14 Best Paid Focus Groups in the UK

Focus groups are audio and/or video recorded, and these recordings are used to help analyze and report the discussion later on. These sessions are conducted by trained interviewers called moderators. Occasionally, the client who commissioned the research may want to observe the session, but you’ll likely be informed on who will be present at the session.

The aim of focus groups is to gather opinions and attitudes about certain products, services, or topics from a target audience. Companies can use this feedback to improve products or services or to develop new ones.

In return for your valuable opinion, you will be paid.

Now, focus groups can take part in-person. You will have to go to a certain location and give your opinion in person with a group of others.

However, most market research companies now conduct many of their focus group studies online. Part of the reason for this is the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many companies switch their studies online instead.

Online studies are carried out virtually, usually on Skype or Zoom. The good thing about online focus groups is that it doesn’t matter where in the United Kingdom you live. As long as you have an internet connection, you can participate in these online focus groups. This is particularly good for people who don’t live near a large city, or aren’t London-based, since many of these companies are London based.

How Do Focus Groups Pay You?

How a focus group pays you will vary depending on the project and company.

Most will pay you with:

• Cash
• PayPal
• Bank transfer
• Cheque
• Or occasionally vouchers

The payment method will, generally, be confirmed before you take part in a market research session.

Best Paid Focus Groups in the UK

Okay, so now you know what paid focus groups are and how they pay you, you’re probably wondering, “What are the best paid focus groups in the UK?”

In this section, I’ve listed legit companies that will pay you for participating in focus groups, and other market research opportunities.

These offer paid focus groups near you and online too!

1. Saros Research UK

• Pay: £40 to £100

Saros Research is a market research participant recruitment partner for a variety of big brands. You can get paid £40 to £100 for one to two hour’s work. Most studies are online, but there are in-person studies too, which are mostly in larger cities like Manchester, London, and Birmingham.  Studies vary with topics on everything from snacks and food to apps and services.

2. Angelfish Opinions

• Pay: £40 to £60

Angelfish Opinions offers paid focus groups, online surveys, and other market research opportunities.

Studies are available on everything from skincare products to gut healthy food.

The company’s studies include:

• Online communities
• Focus groups
• Accompanied shops
• In-home interviews
• User experience testing

So, there’s a mix of online and in-person studies available, with most in-person studies taking part in larger cities.

For taking part in focus groups, online surveys, online communities, video diaries, and other types of market research opportunities, you can earn anywhere from £1 to £100.

In terms of how much you can earn for paid focus groups specifically, pay varies from study to study. Most pay £40 to £60 for a typical 60-minute focus group. £40 is pretty good for an hour’s work!

3. Research Opinions

• Pay: £20 to £200

Another paid focus group in the UK is Research Opinions. It offers both in-person, phone, and online studies.

It pays anywhere from £20 to £200.

It’s been around since 1987, making it a well-established, legit paid focus group in the UK.

The company recruits people from all over the UK to participate in paid market research. It offers studies on a huge variety of topics from banking to workplace processes.

Research Opinions also manage and facilitate online surveys. It has a pool of 150,000 participants nationwide.

4. Trend Market Research

• Pay: £40 to £200

Trend Market Research offers focus groups including telephone and in-home interviews for which it is looking for people within the M25/London area to participate.

You can register on the site and the company will send you focus groups by email. You can participate in focus groups, telephone interviews, and online surveys. Pay varies from study to study. You can make anywhere from £40 to £200.

5. Focus Force

• Pay: £50 to £100

Focus Force is one of London’s leading independent organizations in market research focus groups and one to one interviews. It offers both in-person studies, mostly in London, and online and telephone studies as well.

Pay varies from study to study and can be anywhere from £50 to £100.

6. Talking Point Research

• Pay: £40 to £100

Talking Point Research is an independent agency that recruits people for paid focus groups. It offers in-depth interviews, face to face interviews, and telephone interviews. Its studies are held in major cities in the UK, like London, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham, and Manchester. Again, how much you get paid will depend on the study you participate in. Pay can range from £40 to £100.

7. Bunnyfield

• Pay: £50

Bunnyfield is looking for people to take part in interviews, focus groups, and user-testing. While there are some in-person market research opportunities, which mostly take place in the London and Sheffield offices, many studies are conducted online.

