20 easy ways to make money online as a beginner

Are you looking to make money online but not sure where to start?

Then you're in the right place.

This guide is packed with easy, beginner-friendly ways to earn money online. Inside, you'll find flexible, scalable side hustles you can fit around your 9-5 - no specialist skills or technical expertise needed. Just simple ways to make money with your phone, laptop, or desktop computer.

Ready to get started? Let’s dive in.

How to make money online for beginners: 20 easy ways 

If you’ve only ever worked traditional jobs, you might be either intimidated by or even simply skeptical of the idea of making money online.

To ease whatever resistance you have to this idea, here are some examples of especially beginner-friendly money-makers, and how to get into them.

1. Clipping

Short-form content is everywhere now, and it’s quickly becoming the preferred way to consume content. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts are reaching all-time-highs in viewership - and most of this popular content is actually clips.

But what exactly is clipping?

Put simply, clipping is taking long-form content (think visual podcasts) and transforming it into short-form videos (think 1 min reels). It's a way to showcase the most important parts of long-form video in a short-form way.

Getting started as a clipper is easier than you might think: the only skills you need are editing and an eye for viral content. If you’ve watched a lot of short form content (you probably have), you’re already basically an expert, so once you learn how to edit and clip, you can start making money as a content clipper right away.

So how do you make money clipping?

It's way easier than you think - especially when you use Whop Content Rewards.

Content Rewards pays clippers like you to clip viral content, and there are some huge brands paying clippers right now. Whop has had creators like Druski and brands like Hostage Tape find and pay clippers through Whop.

To get started, join Whop Clips. Here you can take the clipping course and find the Content Rewards you want to apply to. Then, check out the requirements, submit your content link, and start getting paid.

2. Microtasks

Microtasks are short, simple tasks that can be completed in just a few minutes, so you can do as much or as little as you want. Their flexibility, combined with their ease, makes them perfect for anyone starting from scratch.

Examples of microtasks include tagging photos, transcribing a few seconds of audio, categorizing items, or answering short surveys. While each task pays a small amount (often under $1), they add up and many can be completed quite quickly.

To get started, sign up for microtask platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk or Clickworker. Approval is usually quick as there are very few requirements, so once you go through that process, you can browse through available tasks and start completing them right away. 

Tip: Start with easy tasks to get into the flow of things, and take advantage of welcome or incentive bonuses that can allow you to scale to an easy side hustle of up to a few hundred dollars a month.

3. Whop Bounties

Working with microtasks is easy, but the fairly low pay and working with platforms that are often clunky and outdated can be a bit annoying. Whop Bounties are a modern take on microtasks, and not only do they pay more, they’re easy to find and complete all within one of the most user-friendly platforms for online money today - Whop.

How to get started:
Visit Whop.com and create an account, or, for even more convenience, download the Whop app.

Once you’ve set up your account, navigate to the 'Earn' tab, and you’ll be able to see the available bounties. Most of them are simple tasks that include social media engagement, and you can complete and submit them right on the app, many times just with a screenshot or link that you simply DM for review.

Some Bounties are a flat rate (e.g. $5 for a like, comment and share, or $10 to list a product on Whop’s Discover page), and some have incentives based on results.

Signing up is totally free, and new bounties are posted regularly so be sure to jump on this opportunity ASAP.

4. User feedback

If you like giving opinions, you can get paid to share feedback on websites, apps, or games. Companies rely on real user feedback to improve their platforms, and your input is more valuable than you might think - particularly if you have good attention to detail and can give thorough and honest feedback.

Companies like UserTesting and TryMyUI can get you started right away with minimal requirements. Based on your profile information and demographics, you’ll be matched with paid tasks and receive straightforward instructions regarding duty and pay.

You might need to record your screen while you interact with a site or app and describe your experience in depth, and the more detailed and specific you are regarding your feedback and requests, the better.

Most of these tasks will pay between $5-$50 and take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, with advanced tests that have specific requirements paying potentially even more than that.

5. Sell your extra stuff

Another low-effort way to make money online right now is by selling your extra stuff. It’s almost certain that you still have things that are sitting unused, so rather than just having them take up space, take the time to list them online so you can get paid to get rid of them. 

