Get Paid for Searching the Web: 17 Sites That Give You Cash for Searches

Ever wondered how to make money doing things you do online already, like searching the web?

It’s actually way easier than you thought, because the sites below offer to pay their users for simple web browsing tasks!

Can I Get Paid for Searching Google?

Google is the most popular search engine, so it’s no surprise that you want to know if you can get paid to use it.

Is there a direct way to search Google and get paid by Google?

No, not that I’m aware of.

However, there are some ideas I list below that will let you make money by searching the web with any search engine you want to use!

Others will require you to use their own search engine or tool to search and get paid, so you’re just going to have to decide if it’s worth it to you to switch between search tools once in a while to make money.

Sites That Pay You to Search the Web

Here’s how you can actually get paid to search the internet!

Swagbucks

I swear Swagbucks has it all when it comes to getting rewarded online.

In addition to paying for surveys, completing offers, shopping online, and even watching ads, Swagbucks has a built-in search engine that offers paid searches right through the site.

When you log in, you can see the search bar on the top of the page.

Make sure it’s set to Web and start searching.

You can also click the link above to learn how to make the Swagbucks search engine your default one so that you’ll never forget to use it to make money.

Most searches pay between 10 SB and 25 SB (SBs are points here), which equal 10 to 25 cents.

InboxDollars, SendEarnings, and DailyRewards

I listed these three sites together because they’re all from the CotterWeb Enterprises family, which has now been taken over by Swagbucks.

You’ll see that they all look the same when you visit them, and they even contain most of the same tasks once you sign up and log in.

InboxDollars is for people in the United States, SendEarnings is for several countries, and DailyRewards caters mostly to the Canadian crowd.

They all offer their own versions of paid searching that can give you from one to two cents per search.

All you need to do is log into your account and use the built-in search function to conduct your web searches.

The sites limit the amount you can earn from searching each day, but it’s still a good way to get a little more money in your account.

Qmee

Qmee is one of my favorite set-it-and-forget-it paying search tools.

You just install the add-on to your browser.

When you search for something shoppable on the web, Qmee will also search for the same thing and pull up a list of related items that might even be cheaper than what you originally searched for.

Not only can you save money with Qmee, but you can also get paid a few cents just by keeping it installed and letting it search with you.

When you have a spare minute or two, you can also hop onto the Qmee website or app to take surveys.

There’s no minimum amount you need to send your earnings to PayPal!

Honey

Honey doesn’t directly let you search the web to make money.

But by keeping it installed in your browser, you can get money when you search for stuff and buy from specific sites.

Once you’re ready to buy something, Honey will automatically search for lower prices and promo codes to save you money.

Even if it doesn’t find anything, you can still earn some HoneyGold just for using the add-on.

Then, choose between Amazon and Walmart gift cards when you’re ready to check out!

Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft Rewards lets you use Bing, the Microsoft search engine, to get paid.

You can complete several Bing searches each day to get points in your Rewards account.

You’ll also be able to take surveys, compete in games, and participate in other fun tasks that can land you a variety of gift cards, including Xbox gift codes!

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Amazon Mechanical Turk focuses on quick tasks you can do to make money online.

There’s a variety here, so not everything will require you to search the web.

However, the site often has tasks that will require you to complete searches for different reasons, like looking up business names to generate leads for a company or finding the addresses and phone numbers of people a business wants to contact.

You can browse through the huge list of gigs that are available at any given time here to see what ones will let have you searching the web and making money.

Upwork

Upwork is a site for freelancers in almost every freelancing industry you can think of, from accounting to web development.

You’ll, therefore, find gigs that fit almost every interest and skill, including searching the web.

To get started with Upwork, you’ll need to sign up and get your account approved using one of your skills, so you might want to note something like web research, although you can sign up with any skill you have that’s in Upwork’s options.

Once you’re approved, you can search for gigs.

Your best bet is to look for something like “web research” or “market research” to find clients with jobs that need research help.

You could end up researching for an upcoming blog post, a trial, or even completing competitor research for a client.

Publisher’s Clearing House Search & Win

Set your default search engine to this page from Publisher’s Clearing House to be entered into its sweepstakes to win cash prizes.

