I Signed Up for 8 Survey Sites and Tracked Every Dollar for 30 Days
Total earned: $487.60 • 14 hours 52 minutes • effective rate: $32.80/hour
✓ Every platform tested personally ✓ Real screenshots ✓ No cherry-picked results
📅 Updated March 2026: This experiment was originally run in late 2025 and re-verified in March 2026. All referral links and platform details confirmed current. Earnings may vary based on your demographic profile, location, and availability.
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There are dozens of articles listing “best survey sites in Australia.” Most of them are written by people who signed up, did 3 surveys, and declared a verdict. I wanted actual data.
So I signed up for 8 survey platforms on the same day, set a timer every time I completed a survey, tracked every cent earned, and ran the experiment for 30 consecutive days. No cherry-picking good weeks. No ignoring the platforms that underperformed. Just raw numbers.
The results surprised me. The “best” platform wasn’t always the highest-paying per hour. The strategy that made the most money wasn’t what I expected. And several widely-recommended platforms turned out to be borderline wastes of time.
Here’s everything I found.
Disclosure: This post contains referral links. If you sign up through them, we both receive a small bonus at no cost to you. This doesn’t influence the results — I’m sharing the exact earnings data regardless of which platforms performed well or poorly.
The Experiment: Rules & Methodology
To keep this fair, I set strict rules before starting:
Experiment Rules:
- All 8 platforms signed up on the same day. No head start for any platform.
- Check every platform daily. At minimum, open each app once per day and complete any available surveys.
- Time every single survey. Start timer when I click “begin,” stop when it submits. Include time spent on screening questions, even if disqualified.
- Track disqualification rates. Being screened out after spending 3 minutes on qualifying questions is lost time — I counted it.
- Record exact earnings. Down to the cent, including partial payouts and disqualification compensation.
- Be honest in all profiles. No lying about demographics to qualify for more surveys. Answer everything truthfully.
- No video surveys in the main comparison. Video surveys (Influence) pay dramatically more but aren’t traditional surveys — I tracked them separately to keep the comparison fair.
- Run for 30 full days. No stopping early if a platform is bad. No extending if one is on a hot streak.
My demographic profile: Male, 30s, based in Australia, digital marketing background. Your results will vary based on your demographics — some profiles qualify for more surveys than others. Women aged 25–45 with children typically qualify for the most surveys, in my experience.
The Full Results: 30 Days, 8 Platforms, Every Dollar Tracked
Here’s the complete breakdown, ranked by total earnings:
| Rank | Platform | Surveys Completed | Time Spent | Total Earned | Effective $/Hour | Disqualification Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Octopus Group | 23 | 3h 48m | $147.20 | $38.74/hr | 18% |
| 🥈 2nd | Influence | 8 (video) | 1h 52m | $89.00 | $47.59/hr | 8% |
| 🥉 3rd | Survey Village | 18 | 2h 36m | $68.40 | $26.31/hr | 22% |
| 4th | AttaPoll | 41 | 2h 15m | $54.80 | $24.36/hr | 31% |
| 5th | Purple Patch | 15 | 1h 42m | $48.60 | $28.59/hr | 15% |
| 6th | PureProfile | 12 | 1h 18m | $36.40 | $27.85/hr | 25% |
| 7th | Purkle | 9 | 48m | $24.80 | $31.00/hr | 20% |
| 8th | SaySo | 7 | 33m | $18.40 | $33.45/hr | 12% |
| TOTAL | 133 | 14h 52m | $487.60 | $32.80/hr | 21% avg | |
Effective $/hour includes time spent on screening questions and disqualifications. This is the “real” hourly rate, not the advertised one. Time tracked to the minute using a phone stopwatch.
💡 5 Key Takeaways
- Multi-platform is the strategy. No single platform sent enough surveys to fill 30 minutes per day. Using all 8 meant I always had something available.
- Effective hourly rates are much higher than expected. $32.80/hr across all platforms, because most surveys are short and well-paid — the trick is volume.
- Disqualification time is the real cost. The platforms with high DQ rates (AttaPoll at 31%) waste your time on screening questions before telling you you don’t qualify.
- Video surveys are insanely profitable if you’re comfortable on camera. Influence paid $47.59/hr effective but is a different format.
- The “small” platforms added up. Purkle and SaySo only sent a few surveys each, but their combined $43.20 took only 1 hour 21 minutes — that’s $32/hr for “filler” platforms.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown: What Each Month Actually Looked Like
🥇 #1: Octopus Group
$147.20 earned
23
3 hours 48 minutes
$38.74/hr
18% (5 out of 28 attempts)
$6.40
$50 Woolworths eGift × 2 + bank transfer
No surprises here — Octopus Group dominated. The combination of high pay per survey ($6.40 average, some as high as $12 for 15-minute product tests) and relatively low disqualification rates made it the clear winner by total earnings AND hourly rate.
