# Mapier Persona — paid research studies over iMessage

**Paid studies, answered over iMessage.**

Mapier Persona is where researchers run short studies and participants answer them from the phone they already hold. Run research, or take studies and get paid.

[Index for agents](https://persona.mapier.ai/llms.txt)

### Run research

For researchers. Build a study and recruit real people to answer it. Answers arrive in Messages; you review every submission and pay per completed response.

- [Book a demo](https://cal.com/mapier-homin/30min)

### Take studies

For participants. Answer short, paid studies from your phone. See what each study pays before you start; the reward goes to your payout email.

- Participant sign-up opens soon.
- US · 18+ (19 in AL and NE, 21 in MS) · iPhone with iMessage · one phone per person

## One study, both ends of the thread

A researcher launches from the console; a participant answers in Messages. This is the same study from both sides, in the order it happens.

### The thread, as the participant reads it

Mapier Research: Hi Jess, it’s Mapier Research. You’re invited to “Getting around town” from Quillbrook Mobility Lab. It takes about 10 min and pays $2. Taking part is voluntary.
Mapier Research: Consent form: Your study link (a link) Reply AGREE to take part, or STOP to opt out.
You: AGREE
Mapier Research: Q1. How often do you ride an e-scooter? Choose one.
  - Never
  - A few times a year
  - Monthly
  - Weekly or more
You: Monthly

1. **Build** (Researcher): Start from a template, a Qualtrics or Word import, or a blank page. Multiple choice, matrix, text entry, sliders, text and graphics, timing; blocks, logic, randomizers and conditions.
2. **Recruit** (Researcher): Filters from the catalogue, or plain language turned into filters; exclusions. Set the reward by the hour. The eligible count and the fill-time estimate update as you go, and the estimate is never a promise.
3. **Launch** (Both): The balance reserves places times the reward and the fee. Launch now, schedule, or soft launch. The invite reaches participants from Mapier Research, with the title, the time, the pay and a consent link; they reply AGREE.
4. **Answer** (Participant): Multiple choice arrives as a poll once you have replied, otherwise a numbered list; sliders by number; matrix, slider and media on a web page when the study chose it. One reminder, then the study closes on its own. STOP always works.
5. **Review and pay** (Both): Approve or reject with a reason; rejecting frees the place and pays nothing. Results by condition; export CSV, TSV, Excel or SPSS, never a phone number. The participant reads “Your reward is on its way.”, and the reward goes to their payout email.

## Build a study the way you already do

Templates, a Qualtrics import or a blank page; the item types and logic a Qualtrics user expects; a console that reserves funds at launch and pays participants on your approval.

- **Builder**: Multiple choice, matrix tables, text entry with validation, a slider with an NPS preset, text and graphics, timing. Display and skip logic, branches, embedded data, randomizers, counterbalancing, typed endings. Qualtrics files in and out, Word in.
- **Audience**: A catalogue of filters, or plain language turned into filter chips with reasons. Exclude past participants, allow and block lists, a gender-balanced sample. Health, race, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender identity and immigration status are never targetable.
- **Preview and test**: The real flow engine with a trace. Send the study to your own phone. Generate test responses. Share an anonymous preview link.
- **Review and pay on approval**: Advisory flags: fast, attention check, straightlining, speeding, gibberish, partial, possible duplicate. Approve by row or by pasted IDs; reject with a reason; pay bonuses; message participants without ever seeing who they are.
- **Results and exports**: Break results out by condition, randomizer or profile field. Charts per question, a summary and themes for free text. CSV, TSV, Excel or SPSS, with a codebook or the Qualtrics header. Never a phone number.
- **Billing for grants**: A prepaid balance by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or invoice and bank transfer. Grant codes on every transaction, receipts as PDF and CSV. Share a study as owner, editor or viewer; collaborators never see the balance.

## Why iMessage

The thread is the product, so most of what makes the data good is built into how a text works. Nothing here is a rate or a count: each line is a rule the product enforces.

### For participants

- Nothing to install and no app to open. A study arrives in Messages. (studies are delivered over iMessage; the account page is optional)
- Multiple choice arrives as a native poll once you have replied, otherwise a numbered list. Sliders are a number. (polls after the first reply; a numbered list as the fallback)
- A voice memo is transcribed, an edited message is re-read, and several quick texts count as one answer. (transcription, re-parsing on edit, a short hold on bursts)
- Invites only between 9:00 and 20:00 your local time, one reminder, then the study closes on its own. Replies to your own texts come at any hour. (the send window gates invites and reminders only)
- One thread for every study, always from Mapier Research. (a person stays on one line)
- STOP and HELP work at every step. (opt-out and help are answered in every state)

