wayfair are just a few of the recognizable brand names that have partnered with User Interviews.
The signup process is also painless. Just create an account with your email and then answer a demographic and career questionnaire to help match you to the best focus groups.
One thing that’s great about User Interviews is the search page. You can immediately see how much focus groups pay, their date, how long they take, and a description of what's involved.
Some studies and focus groups are quite generic, like seeking participants to give feedback for a product. These usually pay $10. But you can find more niche focus groups easily paying $50 to $100 upon completion.
For example, one I completed recently paid me $65 for a 45 minute study. All I had to do was give feedback on a new design tool for business cards, which was pretty fun!
You have to apply to focus groups which involves completing a short screener. But if you get accepted, this is an excellent way to get free money and gift cards in exchange for your feedback and opinions.
2. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a leading survey website where you can share your opinion to get paid.
It's free to sign up for and is available in North America and Australia. I've used it for years, and it's one of the highest-paying survey websites in the business.
Most surveys on Survey Junkie pay $0.50 to $1 or $2. But you can sometimes find longer surveys that pay more. The company also has occasional product testing or paid market research opportunities.
This is certainly more of a survey site than paid online focus group. However, you can cash out with PayPal or free gift cards at only $5, so it's a nice way to get quick money.
👉 Start earning with Survey Junkie!
3. Respondent
Respondent is another amazing way to get paid to be in a focus group. And this is also our favorite User Interviews alternative.
The platform is super easy to use. Simply sign up for free as a focus group participant and complete a demographic questionnaire. You can then browse and apply to available studies and focus groups.
In our experience, focus groups and paid market research studies pay anywhere from $10 to $150 per hour or completion. There's also in-person, phone, and Zoom-call focus groups too.
The best part about Respondent is that the very niche studies can pay hundreds of dollars. Many studies look for certain career professionals or business owners too, so keep this in mind.
4. Branded Surveys
Branded Surveys, like Survey Junkie, lets you complete online surveys to earn cash and gift cards.
The site is free to join and is available in North America and the UK. It's a very easy way to earn money online, and you only need $5 to cash out.
Most surveys you complete pay $0.50 to $2.50. There's also a great loyalty program that pays bonus cash each month if you complete enough surveys.
My advice is to use Branded Surveys in the downtime you have while searching for paid focus groups. The hourly pay is lower, but it's easier to make money consistently since there are almost always available surveys.
👉 Try out Branded Surveys!
5. FocusGroup.com
FocusGroup.com offers (as the name suggests) focus groups as well as surveys and on-the-go tasks like mystery shopping gigs.
Signing up is similar to other paid online focus group websites. You have to answer some questions about yourself, including demographic and career questions. This takes a bit of time, but it's the only way to unlock focus group opportunities and not just cash surveys.
Some FocusGroup.com opportunities pay $100 to $300 or more. However, the downside is it generally takes a long time to match and qualify for an opporutnity.
We filled out our personal survey to test out FocusGroup.com. We still haven't been matched to any focus groups or studies, only surveys. So, this site isn't a consistent money-maker, although it does pay participants well.
6. Rare Patient Voice
Rare Patient Voice is one of the best paid focus group websites for patients with rare conditions or their caregivers.
This site lets you take part in both webcam and phone interviews. And it's available in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.
Rare Patient Voice pays up to $120 per hour to both caregivers and patients. This is one of the higher rates out there. You can also get paid $20 for taking part in a screening, since screenings generally take a bit of time.
If you have any type of condition, even if it's not the most rare, Rare Patient Voice is worth checking out. The same goes if you work in health services or are a caregiver.
7. Field Voices
Field Voices is another popular focus group side hustle you can try out. And we like it since it has both in-person and online focus groups you can participate in.
It's also a very lucrative side hustle. For example, when we checked them out they were calling for applicants to a 4-hour in-person workshop in Plano, Texas in return for a $300 Visa gift card. The other paid market research group was a 3-day focus group on meeting your healthcare needs, in return for a $350 Visa gift card.
Like other websites, you have to submit some personal information to Field Voices when applying. Many focus groups look for specific demographics or job types, so you won't get accepted every time. But the pay is quite high if you end up getting approved for a study or focus group.
8. Lightster
Lightster is a money making app where you get to share your opinions with different companies to get paid.
The platform works with massive companies like Google, Best Buy, Sephora, and Microsoft. Once you sign up and complete your profile, you can then get receive questions from brands and creators who want your insights. As you answer questions and have a conversation, you get paid.
This is a unique way to get paid for your advice. And what's nice is that after you complete your profile, researchers and companies reach out to you, so you don't have to hustle and endlessly apply to focus groups.
