Hi, I'm Jen! I'm a personal finance expert and money coach aiming to help you take control of your money. I went from being broke to a six-figure net worth and am now on track to be financially independent at age 40. Discover Jen's story
This post shows you how to get paid for searching the web. You probably look up many things online every day. If you don’t get paid for it, you are missing out.
Since I started my journey to financial independence in 2019, I have made £154.39 from web searching. This may not sound like much. However, I have done nothing but normal searches I would have done anyway. Read below how to make money from your search engine, too.
🪧 Should you sign up through my affiliate links, I may receive a commission at no cost to you.
💡 Quick Answer: Get Paid for Searching the Web
Different websites enable you to get paid for searching the web. Try legit and well-established sites such as Swagbucks and Microsoft Rewards.
Other great sites include:
- Pawns.app
- Qmee
- Zoombucks
- And more
- 💡 Quick Answer: Get Paid for Searching the Web
- 1. Pawns.app
- 2. Swagbucks
- 3. Qmee
- 4. Zoombucks
- 5. Microsoft Rewards
- 6. UserTesting
- 7. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
- 8. Appen
- 9. MobileXpression
- 10. Honeygain
- 11. InboxPounds
- 12. InstaGC
- 13. AskWonder
- 14. SerpClix
- 15. Work as a Search Engine Evaluator
- More Ways to Make Money From Online Searches
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Get Paid for Searching the Web Summary
1. Pawns.app
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2021
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.5
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, smart TV
- 💷 Pays: $0.20 (around £0.15) per 1 gigabyte (GB) shared
Pawns.app is a free app. Users can monetise their internet connection by running the app on their devices. You only need to download the app and keep it running as much as possible.
After reaching $5 (around £4.10), you can withdraw your money through PayPal, Bitcoin, or virtual gift cards. Pawns.app is legit and confirmed by Google, Microsoft, and Apple as safe.
Use code “monethalia”
2. Swagbucks
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2005
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.3
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: Around 1 SB (around £0.01) per search
Swagbucks is a free reward-based membership site. On Swagbucks, you can make money by completing tasks. One of these tasks is searching the web.
Install the Swagbucks browser extension to activate Swagbucks’ search. You earn SB for every search, plus 25 SB for activating the search bar. You can exchange SBs for gift cards or cash.
After some searching, you will see a notification at the top of the search engine. Claim your SBs by entering a code. The process is simple and only takes seconds to do.
The Swagbucks search engine is powerful and fine for ordinary searches. For anything more complicated, you can switch back to Google. Read more in my Swagbucks review.
Credited when you earn 300 SB within your first 30 days.
3. Qmee
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2012
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.2
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: Around £0.02 per click
Qmee is a survey website that also offers web searches. Unlike Swagbucks, you don’t get paid per search. Instead, Qmee shows you ads in a sidebar. When you install Qmee’s browser extension, you’ll see ads on the left side of your screen on Google.
Clicking on ads gives you a few pennies. Searching with Qmee does not pay well. Plus, you will see only a few ads outside the US.
You may even have to think of search terms to find ads. Given the low pay, this is not a good use of your time. Yet the Qmee browser extension is still worth it, as clicking on an ad is simple. Additionally, the extension shows discounts and vouchers. These may be helpful for online shopping.
4. Zoombucks
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2010
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.6
- 📱 Device: PC, Android
- 💷 Pays: Around Around 1 ZB ($0.01) per search
Zoombucks is a reward-based membership site. You get paid for completing different tasks, including web searching. Other ways to make money include watching videos, doing surveys, and completing offers.
Zoombucks has a low minimum payout amount ($3). Their payment processing is also fast and reliable. Read more in my Zoombucks review.
5. Microsoft Rewards
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2010
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: –
- 📱 Device: PC
- 💷 Pays: 5 points (around $0.05) per search
Microsoft also pays for searching the web. Microsoft has its own search engine, Bing. Besides surveys, Microsoft Rewards offers surveys, games, and other paid activities.
With Microsoft Rewards, you get five points for every search you perform. One point equals $0.001. The maximum number of points you can earn in one day is 50 or 250, depending on your membership level.
Microsoft Rewards lets you earn money by browsing. The maximum you can make is 150 points, earning 5 points per hour. Read more in my Microsoft Rewards review.
6. UserTesting
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 1999
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.2
- 📱 Device: PC
- 💷 Pays: depends on project
UserTesting is a site that pays users to test websites. You must complete specific tasks, such as doing searches while recording yourself. To become a tester, you have to pass a test first. But once you have passed, you can earn a regular side income from UserTesting. Read more in my UserTesting review.
7. Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 1923
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 2.8
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: £63 for your first year
Nielsen collects data on how people interact with the internet. This includes your web searching and other browsing data. Nielsen is a great way to make passive income.
