68 proven ways to make money online [2026]

UGC content, community monetization, faceless content creation, SaaS, and social media management are proven ways to make money online in 2026. Read this guide to find out more ways you can follow to make money online.

From clipping videos and using cashback apps to developing SaaS and managing social media, there are tons of ways you can make money online in 2026.

We surveyed over 2000 US teens, and found that nearly half of Gen Alpha already have online side hustles, and over half of Gen Z plan to leave traditional jobs to pursue full-time digital income.

So the question isn't whether you can make money online – it's how to make money online.

Let’s get started.

How to make money online: from quick wins to long-term plays

First, a quick look at what you can find in this guide:

Best quick ways to start making money online

From online focus groups to cashback apps and sign-up bonuses, these beginner-friendly methods are perfect if you want to start earning right now: no experience, upfront investment, or special tools required.

1. Online focus groups

Potential earnings: $50-$300 per session

Online focus groups bring together similar groups of people to give feedback or share experiences, in exchange for cash (or gift cards).

Using sites like CRNRSTONE and Farron Research, Keisha has filled out online forms, taken part in online chats, and participated in online groups via video call, making $100-$500 per task. Keisha says: "Sign up to multiple platforms so you can get invited to as many focus groups as possible."

How to start

Find reputable online focus group platforms, complete your profile for matching, and check daily for spots (payouts are usually worth it).

• Best for: Anyone with a laptop and free time.
• Effort needed: Medium — requires 1 to a couple of hours each day.
• Setup time: Less than an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Within a few days to a week.

2. Cashback apps

Potential earnings: $50-$500 annually

You're already shopping — why not get paid for it?

Cashback apps help you earn money back when you make a purchase. This can be on small ticket items like groceries or big tech purchases.

Don’t worry, you’ll still be buying directly from the stores that you know and love — but how good does 5% cash back on Walmart flash deals sound? Or 7.5% on Lowe's? A massive 15% on Temu?

"My total life time savings from Cashrewards (from the app) is over $1800 since 2020."

— Redditor

How to start

Download a cashback app like Ibotta, shop at supported stores, and claim your earnings as cash or gift cards.

• Best for: Anyone who makes regular purchases.
• Effort needed: Minimal, download the apps and get started.
• Setup time: Under an hour to set up a profile.
• How fast you'll get paid: Hours to days to earn, up to a week to be paid out.

3. Watching videos

Potential earnings: $20-$150 monthly

How many hours a day do you spend scrolling through video content?

Binging reality TV, indie movies, TikToks – mindlessly watching videos can make us feel guilty and unproductive. But now you can actually get paid to watch videos.

Depending on the app or platform you choose, you’ll be given different types of videos to watch. For example, InboxDollars serves up long videos that you just play in the background while you do other stuff.

Now, watching videos for money won't make you rich, but it is an easy way to earn a little extra cash. One Redditor says: "I see roughly $50 to a couple hundred you could make in a month. I think my biggest month was $95."

How to start

Choose a platform that pays in your region (like FreeCash, InboxDollars, or MyPoints) and automate watching videos or ads you’d watch anyway.

• Best for: People who have the time to watch video content regularly.
• Effort needed: Minimal, some effort to find paying tasks.
• Setup time: Under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Payouts can take up to a week.

4. Getting paid as a clipper

Potential earnings: $200-$1500 monthly

Clipping is one of the newest ways to make money with content — and you don't even need to create the content yourself.

"With Whop Content Rewards, you don’t need to create original content. You can start making money from day one—even with zero followers."

— Clipper on Whop

As a clipper you take existing long-form content (like visual podcasts and vlogs) and clip the best parts into short, viral videos.

Clipping is a hot market right now — creators want more eyes on their content, and clippers are happy to make money online creating viral reels.

How to start

Pick a niche, find long-form content, use tools like Capcut, Canva, Opus, and Descript to create clips with hooks and captions, optimize for platforms, and publish consistently.

• Best for: Anyone with a smartphone who can edit and make clips go viral.
• Effort needed: Medium – once you figure out what works, it's rinse and repeat.
• Setup time: Under an hour to sign up and find content to clip.
• How fast you'll get paid: Within 24 hours if your content complies.

5. Play-to-earn gaming

Potential earnings: $10-$400 monthly

If you're a gamer, you've likely spent countless hours grinding levels, collecting loot, and mastering card decks. Now imagine if that time literally paid off.

That’s what play-to-earn (P2E) games are about: giving players real rewards, like cryptocurrency or NFTs, just for playing.

Unlike traditional games packed with microtransactions or pay-to-win mechanics, P2E works differently. Instead of constantly asking for money, these games reward your time and skill with assets that hold real-world value, and can often be traded or sold freely.

How to start

Choose a play-to-earn game that rewards skill over spending. Look for titles like Gods Unchained, where you can earn tradable assets and tokens just by playing.

• Best for: Gamers and anyone with the time to play games on a daily basis.
• Effort needed: Medium, you need to dedicate time every day to stack earnings.
• Setup time: Under an hour to register and start playing.
• How fast you'll get paid: Within hours to days.

6. Sign-up bonuses

Potential earnings: $2-50 per sign-up, bank bonuses $100-$500

If you’ve checked out any of the apps we’ve mentioned — like InboxDollars or Ibotta — you might’ve noticed a little extra incentive: the sign-up bonus.

These bonuses give you a small boost when you join, typically ranging from a couple of dollars to as much as $20.

Another place you’ll see decent sign-up offers is in the online betting world. These often work as deposit matches. For example, deposit $50 and get an extra $50 to play with.

How to start

Claim sign-up bonuses on platforms like banks or betting apps, complete the required tasks or purchases, and cash out your rewards.

• Best for: Anyone who has an email address.
• Effort needed: Minimal, all you have to do is sign up.
• Setup time: Ten minutes.
• How fast you'll get paid: Most apps pay you after signing up, payout might take a day to a week.

7. Sell old stuff online

Potential earnings: $50–$2,000+ depending on what you sell

Sure, this isn't a new idea – but it's still one of the fastest ways to make money online. Selling old clothes, electronics, furniture, or books that you no longer use can put quick cash in your pocket.

Focus on items that are in good condition, branded, or have niche demand – vintage jackets and rare books often sell for much more than you’d expect.

Platforms like eBay, Vinted, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace make it easy to list your items and get paid once they sell.

How to start

Collect unused items, take clear photos with honest descriptions, list them on platforms like eBay or Depop, and ship or deliver once sold to earn cash.

• Best for: Anyone who wants to declutter their home and make fast money.
• Effort needed: Medium, you’ll need to photograph, list, and sometimes ship items.
• Setup time: Under an hour to list items with photos and details.
• How fast you'll get paid: Usually within a few hours to a few days.

8. Online sweepstakes

Potential earnings: Highly variable and luck-dependent

Online sweepstakes and giveaways can be a fun way to earn extra cash or even score prizes worth thousands. From gaming gear to real money, there’s value on the table if luck’s on your side.

Just a note: You’ll lose 99.9% of the sweepstakes you enter. But that’s still better than the 100% you lose if you never try.

