Is Pinecone Research Legit Or A Scam? (My Honest Review!)

Pinecone Research is a legit market research platform that pays you to answer surveys. It also has occasional product testing gigs and is one of the highest-paying survey platforms out there. And I like how easy the platform is to use and the variety of rewards you can choose from.

However, the platform has undergone a lot of changes in recent years. Members can now earn by playing games and with sign-up bonuses alongside surveys. The rewards have also changed, and the cash out requirement is now $10.

I've been using Pinecone Research for years and have cashed out plenty of times. And my Pinecone Research review is sharing how this platform works now, its earning potential, and how to decide if it's worth using.

Want more fun ways to earn? Checkout:

• Scrambly: Earn cash by playing fun mobile games and downloading apps!
• Branded Surveys: Share your opinion to earn gift cards and PayPal money!

Key Takeaways:

• Pinecone Research is a free market research platform available in the United States, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Italy
• You make money by answering surveys and with paid product tests
• Pinecone Research has added cash games, paid quizzes, and sign up bonus offers
• Surveys pay anywhere from a few pennies to $3+
• You get a nice $5 bonus after you complete your welcome survey
• You can cash out with dozens of free gift cards after earning $10
• Overall, Pinecone Research is legit, but some users don't qualify for that many surveys

Is Pinecone Research Legit?

Pinecone Research is legit and lets you earn gift cards for sharing your opinions. It's owned by the larger NielsenIQ research group which is a reputable market research company that has been in business for decades. I've also cashed out with it numerous times over the years, so I can confirm this survey site pays its members.

However, recent Pinecone Research reviews are more negative. Many members dislike the recent changes to the flat $3 survey rate. Many reviews also complain that Pinecone Research sends out survey invites over email, but actually qualifying for the survey is difficult.

The company now has a 1.4 star rating on Trustpilot, which is quite bad. I still use this site occasionally, but I personally think Branded Surveys and Freecash are superior these days.

Overall, Pinecone Research isn't a full-time online job. It's just a flexible side hustle that you can use to make a bit of pocket money in your spare time. It's legitimate and pays, but the site was better back in the day in my opinion.

What Is Pinecone Research?

Pinecone Research is a paid survey platform that's owned by Nielsen Holdings, one of the world’s largest marketing research companies that's known for measuring consumer engagement and preferences.

Like other paid survey websites, Pinecone Research lets you share your opinion to earn PayPal money and gift cards. All you have to do is sign up and then complete short surveys to get paid for your opinion.

But what makes Pinecone Research different from many other gpt sites is that it also has market research opportunities and product testing gigs alongside surveys. However, it can be tricky to qualify for these.

Overall, if you want to make quick money right from the comfort of your own home, Pinecone Research is definitely a survey site that should be on your radar.

How Does Pinecone Research Work?

1. Sign Up

Signing up for Pinecone Research used to require an invite code or special invitation. So many users who applied got put on a waitlist.

Now, anyone can join Pinecone Research. You just need to enter your name, phone number, and email to create an account. Next, just verify your phone number via SMS and verify your email address to finish signing up.

From there, you answer a short welcome survey about your age, gender, ethnicity, household composition, and other information. This gives you a nice $5 sign up bonus, which is similar to what InboxDollars does.

The whole process is similar to other survey sites like Branded Surveys. Overall, it should take you about 5 minutes to sign up and claim this bonus.

However, if you want to qualify for more surveys, you need to complete your different profiles. These are additional, short surveys that ask you more questions about topics like health, travel, technology, and gaming.

Each profile pays you a $0.01 bonus after you complete it. Honestly, this process is a bit tedious. It probably takes around 15 minutes to finish all of your profiles. And if you don't do this, you're unlikely to qualify for many Pinecone Research surveys.

2. Answer Surveys

The main way to make money with Pinecone Research is by answering surveys. This website pays anywhere from $0.15 to $3+ per survey, which makes it one of the highest paying survey websites out there.

It used to pay $3 per survey as a flat rate, but nowadays, there's no minimum payment. However, many members still get paid $2 or $3 per survey.

Survey topics are pretty standard and include entertainment, health, technology, sports, politics, and other similar areas you can share your opinion about.

