Maru Springboard America vs Swagbucks

Maru Springboard America vs Swagbucks: Which Is The Best Survey Site To Make Money?

Maru Springboard America vs Swagbucks
Illustration: The Money Manual
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When trying to find a survey site to devote your time to, consumers are presented with too many choices. They all seem similar at first glance.

To really find the right paid survey site, you have to dig into the details. We will now examine two of the most popular survey sites, Maru Springboard America vs Swagbucks and get into the nitty-gritty of how they work in an effort to help you make an informed choice about where to devote your time.

So let’s get into how two popular survey sites work and how you can benefit from the rewards they offer.

Table of Contents

At A Glance

Springboard America

Springboard Real Reviews

Swagbucks

Swagbucks Real Reviews

How They Compare

Pros And Cons

Bottom Line

FAQs

Maru Springboard America vs. Swagbucks At A Glance

*This rating is an average of all available review sites.


**This rating is an average of the SurveyPolice and Better Business Bureau ratings. With an A- rating, we consider that to convert to be 5 out of 5 on a 5-star scale.

What Is Maru Springboard America?

Launched in 2009, Maru Springboard America is a market research firm that lets its members earn points redeemable for rewards in the form of gift cards or cash. Springboard America is owned by the Toronto-based company The Maru Group.

Springboard America has forged business connections with many well-known, popular brands, government agencies, and even non-profits to collect consumer data on purchasing habits.

How Does Springboard America Work? 

When you create an account you officially become a user of the site. Once you have completed submitting your personal information on the online registration form, you get a message in your inbox to confirm and validate your information.

After this, you fill out your profile survey. Doing that helps determine the surveys you could potentially receive. The survey asks questions about your age, your family’s habits, your personal routines, schooling, and likes and dislikes. Springboard America requires its users don’t work with other market research firms or any other related industries.

Completing online surveys is the easiest method to earn money on this platform. Typical surveys can take up to 20 minutes of your time. The site awards its users between $.50 and $5.00 (50 to 500 points) for every completed survey.

You must meet the criteria desired to qualify for a survey. Members are randomly selected from a larger pool of qualifiers to fill the pool of respondents for that survey. An email is then sent to the qualifying members.

Springboard America members can expect to get up to four surveys every month. Members can accept as many surveys as they like, but the more surveys they participate in, the more points they can earn.

If you’ve received an email for a survey, it’s good to respond right away as the quotas for a given survey fill quickly. You can receive more surveys in the future if you remain engaged with the site.

To stay an active member, the site requires you complete a minimum of one survey every quarter. There are a lot of ways, besides surveys, users can earn cash.

Joining Focus Groups

Focus groups come up less frequently than surveys, but you can earn more money by participating in them. Taking part in a focus group means $100 for every focus group completed.

Mosaic Surveys

Mosaic Surveys are profile questions that further refine your preferences. The questions are about a wide range of topics. The goal is to gather more data about the members to reduce the amount of times members are disqualified from surveys.

If you complete the Mosaic Survey every week, it enters you into a sweepstakes. Drawings occur every 3 months and prizes can get as high as $750.

Associate Surveys

Springboard America offers more than just its own surveys. They occasionally invite users to participate in paid surveys run by partner companies of The Maru Group. These surveys show the amount you can get, so you can decide if participating in the survey is worth your time.

Profiler Surveys

Profiler surveys are similar to Mosaic surveys in that they are used to more accurately match members to the surveys they take. Unlike Mosaic surveys, Profiler surveys concentrate on a single topic.

Referring Friends

Springboard America allows randomly selected users to refer friends to join the site. A successful referral consists of the recipient completing the registration process, including confirmation, within one month.

If you’re chosen to participate in the referral program, a link will be sent from Springboard America to your email address. You can send that link to as many recipients as you like. 

If any of the recipients opens an account using the personalized link, you are eligible for rewards based on their engagement. You receive a point bonus when they create their account as well as a percentage of their earnings.

Sweepstakes Entries

The Mosaic survey sweepstakes mentioned earlier is but one perk that Springboard America provides its members.

