Make Money While You Sleep

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Best Investment Apps for Passive Income

Acorns

Invest your spare change in a diversified portfolio built by experts

Expect up to 7.5% annually returns with plans starting from $3 a month

Earn bonus investments from 350+ Acorns Earn partners

Fundrise

Invest in real estate properties with a $10 minimum initial investment

Historical annual return varies from 8.8% to 12.4% (2019 – 9.47%)

Low annual fees: advisory – 0.15%; management fee – 0.85%

Public App

Invest in stocks and funds from $1 (no membership or commission fees)

Over 5000 stocks and ETFs to choose from (dividend stocks available)

Follow other investors, see their portfolios, and exchange ideas

30 Passive Income Ideas

Watching Videos with Swagbucks

(Earn between $0.02 to $0.03 per video ad you watch)

Swagbucks Summary

• 18 ways to earn money and e-gift cards
• $5 sign up bonus
• Up to 10% cashback when shopping online
• $1 minimum e-gift card withdrawal

Swagbucks is one of the most popular online rewards platforms you can join to earn passive income.

The platform offers 18 different ways for you to earn money, including:

• Inviting friends
• Printing coupons
• Shopping online
• Playing games
• Answering surveys
• And many more

In addition, you can also earn money by watching videos. On average, each video will pay you between $0.02 to $0.03. Although this may not seem like much, you can simply leave the video running in the background on your computer.

Thus, since you do not have to actively do anything, watching videos with Swagbucks can be one of the best ideas to earn a passive income while you use your computer.

Investing in Real Estate with Fundrise

(Earn average annual returns of between 8% to 12%)

Fundrise Summary

• Low minimum starting investment of $10
• High historical returns of 8.8% to 12.4%
• 0.15% advisory 0.85% management fees
• Diverse portfolios of up to 16 investments

Investing in real estate is one of the most lucrative ideas to start earning a passive income. Most real estate investors invest in both commercial and residential properties, either selling them for a profit or renting them out.

However, most people cannot invest in real estate due to the high upfront costs. Thus, for such individuals, Fundrise offers a great way to start investing in property without breaking the bank.

The platform offers crowdfunded investment opportunities, and you can start investing in real estate with just $500. In addition, real estate investments on the platform are also specifically selected for their quality. Thus, you can expect to earn average annual returns of between 8% to 12%.

Nonetheless, do note that investing carries risks, and there is always a chance that your investments may not perform well.

Writing a Book or eBook with Amazon

(Earn between 50% to 70% of the price of your book in royalties)

If you are interested in writing or have a story to tell, you can turn it into a source of passive income by writing a book or eBook.

Amazon offers a program known as Kindle Direct Publishing, which allows you to self-publish your book or eBook. You will not need to have any inventory on hand. Instead, Amazon will print your book on-demand each time someone purchases it. If it is an eBook, Amazon will make it available for download after someone purchases it.

In general, you can expect to earn between 50% to 70% of the price you charge for your book in royalties.

Investing in Stocks with Stash

(Earn over 10% average annual returns on your investments)

Stash Summary

• Start investing from as little as $5
• Buy fractional shares from just 0.05%
• Low monthly fee of just $1 for beginners
• Free insurance coverage of up to $10,000

Investing is one of the oldest, tried-and-tested passive income ideas available on the market. Many of the world’s richest people built their wealth on investing, and it is a great way to multiply your money.

If you are new to investing, Stash is one of the best investment apps for you. Stash is a multi-purpose personal finance app that enables small-time retail investors to invest in stocks with as little as just $5. In addition, the app also provides market analysis and news to help beginners pick the right stocks to invest in.

If you are still unsure about what to invest in, you can simply invest in the S&P 500. This index has had a consistent return of over 10% for the past few decades, making it one of the best investment ideas for investors looking to generate a passive income.

Nonetheless, do note that investing carries risks, and there is always a chance that your investments may not perform well.

