15 Best Ways to Get Paid to Surf the Web

When it comes to different ways of making money, does it get any better than getting paid to surf the web?

You’re already searching and browsing anyway, so why not make some extra money while you’re at it?

In this article, we’ll look at the best ways to get paid to surf the web.

To be completely upfront, you’re not going to get rich from these methods. There are many other side hustle ideas that give you the potential to make more money, but there are a few very enticing reasons to consider the options listed on this page:

1. Some of them will pay you for the things you’re already doing. Even if it’s not a huge amount of money, it takes no extra effort.
2. The options that do involve a little more work are extremely flexible, and just about anyone can do them.

How to Get Paid for Surfing the Web

Now, let’s take a look at the specific ways you can get paid to browse the internet.

1. Swagbucks ($10 signup bonus)

Swagbucks is a very popular website that allows you to make money in several different ways. Anyone can sign up for free (and there’s even a $10 bonus if you sign up for Swagbucks here). Once you’re signed up and logged in, you’ll see a variety of different ways to earn points (they call them Swagbucks or SBs).

The options include things like completing surveys, playing games, watching videos, and shopping online. You can also earn SB to surf the web using Swagbucks as your primary and default search engine. You can use their browser extension to make it easy to earn points every time you search the web.

Another way to earn with Swagbucks is by shopping online. They have thousands of partner websites, and you can earn cashback when you shop online at those stores.

Install the Swagbucks button in your browser to be notified whenever you’re browsing a website that participates in the program. Simply click on the button when you’re notified, and you’ll earn cashback on any purchase you make.

The amount of money you make from Swagbucks depends on how active you are and how many different ways you earn SB.

Of course, you’ll make more money if you’re using several methods rather than just relying on using Swagbucks as your search engine to earn cash for browsing the internet.

Once you’ve earned some SB, you can redeem them for your choice of gift cards or cash (through PayPal cash). It’s easily one of my favorite ways to make extra cash by surfing the web.

2. InboxDollars ($5 signup bonus)

InboxDollars is similar to Swagbucks in many ways. There are several different things you can do to make money after you sign up for InboxDollars, including taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, and trying a variety of different offers.

You can also make money by using InboxDollars as a search engine while you surf the web. You can set it as your homepage or set it as your default search engine in the Chrome browser.

The money that you earn from InboxDollars can be redeemed for your choice of rewards.

Like Swagbucks, the amount that you’ll make from InboxDollars depends on how active you are and how many different ways you are trying to earn money.

3. MyPoints ($10 signup bonus)

MyPoints is also similar to Swagbucks and InboxDollars (all three are owned by the same parent company). With a free MyPoints account, you do other things to earn points like watch videos, like play games, take surveys, print coupons, shop online, and more.

You’ll earn points as you surf the web and complete tasks. Then, you can redeem the points for prizes like a wide selection of free gift cards.

4. Rakuten Insight

Rakuten Insight is one of the leading survey websites. You may be familiar with Rakuten’s cash back program. Insight is a separate part of the same parent company and offers a different way to make money surfing the web.

With a free Rakuten Insight account, you can make money and earn cash rewards by completing surveys in your spare time. Simply use your phone or desktop computer to surf the web and check the available paid surveys.

Unlike Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and MyPoints, Rakuten Insight does not offer multiple ways to make money surfing the web. Instead, they focus exclusively on paid surveys. If you’re interested in taking surveys as a way to earn some extra cash, this is a site you’ll want to use.

→ Sign up for Rakuten Insight here.

5. KashKick

KashKick offers several ways to get paid to use the internet. Like Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and MyPoints, you’ll have multiple ways to earn points that can be cashed in for rewards.

The most popular way to make money with KashKick is to complete online surveys, but you can also, shop online, play games, watch videos, and take advantage of special offers. KaskKick is a great addition to the other sites mentioned above. You can cash out as soon as you’ve earned $10 in cash rewards.

→ Sign up for KashKick here.

6. MobileXpression

MobileXpression is a market research company that will pay you for access to your mobile browsing data. They won’t collect personal or sensitive data, but you’ll need to be okay with sharing your browsing activity.

You can install the MobileXpression app on your mobile device and earn 5 reward points each week that it’s active. Once you have 30 points you can redeem them for a $5 gift card, or you can wait until you get 50 points and use them for a $10 card (a better value).

If you wait until you have 50 points, you can earn about $50 in gift cards per year, and there are several different gift cards that you can choose from, including free Amazon gift cards.

In my opinion, MobileXpression is one of the easiest ways to earn free gift cards and get paid to surf the web. You don’t need to do anything except install the app and occasionally open the app to claim your points.

7. SavvyConnect

SavvyConnect is another data research app that’s similar to MobileXpression, and they’ll pay you to surf the web. The difference is that you can use SavvyConnect on desktop and laptop computers in addition to mobile devices.

You’ll earn $5 per month per device for having SavvyConnect installed and active, up to $15 per month per user.

That may not sound like a lot of money, but it’s completely passive. And over a year, it will add up to $180 if you have 3 devices connected.

→ Sign up for SavvyConnect here.

8. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel

Nielsen is a market research company that gathers data on internet usage (you may be familiar with the Nielsen TV ratings). They are willing to pay you to surf and install their app on your computer or mobile device (tablet or smartphone). The app will collect your browsing data, but will not collect or store personal or sensitive data.

If you don’t mind sharing your data for research purposes, this could be a way to make some serious money. As a participant, you will be entered into their $10,000 monthly giveaway. You’ll also earn $50 per year per device.

The best thing about Nielsen Digital Voice is that it takes no additional work after you install the app and get paid to surf the web.

→ Sign up for Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel here.

9. Perform Online Tasks

One of the easiest and most flexible ways to make money online is to perform various simple tasks through sites like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, 25Clicks, Clickworker, and Figure Eight.

There are some differences between these sites, but they offer essentially the same thing. You can sign up and work whenever you want, as much or as little as you want. There are different tasks (or microtasks) that you can complete, and you’ll be paid a small amount for each of them.

Most of the tasks are small and quick, so if you’re an active user of these sites you’ll probably complete a lot of tasks. The types of tasks will vary, but they can include things like categorizing data, moderating content, taking short surveys, etc. Lots of different ways to get paid to surf.

While it’s certainly not the most lucrative side gig, tasking is very flexible and people with all different backgrounds and experience levels can do it. You can work on the tasks around your schedule, whenever it fits in.

See a much bigger list of microtask websites here.

10. Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft Rewards is a program that allows you to earn points just by using the Bing search engine. You’ll need to register for Microsoft Rewards, and then you just need to be logged in when you are searching the web. As long as you’re logged in to Bing search engine, you’ll earn points for your searches and earn money surfing the web.

There’s a maximum number of points that you can earn per day from searches, and that number increases when you reach different levels. At the start, you can earn up to 50 points per day from searching the web (5 points per search). At higher levels, you can earn points for up to 50 searches per day. Once you’ve reached 5,000 points you can redeem them for a $5 gift card.

You’re not going to make a ton of money with Microsoft Rewards, but Bing is a good search engine so it’s easy to earn these reward points.

→ Sign up for Microsoft Rewards here.

11. Qmee

Qmee offers a browser extension that will show select ads when you search the web so you can get paid for browsing the internet. You can make money by clicking on the ads. It’s one of the easiest ways to earn cash for browsing the internet.

You don’t have to use a different search engine, it works on Google, Bing, Amazon, Ebay, and other search engines. The ads will appear on the side of your browser. It’s a really easy way to make some extra money from browsing and searching the web.

There are also some other ways you can make money online through Qmee, like taking surveys on a mobile device.

→ Sign up for Qmee here.

12. Work as a Search Engine Evaluator

Did you know that you can get paid to evaluate the results of a search engine?

It may sound too good to be true, but it’s not. Companies like Appen, Lionbridge, and iSoftStone hire people like you for search engine evaluator jobs.

Becoming a search engine evaluator is a lot different from the others listed earlier where you are just getting paid or earning rewards from the searching and browsing that you’re already doing. This job involves real work, but the work includes searching the web and surfing the internet.

Because it involves real work, being a search engine evaluator also allows you to make more money than the options listed earlier. So if you’re looking for something more substantial, this can be a great way to get paid to surf the internet.

13. Test Websites

Another option that involves some work is to get paid to test websites. Many businesses are willing to pay people to get feedback about their websites.

The testing may take as little as a few minutes, or it could take 30 minutes or more. In many cases, you’ll need a microphone (the built-in mic on most laptops will work fine) and the testing will include recording a video of you using the website.

You’ll need to do some specific things on the website and share your experience and your feedback. Overall, it’s a pretty easy way to make some extra money online.

There are several different sites where you can sign up for this work. Some of the best ones are WhatUsersDo, Userfeel, and User Testing. You can earn $5 – $60 per test, which makes it a great side gig and one of the best ways to get paid for browsing.

To learn more, please read How to Get Paid to Test Websites.

14. Sell Your Junk Email

The Small Business Knowledge Center will pay you for sharing your junk mail and junk email. Apply to their program and you could start making money from the emails that flood your inbox every day.

They are interested in your mail and email from many different categories for research purposes. Participants can earn as much as $20 every 6-10 weeks. If you’re a business owner or self-employed, you could earn even faster.

15. Research for Wonder

Through Wonder, you can get paid to do online research. You can sign up for free and work whenever it fits into your schedule.

When you’re available to work, you’ll log in to the dashboard and Wonder will assign you some work. You’ll do some online research to find answers and sources, and then submit your findings. You’ll be paid for any completed work.

To be accepted and eligible for work, you’ll need to pass a simple online quiz and complete a trial assignment. But overall, it’s a great way to get paid to browse the internet in your spare time.

→ Sign up for Wonder here.

Final Thoughts on How to Get Paid to Surf the Web

If you’re looking to make a little extra money while you’re surfing the internet, be sure to try out the suggestions listed here.

As I mentioned in the intro, you’re not going to make loads of money with any of these options to get paid to surf the web. But they are flexible opportunities that anyone can use to make something extra. If you’re looking for a more significant income, please see our list of side hustle ideas.