Website testing for money: how much it pays and how to start from Lithuania

Website and app testing is the only way of “earning with your phone” in which time is paid for much like work. Companies want to see how a real person uses their website: where they go wrong, what they cannot find, what annoys them. For completing a few tasks and saying out loud what you think, platforms say they pay from 3 to 30 US dollars per test.

The bad news is that you cannot choose tests or “work more”: they go to those who match the profile the client is looking for. This part of the guide covers how testing works, what the platforms themselves publish about pay, payouts and countries, and what it takes for your test to be paid.

How a test works

1. You register and fill in your profile: age, country, languages, devices, interests, field of work. The platform uses it to select who to send tests to.
2. You pass the qualification test. It checks whether your microphone works and whether you can express your thoughts clearly while completing tasks. It is not paid.
3. You receive an invitation. It may contain additional requirements from the client, for example that you must be a Facebook user. If you do not meet them, you should not take the test.
4. You complete the tasks. For example: “find a flight to London next Friday”, “register”, “find the return policy”. You do everything while commenting aloud: what you see, what you expect, what is unclear.
5. You answer the closing questions in writing or orally.
6. The client reviews the recording and approves it. Only an approved test is paid.

There is also another kind – bug testing: you look for what does not work on a website or in an app and describe the bug in a set format. Here you are paid not for time but for each unique bug found.

What the platforms publish: pay, payouts, countries

The table contains only what the platforms themselves publish in their help pages; terms change, so check before registering. Testbirds also gives a benchmark: working at a normal pace, you earn about 10 euros an hour or more.

How many tests you can realistically get

Userfeel answers this question most candidly: you may get five tests a day, or you may get none for a whole year. The number of tests depends on two things.

• Your profile. Clients look for specific people – for example, parents aged 30–45 in Germany who shop online, or small business owners who do their own bookkeeping. Tests are assigned only to those who meet the criteria, so a detailed profile increases your chances.
• Your rating. Clients rate every paid test; the better the rating, the more tests the platform assigns you.

For a resident of Lithuania language matters too. The platforms' clients mostly look for participants from large markets – UserTesting's standard network covers just seven countries – so you should expect most invitations to be in English, if you state in your profile that you speak it fluently. The platforms do not promise tests in Lithuanian. In practice this means that testing is extra income for those who speak English fluently and clearly.

What you need to get started

• A device with a microphone. Userfeel requires a computer with Windows 10 or later or a Mac, or a phone or tablet. The microphone can be built in.
• A quiet environment and a stable internet connection – the client has to hear clearly what you are saying.
• A PayPal account in your name or a bank account for SEPA transfers.
• A taxpayer identification number – Testbirds does not pay out earnings without it.
• Patience. Weeks pass between registration and the first money in your account: qualification, waiting for an invitation, approval, the payout cycle.

How to do a test so that it gets paid

The platforms themselves list what clients withdraw payment for. UserTesting names the three most common reasons: the tester did not meet the client's requirements but took the test anyway; skipped some of the tasks; the recording was short and superficial – clients on average expect a recording of about 15 minutes. Testbirds adds what kind of feedback is expected; the first two examples in the table follow that platform's guidelines.

• Keep talking. The client is buying your thoughts, not your clicks.
• Explain the “why”. Back up every judgement with a specific example from the screen.
• Do not lie in the screening. If you do not meet the requirements, skip the test – otherwise you risk both the payment and your rating.
• Complete all the tasks in order, even if one of them fails: say that it failed and why.

Taxes

Payment for tests is income. The State Tax Inspectorate (VMI) states that a permanent resident of Lithuania must list in the annual return all income received in Lithuania and in foreign countries, except for non-taxable income that does not have to be declared. The platforms also report payouts themselves: Testbirds states that under the EU directive DAC7 it must pass on to tax administrators the tester's name, address, date of birth, taxpayer number and the amounts received each quarter.

If you test regularly, the activity has to be formalised. Which form suits you is explained in the ACS.lt article “Self-employment: certificate or business certificate”.

When tests are not enough

Testing pays fairly, but how much you earn is decided by the platform. If you want the result to depend on you, the same skill – explaining clearly what is good about a product and who it suits – can be used to recommend products with an affiliate link.

Frequently asked questions