Losing Weight with HealthyWage

(Earn up to $1000 or more with an initial wager of just $100)

Healthy Wage Summary

• Meet your weight loss goal and win cash
• Win up to $10,000 from challenges
• Low minimum wager amount of just $100
• Join up to 10 challenges at once

Although this may not immediately come to mind when you think of passive income ideas, losing weight can be a great way to earn some extra cash thanks to apps like HealthyWage. HealthyWage is one of the best apps that will pay you to lose weight.

The amount you earn from HealthyWage will vary depending on how much you bet. Your initial wager must be at least $100, and you can use the prize calculator on the HealthyWage website to estimate your potential earnings.

However, do note that you will forfeit your wager if you fail to meet your weight loss target. Additionally, it may also be hard to keep earning money in the long run after you have lost a certain amount of weight.

Participating in a Research Study with Respondent

(Earn up to $700 per research study)

Respondent Summary

• Earn up to $700 per hour for your opinion
• Get between $20 to $50 for each referral
• Get paid even if the study is cancelled
• Get paid via PayPal, usually within 5 days

Respondent is one of the leading market research companies in the world. The platform offers research studies that anyone can join. Although most research studies on the platform require just one to two days of active participation, others require passive participation over a longer time.

An example of such a research study would be sleep studies, where scientists track your sleep patterns over up to one year. Thus, if you manage to get accepted as a participant in one of these passive studies, you can earn a decent source of passive income.

Respondent offers studies that pay up to $700 each, making it a great platform to earn some money on the side.

Reducing Your Bills with Truebill

(Save an average of $96 per year)

Truebill Summary

• No upfront costs for the free plan
• Save an average of $96 per year or more
• 5+ different ways to help you save money
• Save money by canceling subscriptions

Truebill is a platform that will help you save money on your bills and subscriptions. You can link your bank account to the app, which will identify any unused subscriptions that you may have and cancel them for you.

In addition, the company can also help you renegotiate your bills with your service providers such as your utility company. The platform does not charge anything if they do not manage to help you save anything. If it helps you save money on your bills, Truebill will keep 40% of the savings that it helped you get.

On average, its users save an average of $96 per year. Thus, Truebill can be a great way to reduce your spending and free up more cash for other expenses. In addition, you do not need to pay any fees upfront, making it one of the most risk-free passive income ideas on this list.

Sharing Your Internet with Honeygain

(Earn $1 for every 10GB of data that you share)

Honeygain Summary

• Earn $1 for every 10GB of data shared
• Get $5 for each person you refer
• Maximize earnings with more IP addresses
• 2 payment options – PayPal and Bitcoin

Honeygain is a great app that enables you to share your internet data with internet companies in exchange for cash. Companies do this to gather market data about how their content and services appear in different locations.

You can earn $1 for every 10GB of data you share. However, this passive income idea may be more suitable for people with unlimited internet data plans. If you have a limited data plan, your cost of sharing your data may exceed the amount you can earn.

Creating an Online Course with Udemy

(Earn up to $150 each time someone purchases your course)

Udemy Summary

• Wide target audience of learners
• Earn passive income from your courses
• Get your payments within 1 to 2 days
• Short minimum course duration (30 min)

If you are passionate about a particular skill or subject, you could create video courses and sell them on platforms such as Udemy. The platform has over 35 million students around the world, and you can earn up to $150 each time someone buys your course.

Your actual earnings will depend on the price you charge for your course and the number of times that it is purchased.

There are 13 different categories on Udemy you can create courses for, including:

• Finance & accounting
• Business 
• Marketing & sales
• IT & software
• Development 
• Photography & video
• Music
• Health & Fitness
• Lifestyle
• Design
• Personal development
• Office productivity
• Teaching & academics

Renting Out Your Property on Airbnb

(Earn up to $1000 per month or more)

AirBnb Summary

• Over 150 million users worldwide
• Earn an average of $924 per month
• Rent out your property whenever you want
• Quick turnaround time for payouts

Most passive income investors consider real estate to be one of the best things you can invest in. If you own an extra property, a holiday home, or have an extra room in your house, renting it out on Airbnb is one of the best ideas to turn it into a source of passive income.