Sweepstakes won’t make you rich, but play it smart and you just might hit the jackpot (or at least walk away with something worthwhile like a PS5).

How to start

Use sweepstakes aggregator sites and follow trusted brands on platforms like Facebook. Enter legit giveaways for gear or cash, using a separate email to stay organized.

• Best for: People who don't need extra cash but would love to win money or prizes.
• Effort needed: Medium, you have to trawl through sweepstake sites and fill out details.
• Setup time: Under 10 mins per sweepstake.
• How fast you'll get paid: Usually within a few hours to a day.

9. Chatting online

Potential earnings: $8-$35 per hour

No, we don't mean on NSFW platforms (though that’s definitely a thing, and those who choose to are often actively sought out and compensated adequately).

But you might be surprised to know there are plenty of SFW sites that pay you to chat with people. It's about friendly companionship, and can vary from giving general advice to just chatting about gaming.

Some sites are even more specific: Needle is a service where you can chat with indecisive shoppers to help them make decisions. Or, if you’ve got mental health qualifications, you can try platforms like Headspace Health.

How to start

Choose a chat platform that fits your style — just make sure it protects your privacy and keeps your info secure.

• Best for: Outgoing people who love to meet new people and have a chat.
• Effort needed: Medium – could be time-consuming or mentally taxing.
• Setup time: 
• How fast you'll get paid: Credits are deposited to your account after each session, but payouts can take a week.

10. Answering questions

Potential earnings: $10-$100+ monthly

This one sounds a bit like chatting online, but we’re getting a lot more specific here.

People often search the internet seeking answers to certain questions, and there are a lot of ways in which these questions get answered — videos, blog posts, entire websites, forums, and platforms like Quora and JustAnswer.

Chris Pyle, a former Ford mechanic who transitioned into full‑time expert work on JustAnswer. By 2023, his annual earnings reached about $170,500 (according to CNBC).

"I have zero plans to go back for a real job, unless I’m the boss. Between my work attire and the environment that I work in, [life] is pretty good."

— Chris Pyle, JustAnswer expert

How to start

Sign up and create your profile on platforms where you can monetize your knowledge, like JustAnswer.

• Best for: Anyone with a special interest or set of skills.
• Effort needed: Low to medium.
• Setup time: Under an hour to register and start answering questions.
• How fast you'll get paid: Payouts will take from a day to a week.

11. Taking online surveys

Potential earnings: $100-$300 monthly

If you live in the U.S. or another major consumer market, online surveys can be a simple and accessible way to make money — no special skills required.

Why? Because brands are constantly trying to understand how consumers think. Surveys are one of their favorite tools, and they’re willing to pay real money for honest feedback that helps them shape products, ads, and experiences.

Now, surveys won’t replace a full-time job — but if you’re looking to make an extra $100–$300 a month, they’re a solid side option.

How to start

Sign up for reputable survey sites like Survey Junkie or Swagbucks, and stay consistent to turn your opinions into steady monthly earnings.

• Best for: Anyone with a phone or laptop and opinions to share.
• Effort needed: Low to medium, depending on survey complexity.
• Setup time: Under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Credits are added after completing a survey, payouts can take a day to a week.

12. Microtasks

Potential earnings: $100-$400 monthly

Watching videos or playing games for money are fun examples of microtasks — quick and easy online jobs that pay small amounts for each task.

These are some of the easiest ways to get started, but they’re just a small part of the much bigger microtask world.

Microtasks can also include things like data entry, text translation, tagging images, content moderation, transcription, and data verification.

These tasks are often used to help train AI systems, organize large datasets, or support tech and research projects behind the scenes.

So whether you're casually watching videos or contributing to AI development, microtasks offer a flexible way to earn online.

How to start

Sign up for microtask platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, fill out your profile, and filter tasks according to your experience and preferences.

• Best for: People with time for regular tasks. If you are skilled in AI or data, then you can take on higher-paying tasks.
• Effort needed: Medium, you're paid on a 'per task' basis, so it's up to you.
• Setup time: 
• How fast you'll get paid: Most platforms pay within a week.

13. Selling data

Potential earnings: $5-$50 monthly per device

FYI: We’re not talking about selling your own personal data, or acquiring other people’s data and selling that (that's illegal, just saying).

We’re talking about internet data, or bandwidth.

You pay your internet provider for a set amount of data at a certain speed. But chances are, you’re not using all of it. That’s where this clever money-making method comes in: sell your unused bandwidth to someone who needs it.

In places like the U.S. and Europe, where demand for bandwidth is high, some platforms will pay you up to $50 per month just for letting them tap into your excess data.

How to start

Sign up with a trusted platform with solid reviews—since you’ll be installing software that routes traffic through your device, privacy and security should be your top priorities.

• Best for: Literally anyone with unused data.
• Effort needed: None at all. Once you've signed up, you're all set.
• Setup time: Under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Payout might take a day to a week.

14. Online transcription

Potential earnings: $100–$500 monthly

If you have good listening skills and can type quickly, online transcription is an easy way to make money online. Companies and creators need their written text for everything from podcasts and interviews to YouTube videos and webinars.

Start with platforms like Rev, TranscribeMe, and GoTranscript for short transcription jobs, and scale up once you've got the hang of it.

How to start

Create an account on Rev or TranscribeMe, pass a simple transcription test, and pick up available jobs.

• Best for: Anyone with typing ability and attention to detail.
• Effort needed: Medium, it takes focus and practice, but the barrier to entry is low.
• Setup time: Under an hour to get signed up and browse gigs.
• How fast you'll get paid: Direct clients can pay you instantly, platforms can take a few days to weeks.

15. Online mystery shopping

Potential earnings: $5-$50+ per task

You may have heard of mystery shopping (physically going into stores to test their service, aesthetics, and everything in between), but have you heard about online mystery shopping?

With online mystery shopping gigs, companies pay you to test their websites, evaluate their customer service, and sometimes even place real orders (which are reimbursed).

All you have to do is shop online and give feedback through a report, questionnaire, or screen recording.

Payment can range from $5 to $50+ per task, depending on how involved it is.

How to start

Sign up with legit mystery shopping platforms — just make sure they don’t charge fees or ask for sensitive info upfront before you get started.

• Best for: People who enjoy shopping and can pay upfront and be reimbursed.
• Effort needed: Medium, you need to apply for tasks and shop online, then provide feedback.
• Setup time: Under an hour to register and browse gigs.
• How fast you'll get paid: Credits given once gigs are complete, payout might take from a day to two weeks.

16. Referral programs

Potential earnings: $5-$100+ per referral

Very similar to sign-up bonuses, many apps and websites offer some really interesting bonuses for referrals. Instead of rewarding you for joining, they reward you for getting other people to join.

One Redditor collects as many bank bonuses as they can, saying "I'm on my third bank now for this, after this bonus i will have earned over $1,000 in about 5 months."

Referral bonuses are more common than you think. Ecommerce websites, trading platforms, banking apps, VPN services, online clothing retailers, Airbnb — you name it, referrals are everywhere.

