What Branded Surveys does

Branded Surveys, operated by Branded Research, Inc., is a privately held two-sided market research platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Diego, California (343 4th Ave, Suite 201). The company connects consumer survey respondents in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom with market research clients — described generically as Fortune 500 companies — through a proprietary Survey Matching Engine that uses member demographic profiles to route users to qualifying surveys and return them to the platform with new match opportunities. As of the latest data, Branded Surveys reports over 3 million members and more than $88 million in cumulative payouts to its community, with 300+ reward options spanning cash (PayPal, bank transfer via Dwolla/Branded Pay), gift cards (via Tango across 100+ retailers), and charitable donations.

The platform's product surface extends beyond core survey taking to include the Branded Elite loyalty program (Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers offering 5–19% bonus points on weekly survey activity), native iOS and Android applications, a daily polls feature, a member referral program, and an affiliate distribution program for third-party publishers. Integrations with Peanutlabs, Offertoro, Adwall, and AdGate enable partner offer monetization through app downloads, free-trial sign-ups, and promotional activities. The company is CCPA-compliant (effective April 6, 2020) and SSL-secured, and operates with a Delaware-incorporated corporate entity under California governing law. No external funding, parent company, or management team disclosures are present in the source data, indicating a bootstrapped, founder-controlled operating profile.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) transaction fees from market research clients for delivering qualified survey responses (the dominant stream), (2) affiliate program commissions paid on first-time user registrations referred via CPA/CPL/CPC models, and (3) marketplace commissions from partner offer networks for member-driven engagement activities. The consumer-facing pricing model is freemium with no membership fees; members earn points (100 points = $1 USD, 500 points minimum to redeem) and surveys typically pay $1–$3 with highly targeted surveys reaching up to $20. Go-to-market is product-led via self-serve sign-up, supported by content marketing, organic and affiliate acquisition channels, mobile app stores, and earned media coverage in CBS, The Penny Hoarder, NerdWallet, and Money Magazine.

Name

Branded Surveys

Legal name

Branded Research, Inc.

Website

https://surveys.gobranded.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Branded Surveys is a two-sided market research platform connecting 3 million+ consumer survey respondents across the US, Canada, and UK with Fortune 500 market research clients. Its proprietary Survey Matching Engine uses demographic profiles to route members to qualifying surveys, generating revenue through transaction fees on completed responses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Market Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Direct Mail Advertising (541860), Direct Mail Advertising (54186)

SIC

Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey/Panel-Based Lead Capture & Co-Registration Services (BPAFAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Quantitative Research & Survey Analytics (Survey Design, Sampling, Statistical Modeling) (MPAAALAF)

Keywords

• Online survey rewards
• Market research platform
• Consumer insights panel
• Paid survey community
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Survey Respondent Matching: Branded Surveys earns revenue by matching market research clients (Fortune 500 companies) with survey respondents. The company collects fees from clients for delivering qualified survey responses. Users complete surveys from market research clients and Branded earns revenue per completed qualified response.
2. Affiliate Program Revenue: Earn commissions by driving new users to Branded Surveys through affiliate links. Commissions paid for first-time registrations referred through unique affiliate links within 30 days.
3. Partner Offers / Traffic Generation: Partners (Peanutlabs, Offertoro, Adwall, AdGate) drive traffic from members to websites, apps and products, generating revenue. Members earn points for downloading apps, signing up for trials, and completing offers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Branded Surveys operates a paid online survey platform that connects market research clients (including Fortune 500 companies) with consumer survey respondents. Members earn points by completing surveys, daily polls, and partner offers, then redeem points for cash (PayPal, bank transfer) or gift cards from 300+ retailers. The platform uses a proprietary Survey Matching Engine to route members to demographic-appropriate surveys.