Airbnb is a hugely popular platform for short-term renters and holiday travelers. When you rent your property through Airbnb, the platform handles most things for you. They also offer built-in messaging and calendar apps so you can communicate directly with renters and manage your bookings flawlessly. 

In addition, the platform also processes payments, ensuring that you receive payment for your property. Depending on the size and location of your property, you can stand to earn up to $1000 per month or more by renting it out.

Renting Your Storage Space with Neighbor

(Earn up to $600 per month by renting out your garage)

Neighbor Summary

• Earn up to $600 per month renting a garage
• 48 hours to screen potential renters
• Get 1 payment at the end of each month
• $1 million free coverage for hosts

Neighbor is one of the peer-to-peer self-storage rental platforms in the US. If you have some extra space on your property, you can rent it out to other people in your local area for storing their things. You can rent out almost any sort of storage space, and your earnings may vary according to the type of space you rent out.

The platform also offers up to $1 million in liability insurance coverage. You will receive your earnings at the end of each month, via bank transfer or credit card.

Renting Out Your Stuff on FriendWithA

(Earn up to $1000 per month depending on what you rent out)

FriendWithA Summary

• Outstanding 24/7 customer service
• $10,000 damage protection insurance
• Relatively low fees of 10% per rental
• Earn up to $1000 per month from rentals

If you have some spare gear or equipment that you do not regularly use, you can also rent it out on FriendWithA to earn extra income.

You can rent out almost anything you want on the platform, including:

• Outdoor backpacks
• Climbing equipment
• Cameras
• Lawn care tools
• And many more

In addition, it is also free to list your items for rent on the platform, and it only charges a 10% fee if you manage to rent out your item. Depending on the type of stuff that you rent out on the platform, you can potentially earn up to $1000 per month.

Investing in Dividend-Paying Stocks with Rocket Dollar

(Earn between 2% to 4% returns per year)

Rocket Dollar Summary

• Low monthly account fees from just $15
• 30-day money back guarantee policy
• Invest in over 7 different asset classes
• No minimum initial investment sum required

Rocket Dollar is a leading investment app that specializes in retirement investing. If you want to retire early, you can consider investing in dividend-paying stocks on the platform.

A dividend is a payment that a company makes to each of its shareholders. The company typically makes this payment using any profits that it has earned that year.

On average, the top dividend-paying stocks in the market pay between 2% to 4% dividends per year. This means that you will receive a cash payout equivalent to 2% to 4% of your investment capital each year.

Nonetheless, do note that investing carries risks, and there is always a chance that your investments may not perform well.

Earning Cashback with Ibotta

(Earn up to 15% cashback at over 1500 merchants)

Ibotta Summary

• 2 ways to earn – app or browser extension
• Earn up to 30% cash back on purchases
• Get a $5 bonus by referring friends
• Over 1500 stores you can earn cash back at

Ibotta is one of the most generous cashback rewards programs in the US. You can earn up to 15% cashback on both your in-person and online purchases at affiliated merchants.

In addition, Ibotta partners with over 1500 merchants that offer you cashback, including:

• Walmart
• Groupon
• Macy’s
• The Body Shop
• Sephora
• Udemy

You do not have to do anything to earn cashback apart from paying with a linked card. If you purchase something in person, all you have to do is to upload the receipt onto the app. Thus, this makes earning cashback with Ibotta one of the easiest ways to earn a passive income.

Once you have accumulated at least $20 in earnings, you can withdraw your earnings via PayPal, bank transfer, or gift card.