The best part about Pinecone Research is that you know exactly how much you earn per survey is a massive advantage.

In contrast, a lot of beermoney sites pay much less than $3. And you get disqualified much more often than Pinecone Research. However, the main downside is that surveys aren't available daily, or even regularly. Instead, Pinecone Research emails you when a survey is available.

This means that while you earn more per survey with Pinecone Research, you can likely earn more with platforms like Branded Surveys and Swagbucks since they have more consistent earning opportunities.

This is why I always recommend signing up for multiple survey companies to make as much as possible.

3. Try New Products

Another way to make money with Pinecone Research is through product testing. During these opportunities, users receive a product or products from brands Pinecone Research works with to provide honest feedback on.

While these free product testing opportunities are infrequent, they can be fun and exciting. Users participating in testing also usually get to keep the products that they are trying out.

Just note that this type of opportunity is very rare on Pinecone Research. Other product review gigs like Product Review Jobs and NCP Mobile are much more consistent if this is an online side hustle you'd like to explore.

4. Play Games

Another recent change is that Pinecone Research now lets you earn by playing games and completing various sign-up bonus offers.

I haven't received any of these in my account quite yet. But the system is similar to reward sites like Scrambly and Kashkick. So if you're a fan of mobile gaming, this is definitely good news.

5. Win Sweepstakes

One newer trend in the survey industry is having sweepstakes available for users. Pinecone Research does this frequently, and you can complete surveys for the chance to win a variety of prizes.

With both bi-weekly and quarterly sweepstakes, Pinecone Research offers large cash prizes that can be won by participants.

Just note that the sweepstakes terms and conditions do vary from sweepstakes to sweepstakes. Because of this, be sure to read the terms and conditions before entering so you know the odds and how to enter.

How To Make Money Online Without Paying Anything.

Pinecone Research Rewards & Cashing Out

Pinecone Research used to let you cash out at $3, which only took one survey to complete. However, new members must now earn at least $10 to cash out.

This is pretty standard in the paid survey world. Although competitors like Freecash and MyFreeApp have rewards starting at just $1.

Your reward options include:

• Various products (like speakers, tech, smart home devices, etc.)
• Prepaid Visa card
• Gift cards to companies like Amazon, BestBuy, Macy's, Target, Walmart, and more

Free PayPal cash used to be an option, but Pinecone Research now offers bank deposit instead. This is pretty rare for survey sites to offer, and the fact you can get real money or gift cards is a plus.

Just note that points you earn are valid until the user has no earning activities for 12 consecutive months and then expire.

How Much Does Pinecone Research Pay?

Pinecone Research used to pay $3 per survey, and then $1 per survey. Now, surveys can pay anywhere from a few pennies all the way up to $5 worth of points. Gaming and sign-up bonus offers can also have larger payments but require more effort.

You won't make $100 a day with Pinecone Research or anything close to that. But it's a nice, flexible side hustle and easy way to make money with your laptop in your spare time.

Is Pinecone Research A Scam?

Pinecone Research isn't a scam, and it's a legit platform that pays its members on time. And Nielsen, the company that owns Pinecone Research, has been in business for decades and is a reputable market research panel that has a variety of other money-making opportunities and passive income apps.

That said, there have been some fraudulent players imitating Pinecone Research online. Pinecone acknowledges these issues on its home page and states what users should be aware of:

• Pinecone Research Facebook Fraud: There have been instances where Facebook pages pretending to be Pinecone Research have asked users for their login information. Pinecone Research is not on Facebook and would not ask for private credentials.
• Pinecone Research Mystery Shopping & Check Scams: Third party scammers have used the Pinecone Research name and logo including a mystery shopping scam that involves cashing a fake check.

If you're contacted about a Pinecone Research opportunity that seems suspicious, you can contact the company to confirm and to report the incident.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The Pinecone Research app is user friendly and is available on iOS and Google Play
• Multiple payout methods
• You get a $5 bonus after you complete your welcome survey
• Can receive surveys paying $3 or even more
• Decent reward variety
• Pinecone Research keeps adding new ways to earn

Cons:

• You now need $10 to cash out
• Users report slow response by customer support
• Surveys aren't guaranteed so you might not earn very much per month

Other Pinecone Research Reviews

We think Pinecone Research is legit, and the fact it pays $1 per survey and lets you cash out immediately are two massive selling points.

