When you’re looking to make some extra money, the first place you should look is online to find the best online side jobs.
The best online side jobs offer flexible hours, the convenience of working from home, and they pay you cash.
It doesn’t matter if you only have 15 minutes a day or an entire evening, you can begin making money online immediately!
Online side hustles run the entire gambit from taking online surveys to freelancing for large companies.
Top Side Jobs Online
You can visit the following websites to begin your online side hustle. In a matter of minutes, you can begin earning your first dollar.
Each platform has different payment options, but you can usually request payment in the following manners:
Some side jobs pay weekly which is also a huge benefit if you need money fast.
1. Complete Micro Tasks Online
If you want a site that “has it all,” Swagbucks needs to be at the top of your list. You can also earn a $5 bonus when you first enroll.
Get paid for the following activities:
- Surveys
- Shopping
- Watching Videos
- Playing Games
- Referring Friends
- Sampling New Products
- Surfing the Internet
You can request a PayPal cash payment once your account balance reaches $25. Or, you can request a gift card to your favorite restaurant or retailer for as little as $3.
Swagbucks even offers bonus points opportunities and regularly puts gift cards on sale so you can request payment even quicker.
Read our Swagbucks review to discover the best ways to make money quickly!
2. Take Online Surveys
If you only want to take online surveys, you will probably enjoy Survey Junkie You can participate in multiple surveys a day and get paid by PayPal or digital gift cards.
Many surveys take 15 minutes or less, so you can complete a survey in between commitments, your lunch break, or in your free time.
Survey topics can vary from consumer brand opinions to answering questions about your daily routine.
Depending on the topic and your background, you may qualify for online focus groups and extended studies that require keeping a journal. These paid surveys require more time but also pay more for your effort.
Some survey sites also let you effortlessly earn money by installing a mobile app to share which online ads you see or products you shop for. This income idea pays a few dollars per month and you don’t have to answer questions to make money.
3. Play Games and Test Apps
Want to make money playing video games or testing apps? Bananatic does just that. You earn rewards points called “bananas” that you redeem for gift cards, merchandise, and game credits.
To earn rewards points, you need to complete tasks within each game and leave an honest review.
In most cases, you can play the games for free and can earn bonus points. However, some games require in-game purchases to earn the full payout.
Most of these paid opportunities are for cell phone games. You can discover some of the newest games in a variety of niches like adventure, strategy and puzzles.
Other apps can pay you to start investing, make a budget or check your credit score.
Most games pay between $10 and $100 by completing all the requirements. Android users tend to have more opportunties due to privacy protections through Apple.
4. Test Products
Product testing is another fun way to get paid without having to leave home.
There are a couple of different ways to become a product tester without having to drive to a nearby research center.
Ipsos I-Say
Ipsos I-Say offers more than 7,000 product testing opportunities every year. When there aren’t products to test, you can take surveys to earn cash every week.
Merchants will mail you physical products including food, cosmetics, toys, and tools.
After using the product, you share your opinion and your feedback is used to make any improvements.
Mindswarms
If you’re not camera shy, you can also get paid via PayPal for creating a 10-minute video on Mindswarms.
You make $50 per test and you only need a smartphone, tablet, or webcam with audio-recording capability.
5. Test Websites
Website testing is another engaging and quick activity.
You can get paid $10 for a 10 or 20-minute test as you complete a series of tests and verbally communicate your user experience at the same time.
If you get selected for a live website test you can earn even more money for your time (up to $120). Live tests have a moderator assign tasks in real-time as you provide feedback.
These tests don’t require coding experience or similar skills. Instead, you only need a compatible computer or phone with a working camera and microphone.
You might consider these tests as a higher-paying alternative to online surveys. Well-known companies want to see how customers interact with their service to improve the experience.
6. Shop Online with Rakuten
Did you know that you can get paid to shop?
You probably shop online because it’s convenient and you save money compared to visiting a brick-and-mortar store.
What you might not realize is that you can get extra cash back by shopping online with Rakuten.
You can shop with the Rakuten app, online website, or the browser extension to effortlessly get up to 40% back on every purchase.
Shopping online through Rakuten doesn’t raise the price of the products because retailers are competing for your business.