You won’t earn actual money with this site, but every time you search using its built-in browser, you’ll get another chance to win the big prize.

There are also chances to win gift cards, electronics, and other cool stuff when you participate.

Wonder

As a Wonder researcher, you’ll help Wonder clients get their questions answered.

This place requires you to be a very efficient researcher and a decent writer, because the questions you answer will need to be answered in a written format that fits the company’s style guide.

Wonder is the perfect place for people who love learning new stuff they wouldn’t have normally researched themselves because the questions can come from virtually any industry.

Wonder pay reportedly ranges between $15 and $24 an hour, but it depends on how quickly you research and type up your answer, as you’re given a set pay rate for a specific timeframe.

Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel

Nielsen is one of the biggest market research companies.

You can aid its efforts by participating in this panel, which requires you only to keep its app installed on your devices.

In doing so, Nielsen will collect internet usage data from you (basically, see what you’re searching and when) to inform its market research efforts.

Although the site doesn’t necessarily explain how you get rewarded, it does appear that you can earn points or some sort of incentives that give you the chance to get cash and prizes each month.

There’s also a $10k drawing every month for participants.

ZoomBucks

ZoomBucks is another rewards site like Swagbucks and InboxDollars that pays you for surveys, offers, and searching the web.

You’ll be able to pick from a lot of interesting reward options here, including gift cards that are perfect for gamers, like IMVU, Steam, and Roblox rewards.

iRazoo

This is another rewards site that has a built-in search engine.

Use it when you use the site and get paid up to $0.025 (two and a half cents) per search.

Unfortunately, the points get awarded randomly, so you’re not technically guaranteed to get anything from any search you complete.

It’s the luck of the draw, but you could be one of the lucky ones.

MobileXpression

This market research site has an app you can download and install to your devices.

When you do, it’ll track what you do with your device, including your web searches, for the purposes of furthering market research.

New members need to let the app run for at least a week to collect their first payment of $5.

After that, you’ll gain points and sweepstakes entries every week you keep it installed.

SurveySavvy

SurveySavvy also has an app that you’ll need to install on your devices to get paid.

The site itself is a survey site, but you won’t need to take any surveys on the app, known as SavvyConnect.

Just keep SavvyConnect installed and earn money every month for each device you install it on.

You’re allowed up to 3 devices per household, so that’s $15 per month just for keeping it installed and using your devices to search the web as usual.

Appen

I’m saving the best for last, guys, although it’s much different than the other gigs I’ve listed here.

This idea can actually become a work from home job for those who have excellent attention to detail and know their way around the web.

Appen is a provider of many of the most popular remote online jobs.

Its positions for Ads Raters are among their most coveted because of the flexibility they provide, and they don’t require a tremendous amount of skills to get started.

As an Ads Rater, you won’t get paid to search the internet for whatever you want.

Instead, Appen will give you a query, or a term or keyword that someone might search for.

You’ll then need to evaluate the ads that could potentially pop up when someone searches that query.

The idea is to help Google show relevant, quality ads to people using its search engine based on what they search for.

It all goes along with Google’s lifelong quest to be the very best in the business.

Essentially, you’ll browse through the search results and rate the ads that fall into the search results, mainly looking for how relevant they are and whether they fit with Google’s quality standards.

Appen does require its raters to go through a strict qualifying process during which you’ll need to read through the instructions and perform a test to make sure you understand the material.

You have a couple of attempts to complete the test, so if you fail the first time, make sure you re-read everything before trying again.

These jobs reportedly pay somewhere in the $12 to $15 an hour range, and you’re able to complete them whenever you have free time to spare.

There’s no set schedule.

Appen does, however, request that you have at least 10 hours set aside each week to perform these tasks when new ones become available.

Most raters also can’t go over 25 hours per week, so this is more of a part-time thing, but still perfect for someone looking for a part-time remote job.

Conclusion: Get Paid for Searching the Web

Getting paid to search the web doesn’t seem like something plausible, but it is.

The sites above prove it.

What’s great about this is that it can actually be fun.

If you love to learn new things by browsing the web for information, then this gig is totally up your alley.

So get your typing fingers ready, fire up the web browser, and get to work to make some extra money by browsing the web.

Know of some other sites that’ll let you do this?

I always welcome your suggestions in the comments!