From clothes that you don’t wear to gadgets that you haven’t touched in months (or years), the types of items you can sell are nearly endless, and the market is evergreen. 

All you need to do is take decent pictures, do some pricing research, and create listings on platforms like Depop, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace. However, remember that not every platform is made equal– for example, successfully selling clothing online means picking the best platform depending on what you’re selling.

You might not make a huge amount of money selling your unused goods, and eventually, you'll run out of stuff to sell. Still, it's an easy way to earn some quick cash.

6. Online surveys

What do you think? That’s a question you can be asked about many different subjects after signing up to an online survey site like Survey Junkie.

Other platforms worth considering include Branded Surveys and Five Surveys. But why are you able to make money just from taking surveys? It’s because there are always companies out there wanting customer feedback on their products. That’s data they’re willing to pay for.

Responding to surveys doesn’t pay enough to be more than a side hustle, but every little helps.

7. Teach a language

If you’re reading this, you’re likely fluent in English - or at least at the level that you can teach it. So, you’re already qualified to cash in just by teaching what’s arguably the most valuable and in-demand language in the entire world.

Companies like VIPKid are actively recruiting native English speakers, and they allow you to work remotely and earn around $20 per hour, which in some countries is considered a generous income and can buy you quite a comfortable life.

Other widely spoken languages have strong markets as well, so if you’re bilingual this opens up even more opportunities with platforms like Preply, giving you the option to teach whatever language you want.

To really maximize your earning potential, create a whop and teach languages from there. You can include a language basics course, downloadable worksheets, and live lessons - all neatly packaged into a recurring subscription fee.

8. Affiliate marketing

Alright, this may take a little while to get started, but once you get going it has the potential to be a big earner.

So, how does affiliate marketing work? First, you join an affiliate marketing scheme (as long as you meet the entry criteria, of course, or use Whop which has no entry criteria). Then you can fetch affiliate links to insert into your content - this can be a blog, newsletter, or your social platforms.

If you have any sort of online presence then there are likely specific products you can recommend to your followers. For example, if you're documenting your fitness journey, you can share links to fitness clothing, equipment, supplements, and online fitness programs.

When someone clicks on the link and uses it to buy the product or service, you will get paid a commission. It’s not hard to imagine, then, how your earnings from affiliate links could grow if you have many readers willing to click on them.

• Whop Affiliates - Earn recurring income by referring whops
• Top tips for affiliate marketing success: How you can make more money as an affiliate marketer

9. AI model training

AI art is trending online (remember when everyone was creating images of themselves as action figures or Studio Ghibli characters?) so you've probably used AI programs like ChatGPT and MidJourney at least once or twice.

But, what you might not have realized that the reason these models are so intelligent is because of their huge collection of real human data. These AI models are continuing to collect data so they can spit out the most up-to-date accurate information. As a result, they need real humans to train the AI models on this data.

Getting started as an AI model trainer is simpler than it sounds, especially with platforms like Remotasks and Scale AI that make signing up to become a paid AI trainer simple and free. You can get started with zero technical skills, and in fact, being a non-technical everyday person can work to your advantage, as these companies thrive on data from the general public.

If you do have specialized skills, you can earn even more. While training an AI model isn’t passive income, it’s highly flexible and can feel cool to be part of knowing that you’re helping make technology that’s already impressive even better.

Find out how you can make money training AI with Data Annotation Tech

10. Playing games (yes, really!)

Okay, so there are some caveats. For a start, you shouldn’t expect to earn a living from this alone - unless you land a full-time job as a games tester. That’s unlikely to be a position you could easily get as a beginner.

What you could do instead is sign up with a website or app that pays you to play games. One good case in point is Bigcash.

Another option is Freecash, which is also available as a mobile app (albeit only on Android devices). 

Just keep in mind that most play-to-earn (P2E) games won't earn you enough to be worth your time. So, it’s crucial to do your research on the best apps that pay you to play games.

