Signing up for survey sites is a great way to earn passive income, but which site should you go for? Read this InboxDollars vs. Swagbucks review to find out.
If you’re looking for ways to make money online, you’ve probably encountered online reward sites. They’re one of the best ways to make passive income online without using much time, skill, or investment.
New and improved survey sites are popping up online, encouraging heated user debates.
The most popular discussion in this regard is InboxDollars vs. Swagbucks. While there are many comparisons between the two online platforms, I decided to jump on the bandwagon to help you choose the best website for yourself. So let’s get started.
There’s no denying the credibility and legitimacy of the Swagbucks app or the InboxDollars app. Both sites have existed since online side hustles became acceptable for users like us.
Besides that, they’ve already given out millions of dollars in rewards to regular users, and their reviews provide testimonials of prompt payments and accessible user experience.
However, every user has his needs and demands when earning money online. That’s why, when choosing which one, you’ll have to consider whether the site aligns with your demands.
In this article, InboxDollars vs. Swagbucks, I’ve provided a comparative review of both sites, taking all their significant features into account, to help you choose the ideal platform for yourself. Go through my debate to sign up and start earning today.
| Feature | InboxDollars | Swagbucks |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up Bonus | $5 | $10 |
| Payout Threshold | $30 | $25 (PayPal) / $3 (Gift Cards) |
| Earning Potential | $0.50 – $5 per survey | $0.40 – $2 per survey |
| Payout Options | Check, PayPal, gift cards | PayPal, gift cards |
| Unique Features | Spin the wheel for bonus cash | Swagbucks Live trivia game |
| Mobile App | Yes | Yes |
| Sign Up | Join InboxDollars | Join Swagbucks |
InboxDollars is a prominent survey site when it comes to earning rewards online. Founded in 2000, the site has paid more than $55 million to its users.
Available for users above 18 years of age in the US and the UK, the site has various micro tasks. Not only will you have fun spending time on the site, but you’ll also earn some passive income at the same time.
The site makes money by conducting market research for popular brands like Netflix, Walmart, Target, and other dedicated market research companies.
So, when users provide their opinions or spend time on the platform, InboxDollars collects crucial information and sells it to these partner brands.
The site shares its revenue with you through cash or gift cards. The best part is that InboxDollars also pays you for some everyday tasks, such as shopping online for groceries and surfing the web.
But is it better than the sites like Swagbucks? Here’s an intro to this primary competitor site to kickstart our debate.
Swagbucks is another microtask site with more than 10 million members worldwide. To this date, the platform has awarded more than $200 million to its users in cash and gift cards.
Although this information might make Swagbucks look more established, that’s not true. More or less, both of these sites are paid survey sites from the same league. But what sets Swagbucks apart is its availability to more countries globally.
Besides that, Swagbucks rewards its users through points or SBs. You can convert your SBs into cash or redeem them for gift cards when you reach their payment threshold.
The site has more than a thousand partner brands, and you can earn rewards and influence them by taking surveys.
Similarly, you can choose from many earning opportunities on the site to maximize your earnings and get quick payouts.
It is perhaps the first thing you’ll look for in any rewards site. While taking surveys is easy to earn money, it can get boring and monotonous.
The good news is that both sites have various other tasks besides surveys to indulge in and earn money. Let’s see what each branded survey offers from the long list of micro-tasks available online.
If you’re looking to generate a steady income from InboxDollars or Swagbucks, paid surveys are where the real money is. While you can earn around $0.5-$2 for each survey on InboxDollars, Swagbucks can pay you up to $30 in SBs for each survey.
That’s because while InboxDollars has more short surveys, it is easier to bag high-paying online surveys on Swagbucks. But remember, high-paying surveys are lengthy, and not everyone qualifies.
Similarly, both sites have mobile apps, making it easier to complete surveys while you’re on the go.
The questions mainly include your opinions about products, brands, and services, which you can quickly answer without any extra knowledge.
Becoming a member is one of the easiest ways to earn free money on online survey sites. InboxDollars gives you $5 as soon as you sign-up. You can quickly get your first payout within a week of signing up.
However, Swagbucks only offers a sign-up bonus to users who use specific links and promo codes while registering on the site. Another money-making task that requires no extra effort is giving out referrals. Most highest paying survey sites you if you refer them to your friends.
On InboxDollars, you’ll get $1 for each friend who joins using your link. Plus, you get 30% of all their earnings when they become regular users.