What stood out: they compensate you even when disqualified (10–20 cents), which doesn’t sound like much but adds up and — more importantly — signals that they respect your time. Most platforms give you nothing for a 3-minute screening that ends in “sorry, you don’t qualify.”
Week-by-week earnings: $31.20 → $42.00 → $38.60 → $35.40. Fairly consistent, with week 2 being slightly higher due to a $12 product evaluation study.
My verdict: If you’re only going to sign up for one platform, this is the one. Highest total earnings, best hourly rate among text-based surveys, and the most professional experience. The only limitation is survey volume — 5–6 per week isn’t enough to fill your time, which is why you need other platforms alongside it.
Full review: Octopus Group Review
🥈 #2: Influence (Video Surveys)
$89.00 earned
8
1 hour 52 minutes
$47.59/hr
8% (lowest of all platforms)
PayPal
Influence is a completely different beast. Instead of clicking through questionnaires, you record yourself answering questions on camera. 3–8 minutes per survey, $0.75 per minute. The math is incredible — $47.59/hr effective rate, the highest of any platform.
The catch: you need to be comfortable on camera, you need decent lighting and a quiet space, and there are fewer surveys available (about 2–3 per week in my experience). It’s not for everyone, but if you don’t mind talking to your phone, the money is exceptional.
I kept this separate in the main comparison because video surveys are a fundamentally different format. But combined with text surveys, Influence adds nearly $90/month for under 2 hours of work.
🥉 #3: Survey Village
$68.40 earned
18
2 hours 36 minutes
$26.31/hr
22%
Survey Village was a pleasant surprise. It’s less well-known than Octopus Group or PureProfile, but it delivered consistent survey invitations (3–4 per week) with decent pay. The surveys tend to be Australian-focused — consumer product opinions, retail experiences, media consumption habits.
The 22% disqualification rate is slightly above average, meaning roughly 1 in 5 survey attempts ended in “sorry, not a match.” But the surveys that did qualify paid well enough to make up for the wasted screening time.
Payout: Flexi eGift cards, which work at a wide range of Australian retailers.
Full review: Survey Village Review
#4: AttaPoll
$54.80 earned
41 (most of any platform)
2 hours 15 minutes
$24.36/hr
31% (highest)
AttaPoll is the highest-volume platform — 41 completed surveys in 30 days, more than any other. The surveys are short (average 3.3 minutes), which makes them perfect for filling dead time: waiting for coffee, sitting on the bus, ad breaks during streaming.
The downside: the 31% disqualification rate is the worst of all platforms tested. Nearly one in three survey attempts ended in screening-out. Because the surveys pay less per completion ($1.34 average), those wasted screening minutes really hurt the effective hourly rate.
AttaPoll’s strength is convenience, not efficiency. It’s the best mobile-first survey app, with a clean interface and very low $3 cashout minimum (PayPal). I use it specifically for “dead time” moments when I wouldn’t be doing anything productive anyway.
Pro tip: Be selective with AttaPoll. The app shows estimated time and pay before you start — skip anything that works out to less than $0.20/minute. The short, well-paying surveys are worth it; the 15-minute surveys paying $0.80 are not.
#5: Purple Patch
$48.60 earned
15
1 hour 42 minutes
$28.59/hr
15% (second lowest)
Purple Patch quietly delivered the second-lowest disqualification rate (15%) and a solid $28.59/hr effective rate. The surveys are quick, the screening process is efficient, and it rarely wasted my time on questions only to say “sorry, not a match.”
The main limitation: it pays in GiftPay eGift cards only, not cash. If you shop at Woolworths, Coles, JB Hi-Fi, or other major retailers, this is effectively cash. If you prefer PayPal or bank transfers, this won’t work for you.
With a $5 minimum cashout, you can redeem after just 2–3 surveys — the lowest threshold of any platform tested.
Full review: Purple Patch Review
#6: PureProfile
$36.40 earned
12
1 hour 18 minutes
$27.85/hr
25%
PureProfile is one of Australia’s oldest and most established survey platforms. It’s reliable, surveys are generally well-structured, and they offer both bank transfer and gift card payouts.
It landed mid-table in my experiment. The hourly rate ($27.85) is decent, and the surveys are consistently professional. The 25% disqualification rate is slightly above average but not terrible. The main weakness is survey volume — only 12 completed surveys in 30 days means it’s not going to be your primary earner.
Where PureProfile shines is trust and reliability. If you’re new to surveys and want peace of mind that you’ll actually get paid, PureProfile’s track record is excellent. The $25 minimum cashout is higher than some competitors though.
