Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie: Which One is Best For You?

Participating in online surveys can be a great way to earn a little extra cash in your free time. While there are numerous survey websites and apps, two of the most popular are Swagbucks and Survey Junkie. These two platforms have garnered solid reputations, making them popular with users. But, how do they compare? Here we’ll delve into a Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie comparison to help you decide which one is best for you. 

The Swagbucks Basics

Swagbucks has been operating since 2008 and this paid survey platform uses its own currency, SBs or Swagbucks to pay users. This survey site is free to use and you can sign up in a matter of minutes on the Swagbucks website. 

Swagbucks is part of the Prodege LLC market research company. This parent company also operates other survey platforms, including Daily Rewards and InboxDollars. 

Currently, Swagbucks is available for users in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, with millions of members across these markets. To date, Swagbucks members have received over $870 million in payouts. 

Swagbucks allows members to participate in online surveys via its website or using the Swagbucks mobile app. Additionally, Swagbucks periodically offers a sign-up bonus for new members joining the platform. 

The Survey Junkie Basics

Survey Junkie is a little younger than Swagbucks, but it has still been around since 2015. This paid survey website is also available to those in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie has millions of members, but its primary focus is connecting members to consumer brands via paid surveys, shared browsing data, and focus groups. 

You can participate in Survey Junkie activities on the official website or using the Survey Junkie app. This survey site is free to use and you’ll start receiving invites to participate in relevant surveys after you complete your profile. 

Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie: Ways to Earn Money

Both platforms offer multiple ways to earn money, but there are some subtle differences. So, we’ll examine both platforms in more detail.

Swagbucks:

There are a number of ways to earn Swagbucks. These include:

• Surveys: This is one of the best ways to make money on the platform. Since Swagbucks is a leading survey app, there is often a variety of surveys to choose from. The time required for taking online surveys varies from a minute or two to up to 30 minutes and you can receive payments of a few cents to a couple of dollars. Occasionally, there are longer surveys that can pay up to $30, but these are rare. 

• Playing Games: There are a number of games on the platform and each one has requirements to qualify for SBs. For example, you may need to play games and reach a certain level within a specific time frame, complete a game or make an in-app purchase. The current games include Bingo Blitz, Solitaire, and Word searches. 

• Watch Video Ads: Swagbucks also pays members to watch videos of product ads or movie trailers. Although this does not represent the most generous payout on the platform, it can be a passive way to give your SB balance a boost. 

• Online Shopping: Swagbucks has a marketplace with over 7,000 stores and brands. You can earn cash back when you shop with these retail partners. Additionally, some offer cash back if you scan receipts from your in-store purchases. You can install the Shopping browser extension, which will automatically find any available deals or coupons if you make a purchase. 

• Surfing the Web: The Swagbucks search engine allows you to earn SBs as you browse the net. The search engine is powered by Yahoo! You can make this your default search engine to earn even more SBs. 

• Referral Program: Swagbucks provides its members with a unique referral link and if you have family members or friends who sign up through your link, you’ll earn points for each referral.

Survey Junkie:

There are four main ways that you will earn money on Survey Junkie. These are:

• Surveys: Survey Junkie has surveys and questionnaires which you’ll be invited to participate in. As with Swagbucks, the surveys vary in length and complexity, but you’ll see an estimate of how long a survey will take and the reward you’ll receive before you begin. 

• Focus Groups: According to your profile and demographics, you may receive an invitation to participate in a focus group. These are organized via SJ Opinion and tend to pay higher rewards. The focus groups are online and you will need to complete an initial survey to ensure that you meet the target demographics. You can expect to receive up to $100 for participating. 

• The Browser Extension: Survey Junkie has its Pulse community which allows you to share your browsing behavior to earn rewards. You’ll need to install the browser extension or you can opt in via the mobile app. You can then browse the internet as usual and earn points. 

• Refer Others: Survey Junkie also has a referral program and you can earn cash when you invite friends to join the platform. If you refer a friend, both of you will earn a bonus once they complete their first surveys. 

Payout Methods

Before you can cash out on Swagbucks, you will need to have accumulated at least 300 SBs or $3, but if you want to cash out via PayPal, you’ll need at least 1,000 SBs or $10. Additionally, the email on your Swagbucks profile needs to be the same as your PayPal account. 

The other payout method with Swagbucks is gift cards. This paid survey site has a variety of gift card options, including popular retailers such as Walmart, Target and Amazon. There are hundreds of gift card options with denominations as low as $1. You may even be able to redeem your earnings as a Visa or American Express gift card. 

Survey Junkie payouts have a slightly higher minimum redemption requirement. You’ll need a minimum of 500 points or $5 to cash out. However, there are more payout methods available. As with Swagbucks, you can request PayPal cash or gift cards from a variety of retailers, but Survey Junkie also offers direct bank transfers. You will need to link your bank account to your profile on the Survey Junkie platform, but you can then initiate a transfer once you reach the transfer threshold. 

Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie: Pros and Cons

As with any platform, there are both pros and cons associated with Swagbucks and Survey Junkie. It is important to be aware of the positives and any potential negatives before you sign up and start using either of these paid survey sites.

Swagbucks Pros:

• Cash Back Shopping: This is an area where Swagbucks has the edge over Survey Junkie. Swagbucks has numerous retail partners and with the browser extension, you’ll immediately see if there are any available deals or offers. 

• Sign-Up Bonus: Typically, Swagbucks offers generous sign-up bonuses. This can vary depending on the current promotion, but it can be as much as $20, just for signing up and completing your profile. 

• Variety of Ways to Earn: While the core ways to earn are similar to Survey Junkie, there is a greater variety, which makes Swagbucks a little more flexible. If you don’t have any available surveys, you can boost your SB balance with videos, games and more. 

Swagbucks Cons:

• Survey Disqualification: One of the major criticisms of Swagbucks is that there is a degree of survey disqualification. While you may be invited to complete surveys, you may screen out of the survey after one or two questions, and you’ll miss out on the full payout.

• Low SBs on Some Activities: While it is great that you have multiple ways to earn SBs, some of the activities pay a very low amount. For example, watching video ads is passive, but you’ll not earn a great deal with this activity. 

Survey Junkie Pros:

• More Surveys: Survey Junkie has a great reputation within the paid to site niche for offering more surveys. While the available paid online surveys will depend on your demographic, generally, you may have access to more surveys compared to Swagbucks and other platforms.

• Focus Groups: Focus groups represent a way to earn a significantly higher income and these are offered with Survey Junkie. Although the invitation to join focus groups is not frequent, if you are invited, it is a great way to make money online.

• Easy to Navigate Interface: Survey Junkie is remarkably easy to use and even newbies will find the interface easy to navigate. 

Survey Junkie Cons:

• PayPal Only in Some Areas: While there are multiple payout methods, if you live in some areas, you’ll be limited to PayPal account only. 

• No Sign-Up Bonus: Although occasionally this survey site does offer sign-up bonuses, it is infrequent and most of the time there is no welcome bonus for new Survey Junkie members.

• Qualification Varies: You must ensure that you fill out your profile details accurately, as your demographics will determine your qualification. 

FAQs

SBs or points: Which is better?

In simple terms, both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie offer points as rewards for taking online surveys and other activities. The only difference is that Swagbucks calls its points SBs. In terms of value, both SBs and Survey Junkie points have the same value of one point being worth one cent. So, if you want to withdraw $5 on either platform you’ll need 500 SBs or points. 

Are there better options than Swagbucks or Survey Junkie?

Both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are considered some of the best survey sites, but you may find alternatives more beneficial for you. There are some great alternatives including InboxDollars, MyPoints and LifePoints, which may hold more appeal for you. 

Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie: Which has greater earning potential?

How much you can earn will depend on a number of factors, including how much time you spend on the platform and your demographics. Swagbucks typically pays less per survey, but there are more ways to earn on the platform, aside from answering surveys. This includes playing games, online shopping and browsing the internet. On the other hand, Survey Junkie typically has higher reward-paid surveys. 

How much can you earn per day?

The earning potential for most paid survey sites comes down to the number of surveys you can complete and the rewards offered. Depending on how much you do each day, if you’re an active user, you should be able to reach the minimum payout requirement quickly. 

Swagbucks typically offers $0.05 to $2.50 each for its online surveys, while Survey Junkie pays $0.50 to $3 per completed survey. So, if you’re in an in-demand demographic group and you’re prepared to complete multiple surveys per session, it is possible to earn $5 to $10 per day. 

Summary

So, in a Swagbucks vs Survey Junkie comparison, which is best? The simple answer is that there is very little to separate these platforms. Both are reputable companies that offer multiple ways to accumulate points, which you can redeem for gift cards or PayPal cash. 

Neither is likely to offer a full-time income and these survey sites are strictly for earning a little cash in your spare time. Unless you happen to qualify for multiple focus groups, you’re unlikely to earn more than $5 or $10 a day. 

However, if you enjoy taking surveys and performing other micro activities, both platforms could appeal to you. While Swagbucks offers more paying activities, Survey Junkie generally offers higher payouts. But, both platforms are free to use and there are no restrictions about signing up for both. 

So, why not double your chances of earning some cash and join both Swagbucks and Survey Junkie? After using these two survey sites for a while, you may find that you favor one over the other, or you may continue to use both. Just remember to consider which survey app offers the best rewards for certain activities, such as referring friends or browsing the internet, so you can maximize your earnings. 

And if you catch the survey bug, you may even want to try even more survey sites!