Want to make money online, but aren’t sure where to start?

The good news is there are a ton of ways to make money online — even if you’re a beginner.

In this guide, I’ll show you the best, most realistic ways to make money online and start to build an extra income stream.

Of course, there’s a learning curve to each of these, but everything is learnable. Every expert was once a beginner, and you can get there too with dedication and commitment.

1. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing continues to grow as more companies outsource their content creation.

Writers command anywhere from $50-500 or more per article, and can connect with clients on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

For example, Georgia Austin started her freelance writing business on Fiverr, and got her first orders right away. The more you practice your writing, the faster you’ll get.

Free Resource: Your 9-Step Blueprint to Making Money as a Writer

2. Online Surveys

One of the most popular ways to make money online is to take online surveys. There are many different types of online surveys you can take, but don’t expect to quit your day job doing these.

Most online surveys pay between $0.50 and $5.00 per survey, and a realistic target may be $30 a month.

Here are some of Side Hustle Nation’s top picks:

3. Remote Market Research Studies

Many companies conduct market research to get feedback on new products — and a lot of this research is done online.

User Interviews and Respondent.io are a pair of cool services that facilitate those interviews online and over the phone.

The best part? The average compensation is $50-150 an hour!

Here are some other companies that facilitate focus groups and paid research studies.

4. Get Paid to Test Websites

Sites like UserTesting and Intellizoom pay you to give feedback on websites. It’s free to sign up and you’ll record your screen while you test features and functionality.

These typically pay $10 for every 20-minute test, but they fill up fast!

5. Find a Remote Job

One of the simplest ways to make money online is to simply find a flexible work-from-home job. This could be part-time or full-time, and the leading resource to find these opportunities is FlexJobs.

FlexJobs has thousands of listings for all experience levels. There is a nominal charge to use the site, but you’ll easily earn it back with one job.

6. Make and Sell Printables

Many people make money online by selling printables on Etsy. This is a cool beginner-friendly side hustle where you can create something once and sell it over and over again.

What are printables? Think digital files like:

budget templates
chore charts
workout planners
habit trackers
wall art
business forms
and more

Here’s a free guide to the best-selling digital products month-by-month to get your creative juices flowing.

To learn more, check out my interview with Rachel Jones. When we spoke, she was earning $10,000 a month from her portfolio of printables.

7. Sell Stuff You Don’t Use

Selling stuff you no longer need is another popular way to make money online for beginners. You can sell old clothing, books, sports equipment, and electronics on eBay, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace.

We recently cleaned out our garage and sold $700 worth of stuff on Facebook Marketplace!

Once you’ve emptied out your available inventory, check out this list of the best items to flip for a profit and go look for some more products to resell.

8. Online Arbitrage

With online arbitrage, you buy inventory from one website to resell on another (usually Amazon). It’s amazing to me that this is a thing, but it very much is.

When I sat down with Chris Grant, he described selling $75,000 worth of products in a typical month! Online arbitrage is beginner-friendly because you can start with any level of inventory investment you’re comfortable with, and scale up as you learn more and see results.

9. Self-Publishing

E-books are one of my favorite ways to make money online. I earned my first author royalties in 2012, when I definitely was a beginner!

It takes some time and effort to create a quality book, but once it’s written, you can sell it over and over again. My books are all self-published on Amazon, and I’ve earned over $80,000 in lifetime author royalties.

On The Side Hustle Show, we’ve covered several varieties of self-publishing, including:

Children’s books
“Low content” books — journals, notebooks, workout logs, etc.
Public domain publishing
and more

10. Build a Helpful Website

The days of blogging as a personal journal may be long gone, but creating helpful content is still a viable way to make money online. Is there a topic you have a special interest or expertise in?

If you can answer questions on that topic, you’ll start to pick up traffic. From there, you can monetize with advertising, affiliate partnerships, or even your own products and services.

For example, Scott Keller created a bird watching blog that now generates 6-figures in annual income.

Here’s my free video guide to getting your website online quickly and affordably.