Advertisement on Your Car with Wrapify

(Earn between $100 to $400 per month)

Wrapify Summary

• Get up to $452 per month of passive income
• Ad campaigns last between 1 to 6 months
• $0.20 payment for every mile you travel
• 4 wrapping options to choose from

If you have a car that you drive regularly, one of the best ideas to turn it into a source of passive income is by wrapping it with advertisements. Companies such as Wrapify will pay you to wrap your car with ads, transforming it into a mobile advertising board.

Here is an explanation of how the process works:

1. Download the Wrapify app on your iPhone or Android and apply for an available campaign in your area.
2. Wrapify will place an advertising banner on your car.
3. Activate the Wrapify app when you start your car to track your driving time.
4. Earn money based on the number of hours that you drive your car.

In addition, you can also wrap your vehicle if you are a rideshare driver for Uber or Lyft. Thus, this makes it one of the best ways for you to maximize your earnings as a rideshare driver.

Starting a Print on Demand Online Store with Etsy

(Low transaction fees of just 5% of the sale price)

Etsy Summary

• Easy to set up & maintain your store
• Market to a large audience – 45+ million active Etsy buyers
• Built-in analytics to analyze your performance & make data-driven decisions
• No shop fees

A print-on-demand (POD) business model is also one that does not require you to hold an inventory.

Print on demand is a business model where you promote customized products for sale on your website or other channels. When a customer places an order, you place an order for the customized product from your supplier and instruct them to ship it directly to your buyer.

Here are some of the items that you can sell using a POD business model:

• T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies
• Tote bags
• Phone cases
• Hats
• Notebooks
• Mugs
• Stickers
• And many more

One of the best suppliers you can use for your POD store is Printify. The website allows you to store your custom designs and create mockups. Once you have created mockups of your product, you can set up an Etsy store to sell your products to a global audience.

Selling Your Photos on Foap

(Earn $5 each time someone purchases a photo from you)

Foap Summary

• Earn $5 for every photo that you sell
• Earn up to $200 from Foap Missions
• No need to be a professional photographer
• Low minimum withdrawal threshold of $5

If you enjoy taking photos in your free time or if you are a professional photographer, you can sell your photos on Foap to earn some extra income.

The platform enables users to upload their photos for others to browse and purchase. Each time someone buys a photo that you own, you will earn $5 in commissions.

In addition, one of the best features of the platform is that you can sell each photo multiple times. Thus, if you take a photo that becomes very popular, you can stand to earn a lot of money from selling it to different people.

Becoming an eCommerce Store Owner with Shopify

(Earn up to $1000 or more per week on average)

Shopify Summary

• Free 14 day trial period available
• Build a new website in under 2 hours
• Over 100 payment gateways supported
• Over 6000 apps to improve your store

Starting an eCommerce business can be one of the most profitable passive income ideas if you have an entrepreneurial spirit. While it requires a lot of effort and commitment from your side to build an eCommerce brand at the start, it can be automated in the long run. Thus, this enables you to earn passive income from your store.

Your profits and earning potential can depend on the type of products you sell and your profit margins. Top eCommerce store owners can earn up to $1000 or more per week on average.

Shopify is a platform that allows you to set up your eCommerce store without any design or technical skills. Prices start from as little as $29 per month, making it a great option for new eCommerce store owners.

Renting Out Your Car on Turo

(Earn an average of $50 per day)

Turo Summary

• Can list multiple cars
• Earn money with minimal effort
• Easy-to-use app
• Receive up to 90% of the trip price

A car is a useful asset that you can also turn into a source of passive income. If you do not use your car regularly, you can consider renting it out on Turo to earn an average of $50 per day in passive income.

Turo is one of the most popular car rental platforms in the USA. The platform enables you to rent out all sorts of vehicles and even provides free liability insurance coverage of up to $750,000.

As a car renter, you can also decide how much you want to charge to rent out your car on the platform. However, you can maximize your earnings by using the automatic pricing feature suggested by the app. You can also use the Turo Calculator to check daily, weekly, and monthly earning potential based on your car.