Similarly, Swagbucks gives you 300 SBs for each friend who joins, worth around $3. However, you will get only 10% of their earnings on the platform, less than what InboxDollars offers.
But here, you’ll get an extra 100 SBs if your friend downloads their user extension.
Who doesn’t like getting lots of money for free? Both survey sites have special offers that help users maximize their earnings without completing tasks.
For example, InboxDollars has a “Billy’s Spin & Win Wheel” where lucky users can bag free rewards. Moreover, they give you $0.10 just for spinning the wheel, even if you don’t win anything.
Similarly, InboxDollars gives you money if you complete short tasks in their special offers section. These tasks include downloading some apps or buying some products. For example, you’ll get a $6 bonus for buying books and $50 if you sign up for UberEats.
On the other hand, Swagbucks has its version with sweepstakes. Here, they’re called Swagstakes, and you can use your SBs to participate and win amazing rewards. This way, you can double your existing earnings on the platform.
Besides that, Swagbucks gives you extra SBs if you redeem your earnings for gift cards from certain brands. For example, they’ll offer 300 SBs if you buy a gift card from Amazon or other specified retailers.
How many times do you conduct a Google search every day? InboxDollars and Swagbucks have their search engines, which you can use to earn money whenever you type something in the search bar.
However, to use the InboxDollars search engine, you’ll have to deactivate your adblocker if you have one. This means you might also get some irrelevant search results.
Similarly, when using the Swagbucks search engine, you might be exposed to ads and search results from partner brands and retailers.
Whether you are a teenager or an adult, you spend most of your screen time playing games on your phone or computer. InboxDollars and Swagbucks allow you to earn money while enjoying your favorite games on their platforms.
Swagbucks lets you earn money or cash rewards by playing popular games like Wheel of Fortune, Bingo, Deal or No Deal, and Solitaire. You’ll get paid if you pass certain levels or earn in-game points.
InboxDollars has lots of games to play as well. You can use your earnings to participate in tournaments and win exciting prizes.
Watching videos is one of the simplest tasks available on these platforms. The best part is that you don’t have to pay any attention to the videos, so you can watch them and play them in the background while doing household chores and earning money.
Swagbucks pays you to watch ads and product endorsements by their partner brands. You can earn around $0.25-$1 for watching a 5-10 minute video.
On InboxDollars, you’ll get scratch-off cards for every video you watch. If you’re lucky, you can win amazing prizes or earn cash.
How often do you buy stuff from Amazon or Target? You can get cash back by shopping through the Swagbucks app.
Depending on the brand you shop from online, you can earn up to 5 SBs for every dollar spent.
Similarly, InboxDollars offers 1.5%- 15% cashback on every shopping session conducted through its platform. You can save money by buying luxury items or your daily groceries from their partner brands.
Anyone who signs up for online reward sites has one thing in mind – creating a passive income on the platform.
That’s why you’ll probably want to know if InboxDollars or Swagbucks pay more to make your final decision.
First, let’s consider InboxDollars. This platform has multiple earning opportunities, some adding up automatically daily. For example, you’ll get $0.15 daily for installing their search engine and $0.10 extra for conducting a web search.
Additionally, you can earn around $1 for each survey you complete. If one survey takes about 15-20 minutes, you can easily make $5 if you invest an hour or so daily. This way, you can easily reach their minimum payout threshold of $30 within a week.
The best part is they let you cash your money out through PayPal, and by check, so you’ll quickly earn enough to put some spare change in your pocket.
Secondly, Swagbucks ‘ minimum payout limit is lower than that of their competitor, which is only $20. For every 500 SBs on Swagbucks, you’ll get $5.
You can easily earn 100-300 SBs daily if you use its search engine and immediately take available surveys. This way, you can quickly get your first payout within a week of joining.
However, the main concern with both sites is the availability of surveys. While there are lots of high-paying surveys available most of the time, some days, you might not find any. Still, you can cover up your loss later by taking multiple surveys when available.
Both platforms offer many points and rewards; the amount you earn depends on how much time you invest in their micro tasks and activities.
When comparing both sites, consider how you will be paid. Ideally, the survey site that allows you to receive your payment more conveniently will have an advantage.
Swagbucks’ currency is “Swag Bucks.” Each offer you complete earns you a set amount of “Swag Bucks.” The Swag Bucks you’ve accumulated can be used to redeem a specific reward.
Remember to have a certain number of Swag Bucks to redeem a reward.
In their case, SB has a reward you can get when you have earned around $2 in Swag Bucks. To put it into perspective, 100 Swag Bucks are worth $1. From time to time, the minimum quantity of Swag Bucks needed to redeem a gift card will also be lower because they will hold a sale for their rewards.