After installing, you don’t need to do anything other than reap the rewards. You will get paid every month. Then, you can cash out once you hit the threshold of £5/$5. One downside of Nielsen Panel is that you receive your reward through gift cards. There is no cash option.
Read more in my Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel review.
8. Appen
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 1996
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 1.4
- 📱 Device: PC
- 💷 Pays: depends on project
Appen is a company that specialises in data collection and machine learning. There are various tasks on the Appen website, including web searching. You do not need experience to work for Appen. Sign up to the website and search for search engine evaluation jobs. Read more in my Appen review.
9. MobileXpression
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: –
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 1.8
- 📱 Device: Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: £3-£4 per month
MobileXpression is a market research company. When you join MobileXpression, you’ll install a VPN on your phone. With this, MobileXpression monitors your phone usage and web searches. You do not have to do anything. Allowing MobileXpression to read your data will pay 1 credit per week.
When you have 15 credits, redeem them for a £10 Amazon gift card. Learn more in my MobileXpression review.
10. Honeygain
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2018
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 4.5
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: $0.003 per 10 MBs shared + bonuses
Honeygain works passively while you use your computer. Honeygain uses your device’s capacity to run searches in the background. A big advantage of Honeygain is that you are not selling your own data. Read more in my Honeygain review.
11. InboxPounds
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2000
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 3.8
- 📱 Device: PC, Android, iPhone
- 💷 Pays: Maximum £0.07 per day
InboxPounds is a rewards website that pays for a variety of tasks. For example, you can get paid to watch ads. InboxPounds also has its own search engine. Read more in my InboxPounds review.
12. InstaGC
InstaGC is another rewards site that pays you for completing different tasks. InstaGC has its own search bar, and you can get points for using it. Read more in my InstaGC review. Note that not all users can use InstaGC’s search bar.
13. AskWonder
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2012
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 2.8
- 📱 Device: PC
- 💷 Pays: depends on the project
AskWonder is a research assistance company. People ask questions on AskWonder, and you get paid to answer these questions. Read more in my AskWonder review.
14. SerpClix
Key Details
- 🎂 Founded: 2016
- ⭐ Trustpilot score: 3.8
- 📱 Device: PC
- 💷 Pays: depends on the project
SerpClix pays its users to click on search results. Anyone can join, as long as you use Firefox or Microsoft Edge. The concept behind SerpClix is that clients buy traffic to improve their Google rankings. Read more in my SerpClix review.
15. Work as a Search Engine Evaluator
If you enjoy web searching, consider working as a search engine evaluator. Search engine evaluators earn money testing search engines. Their goal is to ensure the results are accurate and make sense.
Most search engine evaluators work part time and have a college degree. Furthermore, search results are highly dependent on the language used. You have better chances if you are bilingual. Perks of being a search engine evaluator include working from home and having flexible hours.
More Ways to Make Money From Online Searches
If the sites listed above aren’t enough for you, try the following platforms:
| Platform | Type |
|---|---|
| Survey Savvy | Sell your bandwidth |
| Google Opinion Rewards | Answer surveys about your searches |
| Survey Junkie | Use SurveyJunkie’s search bar |
| Lionbridge (Telus International) | Search engine evaluation |
| Brave | Use Brave’s browser |
| TestingTime | Test websites |
| Teamwork.ai | Search engine evaluation |
| FusionCash | Use FusionCash’s search bar |
| WebTestClub | Search engine evaluation |
| Surf | Install a browser extension |
| PCH Search & Win | Win prizes for web searching |
| Perk Browser | Use Perk’s browser |
| PacketStream | Sell unused bandwidth |
| EarnApp | Sell unused bandwidth |
| FluidStack | Sell unused bandwidth |
| Mysterium Network | Share your internet connection |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google Pay You for Searching?
No, Google does not pay you for searching. You need to apply to Google as a search engine evaluator if you want to get paid by Google. Getting a job at Google is difficult, and you may prefer using one of the sites listed above instead.
What Is a Paid Web Search?
Paid web search means that you get paid to search for something online. You can find paid search projects on platforms such as Appen.
Why Do Companies Pay for Online Searching?
There are two reasons why companies give you money for online searches:
- They use your anonymised data for market research or sell it to other companies.
- They are new in the market and want to attract users.
Market research means that companies are interested in what people are searching for and how they word their questions. Knowing this will help them improve their ranking on Google.
How to Get Paid for Searching the Web Summary
Getting paid for searching the web is a low-effort and a no-investment way to make money online. Because you only do things you already do, web searching is a way to make passive income. To start, try the following sites:
- Pawns.app
- Swagbucks
- Qmee
- Zoombucks
- Microsoft Rewards
- UserTesting
- Nielsen Panel
- Appen
- MobileXpression
- Honeygain
- InboxDollars
- InstaGC
- AskWonder
- SerpClix
- Work as a Search Engine Evaluator
Read next how to get free gift cards without completing offers.
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