At-a-Glance Comparison

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

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints
  • One of the most dependable survey companies in the business
  • Survey compensation depends on length and other factors
  • Frequent invitations to surveys that are actually fun to take
  • Recently introduced “webcam” surveys which pay higher
  • No minimum or maximum on amount of surveys you can take
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
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse Yes
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
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Rating Comparison

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

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints
[4.5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
LifePoints
[4/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[3/5]
LifePoints
[4.5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
LifePoints
[4.5/5]

Read 3 Reviews

Nielsen Pulse
[/5]

Read 0 Reviews

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Rewards Comparison

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

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse Yes
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse Yes
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints Yes Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
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Opportunities Comparison

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

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse Yes
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
LifePoints No Nielsen Pulse No
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Service & Snafus

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

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints

My Survey also boasts of an excellent customer support team that not only responds to your queries quickly but does so in a most courteous manner. They also periodically come up with innovations like focus groups and product testing in their market research surveys to infuse greater variety into the process.

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.

LifePoints

There isn’t too much not to like about LifePoints but there has been some minor feedback from users about getting disqualified for surveys. This is because of the demographics the company is looking for at any given time. If you find yourself getting disqualified from multiple surveys you might want to move on to another panel.

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 LifePoints or Nielsen Pulse is better for you.

LifePointsNielsen Pulse
LifePoints

LifePoints is a must have if you want to earn taking surveys. You can rack up a cash out pretty quickly, surveys invitations may not come as often as you'd like, but unlike many market research operations you want be put through a litany of "routers" everyday.

With major clients and a proven track record, LifePoints is simply one of the most reliable companies in terms of payouts there is.

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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