Sessions usually take between 45 and 60 minutes, and you’re paid up to £50.

8. Fresh Thinkers Market Research

• Pay: £40 to $100

Get paid to participate in market research with Fresh Thinkers Market Research. It doesn’t offer as many projects as the other companies on this list do, but it could still be worth a look. Pay is £40 to £100 per project.

9. Research Helper

• Pay: £40

Another one to consider is Research Helper. The company conducts online (UK-wide), and in-person focus groups mostly in Leeds. You can, however, choose a preferred location that you would be willing to travel to from a pretty big list. Pay varies from study to study, but is, generally, £40 for up to one hour of your time.

10. QMR Recruitment

• Pay: £40 to £200

QMR Recruitment is an agency that specializes in recruiting people for a variety of market research projects. This includes:

• Focus groups
• Creative workshops
• Diary studies
• Product testing
• Online panels

You get paid around £45 for a focus group that lasts around 2 hours. Pay though can be considerably more. You could earn up to £200 per project.

11. Focus4People

• Pay: Up to £150

Focus4People has more than 10 years of experience in market research. It will pay you up to £150 depending on the study. All you need to do is provide some information about yourself using the online form, and the more information you provide, the easier it is for Focus4Poeple to match you to relevant projects.

12. PaidFocusGroup.co.uk

• Pay: £10 to £350

With PaidFocusGroup.co.uk, you can participate in online surveys and in focus groups near you. Pay varies with projects usually paying anywhere from £10 to £350. It’s a legit company that’s definitely worth considering.

13. Testing Time

• Pay: Up to £60

Testing Time offers research studies online and in-person. The in-person studies are based in London. You can earn up to £60 per study. It offers lots of different market research opportunities, like focus groups, website testing, usability testing, and online interviews and focus groups. You can test out new products and services, and get early access to new sites and apps. Overall, it’s another good option if you are looking for paid focus groups in the UK.

14. Take Part In Research

• Pay: £40 to £250

Take Part In Research is another legit company that will pay you to participate in focus groups.

Just sign up and complete the short form, and the company will email you when there are new projects. Then, you can take an hour or two out of your day to share your opinions with the company’s team either in-person or online.

You can earn between £40 and £250 per session.

Try Online Surveys Too

Another way to make money for sharing your opinion is to try online survey sites. These don’t pay quite as well as focus groups do, but you can do these surveys from home anytime you want, at times that suit you.

If you’re looking for something a little more flexible than paid focus groups, then you might want to try online survey websites.

There are lots of great sites out there that accept people from the UK. So you can sign up and start making money.

Here are some of the best online survey sites:

15. Swagbucks

Swagbucks, if you don’t already know, is a really popular reward website that pays you for taking surveys.

The website pays you for sharing your opinion. There are lots of different types of surveys available, like:

• Advertising effectiveness surveys
• Brand recognition surveys
• Product appeal surveys

You can also make money on Swagbucks from other tasks, like:

• Playing games
• Browsing the internet
• Shopping online
• Watching videos
• Completing offers

For taking surveys and doing other tasks on Swagbucks, you earn points. You can redeem your points for money to your PayPal account or for gift cards for places like Amazon.co.uk, Marks & Spencer, and Starbucks.

16. PanelBase

Another paid online survey site is PanelBase. With the site, you can get paid to take online surveys, and for telephone, SMS, postal, and product testing surveys.

You can give your opinion on products and services, as well as on topical issues.

PanelBase pays you by bank transfer, or you can get Love2shop and Compliments vouchers, which can be used at more than 70 high-street retail outlets.

17. iPoll

With iPoll (review), you can get paid to share your thoughts on the products and services you use and the places you visit every day. The site pays you to your PayPal account, or you can get a gift card for Amazon or the App Store & iTunes.

Unfortunately, there aren’t that many survey sites for U.K. residents. Most survey panels are focused on the U.S. market. While there are, for example, Canadian survey sites, UK surveys sites or Australian ones, there just isn’t that many. But if you combine the them with focus groups and other easy ways of making money online, you can easily make an extra few hundred a month.

Closing Thoughts

Participating in focus groups can be a good way to earn some extra money. And, since many market research studies are carried out online these days, it means that you can make money from home with this! What do you think is the best paid focus group in the UK? Let us know in the comments section below.