11. Print-on-demand (POD)

Print-on-demand  is a business model that is actually a form of dropshipping. So, it's a beginner-friendly way to sell custom products without having to deal with inventory or fulfillment. You simply create a design, upload it on a platform like Printify or Printful, and once your listing is live, you just need to drive traffic and the platform handles all of the production, shipping, and handling.

Other popular POD platforms include Redbubble and Etsy, which is particularly good for printables in general.

The awesome thing about Print-on-demand is that it blends the tangibility of physical products with the scale and passive income potential of digital products. While it will take some effort to generate traffic and sales, the fact that you don’t need to worry about inventory costs or fulfillment (even the design can be completely outsourced or done quickly with Canva) makes it very beginner friendly.

Read more about starting a Print-on-demand business here

12. UGC content

One of the newest and most exciting ways to make money online is user-generated content, aka UGC.

And you don’t even need to be an influencer to get started.

Brands are now actively paying everyday people to create short, authentic videos that help showcase their products for brand awareness and trust.

This means that you can get started right away: no need for a big following, no pressure to go viral, and no need for any expensive equipment or setups. Most UGC videos are casual product reviews, unboxings, or product placements in get-ready-with-me or day-in-the-life type videos. In some cases, you can get into UGC without even showing your face.

We've already touched on Whop's Content Rewards for clipping, but you can also use it for UGC (just filter by 'UGC). Brands put out a campaign on Whop Content Rewards, and all you have to do is check the requirements, make and share your content, and submit your UGC link.

13. Virtual assistant

How about something that resembles a traditional 9-5 role, without the 9-5 hours?

Being a virtual assistant (VA) is one of the most practical and reliable ways to make money online. It will be an especially good fit if you are organized, systems-focused, communicative, and good at getting things done with good attention to detail.

With more businesses and solopreneurs cutting down their full-time workforce while still outsourcing tasks, the demand for VAs is as high as it’s ever been. Also, since the work is remote and often quite flexible, you’ll be able to fit it around a busy schedule.

Required skills are low for basic VA work, and some companies are willing to train even those with zero experience as long as they show themselves to be communicative and reliable.

While you can still make money as an entry-level VA, make sure you view market rates and set your price and expectations accordingly. If you already have special skills or qualifications, use those to blend with your VA resume so you can stand out and get higher rates.

Start a Virtual Assistant business with Whop

14. Grow a social media account

Having a solid account on social media is the equivalent of having digital real estate - it’s an online asset that can generate multiple streams of income with minimal upfront investment. If done properly, growing a social media account can be much more lucrative than any piece of real estate, thanks to brand deals, digital products, affiliate marketing and more. 

The best part about growing a social media account today is that you don’t need a huge following to start making money.

Companies have become more wary of traditional influencers, so they care more about engagement and brand voice rather than vanity stats like followers or even likes, both of which could be faked.

While it might feel overwhelming in the beginning, don’t make it too complicated. Just pick a niche, start consistently putting out content, engage with your audience, and be patient.

It just takes one viral reel to hit for you to change your life forever.

If you need help growing an account, check out these social media whops that will teach you all you need to know about growing your account

15. Monetize AI content

Most people who are using AI today are doing it just for fun, curiosity, or an internet trend. But a smart few are leveraging its capabilities to cash in big with hustles or businesses that can be done faster than ever before.

One of the best ways to start is to just pick a tool and start producing content that you enjoy. Whether it’s text, video, or even voice, get familiar with good prompting practices and getting the AI model to accurately output what you envision. 

Once you’ve gotten good at AI content production, you should then pick a niche and figure out how to monetize it.

For example, you can be making AI ebooks, blog posts, Twitter threads, YouTube videos or graphic designs. If you’re technically inclined (or surprisingly - even if you’re not), you can try tools like Cursor to create programs from scratch that you can monetize as a SaaS. 

With AI, what used to take hours, days, or months can now be done in just minutes. This should not be taken for granted, and if you’re not making money yet with AI, now is perhaps the best time to get started.

Check out: AI-based side hustles you can start today

16. Live streaming with Whop

If you have been following TikTok or influencer related news, you’ve probably come across Pinkydoll, a livestreamer who reportedly makes tens of thousands of dollars every time she goes live.