In terms of monetary rewards, you can convert your Swag Bucks into cash through PayPal. However, this requires a higher number of Swag Bucks (2,500 Swag Bucks, to be exact).
InboxDollars’ system is not the same as Swagbucks. They will pay you in cash instead of receiving points for completing offers. It will then appear in your account. You can request payment once you reach the $30 threshold.
The difference is they do not provide gift cards as a reward. They do pay through PayPal, but only recently. They can also send you a check for the requested amount (at least $30). You can also receive a prepaid Visa or an InboxDollars e-card instead.
The issue is that when you request payment, they deduct $3 as a processing fee from the requested amount. As a result, instead of $30, you will only receive $27. In my opinion, this is not an appropriate way to request payment.
To begin with, you’d have to wait a long time to receive your check or prepaid Visa card. You will be left waiting more than a week to receive your payment unless you request an InboxDollars e-card.
InboxDollars, unlike Swagbucks, has a less user-friendly payment system.
So, while the payment thresholds for both sites are relatively high if you need cash ($25 and $30, respectively), Swagbucks allows you to request money considerably faster and without deductions, making it the far more convenient choice. Swagbucks has the upper hand in this round.
There’s little difference between Swagbucks and Inboxdollars regarding accessibility and user experience. Both platforms have,
Swagbucks, while not available worldwide, does cover a total of eight countries. If you live in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Spain, or France, you can join as long as you are at least 13 years old.
If you are between 13 and 17, you must obtain permission from your parents or legal guardians to join the site.
Swagbucks is unique since it is not limited to one member per household. Typically, sites like this limit it to one member per household.
So, if you and members of your household plan to join this site, you can do so as long as you create different accounts.
InboxDollars, on the other hand, is quite limited. Only residents of the United States can register as members (as the name suggests). You must also be at least 18 years old to become a member.
So, if you live outside the US, this isn’t a feasible option. It also prohibits more than one household member from joining its site.
When the two sites are compared, Swagbucks wins. So, Swagbucks wins this round because it covers more ground than InboxDollars.
Now that you’ve almost read through our InboxDollars vs. Swagbucks debate, you’ve probably decided which is best for you. Here’s an overview of each platform’s good and bad aspects to give you a clear idea of what you’re signing up for.
You must’ve noticed that there aren’t many differences between InboxDollars and Swagbucks. Both sites let you earn rewards by completing micro-tasks online.
The only significant difference is that while InboxDollars pays you directly in cash, you’ll have to convert SBs into real money on Swagbucks.
However, both sites partner with well-known brands and retailers so that you can get access to profitable gift cards and rewards from either site.
If you plan to use your reward site for more than an hour daily, I suggest Swagbucks. It offers high-profile rewards like fine dining, hotel discounts, and travel fares.
On the other hand, if you want to spend only a few minutes on the platform every day, you should go for InboxDollars. You can easily take its short opinion polls in a few minutes and earn enough money to cover minor expenses.
The best part is both sites are free to join, so you have nothing to lose.
Wrapping up my InboxDollars vs. Swagbucks debate, I want to clarify one thing. If you’re wondering what is better between InboxDollars and Swagbucks, both platforms are more or less the same.
While there are some differences regarding their payment methods and the availability of tasks, you won’t earn a fortune on either of them. If you want to generate a passive income online, you should consider other freelance jobs that pay well.
But, if you want to have fun and earn some spare change, I suggest joining both platforms at once to maximize your earnings and get access to multiple redemption options.
InboxDollars and Swagbucks are two of the most popular survey sites. While they are separate, they are both owned by the same holding company, Prodege.
Yes, most survey sites pay real cash rewards if you complete surveys and participate in online activities. However, each paid survey site has its payment structure. Some sites, for example, will issue Visa or Amazon gift cards, whereas others will deposit funds directly into your bank account. To avoid disappointment, know what you’re getting before you sign up.
Unfortunately, many frauds exist, and you have to be careful when doing online surveys. For starters, avoid giving over personal information to unknown websites. Also, do your homework beforehand to establish whether a company is legitimate. When in doubt, stick to well-regarded sites such as Swagbucks and InboxDollars, and you should be fine.
The site will occasionally run promotional sweepstakes, but they are not a regular feature of the platform. It contrasts with its sister site, Swagbucks, which allows you to redeem your points for sweepstakes entries.
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Last updated: July 12, 2024
