How to Get Paid to Test Products [9 Options for 2023]

Are you working a 9 to 5 yet struggling to pay your bills?

Well, there are many great side hustles you can do from the comfort of your home to make extra cash.

For one, you can get paid to test products and offer reviews to companies. And the good thing is that no capital is required to kick-start this idea. However, you have to find sites that offer product testing opportunities.

In today’s post, we’ll show you 9 product testing sites to help you get started.

Can You Get Paid to Test Products?

Product testers can get a gift card or products in exchange for reviews. However, they can earn extra cash from reviewing physical products and offering honest feedback.

How Much Can You Make by Testing Products?

According to Glassdoor, product testers earn $42,849 per year on average in the United States. With this amount, you can make a full-time job out of product testing gigs.

Some product testing companies pay between $5 to hundreds of dollars per product review.

However, the amount you’ll earn depends on the product testing program and how many paid online surveys or product tests you can complete.

And when you’re actively reviewing products, you may get 4 to 5 full-size products to review in a month.

You could also get an opportunity to join an online community that offers access to high-paying product review jobs.

You may want to check out the definition of a gig and how it impacts modern freelancers and businesses.

What You’ll Need to Get Paid to Test Products

It’s important to note that you don’t need any formal qualifications for product tester jobs. However, most companies require you to have knowledge of their products and the ability to give constructive feedback.

Here’s a list of the requirements for getting product review jobs:

• A dedicated email: When you sign up on product testing websites, you’ll receive notifications of available test jobs and you don’t want to miss out on them.
• Knowledge of the company’s products: You’re expected to give accurate feedback, and most times, these companies prefer people who already know about their products.
• Writing skills: Effective writing skills help you to capture your thoughts about a product so that the manufacturers can improve where necessary. To make your honest opinions count, they should be free of grammatical errors.
• Quality feedback: Even if the product wasn’t successful, companies expect you to be honest, and this includes providing suggestions for improvement.

Where to Get Paid to Test Products

There are many platforms offering payment for testing products. Although not all of them are genuine, we’ve made a list of some tested and trusted sites that you should check out.

1. Userfeel (Website Testing)

Userfeel performs remote usability testing for websites or app optimization and prototypes. It hires testers to give honest feedback, which will assist website owners in providing an excellent user experience for their end users.

When signing up, you’ll provide details about your location, age, web experience, and native language because site owners prefer to test their site’s usability across different demographics.

Also, to become accepted, you’ll watch a video and complete a test. This confirms whether your device has a microphone, internal or external, and you can express your thoughts freely while surfing a client’s site.

How Much You Can Make

Although the initial test is unpaid, scaling through means that you’ll get a rating and become eligible for paid tests.

You’ll earn $30 for a 60-minute test, $20 for a 40-minute test, $10 for a 20-minute test, and $3 for a 5-minute test.

What Makes This Option Great

The amazing thing about this website is that you get paid for a few minutes of work, which can be completed on a mobile phone, tablet, or Mac or Windows computer. Also, you may get up to 5 jobs daily, depending on your rating.

Userfeel assures its testers of data security, so you can rest assured that it won’t sell your personal information to third-party companies.

Also, when testing websites, you don’t have to input your real details. If the site requires you to test the checkout process, you’ll be provided with fake credit card details; otherwise, enter any digits.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: After approval, you’ll receive payment in your Userfeel wallet, then you can transfer it to your PayPal account.

2. Userlytics (Website Testing)

Companies want actual world feedback about their websites or apps, and Userlytics offers the largest global consumer panel for that purpose.

Signing up as a user tester enables you to carry out easy tasks, such as reacting to advertisements, videos, and images, comparing the checkout process of two websites, and looking around a site to give feedback about the overall layout.

How Much You Can Make

User testers earn between $5 to $90, depending on the tasks they’re assigned.

What Makes This Option Great

Working with Userlytics is fun and you get to learn new things while exploring products from both startups and large organizations. Also, you can perform tests from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Payment is made via PayPal 15 days after the client approves of your feedback.

3. uTest (Software Testing)

uTest is a large online community of testers. It connects you to popular brands like Uber to help them build products that meet and exceed the expectations of customers.

Your main task is to look for bugs and issues on a website or app and report your findings. There are also tasks that require you to conduct a review in a real-life setting, like in a store or restaurant.

How Much You Can Make

There’s no stipulated amount, but you can earn up to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the number of projects you handle. Additionally, the platform pays a referral bonus for signing up new testers.

