At-a-Glance Comparison

Get a look at the differences between InboxDollars and Nielsen Pulse with this overview of their features and benefits.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars
  • $5 Instant Sign On Bonus!
  • Featured on Good Morning America and other high profile TV shows
  • Tons of ways to earn including surveys, watching videos, and more
  • Low disqualification for surveys
  • Great apps for iOS and Android
  • Targeted surveys which can pay higher based on demographic
  • Proven track record of 10 years of payouts
  • Massive array of daily earning opportunities
Nielsen Pulse
  • Run by Nielsen, a global market research company with over 100 years in the business
  • Earning is passive — once set up, points accumulate automatically every day
  • One-time setup bonuses available for connecting devices and streaming platforms
  • Available on Android and iOS; connected TV devices can also be registered
  • Rewards come in the form of brand vouchers and gift cards
  • No joining fee, and you'll never be asked for credit card information
  • Participation helps inform how media companies and brands understand consumer behavior
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
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Rating Comparison

Which is better, InboxDollars or Nielsen Pulse? See how their expert and user ratings compare.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars
[4.71/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
InboxDollars
[5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[3/5]
InboxDollars
[4.25/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
InboxDollars
[4.5/5]

Read 59 Reviews

Nielsen Pulse
[/5]

Read 0 Reviews

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Rewards Comparison

Compare InboxDollars rewards and Nielsen Pulse rewards to see how their redemption options stack up.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse Yes
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
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Opportunities Comparison

Compare how you can earn money with InboxDollars and Nielsen Pulse and find your next side hustle.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars Yes Nielsen Pulse No
InboxDollars No Nielsen Pulse No
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Service & Snafus

Learn about customer service and potential issues with InboxDollars and Nielsen Pulse before you sign up.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars

Most users report a very positive experience with missing points or other problems being handled quickly and politely.

Nielsen Pulse

Nielsen Pulse offers email-based support for US panelists at uspulsesupport@nielsen.com. The website also includes a Contact Us page with the same email address. There's no live chat or phone support listed.

The terms also allow panel members to contact Nielsen directly to request account deletion if they choose to leave.

Given that Nielsen is a large, established company, their support infrastructure should be reasonably reliable — though response times are not published, and the absence of live chat may be frustrating for users with urgent account issues.

InboxDollars

One downside with Inbox Dollars is that you will get a TON of offers. Be sure you have your separate email set up just for surveys for this one. Some of them can be a bit on the spammy side and you will definitely get paid.

Note that Inbox Dollars does offer you compensation for trying paid offers as well which can be a turn off for many. If you do sign up for one of these be sure to cancel after you sign up unless you like the service of course. We recommend just sticking to the free stuff to avoid potential problems.

Nielsen Pulse

The biggest sticking point for many users will be the privacy trade-off. The app requires you to grant location permissions, notifications, and install a research VPN on your device. Nielsen uses this access to track your device usage, web activity, streaming behaviour, and purchases. The terms explicitly state that this can include sensitive personal information such as race and ethnicity.

You also won't know if you qualify until after you complete the eligibility survey. Those who don't qualify are put on a waitlist, with no guarantee of ever being admitted to the panel.

Membership is household-wide by agreement. When you sign up, you're agreeing on behalf of all household members whose devices the app is installed on — and you're required to inform them and get their consent before doing so.

People employed by TV networks, cable or satellite providers, digital media platforms, or other media companies are not eligible to join. You also must keep your panel membership confidential and are not permitted to publicly identify yourself as a participant — including in app store reviews.

Points expire after 12 months and have no cash value. If you leave the panel for any reason, any unredeemed points are forfeited. Nielsen can also modify or discontinue the rewards program at any time.

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Final Verdict

See our closing thoughts to help you decide if InboxDollars or Nielsen Pulse is better for you.

InboxDollarsNielsen Pulse
InboxDollars

There are quite a few online survey panels out there but Inbox Dollars holds some unique advantages over them. For instance, the best thing we like about the site is that it offers its members a wide range of earning options to choose from. No waiting for invites.

We should also note that Inbox Dollars has received tons of positive feedback for their mobile platform on Android and iOS, making this panel ideal for mobile users.

If you’re willing to devote the time to accomplish the many “tasks for cash” available you can certainly make some money and not have to worry about getting paid. If you’re serious about making cash you should definitely try Inbox Dollars. The $5 instant sign on bonus doesn’t hurt either.

Nielsen Pulse

Nielsen Pulse is one of the more straightforward passive earnings programs out there. You install the app, go through a brief setup, and points accumulate on their own. There's no survey grind, no daily check-ins, and no tasks to complete. For the right person, it genuinely is close to set-it-and-forget-it income.

The catch, of course, is that what you're trading for those rewards is fairly deep access to your device activity. The research VPN in particular is something that gives users pause, and rightfully so. Nielsen has a long track record and a legitimate reason for collecting this data, but you should go in with clear expectations about what you're sharing.

If you're comfortable with the data sharing arrangement and you pass the eligibility survey, Nielsen Pulse is worth a spot on your phone. It's a credible program from a credible company, and passive rewards without any active effort are hard to beat.

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