For participants
Get paid for your opinion.
Research Stake pays people across the United States to give honest feedback on products, services and ideas. Joining is free, you choose which studies you take part in, and your personal information is never sold.
Free to join
No fees, no subscriptions, no catch.
Open across the US
All 50 states, for residents aged 18 and over.
Paid promptly
Within 5–10 business days of taking part.
How it works
Four steps, and only one of them takes any real time.
- 1
Create your profile
A few background questions — age range, location, household, work. This is what we match studies against, so it is worth being accurate.
- 2
Get invited
When a study fits your profile, we email you the topic, format, length and exactly what it pays. You decide whether to respond.
- 3
Answer a short screener
A handful of questions confirms you match the study criteria. Places are limited, so screening does not guarantee a seat.
- 4
Take part and get paid
Join your session or complete your survey, and your incentive is issued within 5–10 business days by your chosen method.
Compensation
What studies typically pay.
Compensation depends on the length of the session and how specific the audience is. The exact amount is always stated in the invitation, before you agree to anything.
| Study format | Time | Typical compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online surveys | 5–25 minutes | $5 – $50 | Completed on your phone or computer, whenever suits you. |
| Video interviews | 45–75 minutes | $75 – $200 | One-to-one conversation with a researcher over video. |
| Online focus groups | 75 minutes | $100 – $250 | A small group discussion led by a moderator, from home. |
| In-person focus groups | 90 minutes | $125 – $350 | At a research facility, refreshments provided. |
| Product testing | Varies | $50 – $150 + product | Use a product at home and report back over a set period. |
| Specialist & professional studies | 30–90 minutes | $150 – $500 | For medical, technical and senior business audiences. |
Ranges are indicative. Every invitation states the exact compensation, and taking part in a screener does not guarantee selection for a study.
Your safety
How to know a message is really from us.
Research scams are common, and they imitate legitimate firms. These rules never change, so you can use them as a test.
- Our emails always come from an @researchstake.com address
- We never ask you to pay a fee, buy anything, or send money to take part
- We never ask for your banking password, PIN, Social Security number or passport number
- We never send you a cheque and ask you to forward part of it on — that is always a scam
- We never ask you to install remote-access software on your device
If you receive a message claiming to be from Research Stake that breaks any of these rules, do not reply to it. Forward it to info@researchstake.com and we will confirm whether it came from us.
Your data stays yours
Responses are reported to clients in aggregate or anonymised form. We do not sell your personal information or pass your contact details to marketers.
Leave whenever you want
Unsubscribe from any email, or ask us to delete your profile entirely. We action deletion requests within 30 days.
Consent before recording
Sessions are only recorded with your explicit agreement, and you are told who will see the recording and why.
You can always say no
Skip any question, decline any study, and end a session at any point — you keep any compensation already earned.
Join the panel
Add your profile — it takes about two minutes.
We will only contact you when a study genuinely matches your profile. For most members that is a handful of invitations a year, not a weekly inbox.
Free
Joining costs nothing, and always will.
Private
Your details are never sold or shared with marketers.
Optional
Every invitation is an offer, never an obligation.
Participant FAQ
Questions people ask before joining.
Anyone aged 18 or over who lives in the United States. We field research in the US only, so we are unfortunately not able to accept panel members based in other countries.
No. Joining the Research Stake panel is free, and we will never ask you for payment, banking passwords or a government identification number. Studies pay you — never the other way around.
Compensation depends on the length and format of the study. Online surveys typically range from $5 to $50, one-hour video interviews from $75 to $200, and in-person focus groups from $100 to $350. Specialist professional and medical audiences are compensated at higher rates.
Incentives are issued within 5 to 10 business days of completing a session, by digital gift card, prepaid Visa or bank transfer, depending on your preference and location.
Only when a study genuinely matches your profile — for most members that is a handful of invitations per year. You can change your contact preferences or leave the panel at any time.
Your responses are reported to clients in aggregate or anonymised form. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not pass your contact details to clients or third-party marketers.
No. Every study has a specific profile and a limited number of places, so qualifying for the panel does not guarantee an invitation, and completing a screener does not guarantee a seat in the study.