Whether you shop for personal reasons or you’re a professional shopper, Rakuten is one of the best ways to save money on every online purchase.
Get a $10 cash bonus on your first $25 purchase from Rakuten!
7. Design and Sell Clothing Online
CafePress is one of the easiest ways to sell your creative designs for the following clothing products:
- T-shirts
- Sandals
- Coffee mugs
- Home decor
- Small gifts
You upload your designs and CafePress handles the rest!
When you sell your unwanted personal possessions online, you know how much of a hassle it can sometimes be to ship the item or wait for payment.
With CafePress, you can solely focus on creating eye-catching designs and earn recurring income.
8. Dropship Items
If you don’t want to create brand new items, you can also partner with manufacturers and promote their products online.
When a customer makes a purchase through your listing on Amazon, eBay, or the Wish app, you earn a small commission and the manufacturers ships the item from their warehouse to their buyer’s front door.
You can consider dropshipping, the digital equivalent of flipping physical items you buy locally and sell online for a profit.
All you do is facilitate the sale and you never have to touch the product. You can partner with merchants through SaleHoo.
Some entrepreneurs prefer dropshipping to affiliate marketing because there’s a larger immediate upside.
As soon as you partner with a business, you can begin listing their products on digital marketplaces to make a sale and don’t have to build your own site traffic or domain authority.
That said, it’s not a bad idea to build your personal sales site with Shopify so you can diversify your income.
9. Start a Blog
Starting your own blog is a great way to open a door for future side jobs online. Some of these suggestions will be mentioned in the coming recommendations.
The first thing you should do is build a website to establish an online presence that also tells the world how you want to make money online.
If you’re creating a blog, you need to choose a specific niche like:
- Parenting
- Travel
- Cooking
- Fitness
- Personal Finance
Once you choose your area of expertise, write helpful content that people will want to read.
As your website traffic grows, you can make money with affiliate links and posting ads that pay a small commission with each click.
Your website can also help connect you with future clients and customers. They can visit your website to inspect the quality of your work and personal style.
If they like what they see, don’t be surprised if you get an email asking if you’re available to freelance.
10. Freelance Online
One of the most flexible ways to make money online is to freelance. Two of the largest freelance websites are Fiverr and Upwork.
Both platforms are free to join and let you get paid to complete the following activities:
- Graphic Design
- Video Product
- Programming
- Voice Overs
- Music
- Customer Service
- Virtual Assistant
- Marketing
Choose your area of expertise and begin connecting with clients. You will have a mixture of one-time clients and ongoing projects that can let you work as much as you desire.
Until you build an online presence to pitch your own clients, these are good platforms to gain experience.
Maybe you can get paid to build websites, design ebook covers, write blog posts, or create an app. Anything is possible when you work online.
11. Write Ebooks
There’s an old adage that claims everybody has a book inside them. But what if you have more than one book.
Thanks to the Internet, it’s easier than ever to self-publish your own titles. The best way is to write an ebook that can be sold on Amazon or Smashwords.
Having an attractive cover design can help potential buyers spot your book. Hiring a graphic designer through Fiverr is an affordable way to find your ideal image.
You can also consider having a launch team of friends and colleagues read, review and promote your book. This publicity can help boost your ratings in the online marketplaces.
12. Design Graphics
Many businesses and budding entrepreneurs, go with freelance graphic designers because they are more affordable than a full-fledged design studio.
With 99designs, you can design graphics for the following types of projects:
- Logos
- Ebook covers
- Websites
- Product labels
- Clothing
- Packaging
There are more than 90 different design categories that you can offer your services for. So, put on your thinking cap and get ready!
13. Sell Photos Online
With SmugMug, you can sell your photos on Flickr. You can sell your photos taken on previous vacations or pictures of your beautiful backyard if you have one.
Now that smartphone camera technology has vastly improved, some websites even let you sell your photos and videos taken from a mobile device if you can’t afford the high-end professional camera equipment yet.
Several platforms also let you sell 4k videos, drone footage and vector graphics. If you have the skill, dabbling in multiple image types can help you reach more potential customers.
14. Become a Virtual Assistant
If you like performing a variety of tasks, are well-organized, and like keeping the wheels turning for online websites, you should consider becoming a virtual assistant.