How to start

Research the best referral bonuses in your area, leverage your network to increase referrals, and ensure referees meet requirements to unlock rewards.

• Best for: Anyone with friends or family to refer.
• Effort needed: Low, just grab your referral codes and pass them along.
• Setup time: Under an hour to collect codes and send them out.
• How fast you'll get paid: Payouts usually take around a few days to a month.

17. Mobile app testing

Potential earnings: $10-$25 per test

A lot of the entries on this list so far have involved downloading or using apps.

These apps have to be developed and tested exhaustively before being released to the paying public — and that testing isn’t free.

Which means you can get paid to test apps and make money right from your phone. Easy, right?

"The work is straightforward enough, and it looks like I can make enough doing it to make it worthwhile (maybe $10,000 in a year if I really try)."

— Redditor from r/beermoney

How to start

Sign up for platforms like UserTesting or Testbirds, find paying tasks, and give detailed feedback to stand out and turn app testing into a steady source of extra income.

• Best for: People with a keen eye for detail who love finding flaws in products.
• Effort needed: Medium, you'll need to test and report on errors, bugs, and UX concerns.
• Setup time: Under an hour to get started.
• How fast you'll get paid: Around a week or two once you complete the tests.

How creators can make money online

18. UGC content

Potential earnings: $300-$3,000+ monthly

You might think content creation is reserved for big names like Marques Brownlee or Dude Perfect. But with user-generated content (UGC), you can start earning from your very first post.

This Gen X dad (featured in the video below) never planned to become a UGC creator — and that’s exactly why he stands out.

"I leaned into what made me different — my real-world marketing experience, my strategic brain, and my authenticity."

— UGC creator

UGC creators focus on authentic, everyday content — short videos, reviews, photos, or even tweets — that brands can use in their marketing.

How to start

Get your camera, mic, and editing software ready, build a portfolio with reviews, pitch brands with authentic content, and find UGC work on platforms like Whop.

• Best for: Anyone creative – you can try faceless accounts if you're shy.
• Effort needed: Medium to high — you need to dedicate time and effort to UGC.
• Setup time: Under an hour to find paying opportunities on Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: Usually when the content is published, depends on client or platform.

19. Blogging

Potential earnings: New blogs earn $50-$200 monthly after 6-12 months

Blogging has been a popular online business idea for decades now (bloggers are the OG online content creators), and it’s a great option if you’re comfortable writing.

While it's not easy to make money with a blog from the get-go, it is easy to get started. And once you have a good online presence, opportunities to make money will begin to flood in.

The best blogs tend to focus on particular niches (like these great ecommerce niche blogs), and bloggers tend to have some level of expertise or authority over that specific area of interest.

It takes some effort upfront, but blogging can evolve into a powerful income stream.

How to start

Pick a niche you love, set up your blog on a reliable platform, create high-quality SEO content, and monetize with ads, sponsorships, or your own digital products.

• Best for: People who have a way with words.
• Effort needed: Medium. Like all content creation, blogging requires consistent effort.
• Setup time: An hour or two to set up your blog and create your first posts.
• How fast you'll get paid: 1-2 months after ad revenue with platforms. Paid upon publishing with direct ads.

20. YouTube

Potential earnings: Top creators earn $10,000+ monthly

"I've helped creators get 500+ million views in the last 12 months — long form only."

— Leroy ter Braak, YouTube strategist

YouTube remains the world's largest video platform with 2.7 billion monthly active users – so it's a great place for creators to build audiences and monetize content.

You can earn substantial income once you reach the YouTube Partner Program threshold (currently 500 subscribers + 3,000 watch hours (or 3M Shorts views) for early monetization, or 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours for full ad revenue).

From there, extra revenue can come from ads, sponsorships, memberships, merch, courses, and more.

How to start

Get any needed hardware and software, pick a niche, create consistent high-quality videos, and use YouTube to grow multiple income streams beyond ad revenue.

• Best for: Big personalities who can engage an audience online.
• Effort needed: Higher – you need to put in the work to try out styles and formats until you find what your audience likes.
• Setup time: Under an hour to launch your YouTube account.
• How fast you'll get paid: The YouTube Partner Program pays around 21 days into each month.

21. Create and sell YouTube thumbnails

Potential earnings: $5-$150 per thumbnail

Another way to make money with YouTube is by creating YouTube thumbnails. Good thumbnails are needed to stand out from the crowd.

If you have graphic design skills, you can easily find creators on freelancing platforms looking for thumbnail creatives.

Since most YouTube channels have a consistent content schedule, once you start working with one, there's a chance that you'll have a steady flow of work.

How to start

Get the right equipment and software, study what makes thumbnails click-worthy, and sharpen your design skills to create high-performing visuals.

• Best for: People with illustration/graphic design skills.
• Effort needed: Medium level of effort here to both find gigs and design thumbnails.
• Setup time: Under an hour to list services on freelance platforms.
• How fast you'll get paid: Upon delivering the thumbnail to your client (may be delayed if using a freelancing platform)

22. TikTok

Potential earnings: Creators with 1M+ monthly views earn $500-$2000 monthly from the program alone

TikTok dominates the short-form world. With over 1 billion monthly active users globally, it offers huge opportunities for turning quick, engaging videos into real income.

TikTok’s monetization methods have expanded – fast. The main method is the TikTok Creativity Program, which replaced the old Creator Fund.

To qualify, you’ll need 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the past 30 days. Once you’re in, you can start earning based on performance.

Creator Patryk Karwasz makes money with TikTok live shopping.

"This is my TikTok Shop studio, and this is something anyone can do. All you have to do is get a product, get in front of the camera, and boom — start talking."

— Patryk Karwasz, TikTok Live creator

How to start

Pick a niche that suits your strengths, get basic equipment, post consistently with algorithm-friendly content, and add a digital product or offer to grow income.

• Best for: Creatives who know what it takes to make content go viral.
• Effort needed: Medium to high. TikTok videos can be as complex as DIY tutorials or as simple as filming a morning routine.
• Setup time: Under an hour to register and start posting.
• How fast you'll get paid: Around 30 days after the end of the month.

23. Streaming

Potential earnings: Top streamers earn $10,000+ monthly

Propernator is a Twitch streamer with over 20,000 followers who’s been streaming for seven years. While many new streamers rely on subscriptions and donations, he prefers focusing on building a loyal community and landing sponsorships.

"My way of making money is to get sponsors — you gotta have views and you gotta have a loyal community.

It doesn’t specifically take a long time, you just have to know what you’re doing."

— Propernator, Twitch streamer

If you're ready to show up live and build a loyal audience, streaming could turn your time, personality, and skills into a steady source of income.

How to start

Pick a niche that works live, invest in any gear or software, choose a streaming platform, and start streaming on a consistent schedule.

• Best for: Gamers, artists, musicians — anyone chatty or with a cool skill to share.
• Effort needed: Low to medium – to make money as a streamer, you need to post consistently, build a brand, and be business-minded.
• Setup time: Under an hour with platforms like Whop, TikTok, and Discord.
• How fast you'll get paid: Around 2 to 4 weeks after the end of each month.

