Have you ever heard of a survey bot? Filling out online surveys is a popular way to make extra bucks, especially for people with time to spare. If you’ve taken online surveys for money, you already know how much of a chore it is (and how measly the rewards can be).
Some marketing research companies pay as little as $1 for a survey that takes half an hour to complete. While it’s not a lucrative endeavor, a dollar is a dollar. Those looking to make extra cash welcome this money-making opportunity with open arms. Enter the survey bot.
A survey bot, or a survey taker bot, is a software application programmed to answer surveys for you. Those looking to make money by answering online surveys can enlist the help of a completely automated survey completer bot to fill out surveys for them without having to lift a finger.
And because they’re completely automated, survey bots can fill out forms at a fraction of the time it would cost to do it yourself.
On paper, it sounds like a brilliant idea. You download software (or create your own), set it, and forget about it. You sit on a chair while money flows in and wait for your next paycheck. Sounds convenient? It is. But there’s more to this practice than meets the eye.
First, this begs the question: is a survey bot illegal? What are the ethical issues of having bots answer online surveys for you when they’re made to target human consumers? Can online survey takers get you banned from online survey sites? Finally, is it even possible to make your own?
If you’re looking for quick ways to earn extra cash, I understand the appeal of doing nothing.
However, before attempting to make a bot or signing up for survey-taker services, you may want to know the answers to the questions above. If you’re wondering how to automatically complete surveys, here’s everything you need to know about the survey bot and how to make one.
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A survey autocomplete works by answering multiple online surveys in quick succession. The process follows: install survey taker software on your computer and link it to your chosen market research survey company. The software then auto-fills surveys assigned to you faster than if you filled them up manually while you sit back and wait for your payment.
These automatic survey takers promise to be discreet and never be detected by online survey sites. In short, the software mimics the answers of a real human respondent.
To give you an example of how this works, let’s explore the various survey bots available for download today (spoiler: there aren’t many).
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A quick Google search of automated online survey takers will leave you with very few results. While the idea for an automatic survey taker is brilliant, it’s safe to assume that the trend hasn’t taken off commercially. Automated survey takers are real (and it’s a real pain for market research companies), but they are often the product of individual programmers looking to make a quick buck.
Ranking high in Google Search engines, the Ultimate Survey Bot is arguably the most popular automated survey taker (albeit the easiest to find).
The survey claims to be created by a US development team and is further claimed to be the “single greatest automated cash machine of the decade.” The software supports online survey platforms like SuperSonic, Paymentwall, Trialpay, SuperSonic, and RadiumOne.
Its website lists several of its features, including an undetectable mode, a built-in captcha bot with its image library, and an email creator for verification. The software has been redesigned and is currently in its 2.0 version.
Here’s where things get shady. The website features several positive reviews from users claiming to have profited from the software, but a quick Google search will reveal a lack of user testimonials.
A YouTube video entitled “How does Coby’s Ultimate Survey Bot Work” from a profile named Coby Survey tool features users commenting that the software doesn’t work.
Is it worth downloading the software and trying it out for yourself? Ultimately, that’s your choice. However, given the discrepancies I discovered, it’s best to proceed cautiously.
There’s another automated survey answering software called Survey Bot, and several are available for download on mobile that claims to complete surveys for you. However, just like the Ultimate Survey Bot, you’ll be hard-pressed to find real reviews from people who profited from this software.
It’s time to tackle the more serious issues. To answer this question, it’s important to distinguish illegal from ethical. Is it illegal to populate online surveys with bot-generated responses? The answer to this is no: using an auto survey taker to do the work for you probably won’t result in legal action.
However, the question of whether it is ethical isn’t cut-and-dry. Is it ethical to use an online survey taker to answer surveys for legitimate market research companies that need real human data to drive their decisions?
While ethics might be subjective, most people would agree that cheating is wrong. Even if using bots isn’t forbidden in a company’s terms of service, there’s something unethical about using technology to make quick money.
