Editor’s Note: Vindale Research ceased operations in November 2021. See our list of the best survey sites to learn about other paid online survey options.
The concept is simple: companies want information to help them market their products, and they’re willing to pay people for that information.
The problem? Try Googling it once. You’ll find there are more than enough complaints about paid survey sites to make you think twice about signing up.
Here’s the good news: you absolutely can earn money by taking surveys.
Unfortunately, there are so many options that it can be difficult to tell which ones are legit, let alone which ones offer the best payouts. So in this Vindale Research review, we’ll explain what this well-known company has to offer, including whether signing up is worth your time.
Vindale Research: Our Take
Vindale Research is an online survey platform that pays you — when you’re qualified, but more on that in a minute — to fill out surveys, submit video feedback and even open emails.
As one of the older names out there, Vindale Research has racked up many comments from users on survey review sites.
So if you look to those sites to try and get a sense of the company’s reputation, you’ll find comments that range all over the spectrum — from happy, long-time users to those who claim they’ve had trouble getting paid.
Our bottom line? We found Vindale Research to be relatively straightforward and easy to use. However, it takes a while to get set up with a customer profile, and the information you provide during that process will largely determine how much potential the site offers in your particular situation.
That’s because the surveys you’ll be offered are heavily tied to your demographics. And while that’s true for all survey sites, it seems to be even more the case with Vindale.
That fact, together with the site’s relatively high minimum payout (of $50), means that Vindale Research is more of a long-term relationship than a one-night stand.
If you have the time, the patience, and the right demographic profile, there’s no reason you can’t make nice money in your spare time.
Vindale Research Basics
Read the Vindale Research reviews online and you’ll learn that it’s an online research company offering paid surveys as well as payment for watching videos and providing feedback.
The company takes that information and provides it to brands that are conducting market research.
Based in New York, with a parent company by the name of SayForExample, Inc., Vindale Research is one of the older names in paid survey research.
Vindale leans more toward the “market research” side of the equation, offering its own surveys rather than those provided by third parties (as is common in the space).
That means it’s a good site to pair with other paid survey options, such as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks, because there’s less chance you’ll run into duplicates and be disqualified after answering the initial screening questions.
Vindale Research and “Survey Panels”
When you sign up with Vindale Research, you’ll notice that it prompts you to apply to join something called “Survey Panels.”
There’s good news and bad news here.
The good news is that Vindale is looking to conduct high-quality, targeted research. To do so, it wants to enlist “panels” of customers that will provide relevant information to the companies to whom it’s selling its market research.
The bad news is that this means you may not qualify for certain survey panels, depending on your answers to some demographic questions.
In fact, you may spend a lot of time applying for a panel, only to be told you don’t qualify.
This can limit the number of surveys you have access to, making it much harder to hit the site’s minimum withdrawal amount.
Don’t play video games? Then don’t expect that video game companies are going to pay Vindale Research much money for your opinion on Call of Duty.
The good aspect to this is that you’ll spend less time overall trying to take surveys that you’re not qualified for.
Sticking with the example above, since you’re not a member of the video game panel, you won’t even be shown video-game-related surveys. This can increase your per-hour pay rate on the site.
Related: Get paid to play games – the best apps, websites and jobs.
Why You Need to Know About Survey Panels First
Why do we mention this up-front? Because you’ll notice that when you go to sign up for Vindale Research, they themselves will point to how different customer segments stand to make different amounts of money.
Here’s an example:
The cable TV and cell phone survey shown above yields about seven cents per minute, or $4.50 per hour — which is below minimum wage.
On the other hand, if you have a customer profile relevant to healthcare and pharmaceuticals, you may receive something closer to $25 per hour.
You have to think about whether your own customer spending habits relate to industries that are more likely to earn you money from customer feedback.
For example, beverage preferences aren’t hard to find. We all have to drink something. And the lower payment reflects that.
Ways to Earn
There are plenty of ways to earn once you get started with Vindale Research, from applying to panels to participating in studies. But many of the options function in one of the following ways.
#1. Take Surveys
Paid surveys are by far the most popular way to make money through Vindale Research. But like all legitimate survey sites, companies are only willing to pay for relevant information.
That means that the amount of money you can expect to make will fluctuate wildly. And whether or not you’ll even be invited for certain survey panels can be limited by your demographic profile.
Don’t drink coffee, for example? Don’t expect any opportunities there. A coffee company wants to hear about the preferences of someone who drinks a cup of coffee a day, or more.
That’s why it’s important to fully and accurately complete all the onboarding, demographic and profile questions immediately upon signing up.
Doing so will give you a better chance at getting into the most lucrative panels.
#2. Getting Started
Vindale will give you $1 just for taking an opening survey to get your account started:
Of course, this has an additional effect. They’re building a customer profile on you. They’re going to use that information to inform their survey panels.
