Octopus Group vs PureProfile — the honest head-to-head
Quick disclosure: I'm a member of Octopus Group and have a referral link to them (you get no sign-up bonus from using it). No commercial relationship with PureProfile. Full details on the Octopus review page and about page.
The short version: Octopus and PureProfile are the two strongest paid survey panels for Aussies, and they're closer than most "top 10" lists suggest. Octopus pays slightly more per minute on longer surveys and is the only one offering a consolation payment for screen-outs. PureProfile has noticeably more invitation volume and way better Trustpilot scores. Honest answer for most people: sign up to both. There's no penalty, the surveys barely overlap, and you'll earn more combined than on either one alone.
G'day — Tom here. I'm a member of Octopus but I'm not going to pretend PureProfile is a weak second. It's a legit panel with strengths in areas where Octopus is weaker. Here's the honest side-by-side after weeks of digging through both panels' terms, support docs, Trustpilot reviews, and r/beermoneyAus + Whirlpool discussions. Full sources on the sources page.
Quick comparison at a glance
| Octopus Group | PureProfile | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay rate | $0.28/min flat | ~$0.28/min on short surveys, lower on longer ones |
| Invitations per week (typical) | ~3–6 | ~5–10 |
| Screen-out rate | ~40–60% (industry-typical) | ~40–60% (industry-typical) |
| Screen-out consolation | $0.10 per screen-out | Nothing |
| Minimum cashout | $20 | $20 |
| Payout methods | EFT to AU bank, e-gift cards | PayPal, bank transfer, gift cards, Rewards Card |
| Payout window | Up to 28 days (often within a week) | Similar |
| Trustpilot AU rating | ~2.1/5 | ~4.2/5 (2,000+ reviews) |
| AU/NZ exclusive? | Yes | No (global, strong AU presence) |
| Age minimum | 15 (with parent consent if under 18) | 18 |
Pay rate — Octopus wins, slightly
Octopus is a flat $0.28 per minute across the board. A 10-minute survey pays $2.80, a 20-minute one pays $5.60.
PureProfile publishes varying per-survey rates depending on length. Reported figures: $1.40 for a 5-minute survey ($0.28/min — matching Octopus), $2.80 for a 10-minute survey ($0.28/min — matching Octopus), with longer surveys dropping slightly to $3.50–$4.00 for 15-minute surveys and $4.50–$5.50 for 20-minute ones (working out to $0.23–$0.27/min).
In practice: short surveys are a tie. Longer surveys favour Octopus's flat rate. Across a typical mix, Octopus edges ahead on per-minute pay — real but not dramatic.
Winner on pay rate: Octopus, by a small margin.
Invitation volume — PureProfile wins clearly
This is where the gap opens up. Members on r/beermoneyAus, Whirlpool, and OzBargain consistently say:
- Octopus Group: ~3–6 invitations per week for an established member, with the odd dead week and the odd busy one (8–10)
- PureProfile: ~5–10 invitations per week, with fewer dead weeks and occasional very busy ones (15+)
The reason: PureProfile is the longest-running and largest mainstream AU consumer panel, with more clients pushing more surveys through their system. Octopus is more selective — fewer surveys, but each one is generally better paid. Across a month, PureProfile typically generates 50–80% more earning opportunities than Octopus, even with the slightly lower per-minute rate on longer surveys.
Winner on volume: PureProfile, clearly.
Screen-outs and the little $0.10 thing that matters
Both panels have similar industry-typical screen-out rates (roughly 40–60% of attempted surveys), because that's determined by the market research clients' demographic filters, not the panel itself. (See the screen-out page for how this actually works.)
Where they differ is what happens after a screen-out:
- Octopus Group: Pays $0.10 for every screen-out, per their support docs
- PureProfile: Nothing
Ten cents is nothing in isolation, but members say the cumulative effect over a year of casual use is $15–25 in bonus earnings on Octopus that just don't exist on PureProfile. And the psychological effect is bigger than the cash — getting something for a screen-out takes the sting out of it, whereas getting nothing feels extractive.
Winner on screen-outs: Octopus.
Payouts
Both have a $20 minimum cashout and process within a 28-day window per the docs, though members say both typically arrive within a week.
Octopus does direct EFT to Aussie bank accounts and digital gift cards from a range of retailers. Simple, no third-party payment processor.
PureProfile is more flexible: PayPal, direct bank transfer, gift cards (Coles, Amazon AU, and others), and the PureProfile Rewards Card. PayPal is convenient if you're consolidating earnings from multiple panels, though members say PayPal availability for AU PureProfile members has been on-and-off historically — worth checking before relying on it.
Winner on payouts: PureProfile on variety, Octopus on simplicity. Tie.
Trustpilot — PureProfile wins, but read this before overreacting
The Trustpilot AU ratings:
- Octopus Group: ~2.1/5
- PureProfile: ~4.2/5 (over 2,000 reviews)
Here's the honest caveat though: every survey panel has a review-bias problem. Happy members rarely write Trustpilot reviews; frustrated ones (especially those who got suspended near a cashout threshold) write one-star rants. This drags every panel's rating down, but Octopus seems to get hit harder because their enforcement is stricter — tighter rules on multi-accounts, VPN use, and respondent quality. More bans = more angry reviews. (I go into this more on the "are surveys legit" page.)
The gap is still real and worth flagging. PureProfile genuinely has happier members on the whole. But "Octopus is 2.1 therefore Octopus is bad" is too simple a reading.
Winner on sentiment: PureProfile.
Can you just join both?
Yes — and honestly, you should. Both panels' terms allow multi-panel membership. Most serious beermoney users are on both simultaneously. The surveys from Octopus and PureProfile barely overlap because different market research clients use different panels, so stacking memberships stacks earning opportunities.
Downsides are minor:
- More emails in your inbox (fix with a filter)
- Two profile questionnaires to fill out at signup (one-time pain)
- Two separate cashout balances to track ($20 each)
None of those are actual problems. For most people, dual membership is the smart play.
Who each panel suits best
Octopus Group is the better fit if you:
- Want the highest per-minute pay rate, especially on longer surveys
- Want that $0.10 screen-out consolation
- Want direct bank transfers over PayPal
- Are 15–17 years old (Octopus accepts 15+ with parent consent; PureProfile is 18+)
- Want a smaller, Aussie-owned panel
PureProfile is the better fit if you:
- Prioritise invitation volume over per-minute pay
- Want PayPal so you can consolidate with other earnings
- Care a lot about community sentiment scores
- Want a wider variety of survey topics
Both panels together is the right call if you:
- Actually want to maximise your paid survey earnings
- Can be bothered maintaining two profiles and tracking two balances
The verdict
If I had to pick just one, I'd pick Octopus Group — and I have. The highest per-minute rate and the screen-out consolation are real advantages, and they're what keep me there. But the margin is narrow enough that PureProfile is a completely valid choice, and on pure monthly dollars earned PureProfile sometimes outperforms Octopus because of the volume difference.
Honestly? The best answer isn't either/or. Sign up to both. The combined earnings beat either panel alone, the maintenance cost is nothing, and you lose nothing by doing it.
Ready to sign up to Octopus? It's the one I use — $0.28/min, cash to your bank at $20, the screen-out consolation. Takes about 5 minutes to join.
Referral link — no sign-up bonus either way, and you can go direct at octopusgroup.com.au if you prefer. More on why I use this link.
For the full Octopus Group review (including the $25 referral details and the honest downsides), see the Octopus Group review page. For the broader comparison including every major AU panel, see Best Paid Survey Sites in Australia.
Nothing on this page is financial, legal, or tax advice — just one bloke's take after a lot of research.