11. Affiliate Marketing

One of the most popular ways to make money online is through affiliate marketing.

How it works is you earn a commission for referring people to the products or services you love. This is been my primary source of online income for the last 15+ years, and I routinely earn $10k+ per month from affiliate marketing.

Like most side hustles, there’s a lot to learn to go from beginner to advanced. If you want to become an affiliate marketer, the first step is to choose a niche you’re passionate about or at least interested in.

One common way to start is by creating in-depth product comparison content, like Tami Smith did with her fitness website.

12. Data Annotation

Remotasks is a unique way to earn money from home in your spare time. How it works is you provide feedback on AI responses, based on how well they answered the prompt.

The onboarding process was a bit tedious and confusing, but I earned $15 an hour after I made it through.

Check out our full Remotasks review to learn more.

13. Print on Demand

Print on demand is a great way to make money online because you can sell physical products without holding any inventory.

How it works is you:

Upload your designs to sites like Merch by Amazon or Redbubble
When someone orders, the site prints and ships the item on your behalf
You collect a royalty on each sale

My wife and I love to see the Redbubble sales notifications come through — sometimes from designs we uploaded years ago!

Check out the best print on demand sites to get started.

14. Make YouTube Videos

My YouTube income is currently my favorite revenue source — lately around $400 a month.

Your channel needs to reach certain milestones before you can start earning with YouTube ads, but it’s a beginner-friendly side hustle. You can start in your spare time and slowly build up your catalog of content.

The types of videos that perform best for me are the ones that target a specific search phrase. Sometimes I’m not even on camera — it can just be a screen recording that explains how to do a certain task.

And the cool thing? Some of these videos still rack up views and passive income years after I posted them.

15. Tutoring

Many students and parents are turning to online tutoring for academic help. One of the largest marketplaces in the online tutoring world is WyzAnt, where you can create a listing and set your own rates.

Alternatively, you can apply to work with BookNook, a popular online math and reading tutoring company for kids in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Pay is $15-22 an hour.

In this post, Matt Fuentes shared how he built his tutoring business up to $1000 a week.

16. Teach a Group Class Online

If you have some subject-matter expertise, you could create a live interactive class for kids on Outschool. For example, Jade Weatherington earns $10k a month teaching mostly English writing classes.

Related: The Best Side Hustles for Writers

And if academics aren’t your thing, there may still be an opportunity here. I was surprised to find out there’s quite a bit of demand for video game classes!

In fact, I met with Devyn Ricks, who reported earning $4000 a month playing video games with kids.

17. Mechanical Turk

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is a site where you can complete micro-jobs, usually for pennies apiece. This likely won’t amount to a great hourly rate, but is a relatively simple way to make money online for beginners.

And those pennies can add up — one Side Hustle Nation reader reported earning over $50,000 on the site (over the course of several years).

18. Teach an Online Course

What do you know more about than the average person? Other people might pay for what you already know!

For example, Teresa Greenway earns thousands of dollars a month from her courses on baking sourdough bread. Udemy is a leading platform to sell your course online.

19. Sell Your Data

Did you know that companies will pay you just to install their apps and let them run in the background on your devices?

Selling your data is an easy way to make extra money from what you’re already doing.

Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel

Nielsen — yes, the same Nielsen that’s been reporting TV viewership data for decades — rewards you for sharing your Internet usage behaviors. All you have to do is download the app to your devices, and earn up to $50 a year.

MobileXpression

MobileXpression pays you in exchange for data from your mobile phone.

The app works in the background recording your browsing habits while you use your phone. You’ll earn weekly credits redeemable for gift cards to popular retailers.

Get a free $5 Amazon gift card after your first week (if you’re in the US).

Pogo

The free Pogo app is one of my latest finds. By sharing your location and credit card transaction data, Pogo gives you points that you can cash out to PayPal or Venmo.

Just enable location tracking and link your bank account credentials when you sign up. Based on my results so far, I expect Pogo to be worth around $5-20 a year. 