24. Design and sell streamer overlays

Potential earnings: $20-$150 per set

If you've ever visited streaming platforms like Twitch or Kick, there's a high chance you've seen people having unique visual overlays on their streams.

While some streamers create those overlays themselves, most of them pay graphic designers to make overlay sets for them.

These sets include camera outlines, chat backgrounds, ad placement boxes, and more. If you have graphic design skills, you can create all kinds of overlays for all kinds of streamers.

How to start

Learn graphic design basics and stream overlay structure, then offer services on freelance platforms or Whop, and consider adding animation skills for custom overlays.

• Best for: Graphic designers.
• Effort needed: Low to medium. You can create overlays once and sell them over and over again.
• Setup time: 
• How fast you'll get paid: Instantly if you're working directly with clients, up to two weeks if you're using a freelancing platform.

25. Podcasting

Potential earnings: Successful podcasters earn $3000-$10,000 monthly

With 584 million global podcast listeners and the industry reaching $24 billion in 2025, podcasting offers significant monetization potential.

"Podcasting is a great way to make money online because not only can you make money with sponsors, but you can also send traffic to your own digital products"

— Brett Malinowski, Head of Marketing at Whop

Podcasts typically center on a specific topic and follow a recurring schedule, whether that’s weekly interviews, educational deep dives, personal stories, or even actual play sessions of tabletop games.

When it comes to podcast monetization, podcasters have options:

• Sponsorships and in-episode ads
• Listener donations
• Paid communities on platforms like Whop, where you can offer bonus content, Q&As, or early access for your most loyal fans.

If you've got something to say and the consistency to say it well, podcasting can turn your voice into both influence and income.

How to start

Invest in a quality mic and editing setup, pick a hosting platform, and focus on strong presentation and consistent marketing to grow your podcast audience.

• Best for: Storytellers with a good voice who know how to ask the right questions and engage an audience.
• Effort needed: Pretty high. Making money from a podcast takes time and effort.
• Setup time: Depending on your platform and content model, creating and publishing your first episode could take days to a week.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depends on your monetization method. You can get paid instantly with donations or upon publishing on paid ads.

26. Monetize a community

Potential earnings: $1000-$250,000 monthly

You can create an online community for anything.

Case and point: Jasen Hunt is a professional CAD instructor and runs a very successful, very niche land survey drafting community.

"The people inside of the communities are the ones that are cheerleading for you the most."

— Jasen Hunt, founder of the world's only land survey drafting community

Online communities can be found on every social platform. But the best way to monetize a community is by creating your own whop.

With Whop, you can create a private community and sell digital products like courses, launch your own merch, and monetize your existing fanbase.

How to start

Assess your current audience or start from scratch, pick a platform like Whop, focus on building trust with valuable content, and monetize once your community is engaged.

• Best for: Anyone can make an online community, but it's easier if you already have a following.
• Effort needed: Medium – communities need consistent attention to keep paying members and get more.
• Setup time: Growing a community takes time, but you can create one on platforms like Whop in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid out instantly or up to a few days.

27. Moderate a community

Potential earnings: $200-$2000 monthly

If you don’t think you’re quite ready to create a paid community of your own, there’s an intermediate step — find someone else’s community and sign up to be a moderator.

Moderation is usually more of a gig than a permanent role, and it may not necessarily pay incredible amounts of money.

Still, it’s flexible work - and given the global nature of the internet, you should be able to fit it into your existing schedule with ease.

How to start

Join communities that align with your interests and values, and apply to moderate for creators you genuinely support.

• Best for: People who are great at communicating online.
• Effort needed: Low. The only real effort is your time— otherwise it's a pretty easy gig.
• Setup time: Could take hours to days to find paying gigs.
• How fast you'll get paid: In a few days with a bank transfer if you're working directly with clients. It can take a few weeks if you're using third-party platforms.

28. Email newsletters

Potential earnings: $100-$10,000 monthly

Newsletters are a great way to make money, and it’s an extremely scalable and highly creative model as far as online businesses go.

You’re probably used to a newsletter being a marketing tactic and know that most businesses have one, so how can a newsletter on its own make money? Well, there are two ways in which newsletters are becoming a business.

Firstly, you can simply offer a premium newsletter. Create a newsletter that offers unique value worth paying for, and you earn money through your subscribers.

Secondly, you can run a free newsletter but monetize it in other ways. Your newsletter could point people toward your digital products, a premium community, affiliate marketing, and contact ads (or be sponsored in its entirety).

How to start

Pick a niche with unique value, choose a platform like Substack or beehiiv, build trust with consistent emails, and monetize via premium subscriptions, sponsorships, or affiliate links.

• Best for: Writers, entrepreneurs, anyone with a skill to share and a love for the written word.
• Effort needed: Medium. You need to work hard to make money with a newsletter.
• Setup time: Signing up for a newsletter platform
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on your monetization platform, you can get paid within hours to a month.

29. Self-publish ebooks

Potential earnings: $50-$5000+ monthly

You no longer need a traditional publisher’s approval to release a book — especially if you’re focused on digital formats.

Self-publishing gives you full creative control over your ebook’s content, design, length, distribution, and even marketing.

"What I do is I have an Instagram reel or a TikTok or a YouTube short that's relative to the information of the book.

I give out a little bit of game or knowledge that's in the book and then within the caption, I will have a call to action to purchase this book."

— Jeremie Lander, three-times published author

How to start

Plan and write your ebook (solo or with AI), design a standout cover, and choose a publishing platform that fits your goals, like Amazon KDP or Whop.

• Best for: Anyone with a skill or experience to write about..
• Effort needed: Medium to start, but once it's made, you can make passive income.
• Setup time: Depending on the length and complexity (or if buying PLR), you can self-publish an ebook in days to weeks.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid instantly with most digital product platforms.

30. Create faceless content

Potential earnings: $200-$3000 monthly

Faceless content is blowing up right now — and it’s super beginner-friendly. Thanks to platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, more and more people are making money online without ever showing their faces.

"To make money with faceless content you need to post regularly, not being discouraged when you're starting off, show up, and using auto captions.

A fair amount of people scroll with sound off, and if you don't have captions, they're gonna scroll right past."

— Zap, Whop

To make money with faceless content, join programs like Whop's Content Rewards, TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, monetize through YouTube, and do affiliate marketing.

How to start

Pick a niche you can consistently create for, use tools to streamline production, and make unique, engaging faceless content with a touch of authenticity.

• Best for: People who love short-form video content but don't want to show their face.
• Effort needed: Medium, you still need to know how to film at the right angles and make content that trends.
• Setup time: You can find paying opportunties on Whop within the hour, monetizing through social platforms can take time.
• How fast you'll get paid: Most social media creator programs pay one month after the end of each month.

31. Selling digital templates

Potential earnings: $1000-$10,000+ monthly

Digital templates are plug-and-play tools that save people time and effort. Think Canva or Photoshop templates for social posts, Excel and Google Sheets templates for budgeting, or Notion templates for productivity.

The best part of selling digital templates is that they cost almost nothing to make.