Lending Money with LendingClub

(Earn between 5% to 10% in interest per annum)

Lending money is one of the best ways to invest your spare cash or savings. LendingClub is a peer-to-peer lending platform that you can use to lend your money to borrowers. In exchange for providing the capital for loans, you can earn between 5% to 10% in interest per annum.

Here is how lending money with LendingClub works:

1. A borrower takes a loan on the platform.
2. The loan is automatically divided into Notes that lenders can provide the money for.
3. You can invest in Notes, starting from as little as $25 each.
4. The borrower pays his loan back monthly until he covers it fully.
5. Depending on the risk level of the Notes that you invested in, you receive a variable amount of interest.

Starting a Vending Machine Business

(Earn up to $400 per month or more for each machine)

Vending machines dispense snacks and beverages to people on the go in public places. While the products in the vending machines are usually relatively cheap, you can make a decent profit by selling a large volume of products. In addition, you can also benefit from purchasing your stock in bulk, enjoying cheaper wholesale prices.

Vending machines can be highly profitable if they are well-placed. With a vending machine in a good location, you can earn up to $100 or more per week from it.

A used vending machine can cost between $1000 to $3000, whereas a new one can cost up to $10,000.

Becoming a Dropshipper

(Earn between 20% to 30% of each item’s price in profits)

Dropshipping is a business model that allows you to start an online business without investing in inventory.

As a dropshipper, you advertise products for sale on your storefront or website. When a customer buys an item from you, you will then purchase the item from your supplier, and your supplier will ship it directly to your customer. 

Your profits will be determined by the difference in price between what you charge your customer and the price you pay your supplier. On average, most dropshippers earn between 20% to 30% of the prices they charge for each item in profit.

Related: How to Start a Dropshipping Business?

Buying an Existing Business

(Enjoy profit margins of up to 50% or more)

Buying an existing business gives you the freedom to do business in any industry you are passionate about. Moreover, you also potentially get to enjoy profit margins of up to 50% or more, depending on the business you buy. Thus, it is crucial to do your due diligence before purchasing a business, so you know for sure that it is profitable.

Moreover, established businesses already have a customer base, enabling you to earn a decent passive income from day one.

However, established businesses require a much higher financial investment as compared to starting a new business. The cost of buying an existing business can range from $1000 to up to $1 million. Thus, you should consider this factor too before committing to a purchase.

Starting a YouTube Channel

(Earn between $3 to $5 per 1000 video views)

Starting a YouTube channel can be a great way to generate passive income. As a YouTuber, you can get paid by showing ads on your videos. On average, you can expect to earn between $3 to $5 for every 1000 views your videos get.

Alternatively, you can also collaborate with brands and businesses to do sponsored videos. For such videos, brands and businesses will pay you an upfront fee in exchange for promoting their products or services in your video.

Your potential earnings through sponsored videos may vary depending on the size and popularity of your Youtube channel.

Creating a Software

(Charge any price you want for your software, starting from just $1 and up to $100 or more)

Creating and selling software is one of the best passive income ideas out there. Although this process can take quite some time and effort at the start, it can be a reliable source of income if your software becomes popular.

There are many different types of software that you can create to meet unmet needs in various industries. Once you have built your software, you can sell it to multiple different people. The profit margins you can enjoy are typically also higher than traditional businesses selling physical products.

The prices you can charge for your software depend on how complex it is, although prices generally start from just $1 for simpler software. You are also free to set the prices for your software, and you can even charge up to $100 or more if your software becomes very popular.

You can even offer your software on a subscription basis to turn it into a source of regular income.

Subletting to Housemates

(Save up to 50% or more of your monthly housing expenditure)

If you own a house or are currently renting one, you may find that you are not fully utilizing the entire property. This may be the case especially if you have a spare room or some extra space in your house.