20. Become a Virtual Assistant

If you have administrative skills and a knack for organization, becoming a virtual assistant could be a solid side business idea. I’ve hired virtual assistants for:

Inbox management
Social media marketing
Graphic design
Data entry
Content writing
Podcast editing
Recurring weekly processes

You can set up shop on your own, or try and hire on with an established virtual assistant company like BELAY or Time Etc.

21. Sell Stock Photos and Videos Online

If you love to take pictures, you may be able to capitalize on your hobby by selling stock photos and videos. The biggest platforms are Shutterstock, iStock, and Dreamstime.

But be warned: this is very much a volume game. Since you only earn a small royalty on each sale, the most successful sellers have tens of thousands of images in their portfolios.

Related: How to Make Money as a Video Editor

22. Voice Over Work

There are plenty of opportunities to make money as a voiceover artist, especially if you have acting experience. Businesses hire voice actors for radio commercials, podcast intros, audiobook narration, corporate training materials, and more.

Many voice actors get their start on Fiverr, and then graduate to platforms like Voices.com. Rates may range from $10 to $500 and up per 100 words.

23. Transcription

Transcription—turning audio recordings into text—is often a part-time work-from-home position. Many transcribers specialize in a given industry, like medical, legal, or podcast transcriptions.

Several sites, including Rev.com, hire transcribers. If you’re fast, you might be able to earn up to $15 an hour.

To learn more about transcribing work, here’s a free 7-day mini course on how to get started.

24. Collect Real Estate Cash Flow

Companies like Fundrise allows you to invest in revenue-generating commercial real estate for as little as $10.

I’ve been a Fundrise investor for years and keep adding to my portfolio. They’ve paid dividends every 3 months so far.

Disclosure: When you sign up through my referral link, I receive a commission. Opinions are my own.

25. Listen to Music

The new Mode Earn app (Android) pays you real money to listen to music and play games. It’s a cool way to get paid for something you’re probably already doing.

Mode Earn has over 100,000 radio stations to choose from and the world’s top current songs and artists.

I mean, it’s not like Spotify is sharing any of their ad revenue with you!

26. Cash Back Apps

One of the easiest ways to make extra money is to take advantage of the different cash back apps that are out there.

My favorites include:

Fetch – Scan your grocery receipts to earn extra cash back on over 250 brands
Rakuten – Earn 1-15% cash back on your online shopping
DOSH – Get bonus cash back at nearby stores and restaurants
Upside – Save on gas and restaurants when you shop at participating locations
Ibotta – Consistent users earn over $100 a year in extra cash back on groceries and household essentials

27. Write Articles on Medium

On Medium.com, you can earn money from your writing once you have just 100 followers. The platform collects money from subscribers, and then divvies it out to writers based on how much time people spend on your articles.

If you can publish consistent, high quality content, it’s a way to make money online without worrying about the technical or marketing aspects of blogging.

28. Consignment Sales

With a consignment business, you can make money selling other people’s stuff. That means you have very little startup costs — you just need to source your inventory.

To start, offer to help people in your neighborhood sell their unwanted furniture, clothing, or other items on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. A typical consignment fee is 30-40%, meaning if you sell an item for $100, you’d keep $30-40 and pass the rest along to the owner.

This could work well if you already have experience selling secondhand items and can take good product photos.

How to Make Money Online for Beginners: Your Turn

As you can see, there are a ton of different ways to make money online for beginners. And as your skills and expertise grow, you can advance to more complex business models (if you want to!).

The main thing to keep in mind is to find something that works for you and your lifestyle. Some people are better suited to writing, while others are more comfortable in front of the camera.

Have you tried any of these options already? Are there any other ideas that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Next Steps

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best ways to make money online for beginners?

The best ways to make money online for beginners include freelance writing, testing websites, completing surveys, tutoring, and more. Be sure to check the full list on SideHustleNation.com for more ideas.

How can I make $100 a day on the Internet?