The result? If you tell them that you don’t drink a lot of beverages other than water, you’re probably not going to get a lot of good-paying surveys on behalf of beverage companies. Those companies simply aren’t marketing to you.
That means that this initial setup stage is very important with Vindale Research. Slow down and take your time. What are the products that most matter to you? What you answer will have a big effect on how much money you can make.
(Keep in mind that you have to answer honestly.)
#3. Referrals
Like many other paid survey sites, Vindale Research is looking to broaden its market base.
You get a $5 referral fee for each person you bring to the site. It’s not going to be a life-changing amount of money, but it’s worth knowing if you enjoy the site and know someone else who might profit from taking online surveys.
It’s worth mentioning here only because referrals are part of the payment possibilities. But don’t expect to make a lot of money from referrals simply by posting your referral link on social media. You would need a large audience and a massive amount of conversions to anticipate making any sort of reliable money from $5 referrals.
At the same time, they can come in handy if you’re struggling to hit the $50 minimum cash-out.
#4. Open Emails
Vindale Research’s paid emails don’t require you to read the contents thoroughly or take a particularly active approach. You can earn by simply signing up for the program and opening them.
Unfortunately, the money isn’t great here.
You’ll get $2 for signing up and pennies per message after that. And since Vindale requires a $50 minimum to take funds out of your account, it could take some time of opening emails before you can expect to see returns show up in your PayPal account.
Here are some more ways to get paid to read emails.
It’s also worth noting that these promotional emails can come in batches, clogging up your inbox. So we recommend signing up with a separate email account, or creating a folder/filter.
#5. Join Survey Panels
We mentioned survey panels earlier, and after you’ve completed the initial questionnaire, you’re ready to apply to join one.
These can be highly lucrative — but only if you have the qualifications that meet the needs of the panels.
Here’s what it looks like when you log in and get started:
Notice anything? There is no mention of pay rate just yet. You’re going to have to do some initial leg work to fill out the application and qualify for answering those specific questions.
The good news is you’ll notice some bonuses that come with your qualification. PointClub, for example, was offering $5 per successful signup as of this writing.
This is some additional incentive to apply; but remember that you still have to qualify to get the initial bonus.
Getting Paid
Here’s the downside to working with Vindale Research.
Yes, they’re a legitimate company. Yes, you get paid real money to do online work.
But Vindale’s high minimum withdrawal of $50 means that you won’t see any money immediately.
Compare that with Swagbucks at $3, where you can almost certainly start taking surveys and have enough points to cash-out within a day or two.
Read our Swagbucks review to learn more.
Earnings are paid through either PayPal or a paper check.
Unlike most other paid survey sites, Vindale only offers cash rewards — there is no option to cash-out for a gift card.
Vindale Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Legitimacy. Vindale Research is a real company offering real money for real information. From the get-go, they pay you money to sign up, which encourages you to get set up in their system. There are multiple ways to earn money, and the money is real, delivered to you via PayPal or check.
- Opportunities. There are multiple ways to earn on the site, including videos and paid emails.
Cons:
- High withdrawal minimum. Vindale is not a good option if you need money today. Think of it as more of a long-term relationship if you want to take online surveys.
- Email bombardment. You’ll want to use a separate email account when you sign up for Vindale, because you should expect to get bombarded. Yes, you can tweak settings to cater to your specific options, but it’s much easier to manage everything if you use a dedicated email account.
Vindale Research FAQ
Yes. Vindale is a legitimate company (not a scam). It was founded in 2005, and offers real paid survey opportunities. You won’t get rich — or even earn a real side income — but you can earn a little extra money for relatively minimal work.
In the initial setup stage, Vindale Research includes demographic questions for a wide range of ages, economic backgrounds, and employment statuses. So the quick answer? A broad range of people!
You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of either the United States, Great Britain or Australia to create a Vindale account and use this survey site.
No, Vindale Research does not currently offer a mobile app. However, the survey site is optimized for mobile browsers.
Vindale Research Review: Summary
We began this Vindale Research review with an open mind. We found it’s an established survey company with an overall positive reputation.
The biggest impediment to success on the site is its high minimum withdrawal of $50.
Burnout is common among paid survey takers, because the work can be more boring and time-consuming than some people expect. So if you’re new to surveys, keep that in mind, and perhaps consider starting with a site that has a lower cash-out threshold, such as Swagbucks.
Additionally, the available surveys will depend largely on your demographic profile, as well as whether or not that profile qualifies you for the most lucrative survey panels. If you strike out on both of those fronts, it won’t be possible to earn much real cash.
But if you’re familiar with paid survey sites and the process for working with them, and you know how to evaluate whether you’re getting enough survey opportunities to make the site worth your while, then know that Vindale is a legit option that may be a good choice if you’re looking for more ways to earn a little extra money.
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