#7 & #8: Purkle & SaySo (The Supporting Cast)
Purkle — $24.80 earned
9 surveys, 48 minutes, $31.00/hr effective rate, 20% DQ rate. Surprisingly efficient for a “filler” platform. Surveys were short and paid reasonably. The hourly rate was actually higher than Survey Village and AttaPoll — the only reason it ranked lower is survey volume. Only 9 opportunities in 30 days limits total earnings.
SaySo — $18.40 earned
7 surveys, 33 minutes, $33.45/hr effective rate, 12% DQ rate (lowest of all text-based platforms). SaySo had the best time-to-earnings ratio and the lowest disqualification rate. The problem? It simply doesn’t send many surveys — only 7 in an entire month. But every one that came through was quick, well-paying, and almost never screened me out.
The lesson from these two: Don’t dismiss “small” platforms. Purkle and SaySo combined earned $43.20 in just 1 hour 21 minutes. That’s $32/hr for platforms most people wouldn’t bother signing up for. Two minutes to register each, and they paid for themselves many times over.
The Optimal Survey Strategy (What I’d Do Differently)
After 30 days of data, here’s the strategy I’d recommend — and the one I now follow myself:
🥇 Priority 1: Check Octopus Group First (Every Day)
Highest pay, best experience, lowest time wasted. Complete every available survey before touching other platforms. This alone earns $100–$150/month.
🥈 Priority 2: Check Influence for Video Surveys
If you’re comfortable on camera, this is your second check. Highest hourly rate of any platform. 2–3 video surveys per week adds $60–$90/month.
🥉 Priority 3: Sweep the Rest During Dead Time
Open Survey Village, Purple Patch, PureProfile, Purkle, and SaySo once per day. Complete whatever’s available. Use AttaPoll specifically for short mobile sessions (bus rides, waiting rooms, ad breaks). Combined: $150–$250/month.
💡 Key Rule: Be Selective with Long Surveys
Skip any survey that pays less than $0.20/minute. A 15-minute survey paying $2 is $8/hr — below minimum wage and not worth your time when better-paying options exist across your other platforms. Being picky increased my effective hourly rate by roughly 30% in week 4 compared to week 1.
5 Mistakes That Cost Me Money (So You Can Avoid Them)
What I Got Wrong
- Not being selective enough in Week 1. I completed every survey offered, including poorly-paid long ones. My Week 1 effective rate was $22/hr. By Week 4, being selective with which surveys I accepted pushed it to $38/hr. Lesson: skip low-paying surveys.
- Not completing my profiles fully on Day 1. Platforms match you with surveys based on your profile. I left some fields blank, which meant fewer matches in the first week. Complete everything upfront — it directly increases your survey volume.
- Forgetting to turn on notifications. I missed 3 high-paying Octopus Group studies in Week 1 because I didn’t have push notifications enabled. The best studies fill up fast. Turn on notifications for every platform immediately after signing up.
- Trying to rush through surveys. Speed-running answers triggers quality checks and can get you flagged or disqualified. Platforms use attention checks (e.g., “select strongly disagree for this question”). Failing these wastes all the time you just spent.
- Leaving earnings sitting in accounts. Cash out as soon as you hit the minimum threshold. Don’t wait for a “round number.” Platforms can change terms, and money in your bank is safer than money in a survey balance.
Realistic Monthly Earnings: What to Actually Expect
Based on my 30-day data, here’s what you can realistically expect at different effort levels:
| Effort Level | Time Per Day | Platforms Used | Monthly Earnings | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casual | 10–15 min | Octopus + AttaPoll | $100–$180 | Covering subscriptions |
| Moderate | 20–30 min | Top 5 platforms | $250–$400 | Meaningful side income |
| All-In | 30–45 min | All 8 platforms | $400–$550 | Maximising survey income |
Important context: These figures are based on my specific demographic profile (male, 30s, Australia). Women aged 25–45, parents, and people with specific professional backgrounds (healthcare, finance, education) typically qualify for MORE surveys and can earn toward the higher end of these ranges. Your mileage will vary — but the strategy of using multiple platforms holds true regardless of demographics.
Ready to Start? Sign Up for All 8 Platforms
The entire signup process takes about 20 minutes. I’d recommend doing them all in one sitting so they’re ready to start sending you surveys immediately.
⏱ Your 20-Minute Signup Checklist:
Tier 1 — Must-Have (sign up first):
- Octopus Group — #1 earner, $38.74/hr effective. Complete your profile fully.
- AttaPoll — Best mobile app, highest survey volume. Be selective with which you accept.
- Influence — Video surveys at $47.59/hr. Only if you’re comfortable on camera.
Tier 2 — Strong Additions:
- Survey Village — Consistent Australian surveys, $26.31/hr effective.
- Purple Patch — Low DQ rate, $5 cashout threshold. Pays in eGift cards.
- PureProfile — Most established, most trusted. Reliable payouts.