If you find yourself in such a situation, you can consider subletting your house to housemates. You can reach out to people in your social circles to see if anyone is looking for accommodation. If you can successfully lease out your extra space or spare room, you can potentially save up to 50% or more of your monthly housing costs.

These costs may include utility bills, rental fees, or mortgage payments. Although this may not exactly count as passive income, it can free up some additional cash that you can spend on other things.

Related: 30 Things You Can Rent Out for Extra Money

Creating an App

(Earn up to $5000 per month or more)

Mobile applications are very common and you would probably have downloaded them many times before. If you have an idea for a new app, you could potentially turn it into a source of passive income by building it.

If you don’t have any technical skills to build an app yourself, you can always hire an app developer or partner with them to turn your app idea into reality.

Furthermore, if your app is successful, you can earn regular income from people who buy your app or spend money on in-app purchases. According to market data, the top 18% of Android app developers and the top 25% of iOS app developers earn over $5000 per month. Thus, creating an app can be a very profitable side gig you can consider.

Starting a Laundromat

(Earn between $450 to $500 per day)

If you live in a crowded city, you can consider starting a laundromat. Laundromats are an easy source of regular income since all you need to do is to visit the laundromat occasionally to collect your earnings from the machines.

On average, a laundromat can earn you between $450 to $500 per day. Nonetheless, you will need to factor the cost of rental, utilities, and supplies into your calculations.

When starting a laundromat, it is important to do research beforehand to identify your target audience. A laundromat in an area with many rental tenants who do not own washing machines is likely to be more profitable than a laundromat in an area with many large houses whose owners tend to own washing machines.

Refinancing your Mortgage

(Save up to 1% or more on interest rates)

If the bank interest rates are lower right now than when you took a loan for your home, you can consider refinancing your mortgage. Refinancing your mortgage involves taking advantage of a lower interest rate to reduce the amount you have to repay the bank.

If you manage to successfully refinance your mortgage, you can potentially decrease the interest rate on your mortgage by up to 1%. Depending on the size of your loan, this could save you up to $10,000 or more.

Becoming a Social Media Influencer

(Earn around $100 per sponsored post with 10,000 followers)

A great way to build a source of passive income is by becoming a social media influencer. If you amass a sufficiently large following, brands and businesses will pay you to create sponsored posts promoting their products and services for them.

Your potential earnings as a social media influencer will vary depending on the size of your following. For example, if you have 10,000 followers, you can expect to earn around $100 per sponsored post. You often also get to keep the products that you promote as an influencer, giving this passive income idea an extra benefit.

Related: 14 Sites to Find Social Media Manager Jobs

What is Passive Income?

Passive income refers to sources of income that you do not have to actively spend time or effort to maintain.

Some of the most popular sources of passive income include: 

• Rental income from property
• Dividend income from stocks
• Business activities that you can automate

Active Income vs. Passive Income

Unlike passive income, active income requires you to actively spend time or effort to earn it. For example, your salary from your day job can be considered active income, since you will stop earning a salary once you stop putting in time and effort to do your job properly.

Should You Have a Passive Income Stream?

Having a passive income stream can be very useful in helping you achieve your financial goals. Having multiple sources of passive income can also enable you to achieve financial independence, allowing you to retire early and pursue your other passions.

How Can I Make Passive Income Fast?

People often try to find ways to earn passive income without having to do anything. However, that is just not possible. To earn a passive income, you will either need to put in an initial financial investment or initial investment of time and effort.

This initial investment can help you build your passive income stream. Once you have grown it to a critical mass, you can then automate it and enjoy a regular source of additional cash each month.

How Can I Make $1000 a Month Passively?

All of the ideas on this list can enable you to build a stream of passive income.

However, if you want to make $1000 per month passively, here are some of the best options you can pursue:

• Investing in stocks with Stash
• Investing in real estate with Fundrise
• Creating an online course with Udemy
• Starting a blog with BlueHost
• Renting out your property on Airbnb