Once you’ve designed a template, you can sell it over and over without extra work, making it one of the easiest digital products to scale.

How to start

Pick a niche and platform you know, create problem-solving templates, upload them to Whop, and promote them on Whop and your socials.

• Best for: Anyone! Selling digital products is a super easy way to make money online.
• Effort needed: Low, you can sell digital products with almost no effort if you resell PLR products, or make your own quickly and easily with tools like Canva.
• Setup time: You can make templates within an hour and list them on platforms like Whop for free.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on the platform you use to sell your templates, you can get paid in a few hours to two weeks.

32. Photo presets

Potential earnings: $5-$50 per set

Rather than a general template, we’re talking about a specific set of custom filters and presets here that photographers and Instagram influencers (among others) would happily pay for.

Creating a photo preset takes a finite amount of work - but once it’s listed for sale, you can just sit back and watch the cash coming in.

How to start

Use apps like Lightroom or VSCO to develop your own photo presets and tailor them to the needs of specific audiences like influencers or photographers.

• Best for: Photographers and designers who know what it takes to make a beautiful preset.
• Effort needed: Low – create once, sell over and over again.
• Setup time: You can create and list presets in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on which platform you sell your photo presets, you can get paid in a few hours to two weeks.

Make money online with freelancing and online services

33. Freelancing

Potential earnings: rates vary by skill

Freelancing lets you offer your skills on a project-by-project basis, on your own schedule, from anywhere.

Writers, designers, developers, video editors – there’s a freelance market for nearly every talent, making freelancing a popular small business idea.

Tameem Rahman — aka The SaaStronaut — sells SEO services and began as a freelancer. When it comes to freelancing, Tameem's advice is to 'niche down'.

"There's a common misconception that people think if they niche down then they're limiting their market potential.

While that might be true mathematically, people you need to consider how much faster you will get leads, how much less competition there is and how much more you can resonate with people when you do niche down."

— Tameem Rahman/The SaaStronaut

How to start

Look for freelance gigs on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or pitch directly through job boards and social media. Build your portfolio, too.

• Best for: People who are organized, confident, have a skill that they can sell, and know how to market themselves.
• Effort needed: It can take a lot of effort to land your first freelancing gig, and even then, you have to apply for work continually.
• Setup time: An hour to set up offers on free platforms like Whop, Upwork and Fiverr.
• How fast you'll get paid: Most freelancing platforms clear funds in two weeks; if running your own offers on Whop, you can be paid within days.

34. Online coaching

Potential earnings: $50-$300 per session

If you have knowledge to share, online coaching is a great way to turn your expertise into income.

You don't have to be an expert; you just have to know more than your clients. The creator in this video teaches basic tech skills to the older generation.

"College kids are making a significant amount of money showing the older generation how to use technology — specifically AI and social media.

This a pain point that you can solve and get paid for, and you don't need to be an expert— you just need to be a few steps ahead."

— Tech coach

Whop makes it easy to coach online by giving you everything you need in one place: a private space for clients, chat and video call features, and built-in payment processing.

All you really need to get started is a reliable internet connection, decent audio and video gear, and a clear idea of who you can help.

How to start

Get certified or showcase experience, build a professional online presence, set up a coaching Whop, and focus on marketing, delivering value, and building trust to attract clients.

• Best for: Anyone with either qualifications, experience, or valuable knowledge.
• Effort needed: Medium – coaching is competitive, so you need to put effort into sessions, personal branding, and marketing.
• Setup time: You can create a coaching offer on Whop in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on which platform you sell your services on, you can get paid within hours to two weeks.

35. Online consulting

Potential earnings: $75-$500 per hour

If you have deep experience in a specific industry, online consulting is a highly profitable way to work with clients remotely.

Unlike coaching, which often targets individuals, consulting usually involves providing strategic guidance or specialized services to businesses.

Consultants have a lot of experience in a specific business area — and they know there’s more money to be made when you’re the one writing the invoices.

Tools like Whop let you run your consultancy online, with chat, video, and payment processing built into your own private space. It’s everything you need to deliver value from anywhere.

How to start

Highlight your expertise and credentials in pitches and profiles, then deliver clear communication and quality work to attract and keep high-value clients.

• Best for: 
• Effort needed: Medium to high. If you have the experience, then consulting can be a pretty sweet gig once you have a client base.
• Setup time: Setting up profiles and offers on freelancing platforms or Whop is fast.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on the platform you sell your services on, you can get paid in a few hours to two weeks.

36. Create stock photos & videos

Potential earnings: $50–$2000+ monthly

Love taking photos or short videos?

Stock content is always in demand. Businesses, bloggers, and creators pay licensing fees to use fresh, high-quality photos and clips in their projects rather than overused generic images.

You can upload your content to sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Pexels, where each download earns you money.

Over time, as your portfolio grows, you can make recurring passive income from the same images.

How to start

Sign up for contributor accounts on Shutterstock or Adobe Stock, upload your best work with proper tags and descriptions, and promote on social media.

• Best for: Creatives, photographers, videographers.
• Effort needed: Low to medium — you’ll need to shoot, edit, and upload consistently to build a portfolio that sells.
• Setup time: You can list your stock assets in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Most stock photo and video platforms credit your account within a few days, and payouts happen on a monthly basis.

37. Virtual assistant

Potential earnings: $15-$50 per hour

Busy people (executives, entrepreneurs, business owners) need help managing daily tasks, and hiring a full-time, in-person personal assistant can be costly and inconvenient.

That’s where virtual assistants (VAs) come in.

As a VA, you can work remotely from anywhere — even a different country. Unlike a traditional PA, there’s no need to be on-site; you only need a good internet connection.

"I get to help people, I get flexible hours and I get to work from home."

— Matthieu, virtual assistant

If you're organized, reliable, and comfortable managing digital tasks, becoming a virtual assistant can be a highly flexible and profitable way to work online. You can even set up your own virtual assistant business on Whop.

How to start

Clearly define the services you offer and highlight any additional skills that set you apart. Focus on a proactive outreach to start attracting your first clients.

• Best for: Organized people with a good internet connection and basic digital skills.
• Effort needed: Up to you, you can work as much or as little as you want.
• Setup time: You can set up offers or profiles on Whop and freelancing platforms in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Instantly per week/month if you're working with the clients directly, or within two to three weeks with freelancing platforms.

38. Voice acting

Potential earnings: $100-$1000 per project

Voice acting isn’t new, but it’s hotter than ever. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 proved how much a great performance can shape a project — and even turn voice actors into stars in their own right.

Brands also need voices for ads, YouTubers need narrators, audiobooks are exploding, and dubbing is a huge market worldwide.

We asked an experienced voice actor for his insights, and he told us that voice acting is a surprisingly powerful side hustle you can start from home.

"Begin by practicing your range— reading something as simple as children's stories, narrating YouTube scripts, or mimicking commercial tones.

This can be done by recording sample voiceovers to create your demo reels which you can post on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Voices.com or Casting Call Club."

— Experienced Voice Actor

How to start

Start with a quiet space and a mic (even your phone works). Build a portfolio, pitch on sites like Voices.com, and consider voice acting classes to refine your delivery and stand out.