### For researchers

- Reply time is measured from the phone’s own send time, so the speeding flag reads the real pace. (timing from the message’s send time; speeding is an advisory flag)
- One phone is one participant, and every number is checked for iMessage before an invite goes out. (one account per number; a reachability check before each invite)
- You never see a phone number. IDs are pseudonyms per workspace; exports carry none. (IDs never derived from the phone; exports exclude numbers)
- Links you write into a study are refused, and a workspace’s first studies and any media are read by a person before launch. (a content check, then a review of early studies and all media)
- You choose the channel per study: polls in the thread, or a web page for matrix, slider and media questions. (two answer channels; the page renders what a bubble cannot)
- The fill-time estimate is an estimate, never a promise. (no measured fill time exists; the console says so)

- **Taps as answers**: One question from the example study, answered with a tap on a poll.
- **The reply-time ruler**: The pace of an answer is read off the phone’s clock, and a suspiciously quick one is flagged for you.
- **One phone, one person**: A number is checked for iMessage before anyone is invited, and researchers see an ID in its place.
- **Phone or page, per study**: A poll in the thread, or a page from the thread for a grid, a slider or a picture.

### What iMessage can’t do here

- United States only, in English.
- iPhone with iMessage only: no SMS, RCS or Android fallback.
- The first message to a new number is plain text with no link.
- Polls arrive only after the person has replied once.
- No slider or matrix inside iMessage; the study’s web page carries them.
- Media goes out as a link.
- No photo or video answers.
- Messages sent over the line are kept on the Mapier platform.

## Get paid for short studies, in Messages

Studies come to you in Messages. Answer in a few minutes, on your own time, and see what each study pays before you start.

- **What a study looks like**: An invite names the study, how long it takes and what it pays. Reply AGREE to take part, or ignore it.
- **How you answer**: A tap on a poll, a number, or a few words. A voice memo is transcribed; edit a message and we read the new one; several quick texts count as one answer.
- **When we text**: Invites between 9:00 and 20:00 your local time. One reminder, then the study closes on its own. Replies to your own texts come at any hour. STOP any time.
- **Getting paid**: The reward is shown before you start, and researchers must pay at least $8 an hour. After the researcher approves your answers, the reward goes to your payout email, each study paid on its own. A smaller payment if a study screens you out early.
- **Who can join**: A US iPhone number that can receive iMessage. 18 or older (19 in Alabama, 19 in Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi). One phone per person. We ask your legal name, date of birth and state, never a document.
- **Finishing in your browser**: Your link opens the sign-up: sign in with Mapier, confirm your details, agree to the terms, add a payout email, answer a short profile.

### What the button does

You: JOIN
Mapier Research: Hi, this is Mapier Research. We run paid surveys over iMessage. Reply JOIN for a sign-up link, or STOP to opt out.
You: JOIN
Mapier Research: Great! Sign up in your browser:
Mapier Research: Your sign-up link (a link)

The first reply is always a plain text with no link. Reply JOIN again and the link arrives.

### Participant sign-up opens soon

We’ll open texting here when it’s ready; nothing to leave us meanwhile. Nothing is collected from this page until then.

Sign-up steps: Phone · About you · Consent · Payout email · Your profile · Confirmation.

### What you need

- Live in the United States
- Be 18 or older (19 in Alabama, 19 in Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi)
- Use an iPhone that can receive iMessage
- One phone per person
- No document check

## Pay per completed response

A platform fee of 40% on the participant reward, 30% for .edu-verified academics. No subscription. We cover card processing fees.

### Pay as you go

For labs, teams and anyone with a question for real people.

- A 40% platform fee on the participant reward; 30% once your workspace is .edu-verified
- The fee applies to rewards, screen-out pay and bonuses alike
- Rewards set by the hour: at least $8/hr, $12/hr recommended
- Pay per completed response; a rejected response pays nothing; unused funds return to your balance
- No subscription, no seats
- Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or invoice and bank transfer; we cover card processing fees
- Grant codes and receipts for every transaction

### What you earn

The reward and its hourly rate, shown before you start.

- Researchers must pay at least $8 an hour; we recommend $12
- After the researcher approves your answers, the reward goes to your payout email
- Automatic review is the default; a hand-reviewed study is approved within 7 days
- Each approved study is paid on its own, so there is no balance to build and no minimum
- A smaller payment if a study screens you out early

### A worked example

200 responses to a 10-minute study at $12/hr, so $2 each.

| Line | Standard | .edu-verified |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 200 × $2 reward | $400 | $400 |
| Platform fee | $160 (40%) | $120 (30%) |
| Total | $560 | $520 |
| Per completed response | $2.80 per completed response | $2.60 per completed response |

Mapier covers card processing fees.

