At-a-Glance Comparison

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

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research
  • Get $3 per completed survey, one of the best rates in the industry
  • Multiple surveys per month maximizes earning potential
  • Fast reward processing time, usually about three days
  • Get paid via PayPal, or select rewards from a product catalog
  • Opportunities to participate in product testing
  • Part of the prestigious Nielsen Resarch Group
  • NO survey disqualifications
  • Friendly and fast customer service
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
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse Yes
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
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Rating Comparison

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

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research
[4.7/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Pinecone Research
[4.5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[3/5]
Pinecone Research
[4.75/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Pinecone Research
[4.5/5]

Read 69 Reviews

Nielsen Pulse
[/5]

Read 0 Reviews

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Rewards Comparison

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

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
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Opportunities Comparison

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

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse Yes
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
Pinecone Research No Nielsen Pulse No
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Service & Snafus

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

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research

One remarkable aspect of this research firm is the professionalism and user friendliness about their business.

We have had a few interactions with the company ever since I enrolled as a member, and every piece of my communications to the company has been greeted with polite and timely responses.

Once we had trouble with the PayPal side, and the customer service officer was so helpful that she seemed to take it upon herself to get the matter resolved.

There are many survey panels out there, but we’ve never come across another one that pulls off such excellent service.

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.

Pinecone Research

There is a chance you may not qualify to be part of the panel at any given time as PineCone will have certain needs for certain demographics.

Also, although they are accepting all males residing in the US currently we have gotten some responses that applications were turned down based on zip code although this is rare.

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 Pinecone Research or Nielsen Pulse is better for you.

Pinecone ResearchNielsen Pulse
Pinecone Research

So what are you waiting for? With $3 payouts, great rewards, and impeccable customer service, Pinecone Research is one of the best ways for you to make money taking surveys.

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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