The most straightforward way to make $100 a day online is to do freelancing or consulting work. You could help clients with content writing, social media, administrative tasks, software help, graphic design, tutoring, voice over projects, and more. From there, you can work on creating written or video content that’s monetized with ads.

How can a beginner make money fast?

To make money fast, look at options like delivery apps, freelancing your skills, or selling unwanted items around the house. Be sure to check the full list on SideHustleNation.com for more ideas.

Did you know that you can actually make money playing mobile games?

There are now over 700,000 mobile games available for iPhone and Android users to enjoy! These games are a fun way to relax and often give us something to do on our phones while we’re waiting for an appointment or sitting on a plane.

But if you aren’t getting paid to play, you’re missing out.

It’s true! In this list, you’ll find the highest-rated and most popular game apps that let you earn money simply by playing on your phone.

For each game, I’ve included:

the relevant app store rating
comments from real reviewers
a brief description of how to the app works

Ready? Let’s do it!

Can You Really Make Money Playing Games On Your Phone?

Yes, you can—this list of legit game apps with top-notch reviews more than proves that.

But how does it work?

There are two main categories of play-to-earn mobile games:

Get paid to download and try new games
“Real money” gaming

Getting Paid to Try New Games

For the apps that reward you for downloading and trying out new games, you’ll usually be required to play the new game long enough to reach certain milestones within a specified period of time.

Where does the money come from? These apps get paid by game developers who want to get new users to play their games. The apps then share their a portion of that money with you, the user.

“Real Money” Gaming

With real money gaming, you compete against other players to win real cash prizes.

While legal in most states, some of these games aren’t permitted on the basis that they could be considered a form of gambling.

The app developers argue that these games are skill-based instead of chance-based and, therefore, shouldn’t be thought of as gambling. Either way, one key difference with real money gaming is that you’ll likely have to put your own money at risk in order to win.

In this article, I’ll take you through several apps in each category to help you determine the best option for your side hustle.

Apps That Pay You To Try Out New Games

App Name
App Rating
Estimated Annual Earnings*

Swagbucks
4.4 ⭐ out of 113K Ratings (Apple)
$730 to $1,825

KashKick
4.1 ⭐ out of 1.8K Ratings (Apple)
$200 to $600

Cash Giraffe
4.3 ⭐ out of 248K Ratings (Android)
$300 to $500

Mistplay
4.1 ⭐ out of 431K Ratings (Android)
$200 to $500

Freecash
4.0 ⭐ out of 52K Ratings (Android)
$150 to $500

TesterUp
4.3 ⭐ out of 58K Ratings (Android)
$100 to $200

*Note: Few of these apps publish the actual, average earnings of their users. I came up with these general estimates based on research into Reddit, review sites, and claims made by the apps themselves. How much you’ll actually earn from each app depends on a number of factors, including the amount of time you dedicate to playing and the offers that happen to be available at any given time.

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is an online survey app that enables you to take surveys and play new games to earn cash.

At press time, the app has a 4.4-star rating with over 113,000 reviews on the Apple App Store.

Reviewers appreciate the variety of ways to make money with Swagbucks, including:

surveys
mobile games
cash back for online shopping
receipt scanning
and more

However, there are complaints that some of the tasks can be difficult or time-consuming to complete compared to the expected rewards.

Swagbucks awards you “SB” points for completing different tasks. SB can be converted into gift cards, starting at 300 points for a $3 gift card.

Some tasks are as simple as clicking through a few screens and signing up for a game. Other offers will require you to reach a certain level within 7-30 days.

More difficult tasks can take longer but pay better.

For example, if you reach level 18 in Rise of Kingdoms within 21 days, you can earn $100!

As part of her $100/day challenge, Jackie Mitchell mentioned earning as much as $218 playing games through Swagbucks.

2. KashKick

KashKick is another great resource to get paid to play mobile games.

At press time, KashKick holds a 4.1-star rating on the Google Play store from more than 1,800 reviews.

KashKick gives you cash for playing certain games. Basically, you pick a game you like, and then you play that game until you reach the level you need to earn the reward.