Even as a beginner without such a massive audience, you can still get a piece of this livestreaming pie by putting yourself out there and going live - including on Whop. Many people are even making money streaming things they already love doing, like playing GTA 5.

You don't need much to get started. Livestreaming is often completely candid and can be done simply with your phone and a topic.

Once you’re live, there are quite a few ways that you can make money. On social platforms like TikTok and Instagram you can ask for tips, virtual gifts, or donations. Keep in mind the requirements that some platforms might have, for example, TikTok’s requirement of 1000 followers in order to be eligible to go live.

With Whop you can put your livestream behind a paywall, or get paid by your users incredibly easily with Whop's payment system.

Getting started just means picking a platform and remaining consistent. Use each livestreaming session as a lesson to test and get feedback so you can learn what kind of content your audience likes and engages most, with in addition to figuring out which content you like the most.

One of the best ways to get started livestreaming is right here on Whop. When setting up your whop, you can monetize and reach your audience in a lot of different ways, including with livestreaming. Setting up is totally fast and free.

17. Retail arbitrage (reselling)

This term sounds fancier than it actually is: retail arbitrage just means buy low, sell high. It’s one of the best ways to get started in reselling, and it’s how many entrepreneurs get their first start with bringing in dollars that they generated themselves. While you can resell in person, today, it’s easier than ever to do so online.

The first step to profitable retail arbitrage is to figure out which niche you want to deal in. While you can basically sell anything, you can get started much faster in a market you’re familiar with as you know exactly what people are willing to pay, how popular an item is, and when you come across a deal that you can comfortably sell for a profit.

So essentially, you need to get good at finding the best places to find hot inventory at the lowest price. This can be anything from clearance racks to seasonal sales and promos, so while you might have to do broad searching in the beginning, soon enough you’ll be able to narrow down to the most effective inventory sources. 

Want to get inventory for massive discounts or even for free? Glitch deals open up that opportunity, and it’s a lowkey strategy that savvy resellers are using to get an edge against the public. Check out Whop's reselling groups and find whops dedicated to retail arbitrage to get hands-on guidance from experienced sellers.

Read: Retail arbitrage explained

18. Community moderator

Online communities are more popular than ever. Also, thanks to marketplaces like Whop, many of them have created opportunities for entry level roles. Being a community moderator is probably the easiest job you can get within one of these groups, and best of all, you can do this entirely online.

Getting started with no experience as a community moderator is totally possible, and in many cases this is even the norm. Most community owners are simply looking for reliable, trustworthy individuals and prioritize motivation and alignment rather than formal experience.

The most reliable way to get hired as a community moderator is to be a member yourself. Once you’re inside, you can prove to the owners that you’re already engaging, helpful, and interested in helping them improve the quality of their community with your actions. Sometimes, if you’re helpful and active enough, you might even get offered a role directly without even needing to ask.

As a community moderator, your tasks will basically entail maintaining community guidelines to keep a positive, helpful, and trustworthy environment. This means you’ll probably be responsible for monitoring discussions, removing spam, answering basic questions, and making decisions regarding kicking members in case anyone crosses the line.

You can find countless communities right here on Whop, some of which are already looking for an aligned and motivated moderator to fill an online role ASAP.

Check out: Community moderation made easy: Steps to creating safe, successful online communities

19. Selling info products 

What are ‘info products’? At first glance, the term sounds self-explanatory: products that provide information.

But to be more precise, an info product is any product that offers valuable, specialised knowledge to a specific audience.

Chances are, you already know plenty of things you could turn into an info product, even if you don’t realise it yet.

For example, if you’re a cleaner, you could create checklists, calendars, planners, and trackers to help people clean more efficiently.

If you're a tradesperson, you could design a handyman checklist that helps others stay organised and work faster.

There's always high demand for products that help people manage or grow their money too. If you know advanced trading techniques, for instance, you could write an entire ebook - taking inspiration from TP Mint’s ebook.