• Best for: People with a clear speaking voice and great diction.
• Effort needed: Medium – you need to spend time landing gigs and dedicate time to perfecting your art through practice.
• Setup time: You can apply for jobs through freelancing platforms as soon as you sign up, or approach creators directly (which may take time).
• How fast you'll get paid: Usually upon delivery, but it can take up to three weeks with third-party platforms like Upwork or Fiverr.

39. Resume writing

Potential earnings: $75-$800 per resume

Most people aren’t great at crafting resumes or selling themselves to employers, which makes your skillset highly valuable.

The job market evolves constantly, and so do resume trends. While the average person updates their resume once every few years, you’ll be staying current by writing resumes and cover letters regularly. That edge is a huge selling point.

If you already have writing experience, the skills transfer well. Resume writing is all about crafting a clear, compelling narrative — plus, understanding how to use the right keywords for HR screening tools is a lot like SEO.

How to start

Begin by offering resume and cover letter services while learning what recruiters and hiring managers look for. Expand into interview prep or job search strategy for extra income.

• Best for: Writers who know what it takes to get past AI screeners and impress recruiters.
• Effort needed: Medium, you need to put effort into knowing your client and understanding what the recruiter wants.
• Setup time: You can list your services on Whop or freelancing platforms in under an hour. Build templates for resumes to make the creation process faster.
• How fast you'll get paid: Instant payout if you're working with the client directly, or two to three weeks with freelancing platforms.

40. Online courses and webinars

Potential earnings: $5000-$50,000+ monthly

If you have knowledge to share, selling online courses and webinars is a great way to educate others and make money while doing it.

Courses are typically pre-recorded and downloadable, while webinars are live presentations — but with Whop, you don’t have to choose. You can create one whop for your course content and another for live sessions, keeping everything organized and monetized in one place.

Courses also offer the benefit of passive income. Once made, you can sell courses and webinars over and over again.

And if you build a community around your course — offering extras like group chats, Q&As, or follow-up sessions — you unlock even more revenue potential.

"Whop is my go-to, I've investigated a lot of options out there in terms of course hosting and payment processing, but Whop is the leader for me, for sure."

- Coach Carl Parnell

How to start

Choose the right platform for your webinar or course and focus on creating high-quality, well-structured content that delivers real value.

• Best for: Anyone with knowledge, experience, or a skill to share.
• Effort needed: Not that hard, actually. You can easily make courses if you're reselling a premade course or using AI.
• Setup time: Depends on the complexity of your course – usually days to weeks.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on the platform you use to sell your courses, you can get paid instantly to a few days.

41. SaaS

Potential earnings: $2000-$100,000+ monthly

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a business model where software is delivered through the cloud — no downloads or installs, just log in and start using it.

You don’t need to be a developer to get started – most SaaS apps started with someone spotting a common problem that didn’t have a simple solution.

Take GenPPT, the SaaS app built by Siya. While still in school, Sia needed a faster way to create pitch decks, so he built the first version of GenPPT in just four hours.

It was rough and buggy, but shipping it fast let him gather real feedback. Within a year, that MVP turned into a six-figure SaaS app.

"If you're building anything, make sure it solves your own problem because nobody is going to know that problem as well as you do."

— Siya, Creator of GenPPT

Even with limited resources, it’s possible to bootstrap a SaaS idea into something real — especially if you’re solving a problem people are eager to pay to fix.

How to start

Build your SaaS product with clean, reliable code and a strong focus on UX—then ensure it meets data security and privacy standards, especially if serving global users.

• Best for: Developers, vibe-coders, and anyone with technical knowledge.
• Effort needed: Pretty high, but you can take some pressure off yourself by vibe coding (using AI to help code your SaaS).
• Setup time: Depends on how complex your product is; often days to weeks.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can withdraw funds within a few hours (with platforms like Whop) or up to a week with platforms like Stripe.

42. Creating a whop

Potential earnings: $7000-$250,000 monthly

We’ve already mentioned Whop as a great choice to host an online store, community, coaching, virtual assistant business, consulting business, course, and more.

But seriously – if you’re looking to make money online, you’ve got an entrepreneur mindset, and Whop was designed for you.

Developing a SaaS product? List it on Whop. Want to design and sell courses and webinars? Provide online coaching or sell trading signals? Educate traders? Sell your SaaS solution?

Whatever the offer, Whop is the answer.

How to start

Create your whop for free, customize it to fit your niche and upload a high-quality product or service. We handle payments and customer support.

• Best for: Anyone, it doesn't matter if you're selling meal plans, sports picks, AI prompt packs or relationship advice, you can do it with Whop.
• Effort needed: Up to you. Use your whop to sell digital downloads like ebooks, or use it to create a thriving community with hundreds of thousands of members.
• Setup time: Under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Almost all payout options take a few hours to a few days.

43. Teach ESL online

Potential earnings: $10-$35 per hour

English is the most global of languages, and while schools in most countries are doing a good job teaching it today, the previous generation(s) haven’t had it quite as good.

As a result, there’s still a huge demand for English as a second language among tertiary students and professionals looking to advance their residential and career opportunities.

Once you have a good feel of what students need from you as an ESL teacher, you might even expand your business and create online English courses!

How to start

Join an ESL platform to gain experience (like Preply), then consider freelancing for more freedom and higher rates.

• Best for: People who are patient and organized, who know how to communicate well.
• Effort needed: Medium. You need to plan lessons, find clients, and provide homework.
• Setup time: Joining a dedicated ESL platform takes under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on which platform you sell your services on, you can get paid within a few hours to three weeks.

44. Online fitness

Potential earnings: $50-$250 per client monthly

Fitness is one of those industries that translates perfectly to the online world — you don’t need a gym to teach people how to get in shape.

"Online fitness is a great business to scale up and work with a lot of different people, and you can create a lot of different revenue streams based on what those clients need — face to face, online, and purely fitness programming."

— Danni, personal trainer at Jetts Australia

Whether you’re sharing the workout routines and tips that helped you transform your own body, or building a step-by-step program for others to follow, you can package and sell your fitness coaching entirely online.

How to start

Use your expertise to launch a personalized coaching offer and bundle it with a course and/or community to create multiple income streams. Market yourself on Instagram and TikTok to bring in more clients.

• Best for: Fitness enthusiasts, but especially personal trainers.
• Effort needed: Depends. Easy to create written routines and sell passively, but more effort (and profit) for hosting virtual classes and coaching.
• Setup time: Depends on your offer, but you can join platforms like Whop and list digital files and coaching offers in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Directly from clients within a few hours to a day, days to a week from third-party platforms.

45. Teach cooking online

Potential earnings: $25-$75 per person per class

Much like fitness training, teaching how to cook is another business that works perfectly online. From everyday meals to niche cuisines, there’s an endless variety of styles and recipes you can master — and each one gives you fresh, valuable content to share with your audience.

Again, an online cooking business’s success depends very much on how you decide to run and monetize it.

For instance, consider a cooking ebook selling your expertise for an easy win, or a premium newsletter giving subscribers a new recipe every week. Or, you can create an online meal plan service.