What Makes This Option Great

Even if you’re not a professional software tester, you’re welcome to join uTest. Each task comes with detailed instructions to enable you to deliver optimally.

Moreover, you’ll gain access to the uTest academy, a knowledge base for continuous training and skill advancement.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Members are paid through Payoneer or PayPal.

4. LifePoints (Taking Surveys)

Previously known as GlobalTestMarket, LifePoints is a free paid surveys and reward platform. Getting started is fast and easy, as you don’t need special skills to answer surveys.

How Much You Can Make

Upon signing up, you’ll receive 10 virtual points, also known as LifePoints, to get you up and running. You’ll also earn more LifePoints as you answer surveys.

You can make up to $80 per month, but it requires spending hours daily on surveys.

What Makes This Option Great

Getting invitations to surveys on LifePoints is quite fast. However, you’ll have to check your emails and act promptly because the slot may get filled up before you begin.

Also, the platform provides surveys from different fields like politics, health, and sports, ensuring that you don’t get bored with time.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: You can redeem LifePoints as an Amazon gift card or via PayPal. Also, you can donate funds to UNICEF.

5. Vindale Research (Taking Surveys)

Vindale Research is a market research panel that offers access to paid survey opportunities covering different topics, such as sports, pets, and entertainment.

You’ll sign up through your Facebook account or enter your details in the signup form. Afterward, the company will send you surveys based on your demographics.

However, you’re not qualified for surveys unless you’ve passed the onboarding process, which involves completing a series of training materials and a questionnaire.

How Much You Can Make

You can earn below $1 or as much as $50, depending on the length of the survey. Other earnings are a $5 referral bonus and $1 for answering your first questionnaire during the training.

Besides surveys, you can get paid to watch videos, take photos of yourself showing off your earnings, and open and read promotional emails.

And if you’re active, you’ll find reward codes (that convert to cash) on their social media accounts.

What Makes This Option Great

Vindale Research is rated as one of the best survey sites because it offers cash instead of gift cards or some kind of confusing reward system.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Payments are requested through the Vindale payment center and delivered to your PayPal account.

6. Survey Junkie (Taking Surveys)

Survey Junkie is one of the market research companies that pay you to share your opinion about products from brands.

You’ll earn points for going through the onboarding process. Upon completion, you’ll access a set of surveys, which requires quick action before they’re filled up. Subsequently, the platform notifies you of new surveys via email.

How Much You Can Make

There are different points for each survey. However, an accumulation of 1,000 points should earn you $10.

Although surveys yield more points, other mini tasks, like confirming your email, referring a friend, and completing your profile, can increase your earnings.

What Makes This Option Great

Survey Junkie is reliable and can help you make extra money in your leisure time. Also, if you can speak and write in English and reside in Australia, the United States, or Canada, you’re eligible to join.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: You can receive payment through PayPal, direct bank transfer, and several gift cards like Target and Amazon gift cards.

7. SurveyClub (Taking Surveys)

SurveyClub is a large online survey platform that connects people to companies looking for unbiased consumer opinions on their products and services. The platform also organizes its surveys and rewards participants with points.

Additionally, SurveyClub has a list of surveys and focus groups that you can join to access surveys based on your interests.

You’ll be required to complete your profile with information that enables the platform to match you to the right surveys. In some cases, you’ll be invited to participate in in-house surveys.

Each survey comes with screening questions and if you qualify, you’ll go further to provide in-depth answers to the research questions.

How Much You Can Make

You can earn $5 for a short online survey or up to $60 for testing edible products. Generally, focus group members earn between $50 and $200 per hour.

In addition, SurveyClub allows you to earn money through daily polls and phone interviews.

What Makes This Option Great

The interesting thing about SurveyClub is that there are more than enough surveys to go around. You may even participate in a clinical trial and earn thousands of dollars.

Also, third-party surveys qualify you for cash, cash sweepstakes, charitable contributions, prize draws, prepaid debit cards, and gift cards.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: You can receive payments in Amazon gift cards for surveys administered directly from SurveyClub once you’ve accumulated up to $25. Other payment options are PayPal and check.

8. Paid Focus Groups

Paid Focus Groups offer an opportunity for you to share your opinions about products and services, including ads, and get paid for them.

As the name implies, these groups focus on a specific type of respondents, such as nursing mothers, car owners, coffee lovers, and so on.

