Survey Junkie vs. Swagbucks [2024]: Swagbucks Has More Money-Making Opportunities

Compare Survey Junkie vs. Swagbucks

	Survey Junkie	Swagbucks
Earning activities	Online surveys Product testing Focus groups	Online surveys Playing games Partner offers Online shopping Scanning receipts Referrals
Redemption options	Gift cards PayPal Bank transfers	Gift cards PayPal Donations Sweepstakes (Swagstakes) Mailed check
Minimum cash out	Gift cards: $5 (500 points) PayPal: $5 (500 points)	Gift cards: $1 (~100 points) PayPal: $5 (500 points)
Rewards expiration	After 12 months of no activity	Points don’t expire
	Visit Survey Junkie	Visit Swagbucks

When to choose Survey Junkie

You only want to answer surveys

Survey Junkie is only a survey site. They don’t have other tasks you can do. They strictly want your opinion to help retailers and companies create better products and services. If you’re looking to get paid to provide your opinion, Survey Junkie offers a great opportunity, just be sure you respond to invitations quickly. Because of its popularity, I find that surveys reach their capacity quickly.

You don’t mind sharing your browsing habits

Survey Junkie also offers a Surf to Earn program that enables you to share your browsing data with Survey Junkie. You earn points just for downloading the free browser extension or mobile app and sharing access to the websites you visit, shopping activity, and ads you see. The points you earn are the same as if you answered surveys and you can redeem them for PayPal cash or gift cards. This is what I consider a passive income side hustle, that if you’re comfortable with sharing your information, could help increase your earnings.

You want to participate in focus groups or product testing

While rare, Survey Junkie sometimes has opportunities to test new products or participate in focus groups, which usually pay better than individual surveys because of the larger amount of effort required. They usually offer these opportunities to more active members so the more surveys you answer, the higher your chances of getting chosen.

Check out the full Survey Junkie review to learn more.

When to choose Swagbucks

You like to play games

Swagbucks is a get-paid-to site that offers opportunities to earn money by doing other tasks, including playing games. Whether you love puzzle games, trivia, or even Solitaire, you can earn Swagbucks if you play them through the Swagbucks portal. I like this because Swagbucks offers opportunities to supplement your income with other tasks that you choose at your leisure rather than waiting for a survey to become available.

You are under 18

You must be 18 years old to sign up for Survey Junkie, but Swagbucks allows teens to sign up starting at age 13. Teens must have parental permission, but have the same opportunity to earn money as their parents. Of course, the survey opportunities won’t be as vast since they don’t have the same habits and life skills as adults, but it’s a great way to introduce teens to easy side hustles.

You love to shop online

If you shop online, Swagbucks will reward you for your purchases if you shop through their shopping portal. It’s no different than going straight to the retailer because you still checkout like you normally would but by entering through the Swagbucks portal, you get credit for the purchase in the form of Swagbucks.

Check out the full Swagbucks review to learn more.

Key differences

Earning activities

Survey Junkie’s opportunities to make money are limited to surveys or behavioral research (tracking your surfing habits). While they offer product testing and focus groups, the opportunities are few and far between. You’ll make most of your money answering surveys.

Swagbucks, on the other hand, offers many opportunities. I like to spend my time taking surveys, but when they aren’t available, I know I can supplement with playing games, accepting offers, and even shopping online.

Winner: Both are great survey sites, but Swagbucks wins because they offer more opportunities to make money.

Payouts

On Survey Junkie, you need at least $5 worth of points (500) before you can redeem them for gift cards, a PayPal deposit, or a bank transfer. It’s not hard to achieve and I can usually do it by taking one or two surveys.

However, Swagbucks has an even lower threshold of just $1 (roughly 100 SB points) for gift cards. If you want to cash out via PayPal, the minimum is $5, just like Survey Junkie.

While I usually wait until I have a sizable amount to redeem, it’s nice knowing that you can redeem your Swagbucks at just $1 when needed.

Winner: Swagbucks because it has a lower minimum payout threshold for gift cards.

Gift card options

Both Survey Junkie and Swagbucks offer gift cards as prizes, but Swagbucks has a much wider selection than Survey Junkie. If you’re looking for something besides the basics, like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, Swagbucks may have what you want.

Winner: Swagbucks because they have a larger selection of gift cards available.

What both survey platforms excel at

• Making money: Whether I'm on Survey Junkie or Swagbucks, I know I can reliably earn some extra cash or gift cards. They're both solid options when I want to pad my pockets from the comfort of home.
• Free and easy: I've tried other money-making sites that were glitchy or charged hidden fees. Survey Junkie and Swagbucks are truly free to use, and I had no trouble navigating the sites.
• Flexible access: Sometimes I feel like earning on my laptop, other times I'd rather kick back on the couch with my phone. Both platforms work seamlessly whether I log in from my browser or through their mobile apps.

FAQs

Bottom line

Swagbucks and Survey Junkie both offer opportunities to make money from home, and my suggestion is to sign up for both platforms. If you have limited time, you may want to focus on Swagbucks because of its larger selection of opportunities to make money. That’s my preference overall, but using both platforms is a smart way to help you maximize your side hustle income if you have time.