At-a-Glance Comparison

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

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks
  • Welcome bonuses from $5 to $10
  • Many ways to earn, including paid surveys, searching, and more
  • User-friendly interface for desktop and mobile users
  • A helpful app to earn on multiple mobile devices
  • Reliable: Swagbucks has paid out almost $500 million in rewards
  • Daily earning opportunities, including an extensive selection of surveys for money
  • Redeem reward points for gift cards from Amazon, iTunes, Wal-Mart, and more
  • Low cash out threshold of $5
  • Open to teens aged 13 and older
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
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
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Rating Comparison

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

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks
[4.82/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Swagbucks
[5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[3/5]
Swagbucks
[4.5/5]
Nielsen Pulse
[4/5]
Swagbucks
[4.5/5]

Read 226 Reviews

Nielsen Pulse
[/5]

Read 0 Reviews

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Rewards Comparison

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

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
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Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse Yes
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
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Opportunities Comparison

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

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
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Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse Yes
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
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Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks Yes Nielsen Pulse No
Swagbucks No Nielsen Pulse No
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Service & Snafus

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

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks

Swagbucks takes pride in offering top-notch support for its large community. If you encounter problems with your account, you can expect a quick response from their support team, available 24/7. They also have a comprehensive FAQ section that covers most common questions users have, including those related to paid surveys and earning money.

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.

Swagbucks

If you prefer to focus only on surveys, Swagbucks might not be your top choice. The site's surveys are not primarily oriented towards market research, meaning you may earn fewer rewards for completing such surveys. However, Swagbucks still offers a wide range of surveys for money, making it a valuable platform for those looking to earn rewards.

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 Swagbucks or Nielsen Pulse is better for you.

SwagbucksNielsen Pulse
Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a trustworthy platform for paid surveys, giving you the opportunity to earn extra cash or gift cards. It won't replace your full-time job or make you rich overnight, but it does add a fun element to your routine.

Thanks to its user-friendly interface and range of tasks, earning "swag" or rewards is simple. Plus, the wide variety of rewards caters to your personal preferences.

What makes Swagbucks truly unique is its excellent customer service. It's not just about rewarding you for your time; Swagbucks cares about your overall experience, distinguishing itself as a top-tier rewards program.

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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