Product overview

Branded Surveys operates a single unified platform for paid online survey participation, combining a core survey-taking product with a loyalty program (Branded Elite), multiple payout mechanisms (PayPal, Branded Pay bank transfer, gift cards), partner offers, and a referral system. The Survey Matching Engine is the core technology that powers the platform by routing members to demographic-appropriate surveys from market research clients. Users earn points through surveys, daily polls, partner offers, and referrals, then redeem points for cash or gift cards. The platform has paid out over $88 million to members since 2012 and serves users in the US, Canada, and UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branded Surveys Platform A free, self-serve online survey platform where consumers sign up, build a demographic profile, and complete surveys to earn points. Points can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or bank transfer, or for gift cards from 300+ retailers. Available to users in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
• Branded Elite Loyalty Program A tiered loyalty program with Bronze, Silver, and Gold badge levels that rewards consistent survey activity with bonus points of 5% to 19% on top of regular survey earnings. Members qualify based on the number of surveys completed per month.
• Gift Card Redemption Points earned on the platform can be redeemed for gift cards from over 300 retailers and restaurants including Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora, Visa, and Mastercard. Minimum redemption is 500 points ($5 USD), with gift cards delivered electronically within 1-3 business days.

Quantifiable outcome

• $88,417,000+ paid to community
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PeanutlabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner offering product and service offers that allow members to earn additional points. Members can earn points by downloading apps, signing up for free trials, and completing various offers through Peanutlabs.
• OffertorominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner that provides offers and promotions allowing members to earn extra points. Drives traffic from members to partner websites and products.
• AdwallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing advertising and offer opportunities for members to earn points through various promotional activities.
• AdGateminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner that drives traffic from members to websites, apps and products. Provides additional earning opportunities through surveys and offers.
• Fortune 500 Companies (Market Research Clients)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranded Surveys matches members with surveys from market research clients conducting research on behalf of Fortune 500 companies. Companies use the platform to gather consumer insights for brand awareness, product development, and consumer behavior research.
• Affiliate PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliates earn commissions (CPA/CPL/CPC models) for driving new user registrations to Branded Surveys. Partners receive real-time reporting, promotional materials, and commission tracking.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Survey Junkie: Survey Junkie (owned by Dynata) is one of the closest direct competitors to Branded Surveys, operating a similar points-for-surveys model with demographic profiling, a matching engine, and cash/gift card redemptions targeting US respondents.
• Swagbucks: Swagbucks (operated by Prodege) is a leading rewards platform that, like Branded Surveys, monetizes member attention through surveys, partner offers, affiliate links, and gift card redemptions across a large North American member base.
• InboxDollars: InboxDollars is a direct competitor offering paid surveys, offer-wall earnings, and cash rewards to US respondents, mirroring Branded Surveys' points-based reward model and partner-driven monetization approach.
• Prolific: Prolific operates a respondent panel connecting researchers with vetted participants for online studies, sharing Branded Surveys' core survey-matching value proposition but skewing more toward academic and professional research buyers.
• Toluna: Toluna is a global online survey panel and community platform, comparable to Branded Surveys in offering points-based rewards for survey participation while operating across a broader international footprint.
• LifePoints: LifePoints (owned by Kantar) runs a global paid survey panel with a points-for-rewards model similar to Branded Surveys, leveraging Kantar's enterprise research client relationships on the demand side.
• MyPoints: MyPoints is a long-running rewards platform that, like Branded Surveys, pays members for surveys, offer completions, and shopping activity, redeeming points for gift cards and PayPal cash.
• PrizeRebel: PrizeRebel is a paid survey and offer-wall rewards site with a points-based redemption model closely mirroring Branded Surveys, targeting similar side-income-seeking respondents in the US and beyond.

Broad incumbents

• YouGov: YouGov is a publicly-traded market research firm that operates its own large consumer panel and syndicated research products; it overlaps with Branded Surveys on the panel side but offers a much broader research services portfolio to enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Attest: Attest is a self-serve consumer insights platform that connects brands with survey respondents on demand; it competes with Branded Surveys for market research buyer budgets but via a SaaS-style B2B interface rather than a respondent community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BrandedSurveys
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrandedSurveys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brandedresearch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Branded Surveys