This explanatory study confirmed significant variability in recruitment success, quality, and cost across multiple Web-based survey research platforms and social media recruitment strategies. With one exception (mTurk), we observed an inverse relationship between cost per completed survey and number of surveys completed; sample characteristics also varied by platform. We procured higher quality samples from portals that prescreened respondents for us (Soapbox and Qualtrics Panel) vs platforms that draw from a larger pool of potential respondents (mTurk and Reddit). The results of these recruitment efforts suggest that it remains challenging to strike an optimal balance between quality and quantity when recruiting hard-to-reach subjects through Web-based platforms.