Prolific
SteadyFounded 2014
Paid academic research studies with a minimum hourly rate
- Typical pay
- $9–13/hr
- Published $8–20/hr
- Reliability
- 89/100
- Excellent
- Paid in
- 2 days
- Median, member-reported
- Approval
- 1–30 days
- Sign-up to first paid task
- Entry
- Easy entry
- Difficulty 1 of 5
Prolific connects participants with university and AI research studies — surveys, experiments and increasingly AI evaluation tasks. Every study has to pay at least a set minimum hourly rate.
Read this before you apply
- Prolific pays small, reliable amounts. Think of it as a top-up, not a main income.
Reliability
How dependable Prolific has been for members: payment, steady work, fair reviews and support.
- Payment speed
Median 2 days to payment
10035% of score - Task availability
Work available 72% of weeks
7230% of score - Fair reviews
2% of tasks rejected
9420% of score - Support response
36h median support reply
9415% of score
Pay
The typical figure is what members report earning in their first months. The published range is what the platform advertises; the top end usually needs specialist skills.
- Payout methods
- PayPal
- Payout schedule
- Withdraw on demand above a small minimum
Getting in
Anyone in a supported country with spare moments; a reliable top-up
- Time to first paid task
- 1–30 days
- For members we guided
- Assessment
- Identity check; no skills test
- Work available once approved
- 1–8 hrs/week, first come first served
- Difficulty
- Easy entry (1/5)
- Open to: beginner-friendly
Who can join
Where the platform accepts contributors from, and which languages are in demand.
Mainly OECD countries. Waitlists are common in busy markets.
Open to people in
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Mexico
- South Africa
- Chile
No language is in unusually high demand right now. Most work is in English.
What members say
Summarised from member reports. Experiences differ by country, skill and project.
Good
- Highest reliability score in the directory
- Guaranteed minimum pay per study
- Very low rejection rate
Not so good
- Waitlist in popular countries
- Studies go fast; income is small
Live projects
Projects on Prolific that members have reported and are checking right now.
Is Prolific right for you?
Compare it with other platforms for your country, skills and hours. Takes about 2 minutes.
Get matchedSimilar platforms
Work on more than one platform. When one goes quiet, the other keeps you earning.
Well-paid, self-paced chatbot evaluation and coding tasks
Typical pay$20–40/hrShares writing & editingExpert contracts for AI labs, hired through an AI-led interview
Typical pay$45–95/hrShares writing & editingAI training fellowships for students, graduates and PhDs
Typical pay$30–60/hrShares writing & editing