Is UserTesting Legit or a Scam? (An Insider’s Review)

UserTesting.com is a platform where you, supposedly as a consumer, can give feedback to companies about their websites and get paid for the feedback.

But is UserTesting legit and worth the time, or is it just another scam?

Let me just reveal right away that it is a legit site, but whether it is then worth your time or not is another important question to ask before you join.

I am a member of the platform myself and have been a member for a few years, in this UserTesting review, I will give you the details about what the platform has to offer and my experiences with it, so you will know exactly what to expect and whether it is a platform you want to join or not.

What is UserTesting, and what does it offer?

UserTesting.com has a section bot for businesses and one for consumers who want to earn.

If you want to become a tester and start earning, you need to choose the option at the top of the website that says “Get Paid to Test”.

Let me reveal right away that UserTesting is legit and a real way to earn by becoming a tester, and it is not a fake scam. And like any other legit site where you can get paid to give feedback, it is, of course, free to join.

But let's first go more into what you can expect before you decide if you want to join or not and if it will even be worth it.

I have made a video that gives you an inside look and explains all the details. You can also read everything below the video:

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The earning opportunity – Participate in user tests

UserTesting is a platform that helps companies increase the usability of their website and help eliminate bad user experiences. To make this happen, it needs testers/users to give feedback about websites and let companies know how their experience is.

This is what makes the site interesting from a user perspective, as that gives you a chance to make a bit of extra money by giving this feedback.

It works with some of the biggest brands in the world, so by becoming a member, you potentially get to test both big and small websites and influence the future experience on these websites.

By joining, you can become a tester and do video feedback of you sharing your thoughts while navigating different websites.

That sounds like a pretty cool way to make a bit of extra cash so far, right?

But let's go a bit deeper into what the platform is about before you decide whether it is for you or not.

How does it work?

Once you have become a panel member on UserTesting, you will get a notification when a new test is available. You can then apply to take this.

However, sometimes, they do not send an email when there is a new test, in my experience, so it can still be a good idea to log in to the platform once in a while to double-check for new opportunities.

Often, it is a very specific profile you need to have or come from a specific part of the world to be able to participate. So even though you become a member, you might not get very many opportunities.

When you get a test, you will first get a description of the task. It can be a specific situation like, for example, “imagine that you are interested in visiting this museum and looking for information about it”.

This scenario is something you have to have in the back of your head while taking the test, and give feedback according to it.

Most tests on UserTesting are video feedback. That means that you will have a screen recorder that records how you navigate on the specific website, and at the same time, you will have to explain your thoughts and give feedback to certain questions in a microphone.

You can also find tests that can be done from your phone via their app.

This way, the companies will receive a video of how you navigate on their website or use the app and all your thoughts while doing so.

It might sound a little complicated at first, but it is actually a lot more simple than it sounds. It is easy enough for everyone to do, as long as you are used to using websites.

One thing that is important to know is that the quality of the videos you make is important. The companies are only interested in genuine and useful feedback, and therefore there is a rating system.

After each video you have made, the website owner will give you a star rating of 1-5, and this will produce an average rating for you over time.

People with higher ratings have a better chance of getting more tests, as website owners, of course, prefer feedback from people who are doing a good job instead of people who are rushing.

Once you are a member, there is a whole section about things you can do to make sure you get good ratings. But in short, you will be fine as long as you are taking it seriously and giving genuine and honest feedback.

Just be aware that when you first join, you need to do a test recording to get accepted as a member. This test is unpaid and if you pass it, you will get access to the paid tasks.

The below video is a short official video from UserTesting.com that gives a few tips about the approach you need to have to become a tester so you can get a better idea about how it works and what you need to do:

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Do you need special equipment to participate?

You do not need to have any fancy equipment that most people do not already own to become a tester at UserTesting. You can do tests on Mac or PC, but also on iOS and Android mobile devices.

Before you apply for a test, you will be told what device it is for so you know if you are able to take it.

You need a specific screen recorder tool on your device and will be guided to install this as you sign up, and it is a free tool to download. It is very easy to install, and if you at some point do not want to be a member anymore, it is also very easy to uninstall again.

You also need a microphone so you can record your feedback. It does, however, not need to be a fancy microphone. You can just use a headset that you are using for a mobile phone, which you probably already own.

So, you do not need to go out and invest in any special equipment to participate.

How do you get paid?

Once you have completed a test and it has been approved, you will get paid via PayPal. That is currently the only payout method UserTesting offers.

You will receive the money in your PayPal account 14 days after you have completed a test. There used only to be one week's waiting time, but this has increased a bit.

It is not a big deal, in my opinion, but you just need to know you will not get paid immediately.

Also, to get access to paid tests, you first have to link your PayPal account with your UserTesting account.

I assume they have made this a requirement as a part of verifying people do not cheat and do not fake their identity.

So, when you first join the platform, this should be the first thing you do, as you will not get access to paid tests until you have done that.

How much money can you make?

On UserTesting.com it used to say right away that you can earn up to $60 per test.