How to start

Choose your cooking niche: plant-based, meal prep, or cultural cuisine. Then, build a whop where you can host live cooking sessions, sell ebooks, and offer meal plans. Use social to drive traffic to your paid offerings.

• Best for: Home cooks, chefs, bakers.
• Effort needed: Up to you. A cooking course can be made once and resold, whereas virtual lessons mean dedicating time to streaming and cooking live.
• Setup time: On platforms like Whop or Teachable, you can sign up and create an offer in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Within a few hours with direct client work, or within a few days with third-party platforms.

46. Launch an online travel agency

Potential earnings: $2000-$7,500 monthly

Running an online travel agency isn’t something that might come too quickly to mind, but it’s a very profitable business once you get the hang of it.

A lot of costs can be saved when traveling if you know how to do it and start building the right connections, which in turn can create a significant bottom line as your business starts turning over.

How to start

Learn the ins and outs of the travel industry and start building connections with suppliers and partners. Focus on marketing to turn views into bookings and revenue.

• Best for: Travel lovers who are organized and creative.
• Effort needed: High. You need to understand your client's needs, communicate with them, and build an itinerary based on their budget.
• Setup time: An hour or two to create a cohesive offer on a platform like Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: Clients can directly pay within a few hours. Third-party platforms can take a few days to two weeks.

47. Selling no-code websites

Potential earnings: Simple websites sell for $500-$3000

Creating websites used to be a job reserved for skilled developers — but thanks to recent advances in AI, that’s no longer the case. Now, anyone with strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills can build websites simply by using prompts.

While having some understanding of web development languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript can help, everyone can create websites using AIs like Bolt and Lovable AI.

What you need to create good no-code websites and actually find clients to sell them is good prompt engineering skills.

The amount of money you can make with this method largely depends on your business model and the value you provide. On freelancing platforms like Upwork, no-code developer rates range from $15 to $75.

How to start

Learn prompt engineering basics so you can build useful no-code websites fast. Then, sell them directly through your own whop to start turning skills into sales.

• Best for: Developers, creatives, and tech lovers.
• Effort needed: Low with no-code builders.
• Setup time: You can list website services on freelancing platforms or Whop in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid upon delivery of the website.

48. Translation services

Potential earnings: $15-$75 per hour

Karina's first translating gigs came from helping her mom and colleagues with contracts, letters, and reports, and later she took on professional translation work for import documents.

"If you're a freelance translator, you can also offer proofreading services.

For example, there are students that are writing papers in languages that are not their native language, and you can earn extra money by helping them proofread that material."

— Karina Egle, Whop

If you’re fluent in at least two languages, translation and localization can be a highly profitable side hustle — or even a full-time career if you choose to scale it.

Fluency alone is enough to get started, but having specialized knowledge in a niche — like legal, medical, or tech — can give you a real edge when landing clients.

How to start

If you’re fluent in more than one language, offer translation services through Whop to keep more of your earnings. Build a clear offer and highlight your expertise.

• Best for: Anyone who speaks more than one language.
• Effort needed: Medium to high. Translating complex fields like medical or legal is more work.
• Setup time: Signing up to freelancing sites or translation platforms takes under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: It can take up to three weeks if you're working through freelancing platforms.

49. Digital business reports

Potential earnings: $500-$5000 per report

Businesses and creators are relying on professional reports to guide their decisions more and more each day. These reports include sustainability reports, market research, and more.

While creating these kinds of reports requires a strong understanding of the field, it's a great way to make money online.

Your clients can range from individual creators to large-scale businesses looking to get your professional opinion on the report they're looking for. One of the best ways to succeed is to focus on niche specializations like sustainability reports or consumer behavior.

The most efficient way to do this is to create a whop for yourself and use the Content or Files app to provide the reports.

How to start

Develop expertise in a specific field, then create clear, actionable digital reports that provide real value. Offer custom reports to clients or build a platform (on Whop) to sell generalized versions to a subscriber base.

• Best for: Business grads, business owners, experienced marketers.
• Effort needed: Medium, you should know how to write a business report and be able to learn all the ins and outs of your client's business.
• Setup time: Not long to list offers on freelancing platforms or LinkedIn.
• How fast you'll get paid: Upon delivery of the report, but it can take around three weeks with third-party platforms like Upwork.

50. AI content tagging

Potential earnings: $12-25 per hour

Content tagging is what helps organize and label online content like blogs, product listings, videos – you get the idea.

It's key for SEO, ecom, and improving how content performs online, but a lot of businesses don't have the time to do it internally.

By offering fast (and accurate) tagging services – which you can do easily with the help of AI – you can help people save time and improve results for pretty decent cash.

Tip: You can do this by using tools like ChatGPT's image recognition models.

How to start

Check out platforms like DataAnnotation to find paid AI content tagging jobs. Use AI tools to speed up content tagging, then offer added services like alt text and metadata creation. Always review at the end with a sharp eye.

• Best for: People with an eye for detail who understand LLMs.
• Effort needed: Low to medium, depending on the complexity of the task.
• Setup time: Not long to join dedicated platforms.
• How fast you'll get paid: Credits are paid instantly upon completing projects, and the payout will take around a week.

51. Sell AI prompts

Potential earnings: $5-$50 per prompt pack

AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Gemini are becoming super popular — but most people still find them confusing and hard to use.

That’s where you can come in. If you take the time to learn how to get the best results from AI tools, you can unlock a lot of opportunities with prompt engineering.

And yes, people are willing to pay for great prompts that save them time and deliver better outcomes.

You don't even have to make the prompts yourself – this creator sells premade AI prompts for a profit:

"I know what you're thinking—I know nothing about AI prompts! You don't actually need to.

I found this app that will create AI prompts for you and help you sell them."

— Prompt Engineer

How to start

Research which types of prompts are in demand, and build expertise in those niches so you can create and sell high-value prompt packs people actually want.

• Best for: Regular AI users.
• Effort needed: Medium, you need to create, test and refine prompts.
• Setup time: Under 30 mins to list on marketplaces like Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid within a few hours to a few days, depending on the platform you're selling prompts on.

52. Social media caption writing

Potential earnings: $200–$1500 monthly

We all see cringe business posts on social. Look, not everyone is a gifted caption writer — but if you have a way with words, you can do it for them.

Caption writing for Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok is a niche service that’s quick to deliver and always in demand.

Find work on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, or pitch directly to small brands that need help staying relevant on social media.

How to start

Create a profile on Fiverr or Upwork offering caption-writing services, build a small portfolio with sample captions, and pitch small businesses or content creators to land your first clients.

• Best for: Writers and creatives.
• Effort needed: Medium, you’ll need to research and understand each brand’s tone and target audience.
• Setup time: Under an hour to list services and build a profile on freelancing sites, LinkedIn, X, or Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid instantly upon delivery, but it can take up to a few days (depending on the payment processor you're using)

53. Tweet/X management

Potential earnings: $300-$2000 per client

Posting regular, relevant X posts is crucial for brands, but it requires time and effort.

This is why most creators and businesses hire people to handle their X (formerly Twitter) accounts.

