Is Sermo legit? A review of the physician survey panel

What Sermo is

Sermo is an online community for verified physicians and other healthcare professionals. Members exchange views with peers and can take part in paid medical market research surveys. It is a survey panel built around a professional network, not a general survey site, and it is not open to the general public.

The website is owned and operated by WorldOne Research Limited, which runs Sermo's operations around the world. Google Play lists the developer as WorldOne, Inc. (New York), and the App Store lists the seller as Sermo, Inc.

Sermo at a glance

The table below pulls together the key facts about Sermo from its own pages.

Facts checked on 2026-10-06

How members earn on Sermo

Sermo matches members with paid medical research surveys based on their specialty. These can take the form of online questionnaires, phone or in-depth interviews, or patient diaries, and the reward is shown in each invitation before the member starts. Sermo calls these payments honoraria.

Beyond individual surveys, Sermo also runs a few referral-based ways to earn.

• A post-survey referral bonus for referring peers of a similar specialty who complete the same survey, available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
• A community referral programme for inviting colleagues to join, with rewards limited to selected members in eligible professions and countries.
• Community campaigns and promotions that Sermo announces from time to time.

Sermo's own help center says that what a survey pays varies by study, so there is no single reward amount for the platform.

How Sermo pays and who can join

Sermo lists several payout methods, and which ones are available depends on the member's country: PayPal (paid out through Hyperwallet), Wise bank transfer for members in a specific list of countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Australia, a Sermo Prepaid Mastercard usable in most countries where Sermo operates, Amazon gift cards for professionals practising in a set list of countries, digital gift cards through Prizeout for US members only, and a bank check by mail. Each method has its own minimum payout, so there is no single minimum that applies to the whole platform.

Sermo's terms also note that an account with a Sermo balance can be closed after 11 months of inactivity since the last withdrawal or completed survey, and that funds in a closed balance are forfeited.

Joining Sermo is free, but it is restricted to eligible healthcare professionals: physicians (MDs and DOs), nurse practitioners, physician assistants or associates, pharmacists, nurses, and other licensed professionals such as dentists, therapists and optometrists, as well as residents and trainees in post-graduate programmes. New members go through professional verification, such as a registration number, a healthcare license or a hospital ID badge, along with identity verification that may include an ID and a selfie. Requirements vary by profession and country, and Sermo's terms state that membership is personal and can be held only once per person.

Sermo compared with PocketsFull

Sermo and PocketsFull both offer paid surveys, but they serve very different audiences and work differently day to day.

How PocketsFull differs

PocketsFull is an online rewards site open to members generally, rather than a professional network for one field. Members take paid surveys, complete offers (including game and app offers), and redeem their rewards, with no professional license or verification needed to join.

Joining and using PocketsFull is free, and it never asks for a deposit or a payment: rewards come from completing surveys and offers, not from buying in. Surveys come from survey providers, and not every survey fits every member, so being screened out partway through happens to everyone from time to time. Keeping a profile complete and accurate helps match a member with more surveys.

PocketsFull also has an Android app on Google Play, and its website works in a phone browser too, so a member is not tied to one device.

How PocketsFull pays

PocketsFull's redeem screen shows gift cards for the member's own country first, along with PayPal and Litecoin, which are offered everywhere.

The exact gift card brands on the list depend on the member's country, so two members in different places can see a different catalogue.