I have been a member of the Brand Institute survey panel for years, VIP membership included. It is legit and the rewards are fairly high, but I have never managed to qualify for a survey. Below is what I found, and which sites I recommend instead.
Tested by Mikael (EarnWithMike)Founder and lead testerMikael founded PaidFromSurveys in 2016 and has personally tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites since then. He shows his tests and payment proof to 555K+ subscribers on his YouTube channel, EarnWithMike. He has been a member of the Brand Institute panel for years and does not earn a commission from it.Learn more about Mikael
Legit, with fairly high rewards, but very few surveys
Mostly medical surveys, usually $2 to $5 each, more for medical professionals. Few invites, hard to qualify, and no FAQ.
On this page
The short answer
Brand Institute is a legit survey panel, as it has a legit company behind it and offers legit payout methods. The rewards are, in general, higher than on many other survey sites, especially for medical professionals.
But you will likely not get invited to many surveys, and it is difficult to qualify. I have been a member for years and have never qualified for one. The site has no FAQ and does not reveal the payout threshold. It is not really a survey site I recommend.
- Free to join
- Fairly high rewards, especially for medical professionals
- Open to people anywhere in the world, in six languages
- Pays through PayPal or check
- Few surveys available
- Difficult to qualify for surveys
- Not a very user-friendly platform, and poor on mobile
- They do not reveal the payout threshold
- No FAQ section
My experience with Brand Institute Surveys
I have been a member of the panel for years, but I have not used it much due to a lack of opportunities. This is what I did myself, and what I did not test.
- Member since
- Several yearsReview first published Jan 27, 2017
- Latest retest
- Checked: surveys, VIP membership, payouts
- VIP membership
- AcceptedIt did not give me any advantages
- Surveys qualified for
- NoneMostly specific medical surveys
- Payout
- Not reachedI never qualified for a survey
- Survey invitations by email, and several qualifying questionnaires
- The VIP membership application, which was accepted
- Open surveys on the website for VIP members
- The payout choice at sign-up
- The website on mobile
- A completed survey. I have not been able to qualify for any.
- A payout. I have no idea how fast Brand Institute pays, and the site does not say.
Inside Brand Institute Surveys: my screenshots
These screenshots from my account show the VIP membership, the payout choice, the site on mobile and the survey languages.
Screenshots from my account
Brand Institute Surveys at a glance
| What it is | The survey panel of Brand Institute, a brand identity consultancy that also does market research |
|---|---|
| Cost to join | Free |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Ways to earn | Paid surveys only, mostly medical |
| Rewards | Usually $2 to $5 for regular surveys, $5 to $10 for medical research, $10 to $20 for medical professionals |
| Survey length | Anything from 10 to 30 minutes |
| Minimum cashout | Not shown on the site |
| Payout methods | PayPal or check, chosen at sign-up. You cannot change it later. |
| VIP membership | Free, by application, after 6 months as a member |
| Apps | No app. The website is not optimized for mobile. |
| Where you can join | Anywhere in the world |
| Languages | English, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Japanese |
| Support | No FAQ section |
Is Brand Institute Surveys legit and safe?
Yes, Brand Institute is a legit company with legit payout methods. But that does not mean it will be worth it. In my opinion, it will not be worth it for many people.
- Very few surveys
You might be offered somewhere between 1 and 4 surveys per month. That was how it started for me, but I have not received any survey invitations for more than a year.
- Hard to qualify
You will not qualify for all surveys, even with an invitation. I have not been able to qualify for any, even after trying several, mostly because they were specific medical surveys.
- No payout threshold, no FAQ
There is no information on the site about the payout threshold or how fast it pays, and there is no FAQ section at all.
- Choose your payout method carefully
You choose PayPal or check when you sign up, and you cannot change it later.
- Outdated site, with old info
The website does not seem to be kept up to date. The VIP welcome still mentions the referral program, but referral commissions stopped at the beginning of 2017.
My takeIf you like taking paid surveys and would like to earn some extra cash that way, there are so many great sites with daily opportunities you can join instead. Higher rewards do not help much when you are hardly invited and rarely qualify.
Brand Institute rarely has a survey for you. These sites in your country have daily opportunities.
See the best sites in your countryHow you earn on Brand Institute Surveys
There is one way to earn: paid surveys. The VIP membership is supposed to give you more of them. Tap one to read more.
Paid surveysUsually $2–$5
Brand Institute works a lot with pharmaceutical companies and medical research. There are also surveys on other topics, so you do not have to work in health care. But the main thing it offers is medical surveys, and doctors or people in similar fields get paid more for some of them.
You get survey invitations by email. Click the link, answer some initial questions for a couple of minutes, and you quickly find out if you qualify.
Regular surveys usually pay $2 to $5, medical research surveys $5 to $10, and medical professionals can make $10 to $20 per survey. You earn dollars.
VIP membershipNo advantage for me
After 6 months as a member, you can apply for the free VIP membership. You are not accepted automatically: you fill out an application and explain why you want to be a VIP member.
VIP members can take open surveys, which you find on the website instead of in email invitations. I was accepted as a VIP member, but it honestly did not give me any advantages. I have not been offered any surveys for many months.
VIP membership used to include a commission for inviting others, but that stopped at the beginning of 2017. You can still send invitations, but you will not earn from them.
See the Top Paying Survey Sites in Your Country
How much can you make?
This is a very difficult question to answer. The rewards are pretty high compared to many other survey sites, but you will not be able to take many surveys.
How many depends on where you live, your age, your health condition, your interests, your profession and more. Even though you can sign up from anywhere, it seems very difficult to qualify for surveys in many countries.
Brand Institute will not make you rich. For the health-related surveys, you can also be part of gathering new information about certain diseases for the companies Brand Institute works with.
