Independent research on how Americans make money online
Data refreshed Nov 3, 202633 methods · 98 sourcesModel v0.2
Independent research on how Americans make money online
Data refreshed Nov 3, 202633 methods · 98 sourcesModel v0.2
Platform gigs · Rank 17 of 33
Complete research surveys and small online tasks on Prolific, MTurk or Swagbucks for small rewards.
One person in the US, about 10 hours a week, after 12 monthsData updated Nov 3, 20263 sourcesModel v0.2
Suits
People who want paid hours quickly, without building an audience or a business.
Not for
Anyone looking for income that grows without more hours.
What would change our view: A new distribution channel or a policy change that removes low-quality sellers could reopen it.
One person in the US, about 10 hours a week, after 12 months
Recalculated daily from the latest data; the history chart appears after the second daily update.
60% the method's unit economics ($161 a month for an active practitioner), 40% the US side-hustle distribution.
| Pay per active hourMTurk median (2018) to Prolific's recommended rate. | $3.18–$12 | Source |
| Expenses as share of grossNo material costs. | 0 | BRI assumption |
| Share of logged-in hours that are paid$2 ÷ $3.18 = 0.63, rounded down (2018 data). | 60% | Source |
| Hours logged in a week | 10 | BRI assumption |
Prolific enforces a minimum of $8 per hour and recommends at least $12
ProlificAn AI agent evaded survey detection 99.8% of the time at about 5¢ per response
404 MediaMTurk workers' median pay about $2/hr including unpaid work, $3.18/hr excluding it (2,676 workers)
Hara et al., CHI 2018Prolific enforces an $8/hr minimum and recommends $12/hr, but study availability, not the rate, caps earnings.
