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The internet has opened up many opportunities to generate income without leaving your home. Whether you want to make a few extra bucks or are looking to launch a full-time business, there are many options to monetize your passions, skills, resources, and free time online.
From freelancing services to selling products to simply sharing your thoughts, here are 11 ways to make money online.
1. Share your opinion on a survey site
Good for: Anyone who wants a small bump in cash and loves to share feedback.
Companies want to know what consumers are thinking. Many will spend a lot of time — and money — collecting feedback via online surveys.
There are loads of sites out there offering cash in exchange for your opinions. Swagbucks is one of the most established names in the survey-taking world, with individual surveys that pay as little as $0.20 and as much as $50. The surveys that take longer tend to pay more – time is money, after all – so this is better if you have a lot of time on your hands.
“The average Swagbucks member earns at least $50 per month,” says Andrew Robinson, senior vice president of consumer marketing at Swagbucks. “Families save their earnings for special treats like family trips and holiday gifts or even everyday essentials like diapers.”
You probably shouldn’t expect to get rich, but this can be a very easy route to earn a few extra bucks for your budget.
2. Rent your car
Good for: Anyone who has a car that regularly gathers dust in the driveway
Enterprise, Budget, Avis – who needs a traditional car rental company? Turo is a platform that takes the Airbnb model and applies it to cars. If you have a car you don’t use regularly, you can choose to rent it out for a daily rate. Turo estimates that hosts earn an average of $600 per month, though that varies widely depending on the type of car you have and where you live.
There is some offline work involved, though. You may need to be ready to meet a customer at a dropoff or a pickup point. And you may have to handle cleaning costs at the end. Still, it’s a lot easier than doing the driving yourself and staying out for Uber pickups until 2 a.m.
“We encourage hosts to create a hospitable experience for their guests,” says Carmen Soh, Turo’s corporate communications manager. “Simple touches like leaving water in the car or providing local tips go a long way and keep guests coming back.”
3. Rent your house
Good for: Anyone with an extra room or is out of town frequently
The most recent data from Airbnb shows that the typical host earns around $14,000 annually by renting out their property. Depending on where you live and how much space you have, this might be an easy way to make some extra cash – provided you’re either a) cool with a stranger sleeping in the guest room or b) gone a lot and trust a stranger to take over your house.
If you’re part of a homeowners association or live in a city with tight rental laws, you’ll need to research whether listing your place on Airbnb puts you into legal hot water.
4. Open an online savings account
Good for: Anyone who has a chunk of change lying around
This is hands down the easiest option on our list: Move the money you have in savings right now into an online high-yield savings account. That’s the only work involved. The bank’s higher interest rate does the rest.
With some high-yield savings accounts paying around 5% interest, you can earn $250 on a $5,000 deposit in one year.
5. Sell your old stuff
Good for: Anyone looking to declutter
If you have a crowded closet of clothes that no longer suits you or a garage filling up with junk, it may be time to pull a Marie Kondo.
Selling your old and unwanted items provides a great way to free up some room while filling up your bank account. Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and the RealReal are all websites that help you list and sell your belongings.
Fees vary by service – for example, Poshmark takes a 20% cut of anything that sells for more than $15 – but the expense can be worth it to save yourself the time of going to a local consignment store. Plus, while The RealReal has made its name for top-tier luxury, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace let you sell just about anything – old dog leashes, computer headsets, pillows, and much more.
6. Freelance your skills
Good for: Anyone with a specific niche or specialty
One of the most common online money-making routes is through freelance work. Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer allow you to create profiles listing your skills, experience level, and rates.
Potential clients can browse profiles and hire freelancers for anything from graphic design, writing, administrative tasks, and programming. While freelancing can feel competitive, the beauty is you can tailor it completely around your schedule, interests, and abilities.
7. Teach English online
Good for: Those who know multiple languages and are up for teaching
Teaching English online has become immensely popular, and for good reason. It allows native English speakers to teach students from around the world without any prior teaching experience.
Companies like VIPKid, Magic Ears, and Qkids are constantly hiring qualified tutors to teach English language lessons via video chat. Lessons are casual and let you set your own hours. While earning potential varies, most companies pay between $14-$26 per hour. Some even offer incentives like signup bonuses and performance raises.
8. Start a newsletter
Good for: Anyone who can write and create a real community.
If you’re a writer looking for a way to earn money on your passion, starting a newsletter is a great way to do so.
Consider Substack, where independent writers cover everything from finance to food. According to Sophia Efthimiatou, Substack’s head of writer relations, the company has over 35 million active subscriptions, two million of which are paid subscriptions.
This is not an easy way to make money online — it requires a commitment to regularly creating good material. Additionally, you must build a community — tough work in an online world with an endless content supply. However, Efthimiatou says it’s possible, and one of the most effective ways is to network with other writers.
“Publishers can recommend fellow writers and creators to their audience,” Efthimiatou says. “These tools drive 40% of all free subscriptions and 20% of paid subscriptions across the Substack network.”
9. Become an influencer
Good for: Anyone committed to building a large following on social media
If writing a newsletter isn’t your thing, perhaps it’s time to turn your camera on.
Social media influencers collaborate with brands to market products to their audience. You don’t need millions of followers to become an influencer. Micro-influencers with highly engaged followings of tens of thousands can also earn income. Partnering with brands aligned to your interests and values allows you to earn while creating social content.
However, becoming a content creator does take a lot of upfront work — including posting consistently and interacting with other creators.
10. Transcribe someone else’s content
Good for: Anyone who can type quickly and has a good ear
While artificial intelligence is reshaping the transcription world, there are still opportunities to earn money by translating audio and creating captions and subtitles. For example, Rev charges customers just $0.25 per minute for AI-based transcription but $1.50 per minute for work performed by a real human.
Know a language besides English? You’re in luck. The company’s service for global subtitles is priced anywhere between $5-$12 per minute.
11. Join Amazon Associates
Good for: Anyone with a website or an online presence.
Amazon doesn’t have to be a company that just takes your money. The e-commerce giant’s affiliate marketing program lets anyone with a website or a social media profile recommend products to their readers and followers.
If they click on a customized link to purchase that product, Amazon pays a commission fee. It’s an alternative to being a massive influencer with a huge following — just about anyone can make money through the program.
Opinions expressed are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.