Is Pinecone Research A Scam? A Review Of Its Pros And Cons

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Is Pinecone Research A Scam

No one expects to get rich taking surveys, but some survey sites are better than others. In this Pinecone Research review, you'll find out if Pinecone Research is a scam or a legit work from home opportunity that's worth your while.

Sites like PaidViewpoint, Survey Momma and Clear Voice might give you a few low paying surveys per month, they don't make a real difference to your bank balance at the end of the day.

Swagbucks and Brand Institute pay you slightly more though you still can't rely on them to generate a full-time income.

If that's your aim then Wealthy Affiliate is your best bet. With full step-by-step training and support, they'll take you through the process of starting a real online business.

Which category will Pinecone Research fall under? Let's find out.

Pinecone Research Review At A Glance

About: Pinecone Research is the research leg of of Nielsen Company.

Price: Free to join but membership depends on demographics.

Pros: Owned by a reputable company, pays on time.

Cons: App is glitchy, limited surveys.

Verdict: Pinecone Research is legit but at best you'll only make $12/month with this.

OVERALL RATING

0.5 Star Rating NEW

What Is Pinecone Research?

Pinecone Research is owned by Nielsen Company and has been around since 1998.

They've got a great track record and accept applications from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Germany.

what is pinecone research

As a Pinecone Research member, you'll receive 4-5 survey email invites per month and maybe even the occasional product testing gig.

Points can be converted to cash with options like PayPal, Visa prepaid cards and Amazon gift cards to choose from. All you need is a $3 minimum balance to request funds and they usually payout within 24 hours.

As the average survey pays $3 this is pretty sweet.

Pinecone Research Are Pretty Exclusive

Before you start getting too excited though, this survey panel is not open for everyone and they're pretty picky about who gets in and who doesn't.

After you fill out the signup form you'll receive an email with a link to complete your profile. You'll need to fill this out with as many details about yourself as you can then submit it for the approval process.

Sometimes getting accepted can be the luck of draw, it comes down what kind of person or demographic they're looking for at that point in time.

Other times they're not even open to new applications at all:

is pinecone research a scam

Pinecone Research has every right to be choosy because they're probably one of the best-paid survey sites out there on par with Swagbucks.

If you do manage to get accepted you can enjoy invites to surveys you actually qualify for and higher payouts than average.

You can apply here. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again and remember, always be as honest as you can when filling out your profile.

Don't Fall For Scammers Selling Pinecone Memberships

Here's another point I feel compelled to make:

Because Pinecone Research is an exclusive club with a solid reputation, unscrupulous scam artists have recently tried to post as staff members to sell you the opportunity to join.

I don't think Pinecone Research is a scam but there are definitely scammers ready to dupe you into handing over your hard-earned cash.

Remember this bottom line and you'll stay safe: Never, ever pay to join a survey site. 

Making Money With Pinecone Research

There are 3 ways to make money here:

1. Online Surveys

One of the best things about this site is the $3 minimum payout per survey. I've seen sites offer a measly $0.25 or $0.50 for 30 minutes of rigorous form filling so this is definitely higher than most.

Stick with Pinecone Research and after a few months, you could get access to $5 surveys so, with this site, loyalty does pay.

No more getting disqualified half way through

Getting disqualified is the bane of a survey-taker's life, thankfully with this site it's a thing of the past.

As long as you've been accurate and honest in your profile, you'll get maybe 4 surveys a month via email, all of which you've already been pre-qualified for.

Out of the dozens of survey sites I've reviewed so far, Pinecone Research is the only one I've seen do this. Everywhere else users complain of getting 20 minutes into a survey only to be told you don't qualify and nothing could be more frustrating.

So yeah, 4 surveys doesn't sound like a lot and it's not, but at least you know going into it you're going to get paid for your time.

2. Product Testing

what is Pinecone Research product testing

These are quite rare and you probably need to build up a good track record first, but you could be eligible to take part in their product testing.

They'll send you free products in the post to try out, products that aren't even available to the public yet and give you $6 for testing a product and $3 for answering a questionnaire about your experience.

3. Quarterly Sweepstakes

Successfully complete a survey or product test and you are automatically entered into their sweepstake where names are pulled out at random. The top prize is $4,500 so a huge boost in earnings here if you're lucky enough to be selected.

Obviously this can't be relied on as a real income earner but still, it's an added incentive.

Note: this is open to UK, US and Canadian citizens only.

How Much Can You Really Expect To Earn?

Though Pinecone Research is a legit site, as with all survey sites, the total amount you can earn is severely limited. I'd say at best with 4 surveys a month at $3 a pop you can only expect to earn $12 per month.

is pinecone research legit

If you're looking for pocket change you'll be happy working for them, if you're looking for something more substantial check out my top-rated program here.

Pinecone Research Reviews And Complaints

Reviews of Pinecone Research are very mixed:

SurveysSay.com give Pinecone Research an A- but TrustPilot.com rate them a lousy 2 out of 5 stars with 80% of users giving them the minimum 1 star.

It seems some people love them and others call them a scam. Here are a few of the most common complaints:

1. You Can't Expect A Steady Flow Of Surveys

We already know you get paid a decent amount for your time compared to other online survey sites, but that doesn't mean you're going to make more money. Members report an average of 4 surveys per month and the number is going down.

The truth is many companies are turning to new and more direct ways of getting consumer feedback through social media so sites like this are starting to struggle.

2. The Pinecone Research App Is Outdated And Glitchy

It seems the app is in need of a major update as you'll see from the reviews on Google Play. Pinecone Research's app has almost as many negative reviews as positive, clearly never a good sign.

pinecone research reviews complaints

As we're all on our smartphones these days, ideally you'd like to finish a survey as soon as you get the email invite but with this company that might not be possible.

pine research reviews complaints

What I Like

  • Owned by Nielsen, a reputable company
  • They send you surveys you qualify for, a huge timesaver!
  • They pay well and on time
  • Quick payments

What I Don't Like So Much

  • They're very exclusive about who they accept (this is good and bad)
  • The Pinecone Research app isn't that great and needs updating
  • Only 2-4 surveys available per month on average
  • The amount of money you can earn is limited

Should You Try And Join?

PineconeResearch.com is a legit online survey company and one of the best paying I've seen so far, but getting your foot in the door is no mean feat.

If you manage to qualify then you can rely on it for an extra $10 or so each month but nothing more than that. Some months might only allow you to earn $3 – $6 which is nothing to call home about.

If you are serious about finding a way to build an online income stream for yourself then doing a couple of surveys a month just isn't going to cut it.

You'd be way better off taking that time and using it to creating an internet business. This is exactly what I did and now I make $7,000+ a month.

I followed this brilliant free beginners training course so check it out.

It comes with top-notch training with community support and they'll show you how to legitimately build an online income stream for yourself.

It takes work and patience, but be persistent and the effort you put in will pay you back many times over.

1 thought on “Is Pinecone Research A Scam? A Review Of Its Pros And Cons”

  1. Pinecone Research i only get 1 or 2 surveys a mo th this year. Before the covid19 i used to get 6 surveys a month but didn’t get paid for all of them. I would receive maybe 2 payments.

    Reply

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