When a member finishes creating their account, they are given an entry into the recruitment sweepstakes which awards one winner each year a prize of $1,000.

For every completed survey, members are automatically entered into a participation sweepstakes, which awards not one, but six prizes. Each month, five winners will receive $50, and one winner will win $500.

Are Springboard America Surveys Legitimate? 

Springboard America is just one of many companies the MARU Group uses for market research. Springboard America fulfills its commitment to pay members for their time completing surveys. The site controls how surveys are sent out. It also has a high cashout threshold to keep users engaged with the site.

Though not initially reviewed positively, Springboard America remedied this by improving its responsiveness to user suggestions and resolving issues its users reported.

Springboard America Reviews

Springboard America has an A- rating from the Better Business Bureau. It also maintains 3 stars out of 5 rating on SurveyPolice.

Users who are happy with Springboard America’s performance mention the number of invites they receive each month to complete surveys. They also acknowledge the speed with which they can redeem their points.

5-star Springboard America review says they've been a member for a long time and enjoy it.
5-star Springboard America review says  they reached the $50 cashout threshold within 2 months.
4-star Springboard America review says surveys are worth $.50-$.75 a piece and take 10-20 minutes.

Users unhappy with the site bring up authentication problems. They don’t like the number of available surveys dropping off over time.

1-star Springboard America review says they've been a member for many years and they don't get any surveys anymore.
.5-star Springboard America review says the website is down with no help.
1-star Springboard America review says it's a slow process to cash out.

What Is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a survey platform that rewards its users with its own currency, called Swagbucks. Users can exchange Swagbucks for rewards such as retailer gift cards or cash to a PayPal account. 

Swagbucks can be earned in different ways. Swagbucks is owned by marketing firm Prodege, LLC.

How Does Swagbucks Work?

Creating a Swagbucks account begins with completing the registration form on Swagbucks.com, or by downloading an app from either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Users are given a 5 Swagbucks bonus for completing registration. You can use Swagbucks from either a PC or from a mobile phone or tablet.

Completing your profile quiz occurs after authenticating for the first time. This is an important step as Swagbucks uses your responses to customize your experience and to minimize disqualifications.

Once you have finished the verification process by email, you can start earning. You are awarded a 5 Swagbucks bonus for completing your account verification. The value of a Swagbuck varies, but on average, one Swagbuck is worth a penny.

Let’s review the different ways you can earn money on Swagbucks.

Surveys

Users are sent Swagbucks surveys as a result of the responses they provided to their profile questionnaire. The site displays the point value of a survey and completion time. Swagbucks are awarded once the survey is completed.

Videos

Users can watch videos and receive points as a reward. The video clips are usually short and points are awarded upon completion of the video. While this is not the fastest way to earn points, it can be a nice break from text-based surveys.

Shopping on the Web

Swagbucks offers users rewards for shopping with retailers it partners with. Members have a choice to shop online from brands like Best Buy, Home Depot, Amazon, and Sam’s Club.

For PC users, the Swagbucks browser extension makes it easy to earn points without having to have extra browser windows open. It shows the Swagbucks you’ll earn for every dollar spent.

Games

It’s easy to earn Swagbucks through playing online games. The only requirement is that you start the game using the Swagbucks app. This will ensure that the Swagbucks you earn are properly credited.

Browsing the Internet

Swagbucks has a search tool embedded in the application that lets you browse the web using Swagbucks. Any search results containing Swagbucks partner sites will be highlighted. Visiting and making purchases using the search tool allows you to earn points.

If you’re using the website, the total amount of Swagbucks you have earned is displayed under the “SB” in the upper right corner. If you use the app, you can see your total on your profile screen.

You can redeem your Swagbucks for rewards by visiting the Settings screen and tapping/clicking on “Redeem SB.” Select the reward from the list shown. You can also choose to cash out to PayPal.

Funds will be deposited to the PayPal account provided as long as it has been verified by Swagbucks. Also, you can choose gift cards from retailers or prepaid Visa gift cards.

Before processing any reward redemption, Swagbucks verifies your identity. Swagbucks redemption processing takes about two business days.

Is Swagbucks Legit?