So when companies want to create products for their target customers, they sieve through the list to pick members that fit into that category.

This ensures that the feedback is coming from people who could potentially become customers.

How Much You Can Make

You can earn between $20 and $200, depending on the focus group you join.

What Makes This Option Great

There are various focus group platforms for both online and in-person product testing and you’re compensated for each session.

Also, you’ll find groups targeting a wide range of products, thereby, expanding your knowledge about different fields.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Payments are made via prepaid credit cards, gift cards, or PayPal.

Why You Should Consider Testing Products As a Side Hustle

Product review jobs are rewarding as you’ll gain extra money or gift cards that you can use to purchase items.

So if your main job isn’t bringing in enough funds to meet your needs, exploring product testing opportunities could be worthwhile.

Below are reasons to consider becoming a product reviewer.

• Low entry requirements: You don’t need additional education to test products. As long as you can give accurate feedback by writing a report or recording an audio or video of your user experience, you’re good to go.
• Contribute to the end user’s satisfaction: Testing products make you a part of the product development phase. It offers you the privilege to use the product and provide genuine feedback to the manufacturers so that they can refine or redesign the item to meet the needs of their customers, resulting in customer satisfaction.
• Early access to expensive products: Product testing gives you access to products, including luxury items, before they’re made available to the public. And the juicy part is that you get paid to use those luxury items.
• Choose your work hours: When you’re accepted into a product testing program, there are no stipulated work hours like your full-time job. So you can review products in your free time.

Problems With Testing Products

Although product testing allows you to test a wide range of products and offer honest customer feedback, it has some drawbacks. Let’s discuss a few of them.

• Unstable income: The market research firms that conduct product tests on behalf of manufacturers have different budgets and you may not be qualified for jobs all the time. As a result, you may earn $20 in one month and $200 in another month.
• Monotony: Doing the same thing over and again could make you feel bored. While you may become an expert reviewer, you may lose interest on some days.
• Low compensation rate: Unless you’re actively reviewing at least 4 to 5 full-size products, you’re not eligible for higher payments. Entry-level product tester jobs don’t pay so well, which may discourage you.
• Too many expectations: Product review jobs expect you to give accurate feedback like an expert without sounding like one. Also, you need to know a variety of products to be able to get jobs.

How to Get Paid to Test Products: Step-by-Step Instructions

Things to Consider When Testing Products

Before scouting for product tester jobs, you should ensure you’re a good fit.

Here are some factors you should consider when testing products:

1. Type of Product Testing

There’s a wide variety of products to choose from, such as food and beverage, technology, and beauty products.

But you’ll fare better when you choose the type of product testing that you’re interested in.

2. Company Reputation

While there are reputable companies, scammers also exist in the world of product testing. So you should do your due diligence to be sure of what you’re getting into.

You can check out reviews from third-party review sites to find out whether other product testers have worked with them and whether they had positive or negative experiences.

3. Terms of Payment

Not all companies pay in cash. Some will offer you rewards, such as Amazon gift cards and products.

So you should read the fine print to know whether the payment terms match your financial needs.

4. Deadlines

Some tasks have specific time frames for you to test the product and submit valuable feedback. As a result, you should be prepared to make time to complete tasks.

5. Legal Obligations

Product tester jobs usually require you to sign an agreement not to disclose information about the test.

Otherwise, you’ll forfeit your payment. On the other hand, some companies may ask you to say that you got the item for free.

So ensure you understand what you’re required to do before accepting any tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Similar Ways to Get Paid

If getting paid to take surveys isn’t for you, we’ve got other interesting side hustles you should check out.

• Get Paid to Play Games: Do you love playing games for fun, or are you a competitive player? You can make extra money from playing video games, computer games, or through game apps on your smartphone.
• Get Paid to Test Products at Home: How about testing products at home? Even the biggest brands need people to test their products before they’re launched. You can take advantage of the opportunity to get paid.
• How to Write Reviews for Money: If you like expressing your thoughts and ideas, you should check out how to write reviews for money. Most companies require honest consumer feedback as it helps them improve their offerings and attract more customers.

Wrapping Up

Testing products is an exciting opportunity and you’ll get paid to share your opinion about a product before it gets into the hands of the final users.

We discussed 9 reliable options you can try when you’re ready to start testing products as a side hustle.

And if online surveys don’t rake in the amount of money you want, there are other similar gigs that you can consider.

We hope you found this article useful. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section, and don’t forget to share with your network.