Responsibilities can include the following tasks:
- Scheduling blog posts and social media posts
- Writing blog posts and social media posts
- Customer service
- Email management
- Managing social media accounts
- Pitching potential clients
- Bookkeeping
- Data Entry
You can either work on a part-time or full-time basis for one or multiple websites. Being a virtual assistant can be very rewarding as you get to help others.
And, you are the main driver in keeping the gears turning by interacting with clients and website visitors.
In addition to Fiverr and Upwork, you can also find virtual assistant openings on Outsourcely too.
15. Manage Social Media Posts
If you’re active on any of social media platform, a natural step can be working as a social media manager.
Social media is an important part of building a brand and attracting new visitors.
By interacting with current followers, attracting new followers, and routinely posting new content on social media, you can finally turn your social media time into a productive cause.
You can make money on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or even sharing Sponsored Tweets from Izea on Twitter.
Depending on the size of your personal following, you might be able to get paid to promote products without working as a social media assistant too.
16. Freelance Writer
Another popular way to make an online income is to become a freelance writer.
You can write short 500-word blog posts, publish an ebook on Amazon Kindle, or something in between.
Websites and blogs exist for nearly every topic. In addition to writing on your own personal blog, make an active income writing for other blogs too.
It’s a rewarding way to share your knowledge with others. And, you’ll even learn something new as you interact with others and research new topics.
17. Proofread Books and Blog Posts
Can you easily spot grammar errors when you read a book or restaurant menu? How about a blog post? You might enjoy being an online proofreader.
Proofread Anywhere is a good starting point as you can learn how to proofread general transcripts and legal transcripts from your phone, tablet, or computer.
No author is perfect and because they are too familiar with the content, they might miss key grammar errors and context issues that a brand new set of eyes (yours!) will spot.
18. Transcribe Audio Recordings
Maybe you don’t like to write original content, but you can put another person’s words to paper.
Transcribe Anywhere teaches you what it takes to become a transcriptionist and how to get your first clients.
It’s possible to transcribe short one or two-minute recordings or longer recordings if you need to transcribe a business meeting for example.
If you have medical or legal experience, you have the opportunity to earn more because these two areas require background expertise.
Related: 10 Sites To Get Paid To Type
19. Online Chat Representative
If you have previous customer service experience and are ready to bring your work home, you can get an online chat job.
This opportunity lets you work at home and doesn’t always require you to have a quiet working environment like phone-based customer support positions.
Phone-based jobs are still more common and may be a necessary stepping stone if you have minimal customer service experience. If you can work in a distraction-free environment, consider these tasks as well to build experience and earn money.
20. Invest in Crowdfunded Real Estate
While most side jobs online require active participation, you can also make some extra money with passive income too. One popular side hustle is to invest in real estate.
Maybe you don’t have the time, money, or skills to be a landlord or flip houses.
Crowdfunded real estate can provide similar returns as private real estate but without the hassle of self-managing investment properties.
This income idea gives you exposure to multifamily housing and commercial real estate which is too expensive for most investors. You can receive quarterly dividends through passive income.
While you don’t have to use your free time working, these platforms can require a five-year investment to avoid early withdrawal penalities. In addition, this investment idea isn’t risk-free.
Fundrise
Instead of trying to invest in real estate projects by yourself, you might consider using Fundrise.
As a financial investor, you can earn between 8% and 12% interest each year.
You only need $10 to begin and Fundrise invests your money in multiple real estate projects across the United States.
Tip: You should only invest money in Fundrise that you don’t plan on using in the near term.
The reason why Fundrise offers such high returns is that your money invests in projects that require a long-term commitment.
It can take several months to receive your investment back. Read our Fundrise review to learn more about investing in private real estate.
21. Invest in Peer to Peer Loans
Another way your idle cash can earn more is to invest in peer loans with Prosper. With peer-to-peer lending, you invest in three-year and five-year personal loans with a $10 minimum investment.
The small investment minimum makes it easier to diversify your funds to avoid losing money when a borrower inevitably defaults. The average annual return is 5.7%, according to Prosper (your results may differ).
You earn a monthly interest payment that can be reinvested or cashed out. To earn compound interest, you will need to reinvest your monthly earnings.
The platform can also offer auto-invest tools that can automatically invest your free cash into loans fitting your criteria.
