On Prolific, rewards play a part in how participants choose between studies. If your reward is too low, your study may fill slowly or attract less engaged participants. If it’s competitive, you’re more likely to recruit faster and get high-quality responses
We enforce a minimum hourly rate of £6 / $8, and recommend paying at least £9 / $12 per hour. However, the right reward for your study depends on several factors, including the effort required, the participants you’re targeting, and the studies currently available to them on Prolific.
To help you decide, you may see an competitive pricing rate during setup, which reflects current marketplace conditions for your selected audience. This is optional and designed to guide your decision, not set it for you.
Use the competitive pricing rate as a guide
During study setup, you may see a competitive pricing rate.
This is AI-powered guidance to help you understand how competitive your reward is, based on what your target audience typically sees and chooses between on the platform. It’s completely optional and you’re always in control of your reward, as long as it meets our minimum hourly rate.
These pricing insights are dynamic and update over time based on marketplace conditions. As participant availability and study demand change, the rate may also change.
The competitive pricing rate reflects:
The average number of studies your selected participants typically have available
The average pay rates of the top paying studies they can choose from
You can use this guidance to:
Understand typical rewards for your selected audience
Compare your study against others targeting similar participants
Make more informed decisions about how much to pay
You can set your reward to any amount, as long as it meets Prolific’s minimum hourly rate.
What else to consider
Alongside pricing insights, you should also take into account:
Your institution’s guidelines
Some institutions set minimum and maximum hourly rates to avoid undue influence or inducement. You may also want to use national minimum wages as a reference point.
The effort required
Consider what participants need to do. More time-consuming or complex tasks, such as video recordings or multi-step activities, should be matched with higher pay.
It’s also important to account for cognitive load. Tasks that require sustained attention, memory, decision-making, or problem-solving can feel more demanding, even if they’re short. Studies that are mentally intensive should be compensated accordingly.
How niche your audience is
If you’re targeting participants with specific or hard-to-find characteristics, you may need to offer a higher reward to encourage participation. Smaller or more in-demand audiences typically have more choice over which studies they take.
Specialised skills
If your study requires specific expertise, such as AI tasking, data annotation, or professional experience, your reward should reflect the value of those skills. Higher rates can help attract participants with the right level of experience.
For specialised audiences accessed through Premium filters (such as qualified AI taskers or verified domain experts), you’ll be shown custom rates aligned with the skillset and demand of those participants instead.
Deciding on a reward is the last step before you can launch your study on Prolific. For further guidance, take a look at the study cost section of our step-by-step guide to setting up a study.