### Platform fee, as each site states it

| Platform | Standard fee | Academic fee | Charged on | Minimum pay | Recommended pay | Where participants answer | How a participant joins | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mapier Persona | 40% | 30% | of the participant reward; the academic rate for .edu-verified workspaces | $8/hr (a study below it cannot launch) | $12/hr (recommended) | iMessage, or a web page opened from the thread | text JOIN or sign up on the web; no document check | this page |
| Prolific | 42.8% | 33.3% | platform fee, “usually”; the page does not say what it is charged on | $8/hr (minimum allowed) | $12/hr (recommended) | a web dashboard; a browser extension for alerts | a queue, then a photo-ID check before the first study | [https://www.prolific.com/pricing](https://www.prolific.com/pricing), read 2026-11-02 |
| CloudResearch Connect | 40% | 25% | of participant pay; the academic rate for academic and non-profit accounts | $7.50/hr (recommended floor) | $10/hr (the average the page states) | a web dashboard; email, text alerts by opt-in | a web form, then a photo-ID check to keep taking studies | [https://www.cloudresearch.com/cloudresearch-connect-faqs](https://www.cloudresearch.com/cloudresearch-connect-faqs), read 2026-11-02 |

Competitor figures are as their own pages stated them on the date shown. On the academic rate Persona is below Prolific and above CloudResearch; on the standard rate it is below Prolific and level with CloudResearch.

Prices in US dollars. Researchers: book a demo and we set your workspace up with you.

## Who sees what

Researchers get answers and a pseudonymous ID. Phone numbers stay on our side of the line.

- Researchers never see a participant’s phone number, name or email, and exports never carry one.
- A participant’s ID is a pseudonym per workspace, never derived from the phone.
- One Mapier sign-in works for both sides; signing out of Persona signs you out of Mapier.
- STOP opts out of every message; HELP answers with support and the privacy notice.
- Links a researcher writes into a study are refused; a workspace’s first studies and any media are read by a person.
- Ethics review is yours: attach your institution’s consent form to the study, and the thread links it before anyone replies AGREE.

### Compliance, in progress

We don't hold SOC 2 or HIPAA attestations today, and we won't imply we do. Both are in progress — if procurement needs one, talk to us (hello@mapier.ai) before you build.

- **SOC 2**: In progress. Ask us for the current timeline.
- **HIPAA**: In progress. Ask us before you build a healthcare flow.
- **Security review**: On request. A questionnaire and an architecture walkthrough, for a team that needs one.
- **DPA**: On request. A data processing agreement and the sub-processor list, for a team that needs one.

## Questions from both sides

### Who answers my study, and how do you know they are real people?

US adults with an iPhone, one account per phone number. Every number is checked for iMessage before it is invited, and a participant gives a legal name and date of birth at sign-up. We do not check a document, and we say so.

### How fast will my study fill, and do you guarantee it?

The console shows an eligible count and a fill-time estimate as you set the audience and the reward. It is an estimate: nothing on this page or in the product promises a time, and a study you fund is paid out only for completed responses.

### What can a study ask in iMessage, and what moves to the web page?

In the thread: multiple choice as a poll (after the person has replied once), text, numbers for a slider, and media as a link. Matrix tables, a slider you drag, timing and pictures render on a web page the thread opens, when you choose that channel for the study.

### Can I import my Qualtrics survey, and export the data to SPSS?

Yes. A Qualtrics file imports with its blocks, flow and embedded data, and exports back out. Data exports as CSV, TSV, Excel or SPSS, with a codebook or the Qualtrics header, values or labels.

### How do I pay, and what does one response cost?

You set the reward by the hour, at least $8; we recommend $12. The platform fee is 40% of the reward, 30% for an .edu-verified workspace. A 10-minute study at the recommended rate pays $2 and costs you $2.80 per completed response. You fund a prepaid balance by card or invoice, and unused funds come back.

### Do I ever see a participant’s phone number?

No. You see a pseudonymous ID per workspace, the answers, and the flags. Messages you send to a participant go through the thread without showing you the number.

### Who reads my study before it goes live?

An automated check first; then a person reads a workspace’s first studies and any media. Links you write into a study are refused, because the line’s reputation is shared by everyone on it.

### Is Mapier Persona legit, and who is texting me?

Mapier Persona is run by Mapier Labs in San Francisco. The sender you see is Mapier Research. You are never asked to pay anything, and STOP always works.

### Who can take studies?

Adults in the United States (18 or older; 19 in Alabama, 19 in Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi) with an iPhone that can receive iMessage, one phone per person.

### How do I join, and why do I have to text JOIN twice?

Text the line from your iPhone. The first reply is a short message with no link, so that a stray text never gets a link back; reply JOIN and the link arrives. It opens the sign-up in your browser: sign in with Mapier, confirm your details, agree to the terms, add a payout email. If a link expired, text JOIN on its own.

### How and when do I get paid?

Each study shows its reward before you start. After the researcher approves your answers, the reward is sent to your payout email, each study on its own. Automatic review is the default; a hand-reviewed study is approved within 7 days.

### I have an Android phone, or a Mac. Can I join?

Studies arrive over iMessage, so you need an iPhone that can receive it. A Mac that sends from an Apple ID email gets no reply, and an Android phone cannot be reached at all.

### I texted the number and nothing came back. Why?

Three usual reasons: the phone sent the text without iMessage, the message came from an Apple ID email address rather than a phone number, or you reached the day’s limit for texts to one number. If your link expired, text JOIN on its own.

## Start on either side of the thread.

Book a demo, or read how taking studies works.

- [Book a demo](https://cal.com/mapier-homin/30min)
- Participant sign-up opens soon.