Is Respondent legit? What it is and what else is out there

What Respondent is

Respondent is run by Respondent Australia Pty Ltd, with Respondent, Inc. named as the contracting company in the participant terms. Participants create a free profile, then apply to studies that match their background.

Studies take several forms: one-to-one remote interviews by video or phone, remote focus groups, unmoderated online studies such as surveys and usability tasks completed alone, diary studies with entries spread over days or weeks, and in-person interviews and focus groups.

Every study has unpaid screening questions first. A participant is only paid after being invited to a study and completing it, so not every application leads to a paid session.

Respondent says its panel covers more than 150 countries, with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia highlighted on its site. Individual studies set their own location requirements, and the reward options shown at the end depend on the participant's country.

Respondent at a glance

These facts come from Respondent's own site and help center.

Facts checked on 2026-10-06

What to look for in a similar site

When comparing a research platform like Respondent to anything else, a few points matter more than the name on the homepage.

• Whether the task is a study with screening, an offer with listed steps, or a survey anyone can start.
• How the reward is delivered: directly, through a reward provider, or as a balance redeemed later.
• Whether any fee is taken from the reward, and whether the site is clear and consistent about it.
• How long it normally takes for a reward to be confirmed after a task is finished.
• The minimum age to join and whether a parent or guardian needs to be involved for younger users.

Respondent's own pages are not fully consistent on two of these points. Its help center and participant terms describe a fulfillment or processing fee of 5% of the incentive, with a minimum of $1, while its sign-up page says payments have no fees. On timing, the help center says most payments arrive within 7 to 10 business days after the researcher confirms attendance, while the sign-up page says the incentive is usually sent within a few days. A reader comparing sites should weigh both versions rather than assume the more generous one applies.

Respondent compared with PocketsFull

The two work differently, so this comparison lines up what each one actually offers.

How PocketsFull differs

PocketsFull is not a research recruitment platform. It is a rewards site where members take paid surveys, complete offers, and redeem the rewards they collect.

Surveys on PocketsFull are market-research questionnaires from survey providers, and a completed survey adds its reward to the member's balance. Not every survey fits every person, since providers look for specific profiles, so being screened out before the end happens to everyone at some point.

Offers are separate tasks from partners, such as trying an app or a game and reaching the steps the offer lists, or signing up for a service. Game offers are found on the Offers page: the member installs or opens the game and completes the listed steps. Some offers take 7 to 30 days to confirm, and the offer itself states its own confirmation time.

Where Respondent invites participants into individual research studies with their own screening and incentive, PocketsFull works from an ongoing list of surveys and offers that members pick from directly. Joining PocketsFull is free, and there is no deposit involved on either side.

Neither site is a job or a source of steady income. Respondent's own help center says earning through it is not promised or daily, and PocketsFull's surveys and offers work the same way: what is available depends on the member's country and the time they put in.

How PocketsFull pays out

PocketsFull redeems rewards for gift cards, with the catalog depending on the member's country, plus PayPal and Litecoin listed on the redeem screen. A redeemed gift card is sent to the member's registered email address.

Respondent delivers its incentives by email through the reward provider Tremendous, which then offers a choice of rewards such as Visa prepaid cards or Amazon gift cards depending on the participant's country. That is a different delivery system than what PocketsFull uses, and PocketsFull does not pay through Tremendous.

The box below shows the options available for this page's readers, with local gift card brands listed first where they apply.