Payments vary, but you can earn up to $1 per minute. As for rewards. Lightster offers free Amazon gift cards, PayPal cash, or Wise payments.
9. Fieldwork
Fieldwork is another popular paid market research company that's looking for consumers, business professionals, patients, and healthcare professionals right now.
You can create a profile on its website and then complete your profile to get started. You can then receive studies and focus groups to take part. There's one-on-one interviews, virtual sessions, and even at-home studies researching a wide range of topics.
Compensation is fixed at $75 per hour and payment is made with virtual gift cards. Unlink some of the other options listed here, Fieldwork will reach out to you via phone or email about opportunities that might be a good fit.
10. L&E Opinions
L&E has 1.7 million participants and paid out nearly $9 million in 2023. When we signed up, they said there were 205 active studies available. There are also specific medical and B2B panels where patients, caregivers, and business owners can find better-paying focus groups.
According to their website, some medical and business focus groups can pay up to $1,500 (you read that right) depending on position in the organization…all for one hour. Wow…bet you’re wishing you went to med school now, or worked your way up the corporate ladder!
As for the rest of us, focus groups pay quite well. One thing we love about L&E over some of the other choices is that the displayed list of available studies is very transparent. You’ll see the exact range of compensation, the location (nationwide is what you want), age range, gender, and description. You still need to complete pre-screening questionnaires, but they’re all within the L&E website and relatively painless.
Extra Reading – How To Make $200 Fast.
11. Recruit & Field
R&F gleans consumer insights for companies like Apple, Netflix, GMC, and Clinique. The website is a little more lo-fi than some of the others, but that’s okay. After a quick introductory signup, you just fill out a list of demographic information to get matched focus group opportunities.
Payment for participation in groups typically falls between $100 and $275 per session. The sign-up questionnaire takes a while to fill out. But considering these payouts, the effort is worth it.
However, Recruit & Field doesn't have a page to browse paid focus groups. Rather, it’s a targeted research group that reaches out to you. For this reason, you should take the questions seriously.
12. Experience Dynamics
Experience Dynamics specifically focuses on UX, or user design. And this is a way to get paid to test websites and then give your feedback on them
Compensation generally ranges from $50 to $150. Some tasks require one sitting, while others involve a “diary” type of process where you record your experience over a few days or weeks.
This is more involved than using usability testing platforms like UserTesting or PlaytestCloud. However, the pay is much higher since you have to put in more effort.
Even More Focus Group Side Hustles To Try
The above options are some of our favorite ways to make money with focus groups. But you can try even more websites and research studies that pay to maximize your opportunities, including:
- Pinecone Research
- PingPong
- American Consumer Opinions
- Maven
- Probe Market Research
- Product Report Card
- SurveyFeeds
- FocusInsite
- Mindswarms
- GLC Insights
- PRC Market Research
- Ipsos iSay
- Sago
- Inspired Opinions
- Focuscope
👉 The 25+ Highest Paying Apps To Try.
How Much Can You Make With Paid Focus Groups?
How much you earn with paid focus groups largely depends on how many opportunities you qualify for. Payment per hour also varies depending on the company, type of focus group, and how niche a particular study is. But participants can generally expect to earn at least $50 to $100 per hour.
For example, my latest User Interviews test paid me $65 for 45 minutes. And some of my friends have taken part in multi-day studies paying several hundred dollars.
Ultimately, this isn't a full-time online job. Income can be very inconsistent, so apply to focus group opportunities but don't expect a steady paycheck.
How Can I Find Focus Groups Near Me?
Many focus group and market research groups offer in-person studies alongside phone and online webcam studies. So, you can search for nearby paid focus groups if you use the websites we've listed above.
Just note that larger cities generally have more paid market research opportunities than small towns and rural areas.
How To Avoid Focus Group Scams
There are many paid focus group scams out there or companies that try to steal personal information from participants. And some companies, like Apex Focus Group, just consolidate focus group opportunities but don't run studies themselves.
Ultimately, we suggest sticking with reputable companies that have a proven track record of paying participants. Reference data like Trustpilot scores, Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings, and social media reviews or comments when choosing a focus group company.
Extra Reading – The Top Online Jobs Paying Weekly.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the best paid focus groups we could find. And if you snag a few studies per year, you could be looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in additional income.
Also note that there are so many market research studies out there that pay. This list is a great way to get started. But don't be afraid to search around your city for more market research surveys and studies.
Of course, you can always make money right away with gpt sites or other digital side hustles that are more consistent. But we think applying to a few focus group websites is a good idea. After all, you never know which studies you'll get into. So, a big payday could be around the corner!
Want even more ideas to earn? Checkout:
- The Best Work From Phone Jobs.
- The Best Websites Like UserTesting.
- The Best Microtask Websites.
