Respondent is a site that pays people to join research studies. We read its pages on October 11, 2026. They do not always agree. This post prints the differences side by side. We do not say which page is right, because we do not know.
A few terms first. A researcher is the person or firm that runs a study. An incentive is the pay for taking part. A screener is a short quiz that decides if you fit a study. A focus group is a talk with a small group, led by a researcher. Respondent says most run 60 to 90 minutes.
What Respondent says one study pays
These figures are per study. Respondent’s pages give many ranges.
The landing page shows $75 under the label “Average payout”. That label is Respondent’s. On the pages we read, we did not find how it was worked out.
The focus group page says “Average session pays $75-$200”. On the same page, Respondent labels $75-$400 as “Typical session pay”. Again, these are Respondent’s own words.
Other ranges differ again:
- The landing page FAQ says most studies pay $50-$400+.
- A line on the same page says most sessions pay $50-$250.
- A help article lists about $40-$150 for a remote interview of 30 to 90 minutes.
- The same article lists about $5-$25 for a task of 5 to 25 minutes with no researcher present.
Respondent calls the help article’s ranges “illustrative”. That means they are examples. They are not promises.
Respondent also says $100 is more typical for a 60-minute interview or a specialized audience.
Respondent says earning is “not guaranteed or daily”. You are paid only when you are invited and then attend or finish a study. The landing page says most participants get 1-3 invitations a month. That counts invitations. It is not a dollar figure.
On the pages we read on October 11, 2026, we did not find a monthly or yearly earnings figure. So we print none.
Fees: “No fees” or 5%
Here is what three kinds of page say.
- The landing page says “No fees, no chasing payments.”
- A help article says you are paid the amount the researcher advertised, less a 5% fee with a $1 minimum. It says the fee applies to every incentive.
- That article gives two examples. A $20 incentive pays $19. A $300 incentive pays $285.
- The terms say Respondent “may, at its discretion,” deduct a processing fee. They say it will not exceed 5% of the incentive or $1, whichever is greater.
Other lines say you pay nothing to join. The FAQ says you will never be asked to pay to participate. Sign-up is free, with no credit card. Those lines are about joining. The fee is taken from the incentive.
The help article also says Respondent tells every participant about the fee before the screener. We did not see the fee on the landing page line we quoted.
We do not know which statement is current. The terms use “may”. The help article uses “applied automatically”.
When you get paid
Respondent’s pages give at least six timelines. Some start the clock at different events.
- The landing page hero says “48 hrs” next to “Paid after session”.
- The landing page FAQ says most participants are paid within a few days of their session.
- The focus group hero says “5-7 days” next to “To get paid”. Its compensation text says most payments process within 5-7 business days after the session.
- The focus group FAQ says the researcher starts payment within five business days. It also says payout is usually processed within 5-10 business days.
- A help article says payment is issued after the researcher confirms attendance. It says payment typically arrives about 7-10 business days later.
- A second help article says the count is 7-10 business days from confirmation, not the study date.
A business day is a weekday that is not a holiday. Notice the two clocks. One starts at the session. One starts when the researcher confirms. On the pages we read, we found none that says how long confirmation takes.
How you get paid
Respondent uses a company called Tremendous to send payments. The landing page says payments go out through Tremendous once your session is verified. A help article says that at this time Respondent does not support any other payment method. That line sits in a note about researchers paying outside the platform.
A blog post that shows no date says you will be paid via PayPal.
Another help article says gift card payments through Tremendous began rolling out on May 28, 2025. It also says PayPal payments via Tremendous may still be an option. It adds that you need no sign-up or account to collect a Tremendous payment. Respondent calls the change a staged rollout based on where you live. It says your account shows which payment method was used, next to the payment status. We do not say this settles the conflict.
Two more lines are clear. Respondent says it does not hold balances. It says all incentives are listed and paid in USD.
Tax forms
This is information, not tax advice. We are not tax professionals.
The terms cover 1099-NEC and other filings that Respondent must make. For those, it reports the full incentive, before the fee, as paid to you. A 1099 is a tax form that reports money paid to you. A help article names 1099, 1099-K and 1099-INT forms from PayPal or Tremendous. It says tax documents will be provided by PayPal and/or Tremendous directly.
We could not tell who sends a form. Ask a tax professional how to handle this. Keep your own record of each payment.
What this means for planning
We do not know which statement is current. So plan on the slower and costlier one being possible.
- Assume the fee may be taken. Plan for 5% off each payment, with a $1 minimum, as the help article says.
- Assume the wait may run from the researcher’s confirmation. The help article says 7-10 business days.
- Do not rely on a payout date. Pages that say 48 hours exist. So do pages that say longer.
- Check Tremendous and PayPal details when you are paid. Pages disagree on the method. Respondent says your account shows the method used.
- Treat the numbers in this post as hopes to test, not a budget.
Getting picked: unpaid screeners
Researchers choose who to invite. They review your screener answers and decide. A screener has 2-20 questions. Respondent says screeners are not paid.
Dozens, hundreds or more people can answer the same screener at once. The invitation step can take 5-8 days. Some projects ask for a second screener off the site. On the pages we read, we did not find how many screeners lead to an invitation.
Respondent says high-paying projects are more popular than lower-paying ones.
Who can join
You must be at least 18. Respondent says it checks your identity once. Its help article lists a profile photo as required. For online focus groups, it asks for a computer or tablet with a webcam, a microphone and a stable connection.
The downsides
- Screeners take time and are unpaid.
- The fee may cost you money, and the pages disagree on whether one exists.
- Payout timing is unclear. Pages give 48 hours and also 7-10 business days.
- The payout method is unclear. One page says PayPal. Others say Tremendous. Respondent calls the change a staged rollout based on where you live. It says your account shows the method used.
- Work is not daily. Respondent says it should not be treated as a dependable daily income stream.
- Selected people are told to respond within 24 hours.
- Sessions are recorded for research purposes only.
- The terms say you may lose an incentive if you do not satisfactorily complete the session.
Other gigs with a similar feel
Respondent is not the only way to be paid for opinions. See Take Paid Studies on Prolific and Test Websites and Apps for Pay. For task work, see Rate AI Answers on DataAnnotation. For store visits, see Be a Mystery Shopper.
Questions people ask
Does Respondent cost money to join?
Respondent says you will never be asked to pay to participate. Sign-up is free, with no credit card. The fee question is separate. Our sources disagree on it.
Which page is right?
We do not know. We printed what each page says on October 11, 2026. Pages change. Check the pages yourself before you plan around one.
Sources and dates
All pages were checked on October 11, 2026.
- Respondent, participants landing page, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, paid focus groups page, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, participant terms, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article Earning with Respondent, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article incentive lower than expected, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article more invitations, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article screeners explained, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article marked as disqualified, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article how to get selected, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article payment options (Tremendous), checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, help article getting paid, checked Oct 11, 2026.
- Respondent, blog post, undated, checked Oct 11, 2026.