Swagbucks delivers on the promise to pay users for their engagement, whether it be completing surveys, watching videos, or any of the other activities the site offers. Every platform it operates on receives favorable reviews from the app’s users.

What Real Users Think About Swagbucks

The Apple App Store gives Swagbucks a 4.4 out of 5 stars rating. It has been reviewed more than 60,000 times. The Google Play Store gives Swagbucks a 4.2 stars rating out of 5. Swagbucks has been reviewed on Google by 80,000 Android users. TrustPilot’s 25,000 Swagbucks users give the app a 4.3 stars out of 5 rating.

Users who love Swagbucks enjoy the variety of apps and the opportunity to earn cash rewards. They also like the customer service team’s speed in resolving issues.

5-star Swagbucks review says they love Swagbucks because tey get to learn about new apps.
5-star Swagbucks review says it's a great way to earn a little extra spending money.
5-star Swagbucks review says it's great for what it is.

Users who cited issues with verifying users’ identity when trying to cash out their Swagbucks rated less favorably. Some users found the interface difficult to work with.

3-star Swagbucks review says it's a super slow process to verify ID.
3-star Swagbucks Review says the user design is difficult for navigation.

Unhappy users were frustrated with being disqualified for surveys. Authentication problems were also a pain point.

1-star Swagbucks review says they spend a lot of time giving lots of answers to surveys only to not qualify.
1-star Swagbucks review says they have run into a tech error where their device isn't recognized.

How Maru Springboard America And Swagbucks Compare

This is one of the few times that two survey platforms have more differences than similarities Maru Springboard America and Swagbucks are alike in that they both reward users with in-app currency for completing surveys. Both allow redemptions for either cash or gift cards. That’s where their similarities end.

Springboard America is a browser-based application and focuses exclusively on surveys. While Springboard America offers a variety of surveys, you have to be a survey junkie to continue long-term.

Springboard America varies the rewards rather than the activities to keep users engaged. Users are not just rewarded with points. They also receive sweepstakes entries which can give the users the feeling they are receiving more than one reward for a single activity.

Swagbucks offers users a variety of activities that earn points. Swagbucks also has a lower cashout threshold so users can convert their Swagbucks more frequently.

Maru Springboard America Pros And Cons

Swagbucks Pros And Cons


Pros

  • Cashout threshold is low ($3.00)
  • Variety of activities you can use to earn points
  • Users have the choice of web-based on a PC or a mobile app on both iOS and Android

 

Cons
  • Only one option for converting to cash
  • Profile quiz required before you can start completing surveys

Bottom Line: Which Is The Better Survey App, Maru Springboard America or Swagbucks?

While both apps have their appealing qualities, I prefer Swagbucks because it offers a wide range of activities to earn points. I would stay engaged longer if I knew I could take a break from filling out surveys to watch a video or play a game.

Shopping online is an activity I would do anyway, so having the ability to earn points by using the browser extension is appealing. But there are also those who want the consistency and predictability of Springboard America. They know what they’ll be doing and they know that their entire life will not be consumed by filling out surveys as they max out at 4 per month.

FAQs

How much can I earn with Springboard America?

How much you can earn varies from survey to survey, but the range is between $.50 and $5.00.

How long does it take to receive my Springboard America rewards once I redeem my points?

Once your redemption is processed, a gift card reward should reach your email account within 7 days. If you’re redeeming for cash, it can take longer.

Does Springboard America have a contact address?

Any issues with Springboard America can be reported to support@springboardamerica.com.

What does one Swagbuck convert to in cash?

One Swagbuck equals $.01.

Can I redeem my Swagbucks to PayPal?

Yes, provided that your PayPal is connected to a checking account and Swagbucks has verified the account.

Don’t take our word for it though, try Maru Springboard America or Swagbucks today to see for yourself which is the better survey for cash site.

Alternative Survey Sites


Like doing surveys for cash but think these aren’t for you? Check out some other survey sites like Swagbucks and see which is more your style.

Rather spend your down time playing games on your phone for money? Check out these apps like Mistplay, they may be right up your ally.

There are tons of other apps that pay cash that you may find helpful and we’ve got you covered there too.