One reviewer described how they earned around $200 “playing the easier games with smaller rewards.” Another reviewer described how they earned $600 over the course of a year.

In terms of cons, some reviewers complain that it can be hard to find good offers on the platform. Another downside is that the tasks sometimes require you to pay money in order to complete them.

Once you’ve earned $10, you can cash out via PayPal. Check out my full KashKick review to learn more.

3. TesterUp

TesterUp is available on both Google Play and the App Store and boasts an above 4-star rating on both platforms.

Described by several users as “a pleasure to use” and “the best,” TesterUp has earned a good reputation by providing legitimate rewards for people who already enjoy playing mobile games.

One of the biggest attractions of TesterUp, when compared to other apps that pay you to test games, is the amount of money you can earn per task.

For example, I found an opportunity to make $227 playing Raid: Shadow Legends!

Of course, you’ll need to play several hours in order to earn the full amount. Still, if that’s what you were going to do anyway, why not monetize your hobby?

One drawback? You’ll need to earn at least $70 before you can actually cash out. This is higher than most of the apps on this list.

The app also loses points for a somewhat clunky and confusing interface.

To learn more, check out my full TesterUp review.

Sign Up To Start Earning!

4. Freecash

Out of over 52,000 users, Freecash has garnered an impressive 4-star rating on the Google Play Store.

As with the other apps in this list, the app is designed to pay you real money to try out new casual games. You can cash out through Bitcoin, Amazon gift cards, and more.

One user described the offers available on the platform as “better than any of the other similar apps I use.” Another reviewer called Freecash “an absolute game-changer.”

According to the app, a typical user can expect to earn around $17.53 per day just playing games. Freecash has game offers for iOS, Android, and PC, with some paying out hundreds of dollars. (But the app itself is only available on Android and web.)

At press, the app had over 2,700 different games to choose from, offering plenty of variety for players.

As is common, you’ll earn more the more you play in each game, and reaching the highest tier may require some in-game purchases.

(But even if you don’t reach the highest level, you should still earn milestone payouts for however far you do get.)

5. Cash Giraffe

Cash Giraffe is an Android-only mobile app that allows users to earn money playing some of their favorite mobile games.

Cashouts are provided in a number of ways, including:

coupons from top brands
gift cards
PayPal

The app has a 4.3-star rating from a whopping 248K reviews! One user said that the app is in their “top 3 for earning money for playing games.”

Users appreciate the ease of the offers and that there aren’t too many ads. One user was able to earn $75 in two months, casually playing games.

On the downside, it can also be difficult to get the payout process to work properly. Based on reviews, you may need to back out of the app and restart it occasionally to get your cash rewards.

Also, cash payouts are made in Euros, so you’ll have to convert the currency inside your PayPal account if you want to transfer dollars to your bank.

6. Mistplay

Mistplay is another popular app — over 10 million downloads — that provides cash rewards to mobile gamers.

Like Cash Giraffe, this app is currently Android-only and has a 4.1-star rating from over 430K reviews. 

Mistplay has paid out over $60 million in rewards since 2016.

Reviews of the app describe it as “straightforward,” “awesome,” and “so helpful.” Payouts are offered in a wide range of options, including many different gift cards and direct cash deposits to PayPal.

Many people also appreciate the wide range of different games available.

How much can you realistically earn?

One reviewer said they had earned at least $80 in gift cards after playing for over a year. Another user described how they earned almost $200 in Starbucks gift cards after playing for around a year.

As with most of these apps, the more you play, the more you can expect to earn.

Real Money Gaming Apps (Compete With Other Players)

7. Bingo Cash

The popular Bingo Cash game app turns classic bingo from a game of luck into a game of speed and skill. Each game only takes about 2 minutes to play, and you can earn real-world rewards and cash prizes (except in AR, IA, LA, SC, and WA).

At press time, the app has a 4.7-star rating on the Apple App Store from 89,000+ reviews, with players calling it “legit,” “fun,” and “addicting.”