How you get paid
| Method | Minimum | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Not shown on the site | Not shown on the site |
| Check | Not shown on the site | Not shown on the site |
You choose PayPal or check when you sign up, and for some reason you cannot change it later. Make the right choice from the beginning.
There is no information on the site about the payout threshold or how fast it pays. I prefer fast paying survey sites that tell you this up front.
Who can join, and on which devices
You can sign up no matter where in the world you live, as long as you are 18. You choose which language you take surveys in: English, Spanish, German, Italian, French or Japanese.
In theory, you can take Brand Institute surveys on mobile. But there is no app, and the website is not optimized for mobile. The usability is poor overall, and it gets even worse on smaller screens.
If you work in health care, also see the best paid medical surveys online.
Brand Institute Surveys alternatives I have tested
| Site | Best for | Min. cashout | My rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Opinion | Surveys with high pay per survey and fast payouts | $5 or $10 for PayPal, by country | 4.6 / 5 |
| ySense | Well-paid surveys, open to most countries | $10 for PayPal | 4.0 / 5 |
| Swagbucks | Surveys and many other daily ways to earn | PayPal around $5, £5 or €5, by country | 4.3 / 5 |
| MDforLives | Health surveys with high rewards, for medical workers | Depends on your location and reward | 2.9 / 5 |
Want daily survey opportunities? See the best survey sites in your country or the best survey sites.
How I scored Brand Institute Surveys
I use the same 100-point system for every platform. See how I test and rate.
Brand Institute Surveys scores 44 out of 100. I recommend these sites before Brand Institute.
See the best sites in your countryBrand Institute Surveys FAQ
Is Brand Institute Surveys legit?
Yes. It has a legit company behind it and legit payout methods. But there are very few surveys, and it is hard to qualify.
How much do Brand Institute surveys pay?
Usually $2 to $5 for regular surveys and $5 to $10 for medical research surveys. Medical professionals can make $10 to $20 per survey.
How does Brand Institute pay?
Through PayPal or check. You choose when you sign up, and you cannot change it later. The site does not show the payout threshold.
Do I need to work in health care?
No. There are surveys on other topics too. But most surveys are medical, and medical professionals get paid more for some.
How long does a Brand Institute survey take?
Anything from 10 to 30 minutes. The qualifying questions take a couple of minutes.
Who can join?
Anyone aged 18 or older, anywhere in the world. Surveys are in English, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Japanese.
Is the VIP membership worth it?
It is free, and you can apply after 6 months. VIP members get open surveys on the website. It did not give me any advantages.
Who tested Brand Institute Surveys for this review
Founder of PaidFromSurveys.com since 2016. Mikael has tested hundreds of survey and GPT sites and shares his tests with 555K+ subscribers on YouTube (October 2026).
If you are a member, please let me know in a comment below how it is in your country. If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with Brand Institute surveys, I would love to hear from you.
Hi Mikael
My experience with answering surveys online is pretty much as you describe. I will however take a look at the Brand Institute. I signed up for lots of company, but it has not been very lucrative.
Yes the Brand Institute looks like a good option. As I write, it does however unfortunately not give that many surveys in the country where I live. But hope it is better where you live. And feel free to let me know how it goes, as I would love to hear about the number of surveys they offer in other countries.
I have however had a lot of success with several other paid survey sites. Not in the way that it made me any near to a full time income, but it has given me some nice extra money.
Mikael
Hi there
thanks for sharing your review on Brand institute surveys.There are so many people looking for ways to make extra money online from home and surveys always seem like the quickest way to do that.
As easy as it is to join survey sites, as easy as it sounds to earn money one soon realizes it`s not the easiest money, surveys are few and if like me you live in the wrong part of the world, they are even less.I have tried surveys before, since I live in Switzerland, within the first week, I had to accept I could make more money doing any low paid job than taking surveys, the very few I qualified for paid between $1-$2 for a 20 minute or more survey.
Reading your review, I’m surprised that brand institute pays so much for a survey if you are a medical professional,$20 a survey is some serious money but again, in today`s busy world, I don’t see a busy doctor settling down to do a survey for money.Sure there are better ways to extra earn income online.
Most surveys as already mentioned in my opinion pay about $1 for 20 minutes, how long do Brand institute surveys last?
Really enjoyed your review
Thanks for your comment Roamy. I agree with you that it is not a way to make a living online, but many people are also not looking for that, but would be happy to make a bit of extra money, which I know surveys can be great for.
I mention it in many of my articles, that one of the important aspects of getting success with surveys is to manage the expectations. If you expect it can make you rich, you will be disappointed and give up quickly. But if you find the right sites, it can give some nice extra pocket money. And as I also mention in this article, there can be other reasons to participate in surveys than just money. It can be a way to give your feedback on certain important topics or give feedback to companies, and this way be a great way to have your opinion heard, if you are interested in that.
Also compared to many other online jobs, everybody can do it, without any investment and without any training. But if it is to make a full time income, then it is better to look at other options.
I have to disagree that there are not many surveys available. I do not know about Switzerland, but I am from Scandinavia, and here I have access to many international sites that offer daily surveys. And many countries also have local sites that can be quite good. For me there is for example a site as M3 Panel which is a great site for people in this part of the world. But there are unfortunately also some sites that are not good, and it can therefore be necessary to test out different ones to find the ones that are working for you.
Only getting $1 for 20 minutes is definitely not good, and I also do not use sites too much that only offers this little. In my experience, it is quite often you can get $1-$2 for 5-10 minutes. Brand Institute Surveys can take everything from 10-30 minutes, but I have not qualified to enough surveys at Brand Institute to give a more precise average of how long it usually takes.
Thanks again for your comment and for sharing your thoughts.
Mikael