How do I get paid to test websites and apps?
You get paid to test websites and apps by joining a research panel, passing a short practice test, and then taking recorded studies where you try a product, speak your thoughts out loud and answer a few questions. Studies take 5 to 60 minutes depending on the platform, pay is set per study and usually arrives by PayPal. Inflight's panel is open to US adults and pays cash to PayPal for every approved study.
What a paid website test actually is
Companies want to know where real people get confused on their website or app before they ship it. Instead of guessing, they pay a panel of ordinary people to try a few tasks on a recording while talking through what they are thinking. What they are buying is the recording itself. The pauses, the wrong turns and the "where is the button?" moments are what the designers need to see.
Most tests are unmoderated. Nobody watches live; you open a link, complete the tasks on your own time, and a reviewer approves the recording afterwards. A smaller number of studies are live interviews over video, which pay more and are scheduled.
What a study looks like on Inflight
- You open a study from your feed. It shows the pay and the expected time before you start.
- A short screener confirms you fit the study. If you do not, you are screened out in a minute and move on.
- You share the study tab in Google Chrome and check your microphone.
- You work through two or three tasks on the product, saying what you think as you go. Getting stuck or giving up is fine and still paid.
- You answer a few short questions, get a completion code, and the study goes to review.
While a study is recording, a red dot shows and Inflight records your voice, the study tab and what you do in it. It never uses your camera and never records other tabs, windows or apps.
What you need
You must be 18 or older and live in the United States, with a desktop or laptop, a microphone and Google Chrome. Studies run on desktop; there is no phone app. A built-in microphone is fine. You also need a quiet space for the length of the study, since background noise makes a recording unusable.
Most other platforms have similar requirements; a few accept phone tests through their own app. See what you need to become a paid user tester for the detail.
How much it pays
Pay is set per study and depends on its length and what the customer needs. Short unmoderated tests pay the least per study, longer recorded studies more, and scheduled live interviews the most, because they are the hardest to fill. How much do user testers make? explains what decides the number.
On Inflight, every study shows its pay and expected time before you start, and a study done in good faith is paid the amount shown even if you got stuck or gave up. Pay is added to your balance when the study is approved, usually within two working days.
How to apply to Inflight
Applying is free and unpaid and takes about five minutes. Identity verification, a PayPal connection and a short, unpaid practice test happen before your first study. An Inflight operator reviews every application and emails you either way. Studies are offered as they come up, so none is guaranteed.
Apply to become a tester. Other panels worth a look are in where to find paid online research studies.
Questions people ask next
- Do I need any experience?
- No. Panels want ordinary people trying something for the first time. Honest confusion, mistakes and giving up are useful data and are still paid, as long as you tried and spoke your thoughts.
- Is it a real job?
- No. You take part as an independent participant, choose which studies to take, and can stop at any time. It is extra money, not a replacement for a job.
- Does it cost anything to join?
- No. A legitimate panel never charges you to apply, and Inflight never asks you to pay anything. Anyone asking for a fee to join a testing panel is running a scam.