As with all gaming apps, practice for free first. Then, never put more money at risk than you can afford to lose.

Install And Start Earning

8. Solitaire Cash

Solitaire Cash is a real-money game where you can play different Solitaire games for a chance to win real cash payouts.

This app has a 4.6-star rating on Apple from over 310K ratings. Reviewers on the app store describe Solitaire Cash as “real” and “a decent game.”

If you’re passionate about Solitaire and like playing on your phone, this could be a great way to monetize your hobby and earn some cash in your free time.

However, be aware that you will need to deposit money in order to earn cash rewards, and you could lose money. Depending on your skill, reward amounts vary from $5 all the way to over $100.

Cash tournaments are currently not yet available in the following states: AZ, IN, IA, LA, ME, SC, MT, and WA.

9. Bubble Cash

Do you enjoy bubble shooter games? These are games where you need to line up three or more bubbles of the same color to pop them.

The ultimate goal is to clear as many levels as possible.

Bubble Cash is a bubble shooter game that allows you to play for a chance to win cash prizes. The app has great reviews — 4.6 stars from 113K ratings on the Apple App Store.

As with the other gaming apps in this list, Bubble Cash provides the option to both download the app and play games entirely for free.

To earn cash rewards, you’ll need to engage in cash tournaments where you compete against other players. How much can you earn? That depends on your skill level, but many players report earning a few dollars a day in their spare time.

Cash tournaments for Bubble Cash are currently unavailable in the following states: AZ, IA, LA, and SC.

10. Pool Payday

If you enjoy the skill and strategy of pool, the Pool Payday real money gaming app might be worth a look.

You can compete in a couple different modes: real-time or turn-based. In either mode, you’ll try and rack up the highest score by sinking your balls and earning bonuses for:

speed
pocket calling
trick shots
expert ball positioning

Overall, the app has a 4.6-star rating from over 85,000 reviews. One reviewer called it “the most honest” real money game, but others admitted to losing far more than they’ve won.

Cash tournaments aren’t allowed in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD.

11. Cookie Cash

Cookie Cash is a fun new game app where you can win real money. App Store reviews call this version of the classic Match 3 game “great fun” and “legit.” It currently holds a 4.7-star rating out of almost 4,000 ratings.

As your speed and skills improve, you can compete against other players to climb the global leaderboard and win cash prizes. To keep things fair, the app matches you up against players with similar skill levels.

Of course, I recommend practicing for free first!

Cookie Cash is free to download and play, but cash tournaments aren’t yet available in AZ, IA, LA, SC, and WA.

You Can Make Money Playing Mobile Games

Each of the apps I’ve listed in this article is legit and will really pay you to play games. I’ve tested several of them myself and can vouch for their authenticity.

Although results will vary from game to game and app to app, you’re more likely to earn money using the testing apps rather than the real money games.

That’s because many of these real money games use matchmaking systems that pair you up with a player of equal skill level. This can make it quite challenging to win games consistently. Plus, if you don’t get a high enough ranking in a tournament, you’ll lose whatever money you put in.

When it comes to the apps that pay you to test out new games, in most cases, you will need to have never downloaded the game previously. Most of these apps won’t reward you for the time you may have already put into a game before using the app.

Keep in mind that many of these apps will require you to download the game and then play it through the testing app. Doing this for too many games at once can end up overloading your phone’s storage capacity.

I recommend focusing on one game that you really like at a time and progressing through to higher rewards until you complete the offer. Then, move on to the next game.

Because some offers can be time-consuming, these apps really make the most sense for people who are already enjoy mobile games and would like to earn some money on the side.

And if you prefer console or PC gaming, check out our list of ways to get paid to pay video games.

Ultimately, you won’t be able to quit your job or replace a full-time income with these apps. Still, it is possible and realistic to add a few hundred dollars a year to your bottom line.

Not a bad way to erase some expenses, just by playing games on your phone.

Serious About Making Extra Money?

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(Top image via Unsplash)