Tier 3 — Worth the 2 Minutes Each:
Frequently Asked Questions
$487 in 30 days sounds too good to be true. Is this realistic?
It’s realistic for my demographic and effort level. I checked all 8 platforms daily and completed every worthwhile survey available. If you check less frequently or your demographic profile qualifies for fewer surveys, expect the lower end of the ranges. The strategy (multi-platform, selective, daily checking) is what makes the difference — doing one platform casually will earn significantly less.
How much time did this actually take per day?
Approximately 30 minutes per day, spread across 2–3 sessions. Morning: check Octopus Group and Influence (5 minutes). Lunch: sweep remaining platforms (10 minutes). Evening: AttaPoll on the couch while watching TV (15 minutes). It never felt like “work” because it filled time I was already wasting.
Which platform should I sign up for first?
Octopus Group. Highest earnings, best experience, and your first surveys appear quickly after profile completion. If you only do one, do this one. Then add the others over the next few days.
Will my earnings be the same as yours?
Probably not exactly. Survey availability depends on your demographics (age, gender, location, occupation, interests). Women aged 25–45 and parents typically earn more because consumer brands want their opinions most. But the relative ranking of platforms should be similar — Octopus Group will likely be your top earner regardless of demographics.
Can I do surveys while at work?
Depends on your job. If you have genuine downtime (reception desk, call centre between calls, etc.), mobile surveys on AttaPoll or quick Octopus Group surveys are easy to fit in. I wouldn’t recommend it if it interferes with your actual work — surveys aren’t worth risking your primary income.
How do I avoid getting disqualified so often?
Complete your profile fully on every platform (the #1 factor). Answer honestly — lying to qualify for more surveys triggers inconsistency checks that get you flagged. Some disqualifications are unavoidable (the brand only wants people aged 18–24, or only iPhone users), but a thorough profile minimises wasted screening time.
Are the earnings taxable in Australia?
Technically, yes — survey income is considered assessable income by the ATO. In practice, small amounts from occasional surveys are unlikely to trigger any issues, especially if they’re paid as gift cards. If you’re earning significant amounts ($500+/month consistently), consult a tax professional. This is general information, not tax advice.
What about scam survey sites?
Every platform listed here is legitimate and has been personally tested with confirmed payouts. I deliberately excluded platforms I couldn’t verify. Red flags for scam sites: asking for upfront payment, requiring credit card details, promising unrealistic earnings ($50/survey), or having no verifiable Australian business presence.
The Bottom Line
$487.60 in 30 days. 14 hours 52 minutes of total time. $32.80 effective hourly rate.
Surveys won’t replace your job. But $400–$500/month for half an hour of daily “dead time” work is genuine, sustainable side income. That’s your gym membership, streaming subscriptions, phone bill, and weekend coffee budget — covered by answering questions while you’re already sitting on the couch.
The secret isn’t any single platform. It’s using all of them. Sign up for the top 3 today (Octopus Group, AttaPoll, Influence), add the rest over the week, and you’ll be earning within 24 hours.
✓ Why Multi-Platform Survey Income Works
- $400–$550/month realistic at 30 minutes/day
- Effective hourly rate of $25–$40 across all platforms
- Fills “dead time” you’re already wasting
- All platforms free to join
- No skills or qualifications required
- Cash out to PayPal, bank transfer, or gift cards
- Can be done from anywhere with a phone
- Earnings increase as platforms learn your profile
⚠️ Realistic Expectations
- Not a replacement for employment income
- Earnings depend on your demographic profile
- Disqualifications waste time (21% average across platforms)
- Requires daily consistency to maximise earnings
- First month is usually lower as profiles build
- Some platforms pay in gift cards, not cash
- Survey availability fluctuates week to week
Start With the Top 3 Earners
Sign up in 10 minutes, start earning within 24 hours
Octopus Group →
AttaPoll →
Influence →
✓ All free to join ✓ No experience needed ✓ $400–$550/month potential
Related Reading:
About the Author
Lee runs Money Hack HQ and tests every money-making method he writes about. This 30-day survey experiment was conducted with strict methodology — every minute timed, every cent tracked, no cherry-picked results. The goal is always to give you the real numbers so you can decide for yourself.
Important Information & Disclaimers
- Earnings results are based on one individual’s experience over 30 days and are not guaranteed. Your earnings will vary based on demographics, location, survey availability, and time invested.
- Survey income may be considered assessable income by the ATO. Consult a tax professional for advice specific to your situation.
- Money Hack HQ may earn a commission if you sign up through the referral links in this article at no extra cost to you. This helps support our content but does not influence the reported earnings data.
- Platform terms, payout methods, and availability may change. Always check current terms directly with each platform.
- This content is general information only and should not be considered personal financial advice.
- All information verified as of March 2026.
Last updated: March 17, 2026
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