One of the best things about ebooks is that they can be "evergreen" products, meaning you can sell them over and over again without needing to constantly update them. That’s why many classic personal finance books, published decades ago, are still worth reading today.

However, some topics evolve quickly. For example, an ebook about business funding would quickly become outdated if it mentioned grants or loans that are no longer available. In fast-moving areas like this, you might be better off launching a newsletter instead - and yes, newsletters can absolutely make money too.

Another option? Create an online course or community (or both!).

With Whop’s built-in course creator, anyone can build and launch a course in just minutes. You can also create a community around your course and upsell members on related products like ebooks, templates, and planners.

While making an info product might sound overwhelming, it’s easier than you think. Use platforms like Canva to design your downloads, and sell them on Whop with just a few clicks.

20. Freelance writing

Got a certain skill when it comes to writing?

Then you could make money online as a freelance writer. As a freelance writer you would be writing content for other people - your clients - to use. So, each piece of content you write as a freelancer must be to the standards of a specific brief drawn up by the client.

The good news is that you can pick and choose which clients you work with. So, you could create a good relationship with particular clients if they like what you produce for them. As for how to find those clients in the first place, you can look for them on freelancing websites like Upwork and PeoplePerHour.

You might be asked to write for companies’ blogs, landing page copy, meta data, and press releases for clients’ websites.

Start making money online with Whop

There are plenty of ways to make money online - and most of them can be done with Whop. Whether you want to make money as a clipper or UGC creator, with your own business selling info products or VA services, or if you want to try your hand at affiliate marketing, you can do it all with Whop.

The average creator on Whop makes $7,382 per month online

However, you could potentially bring in much more than this by chasing what you’re personally passionate about. Whop is the ideal place to do exactly that - and unlock true financial freedom.

It just takes a few simple steps to get started:

1. Sign up for an account on whop.com
2. Go to https://whop.com/new/
3. Follow the steps to set up your account and whop (your very own corner on the internet, hosted on Whop)
4. Choose the apps you want to equip your whop with
5. Publish your whop for everyone to see

This whole process only takes a few minutes, and it’s totally free. You can also book a free onboarding call or talk to our 24/7 support any time to get clear on

So, what are you waiting for? Making money online with Whop is just a few minutes away.

Online money FAQs

Why should I try to make money online?

Most of the content you see online was made by people who started out just like you - the only difference is that they chose to start creating instead of just scrolling.

And, even if you’re a beginner or if you have a demanding full-time job, you can start sooner than you think.

One of the biggest drivers behind the millions of individual creators cashing in online is the widespread use of apps and platforms like Whop, Instagram, and TikTok, which have already made countless people life-changing money.

How soon can a beginner realistically make money online?

For those just starting out, it can take some time to start making money online, and it depends on the business model you choose. However, even a total beginner can make money online as soon as they sign up for a platform and go through the steps to earn a reward, which in some cases can even happen the same day.

For example, if you sign up on Whop and join Whop University or Whop Clips, you can choose an easy bounty and get paid the moment you submit it. 

What’s the best way to make money online without experience?

If you don’t have any previous experience, you’re best off starting with beginner-friendly methods that we mentioned in this guide, including survey taking, AI training, providing user feedback, and clipping.

But, if you have previous professional experience, you can quickly leverage those skills to make your first online dollars through something like consulting, a membership, or selling digital products.

Can you make money online for free?

Yes, you can start making money online today without investing anything up front by using free platforms and tools to make money or reach an audience. Many survey sites, teaching platforms, and social media platforms are totally free to sign up for and allow you to make money online without investing a dime.

Whop is a particularly good choice for a free platform as it allows you to not only create a store but to launch it to an active marketplace. 

How to make money online fast with Whop

While you probably won’t make big money right out the gate, the fastest way to make online money is by jumping on emerging opportunities early.

Whop is quickly growing but still relatively new, meaning it’s the perfect time to get in as a creator on the platform. 

Whop opens up tons of ways to monetize, particularly through selling digital products. Best of all, selling digital products doesn’t just allow you to make online money, it also opens up the potential for passive income - the best way to earn financial freedom fast, even without having a huge nest egg saved up.