QuickThoughts Survey App Review: Is It Worth Your Time?

URL: Official website (requires Android or iOS app download, no web browser version)

QuickThoughts is a mobile-only survey site that's legit and with a very straightforward layout and survey experience, but some instances of low pay and serious technical glitches really hamper its potential.

NATURE OF WORK AND PAYMENT

QuickThoughts just does marketing surveys, and in a very straightforward and simple manner. Lengths vary, but if your demographics are in demand it does seem to have a preponderance of lengthier surveys (15-30 minutes) and seems to almost always have at least a few on offer.

The minimum cashout threshold is $10, and it does not have a cash payout option as of this writing. The three possible gift card options available, at least upon first downloading and using the app, are Amazon, Target and iTunes. 

SITE HISTORY / LEGITIMACY

QuickThoughts is owned and operated by Dynata, a major marketing firm that is based in the United States and has been around since before home internet was available. However, it began life as "Survey Sampling International (SSI)" and didn't adopt the Dynata brand until 2019 after a number of acquisitions and mergers. It owns several other smaller survey sites, the most recognizable of which is probably Opinion Outpost. 

While it appears to be legit and has a long general record of paying as agreed, a point of caution to note is that Dynata entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-2024 and is in the midst of executing a reorganization plan to deal with its debt. That does not necessarily mean a company is about to crash out, but it is at least some indication it could disappear suddenly and you shouldn't leave funds lingering in your account when you can help it!

INTERNATIONAL ACCESS

The terms and conditions page says that it is "only available in the United Kingdom", but this appears to be outdated as it is definitely available in the US app stores and other countries in Europe have anecdotal reports weighing in as well. This third-party site aimed at marketers lists 17 countries in total (including Brazil and Japan), but there is no official confirmation and you'll likely just have to check your local app store for it to verify.

STARTING OUT ON QUICKTHOUGHTS

You can simply download the app, fill out your profile and get right to taking surveys, and money will start accruing in your account. However, the terms and conditions page once again warns that the Veriff identity verification system may be used "from time to time" when you cash out. That means you should anticipate the usual photo ID and "liveness test" at least once before you can start cashing out.

PROBLEMS WITH QUICKTHOUGHTS

QuickThoughts suffers from two central problems. One is simply pay on the low end, which is not uncommon to survey sites. The other is a ream of technical glitches and limitations that can cause serious problems, making it more dicey to use than most survey sites.

First of all, for the fellow oddballs using a Chromebook: there is an app that directly supports ChromeOS, BUT (as of this writing) it has a glitch that causes the survey description to not be displayed. Surveys work fine once you click on them, but there's no way to see what the pay and expected time are beforehand! You'll get all that info after the "pre-screener" questions, but those can take a little while.

The display problem does not crop up on Android, but some nasty glitches do. The app sometimes just crashes mid-survey, dumping you out entirely. I had another one where a 30 minute survey got around to asking for the virtual keyboard to pop up about halfway through ... which then left a grey box in its wake that wouldn't go away and covered the "next page" button, making it impossible to finish the survey! Leaving in any manner causes the survey to reset back to the beginning, complete with the tons of random pre-screener questions.

The pre-screeners also really run a little long sometimes. These are an assortment of random demographic questions that pretend to be related to the survey, but really aren't, it's either collecting more random data on you or trying to catch you contradicting yourself. You get 10 cents for making it through these and then getting screened out at any point, but they stretch so long sometimes I don't feel it's worth 10 cents. One of the questions also said you had to install some random game to take a survey I had already previously gotten into and then crashed out of ... saying "no" just moved the questions forward, which is really dodgy and something I've never seen any other survey site do!

Now let's address the pay. The usual range seems to be about $1 USD per 10 minutes of survey time, at least from the sampling I got. That's less than minimum wage in most developed countries, but given that the surveys here are in a straightforward user-friendly format and don't seem to bounce you around between sites or play the usual annoying games, it might be worth your time in a low-COL situation (or if you have it going on the side while you do something else on another device). 

However, be warned I did see at least one 20 minute survey trying to get away with paying 50 cents! So the clients seem to set whatever price they want, and at least a few are extreme cheapos. 

FINAL VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDED

QuickThoughts really does have some potential: backed by a legit US-based company, pay is ehhh but the surveys are in a very user-friendly format that doesn't waste your time (and doesn't seem to have common screenouts once you make it through the pre-screeners). It reminds me quite a bit of SurveyMonkey Rewards in that sense (one that I like, and a review is coming down the pipes here at some point). 

But the killer blow for me is the glitches and crashes, combined with the fact that there is seemingly no option to pick up where you left off with surveys. Especially considering the surveys tend to run 10 to 30 minutes, there's just too much potential to waste massive amounts of time for nothing.