While using survey bots won’t send you to prison, you may face sanctions from the service you do this on, especially if the practice violates the company’s terms of service. Sanctions may include withholding the rewards you’ve collected or, worse, your profile being banned.
Within the scope of reality, yes. Creating an online survey bot to complete online surveys for you may be possible. This is, of course, if you’re an expert programmer.
Everything you do online and on a computer can be automated, including account registration, data collection, etc. Even if you succeed in developing one, you will surely encounter a handful of roadblocks. Here’s why.
Each survey is different, even if they tackle similar topics. The questions you receive on a specific survey are most likely based on the answers you provided on a previous survey. Because of a survey’s unpredictability, the software may lack the intelligence to answer humanly.
See Related: 7 Different Types of Surveys (Explained!)
Many of today’s survey panels employ high-tech strategies to ensure respondents don’t use bots to answer their surveys. This includes trick questions, captchas, personal questions, and tests that only humans can answer and complete. Some survey panels even require you to listen to music and sounds or watch videos. Software may find it hard to circumvent these security methods.
Ever noticed that survey panels require you to complete a lengthy profile before answering surveys? Personal questions are derived from this profile to ensure you can’t fool the system. Should you give a wrong answer to these personal questions, you won’t be able to qualify for a survey.
You’ll indeed be able to find market research companies that do not have the financial capability to weed out bots from professional survey takers. Still, you’ll find that these survey sites are scams themselves anyway!
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Survey taker bots are notorious for sabotaging the results of online research studies, and survey panels have long equipped themselves with tools to weed out bots from real respondents. Today’s survey panels screen email addresses, monitor how fast surveys are completed, and rigorously screen open-ended responses.
They also check IP addresses and embed CAPTCHA into their surveys. Unless you’re a genius programmer with incredible hacking skills, you won’t be able to develop software to bypass these.
Note that the qualities that make survey taker bots most attractive (e.g., the speed at which they answer surveys and the increased productivity rate) are often the features that give them away.
To thwart survey taker bots, survey panels monitor how quickly their surveys are completed. Surveys answered quickly, one after another, are already a cause for concern.
If you still intend to create a survey auto-completer, you must prepare for the consequences. Survey panels are becoming smarter and smarter at distinguishing survey bots. The moment you get sussed out, there’s a big chance you’ll be banned from the survey platform permanently.
Being persona non grata from one or two survey platforms might not be bad news for you, but once you get banned from services that offer decent pay, there’s a big chance you might regret it.
Survey taker bots generate randomized or often unrealistic answers to survey questions. As a result, they end up sabotaging the survey panel’s research.
With skewed results, the survey panel’s partners will soon discover that their surveys do not yield an accurate product. This is enough to drive partners away, and consequently, the company loses its profits.
What does this mean for you? If you successfully design survey-taker software, you might only be able to profit from the start. Eventually, the company will lose money and be unable to pay you.
Do note that this affects you and other survey takers who try to complete surveys honestly, hoping to make extra income.
So, we’ve already established how using survey taker bots (or making one) has too many cons to be a good recommendation. With that said, what can you do instead? This leaves us with only one option: to answer surveys honestly.
Survey panels are only interested in real human respondents with real answers. With honest work, answering surveys can be a solid side hustle you can do in your spare time. Here’s how you can maximize your earnings.
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Survey panels send you questionnaires based on the information you provide on your profile. This includes surveys based on your experiences, interests, and behaviors. To increase your chances of getting selected for a survey, ensure your profile is constantly updated.
Some survey panels offer surveys on a first-come-first-served basis, so turn on your mobile and email notifications to act fast when new surveys are offered.
This should go without saying, but the best way to maximize your earnings is to sign up for market research companies that pay well. Consider survey panels like SurveyJunkie, InboxDollars, and LifePoints. And don’t just sign up for one. Try joining two or three panels to make the most profit and ensure a steady stream of surveys.
While you won’t be able to make much money answering surveys, it’s a solid, honest job that pays out. But you must remain patient. Speedrunning through a survey may cause the panel to mistake you for being a bot and disqualify you, so understand each question before answering honestly.
Last updated: November 27, 2024