Until money market rates increase further, peer lending is an effective way to diversify your passive income.
22. Trade Stocks and ETFs
Whether you’re an active stock trader or prefer the buy and hold approach, TD Ameritrade is one of the most expected investing platforms for DIY investors.
They offer commission-free trades for more than 300 ETFs, ample research tools, and a robust educational library for beginner and experienced investors.
Although you’re not guaranteed to make money with every investment, you will profit if you remain invested in the market long-term.
Another reason to consider TD Ameritrade is that you can open an account with $0. Maybe you want to invest a portion of your side hustle income so it can continue to grow.
Don’t forget to check out these investing apps that make it possible to never pay investment fees again!
23. Teach English Online
International students are clamoring to learn English to improve their future income potential.
With VIPKid you can teach English via video chat in the morning or evening hours to one or multiple students from China.
Because China is roughly 12 hours ahead of the United States, the teaching hours can be convenient as a part-time job before or after your regular working hours.
Besides VIPKid, there are several other online learning classrooms you can use to teach English online too.
24. Tutor Online
You can also help students of all ages learn something new by being an online tutor with Course Hero.
You can tutor in the following areas:
- Accounting
- Business
- Finance
- Statistics and Probability
- Economics
- Computer Science
- Math
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Physics
- US History
- Calculus
- Management
If you like helping people, choosing when you work and making money, tutoring is for you.
25. Create an Online Course
If you enjoy teaching but can’t regularly commit to holding online classes, you can also make a video course and offer it on some of the following platforms:
You should add regular video updates and answer any student questions to keep the content fresh so you continue earning “evergreen” income.
After you publish your first course, consider making additional courses on similar material that’s still different enough to garner repeat students.
If you enjoy cooking, your first course can be on cooking pasta dishes.
A follow-up course might be teaching your students how to cook seafood, hosting a formal dinner party, or preparing other gourmet food dishes.
26. Sell Gift Cards Online
This might be a sporadic income gig, but you can sell your unused gift cards online using Gift Card Granny. You can receive instant buyback offers and rewards points that can be redeemed for future gift cards you’ll actually use.
Maybe you can barter with your friends for their unwanted gift cards and flip them for a profit. This is an easy way to make money online with minimal effort.
27. Sell Unwanted Items From Home
You can also sell items from home that you no longer need. Or, you can flip items you buy at garage sales and thrift stores.
There are many different possibilities, but you can start with the following products:
- Antiques
- Books
- CDs and DVDs
- Clothing
- Electronics
- Handicrafts
- Shoes
If you need money now, you should consider Decluttr for your books, CDs, DVDs, and electronics. You can scan download a prepaid shipping label and receive next day payment for your items.
When you sign up to be an expert at JustAnswer.com, you can work from home anytime, as much as you want.
You probably know that JustAnswer is a website you can go to in order to get answers to questions from real experts in just about any subject.
Well, if you happen to be an expert in a particular subject, JustAnswer might be a place you can go to use that expertise to earn money.
When you’re an expert on JustAnswer, you get to choose the questions you answer. There are no scheduled shifts; just choose to work when you want.
You’ll get paid monthly through HyperWallet. The JustAnswer website says experts make an average of $2,000 to $7,000 per month.
Note that you will have to have provable credentials as an expert in your field. JustAnswer will verify the information you give them.
29. Rent Out Your Unused Space
If you have unused space in your home, garage, yard or shed, why not consider renting it out?
This online side job requires very little work from you. You start by partnering with a company such as Neighbor.
Neighbor is a safe, secure online marketplace that connects people who have space to rent out with renters who need to rent space.
You advertise your space, your desired rental price and other details. Once you get a renter, Neighbor handles all of the details.
You simply request payout when you want to access your earnings. Neighbor doesn’t charge commissions.
However, they do charge a 4.9% plus $0.30 processing fee when you request your earnings from renting your space.
Summary
There are many possibilities for side jobs online. Whether you have ambitions of replacing your current full-time income or you need to make a little extra cash to get out of debt, you can use your free time to boost your income.
Online side hustles are a perfect fit for many because you can work at home and there are minimal start-up costs.
All opinions expressed in this article are the authors. We are compensated by businesses that are mentioned in this article through affiliate links.
