At-a-Glance Comparison

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
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
Crowdology
  • Earn anywhere from $0.40 to $10 per survey
  • Simple point system with PayPal or Amazon gift cards for rewards
  • Quick surveys varying in length from 2 to 15 minutes
  • Free monthly draws for prizes like Samsung smartphones and more
  • PayPal payments are processed in just 48 hours
  • Super low cash-out threshold of only $8
Nielsen Pulse Yes Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse Yes Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
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Rating Comparison

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Crowdology
[4/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[3/5]
Crowdology
[4/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Crowdology
[4.75/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[/5]

Read 0 Reviews

Crowdology
[4.5/5]

Read 5 Reviews

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Rewards Comparison

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse Yes Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse Yes Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
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Opportunities Comparison

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse Yes Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology Yes
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
Nielsen Pulse No Crowdology No
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Service & Snafus

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
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.

Crowdology

Email support is usually on the ball. Expect a response to any queries within 24 hours.

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.

Crowdology

Although this an outstanding survey program overall, there is one significant negative to Crowdology. There are simply not enough surveys.

Some users report receiving a mere 2-3 surveys per month, which may not meet the earning needs of some members. If you’re looking to rack up rewards quickly, you might want to look elsewhere.

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Final Verdict

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

Nielsen PulseCrowdology
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.

Crowdology

Crowdology has some excellent perks going for it; the two most important being low cash-out threshold and reliability of payment. Though there are a handful of users that may bemoan the fact surveys aren't as plentiful as they would like, lack of payment and speed of delivery are never a problem.

Moreover, the surveys you will receive do pay well compared to industry averages and rarely exceed 15 minutes.

In short, Crowdology is 100% reliable and has one of the best payment records around. As always, you won't be earning stacks on stacks with any one survey program, but this one is certainly worth your time.

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