However, they have changed this, and you can no longer see any specific amounts mentioned. Instead, it now says that the reward varies depending on the test type.

This is also a more accurate way to explain it, in my opinion.

Because people used to think they would get $60 for every test, but that was only for the highest-paying tests and not very often.

Therefore, I think it is clever to have changed this so it is more clear for people what to expect.

In general, UserTesting is very honest about what you can earn and does not promise that you can make a huge amount of money. In fact, they clearly say on the side that it can be a great way to earn a few extra dollars on the side but that it won't make you rich.

They make it clear that the focus for you should be to give feedback and have your thoughts heard and not on making a huge amount of money on it.

But you can still get a nice reward for the tests you take. In my experience, you get around $10 for a regular test, and on average, it takes 20 minutes, which is pretty good.

Such a test consists of a 20-minute recording, and you then usually have to answer four follow-up written questions.

In addition to this, there sometimes are live conversations that require you to get on a video conference call with a customer at a scheduled date and time. This will pay up to $60 per test but also takes more time and planning. And they are not available as often as the other tests.

But as mentioned, the exact earnings per test will vary, but you can always see in the invitation what you will get and then decide whether you want to participate or not based on that.

However, you might not be able to take a lot of tests. It very much depends on where you live and what kind of companies that are currently looking for feedback.

So, do not expect to be able to take tests every day. Maybe in some countries, you will be able to take several a week, but compared to paid survey sites, where you can often take several surveys a day, you will not have many opportunities.

In general, UserTesting says it has the most opportunities in English-speaking countries. But also other countries have opportunities. In my time as a member, I have, for example, seen tests for Spanish, Belgian, and Japanese-speaking people also.

Who can participate?

UserTesting allows members from all countries.

On the website, they used to have a box with the different continents (see picture below), and by clicking the little arrow, you would get a full list of the countries in that part of the world.

They no longer have this box after they updated the design of the website. Now, all you can see is that they, in the FAQ section, say that they accept members from all over the world.

But as mentioned above, that it accepts members from your country does, however, not mean that you will get many opportunities to actually take a paying test.

To join, you need to live in a country that accepts PayPal, as that is the only way you can receive your rewards.

Also, you should only join if you enjoy speaking your thoughts out loud and feel comfortable doing this while recording it. UserTesting mentions that, in fact, you need to be able to speak your thoughts aloud in English to be able to join.

You also have to be at least 18 years old to join.

Be aware that you can NOT take tests while you are traveling.

UserTesting will detect if you log in from a different country than where you have registered yourself, and this can lead to you being disqualified as a user or getting really low ratings, which will make it more difficult for you to qualify in the future.

How do you sign up?

It is fairly easy to sign up for UserTesting. You do, however, need to spend a little more time than many other sites where you can get paid to give feedback.

The reason for this is that UserTesting mainly uses video feedback, and needs to make sure that members are comfortable doing this and can live up to a certain quality. Therefore, you will have to do a little test to become a member.

First, you just put in your email on the UserTesting website, and you will then have to verify your email by clicking a link in an email you receive. After that, you can take the test to become an actual member.

The test takes around 5-10 minutes. At first, you will be taken to a screen where you can download the screen recorder. Then just follow the instructions step-by-step.

You have to do a 5-minute sample video, where you record your screen and voice. When you follow the steps on the website, there will also be an example so you can see how it is done before you start yourself.

I would advise you to watch this tutorial as it can be a bit confusing to figure out what you need to do if you do not watch it first.

When you are doing the sample video, make sure to speak your thoughts out loud as much as possible, speak clearly, and be honest. Then, you will have the best chance of getting approved for the panel.

There is no need to think too much about what you are saying. It is about what you are thinking and what your experience is, so there is no right or wrong.

After you have submitted your video, you will get a confirmation email, and within a week, you will get the answer. Personally, I already the next day got an email that said I was approved for the panel, so it does not necessarily take up to a week.

Final verdict

UserTesting is definitely a legit platform and not a scam.

But whether it is a good option for you or not depends a lot on your expectations and if you feel comfortable recording yourself speaking aloud in English.

To help you further decide whether it is the right platform for you or not, let's finish this review by summing up the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Pays pretty well for time spent.
• Fun tasks.
• Available in many countries.

Cons:

• Not necessarily any tests to do, even if you become a member.
• Not very often opportunities.
• A little confusing to do the initial sign-up test

As you can see, UserTesting has both good and not-so-good sides.

If it is worth joining depends a lot on where you live and your expectations. You should only join if you would like to give feedback just once in a while but do not expect to be able to do it very often.

But if that is ok with you, it can be a fun and interesting way to make a little extra money. And it pays pretty well for your time for the tests you qualify for.

If you would like to join platforms where you can give feedback more regularly or even several times a day, you can instead consider joining some of the legit survey sites in your country.

They will most often not pay as well for your time, but if you join the good ones, you will have many opportunities to make a bit of extra cash, so in total it can give a lot more income.

If you have any comments, questions, or if you have any experiences with UserTesting.com yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.