User Testing and Research: Getting Paid for Your Opinion

User testing as an eSide hustle means being paid to try websites, apps, products and games and say what you think, or to take part in research interviews and studies. Companies and researchers need real people’s reactions. Platforms find the participants, run the sessions and pay you per test or per study.

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In this guide

1. What user testing and paid research is
2. How testing platforms work and how you get paid
3. What user testing really pays
4. The kinds of testing and research platforms
5. How to choose a platform
6. Your first steps
7. Costs, taxes and risks
8. Red flags to watch for
9. How to build your skills
10. Recommended resources
11. Owen’s take
12. FAQ

1. What user testing and paid research is

Before a company launches a website, app or product, it wants to know where people get stuck, what confuses them and what they like. Researchers in universities and AI labs need people to answer questions and complete tasks. Both pay participants for their time.

The work comes in several forms:

• Recorded usability tests, where you use a site or app and speak your thoughts aloud
• Live interviews, where a researcher asks you questions on a video call
• Surveys, card sorts and tree tests about how you’d organise information
• Diary studies and missions, where you record short videos or notes over days
• Academic and AI research studies, from questionnaires to tasks and experiments
• Bug testing, where you look for problems on real devices and report them
• Game playtests, where you play unreleased games while recording

Who it suits

User testing suits people who can explain their thinking clearly, follow instructions and work in short sessions. It needs no special skills to start, though professionals in specific jobs often qualify for much better-paid interviews.

2. How testing platforms work and how you get paid

Most platforms follow the same pattern.

1. You sign up and build a profile. Age, location, job, devices and interests.
2. You may take a practice test. Some platforms grade a sample before sending real work.
3. You get invitations. By email, in an app or on a dashboard.
4. You answer a screener. Short questions check whether you fit the study’s audience.
5. You complete the test or study. Recorded, live or written, depending on the format.
6. The work is reviewed and approved. Low-effort or incomplete work can be rejected.
7. You get paid. Usually by PayPal or bank transfer, sometimes in gift cards.

Screeners decide most of your income. You’ll be screened out of many studies, especially at the start. That’s normal: researchers need specific people, and a complete, honest profile helps you match more often.

Moderated and unmoderated tests

Unmoderated tests are recorded on your own time: you follow written tasks, speak your thoughts and submit the recording. Moderated tests happen live, with a researcher on a video call who asks follow-up questions and may change the tasks as you go. Unmoderated work is easier to fit around a day; moderated sessions need a booked slot, a quiet room and good preparation, which is why they usually pay more.

3. What user testing really pays

Pay depends on the format, the length and how specialised the audience is.

Prolific, which runs academic and AI research studies, requires researchers to pay participants at least £6 or $8 an hour, and recommends £9 or $12 an hour. Studies are often short, so individual payments can be small.

Interviews pay more than recorded tests. Platforms such as User Interviews and Respondent list studies that often pay $50 or more an hour, with higher rates for professionals researchers struggle to reach.

A few patterns hold:

• Short recorded tests pay small, fixed amounts. Many take 10 to 20 minutes.
• Live sessions pay more because they need a set time and more attention.
• Specialised audiences pay most. Doctors, engineers, IT buyers and business owners are in demand.
• Bug testing pays per approved bug. Good testers who find real problems earn more; others earn little.
• Availability is unpredictable. You can’t plan a full workload around invitations.

Why your effective hourly rate is lower

Screeners, setup and waiting between invitations all take time you aren’t paid for. Treat user testing as flexible extra income that fits around other work, not as a job with steady hours.

4. The kinds of testing and research platforms

Recorded usability tests

• UserTesting, paid through PayPal for tests of sites, apps and prototypes
• Userlytics, with several test types
• Userfeel, paying per approved usability test
• Trymata, formerly TryMyUI
• PlaybookUX for unmoderated tests, interviews, card sorts and tree tests

Interviews and research studies

• User Interviews for paid interviews, surveys and tests
• Respondent for professionals and consumers, often at high hourly rates
• TestingTime for interviews and product tests, online and in person
• dscout for missions, diary studies and live interviews

Academic and AI research

• Prolific, with a minimum hourly rate set by the platform

Bug and device testing

• uTest, run by Applause, for bugs, test cases and usability surveys
• Test IO, paying for approved bugs with bonuses
• Testbirds, paying in euros for tests and bug reports

Game testing

• PlaytestCloud, paying players to test unreleased games

5. How to choose a platform

Ask five questions first.