But one of the best ways to tell if a platform is worth using or not is to see what other real people have to say about it.

Currently, Pinecone Research has a 1.4 star rating on Trustpilot with over 100 reviews. Many older reviews are positive, but some of the most common and current complaints are a lack of available surveys, glitches in the app and having trouble loading and submitting surveys. Users are also displeased that PayPal is no longer a method of payment and that some of the payout methods are difficult to use.

Here are what some of the current Pinecone Research users say about this company:

• “You get $3 per survey and sometimes you will get samples to test and then a survey for the product. I like that I can make extra money when I need it. However, my only issue is that lately, a lot of the surveys will not load. And after so many tries loading the survey, the app will say that I don’t qualify for that particular survey and then it disappears. It was working good for a while but it could really use an update on the loading issues.”
• “Their payment methods have become really crappy. You used to be able to just get a check or the amount deposited into your PayPal account. Now they want you to get their MasterCard gift card which I have never found a place that accepts those unless you have a great amount of money on them. They never seem to work right either. Or you can have it transferred into your bank account. Why does everyone want access to my bank account?? I’m really tired of that and really don’t want yet another company having access to my bank account.”

As you can see, these members like that Pinecone Research pays at least $1 per survey and lets you cash out quickly. But members don't like that free PayPal cash isn't available anymore.

The Best Earning Apps Without Investment.

The Best Sites Like Pinecone Research I Suggest Using

Pinecone Research is worth using if you want to occasionally earn a quick side dough for sharing your opinion. But it's not an ideal primary earning website since survey opportunities can be rare.

Thankfully, there are numerous websites like Pinecone Research that you can use to earn even more, including:

• Branded Surveys: One of the leading survey sites with a low $5 cash out requirement.
• Freecash: One of my favorite gpt sites right now.
• Five Surveys: This site also pays a guaranteed $1 per survey.
• Swagbucks: This site pays you to answer surveys, watch ads, shop online, play games, and more!
• TopSurveys: A new site without any disqualifications!
• NiceSurveys: A cool US survey platform you can try.
• Sproutful: Another new player in the US paid survey space.
• EarnStar: A versatile rewards app with surveys and gaming offers.
• Surveoo: One of the largest international survey panels.
• QuickRewards: Another survey website with an instant cash out ability.
• Ipsos iSay: A globally-friendly survey platform with a $5 cash out minimum.
• InboxDollars: Get a $5 sign up bonus and share your opinion for cash and gift cards!
• YouGov: Another fun way to share your opinion for free gift cards.
• Thrifty Pig: A Canadian and US survey site with quick payouts.

I also put out a YouTube video covering even more survey companies I've cashed out with and recommned. These sites won't make you rich. But if you want a fun side hustle that's easy to start, these high paying apps and websites can get the job done.

Get a $1 bonus from Branded Surveys!

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs You Can Do With Your Phone.

Who Can Use Pinecone Research?

Pinecone Research used to be invitation-only. But now, anyone from an eligible country can join. You just need to be 18 or older and also verify your phone number and email to set up your account.

Is Pinecone Research Safe?

Pinecone Research is safe. Nielsen, the company behind this survey site, has been in business for decades and is reputable. And you don't have to enter your credit card information to use the site. You don't have to answer surveys if you don't feel comfortable doing so either.

Final Thoughts

I hope my Pinecone Research review helps you decide if this survey site is worth it and understand how much it pays.

Overall, Pinecone Research is a nice way to earn money online as a beginner.

I love the fact that it pays at least $1 per survey and lets you cash out quickly. However, the waiting list and lack of consistent surveys are two downsides worth noting, as well as recent negative reviews. Plus, Pinecone used to pay $3 and let you cash out instantly, so the changes are worse.

Ultimately, I think mixing in other survey platforms like Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie makes the most sense. And you can always try other gig apps or online money-making ideas to earn even more.

Thanks for reading!

Try out Pinecone Research today!

Want even more ways to make money? Checkout:

• How To Make Money In One Hour.
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