1. Are you eligible? Some platforms only accept people in certain countries or age groups.
2. What format suits you? Recorded tests, live calls, surveys or bug hunting.
3. What equipment do you need? A microphone, webcam, specific phones or a quiet room.
4. How do they pay? PayPal, bank transfer or gift cards, and any minimum.
5. How often do studies appear? Check reviews from people in your country and demographic.

Most testers join several platforms at once, because no single one sends enough invitations.

6. Your first steps

1. Join three or four platforms. Pick a mix of recorded tests, interviews and research studies.
2. Complete every profile fully. Job, industry, devices and interests all affect your matches.
3. Prepare your setup. A working microphone, a quiet space and a reliable connection.
4. Do the practice test carefully. It’s often graded and decides whether you get real tests.
5. Answer screeners honestly. Lying gets you removed and wastes researchers’ money.
6. Check invitations often. Popular tests fill quickly.
7. Ask for feedback where offered. Ratings affect how many tests you’re sent.

Thinking aloud well

In recorded tests, the client wants to hear what you’re thinking as you go. Say what you expect to happen before you click, what surprises you and what you’d do next. Be specific: “I’m looking for the price and I can’t find it” is far more useful than “this is confusing”.

Getting into higher-paid interviews

Professionals earn the most. Keep your job title, industry and responsibilities up to date on interview platforms, and answer screener questions about your work in detail. Showing up on time and giving thoughtful answers leads to more invitations.

Keeping track of your earnings

With several platforms paying small amounts on different schedules, it’s easy to lose track. Keep a simple sheet with the date, platform, study, amount and payment date. It shows which platforms are worth your time, helps you spot missing payments and makes tax time much easier.

7. Costs, taxes and risks

Unpaid screeners. Much of your time goes on screeners that don’t lead to a study.

Rejected tests. Rushed or off-topic work can be rejected without payment.

Equipment. A decent headset and webcam help; bug testing may need several devices.

Privacy. Recorded tests capture your screen and voice, sometimes your face. Close private tabs and notifications before you start.

Taxes. Testing income is usually self-employment income. In the US, self-employment tax is 15.3% on top of income tax.

8. Red flags to watch for

• Sites that charge to join. Real testing platforms are free for participants.
• “Testers” asked to buy products upfront for reimbursement later. A common scam pattern.
• Requests for bank logins or ID outside the platform. Legitimate payments don’t need them.
• Studies run through private messages. Keep everything on the official platform.
• Promises of a full-time income from testing. Invitations are too irregular for that.

9. How to build your skills

• Practise thinking aloud. Narrate your actions clearly and specifically.
• Learn basic UX terms. Navigation, call to action, onboarding and checkout help you give useful feedback.
• Learn bug reporting. Clear steps to reproduce, expected and actual results, and screenshots.
• Keep your profiles current. New jobs, devices and hobbies open new studies.

10. Recommended resources

These are listed in our Resources section.

• Coursera and FutureLearn for introductory courses in UX design and software testing
• Alison for free courses in quality assurance and testing basics

11. Owen’s take

User testing is honest money for honest feedback, and it’s one of the easiest eSide hustles to start. Just keep expectations realistic: invitations come and go, and screeners eat time. Join several platforms, fill in your profiles properly, and if you have a professional background, put your effort into interview platforms. That’s where a single study can pay what a week of short tests does.

FAQ

Is user testing legit?
Yes, on established platforms. They’re free to join and pay through standard methods such as PayPal.

How much does Prolific pay?
Prolific requires a minimum of £6 or $8 an hour and recommends £9 or $12 an hour.

Do I need experience to become a website tester?
No. Most platforms accept beginners, though some grade a practice test first.

Why do I keep getting screened out?
Studies need specific audiences. A complete, honest profile and checking invitations often help.

Which user testing sites pay the most?
Interview platforms that recruit professionals usually pay the highest rates per hour.

Sources

• Prolific, “Prolific’s payment model”: https://researcher-help.prolific.com/en/articles/445230-prolific-s-payment-model
• Internal Revenue Service, “Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes)”: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes

All 14 User Testing & Research listings