The great thing about X ghostwriting and account management is that you don't need any niche skills. You only need to be good with people (and sure, your own X account's engagement probably helps, too).

How to start

Study top-performing posts and build a swipe file of engaging formats. Post 5–10 times daily, interact with others, and grow your brand. Long-term success means mastering trends, humor, and X’s unique tone.

• Best for: X users who understand the platform and its audience.
• Effort needed: Low, usually one to two hours a day per business.
• Setup time: You can promote your offers on X and LinkedIn within five minutes. Set up a profile on marketplaces like Whop or freelancing sites in under an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Paid per post or weekly/monthly for account management, usually within a day to a few weeks, depending on the platform you use to sell.

54. Graphic design

Potential earnings: $5-$1,000 per client

If you have an artsy side, you can make money as a graphic designer.

There are a lot of ways to go about it. You can create logos on demand or sell them in packages as PLR products. Or maybe you can design unique wedding invitations or website assets. Graphic designers are needed everywhere – capitalize on that.

This is a skill you can teach yourself and make money from without a lot of time investment.

How to start

Many people make money with Canva these days, and that's an alright place to start as a graphic designer. If you want to take it to the next level, try out a program like GIMP or Adobe Photoshop and spend some time with it before you try to sell your services. Next, either set up a whop or advertise yourself on platforms like Reddit or Facebook.

• Best for: Creative people with some time to spare.
• Effort needed: Initially low, but each order may take you from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
• Setup time: You can promote your offers on social media within minutes, and Whop Discover will get you seen by a bigger audience, so setup is minimal.
• How fast you'll get paid: Whop can pay you daily. Other platforms vary; you'll often decide this with the client.

55. Editing

Potential earnings: $20 to $50 per hour, or up to $5,000 per book

If you're a bookworm, you might love being an editor/proofreader.

Editors are the reason why your favorite books have no typos and a consistent plotline. Depending on the kind of editing you do, you might work on books, articles, scripts, or other content.

Book editors have a vastly different job than those who just check for syntax and grammar. You might be looking for plot holes and advising the writer on things like character development. Those editors can charge way more, but it's also a lot harder to score a gig.

How to start

You can set up your editing business on Whop – it only takes a few minutes to get started. Even if you're not ready to create a business, you can use Whop Invoices to get paid for your freelance clients.

You can find work as an editor through LinkedIn, Reddit, and Facebook. Remember to ask for referrals or testimonials once you complete a job, as that makes scoring your next gig easier.

A portfolio of work really helps, too. Even if you haven't done any editing for money, just edit a few different pieces and include a before and after in your portfolio.

• Best for: People with a good eye for detail.
• Effort needed: Editing isn't very taxing, but it can take several hours depending on the length of the piece.
• Setup time: All you need is a computer or a phone with internet access. Making a whop only takes a few minutes. You'll need to periodically advertise your services on social media, which can take around 30 minutes a day.
• How fast you'll get paid: Most editors get paid on an hourly basis or per job, so you may get paid on a schedule (once a week, once a month, etc.) or per gig.

56. Career advice

Potential earnings: $50-$500 per hour

Career advisors are at the intersection between coaches and consultants. You'll work with your clients to help them figure out where they're at, and guide them toward where they want to be.

"If you're in a career and you've been doing that career for a long time, the next logical step is always going to be to teach others how to do what you do and create an additional source of income for yourself."

— Volky, Digital Nomad Community

As a career advisor, you'll take people from the early assessment stage, where you'll look through their resume and cover letter, to finding a job. You can help people tweak their LinkedIn profiles, help them find jobs to apply to, and do mock interviews to let them score their dream role.

Your best bet is to build up a social media presence and position yourself as a career expert.

How to start

Make yourself some social media profiles and start posting relevant content regularly. Share career tips and your own stories. In the meantime, consider setting up a Whop community for job hunters, creating a course, or offering 1:1 coaching.

• Best for: Entrepreneurs who are willing to work with people.
• Effort needed: Working with clients requires direct effort, but if you also sell courses or ebooks, you can build up a source of passive income.
• Setup time: You can make a whop in a few minutes. Building up your social media profiles might take weeks, but it's not necessary – it just helps.
• How fast you'll get paid: Typically before or after completing a job that you'll agree on with your clients.

Earning through online trading and investing

57. Passive income from stocks

Potential earnings: Dividend stocks typically yield 2-6% annually

Investing is one of the easiest ways to build long-term wealth. As prices rise, so do assets — which is why the stock market trends upward over time.

With modern trading apps, anyone can start from home, and simple strategies like dividend investing can turn your portfolio into a steady source of passive income.

Mike Poarch sells stock trading alerts on Whop, and he says that while you can open a brokerage account with as little as a dollar, it won't be enough to get you any meaningful results.

Mike started trading with $20 and kept depositing a little more 'here and there' with each paycheck, never putting in more than he could afford.

"With long-term investments you don't have to watch the stock every day.

If you're looking for short-term trades then start with the break-out strategy."

— Mike Poarch, professional stock trader

How to start

Pick a trusted platform and choose assets that match your goals: dividend stocks for growth, bonds for stability, or proof-of-stake crypto for staking rewards. Only invest money you can afford to lose.

• Best for: Investing is best for people with cash to spare.
• Effort needed: Medium, you need to choose investments carefully, but from then on, you watch your assets grow.
• Setup time: Depending on the platform, you can get up and make your first deposit within an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can usually withdraw funds within a few hours.

58. Trading

Potential earnings: $500-$10,000+ monthly

While investing is more passive and long-term, trading takes a much more active approach — and with the right strategy, it can be a serious way to make money online.

"The big money in trading comes as a result of becoming great at what you do.

It's like anything in life, if you just chase the money, you're less likely to catch it."

— Gold Pips, creator of Gold Pips Forex Trading Signals Group

Successful traders usually have a well-defined structure. One of the first things to figure out is your time frame.

If you're available during market hours and willing to dedicate the day to trading, you might take up day trading, actively buying and selling throughout the session.

How to start

Pick a trading style: scalping for speed or swing trading for patience. Learn technical analysis, risk management, and planning, and level up with a trading Discord or Whop course to build a structured income stream.

• Best for: People who have cash to spare and understand the risks of trading.
• Effort needed: Low to very high, depending on trading style.
• Setup time: Learning takes time, but you can start trading within the hour of setting up accounts.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can withdraw funds from your account within a few hours.

59. Flipping domain names

Potential earnings: $100–$5,000+ per flip

Domain names are digital real estate. If you can spot short, brandable, or keyword-rich domains, you can resell them for profit.

Investors and businesses often pay a premium for the right name.

How to start

Register domains through Namecheap or GoDaddy, and list them on marketplaces like Flippa or Sedo. Negotiate your prices when selling to buyers.

• Best for: People with an eye for branding, digital trends, and marketing.
• Effort needed: Low to medium — mostly research and patience until the right buyer comes along.
• Setup time: Listing domains takes no time with marketplaces like Flippa, Sedo, and Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: Instantly upon selling the domain name - withdrawal can take a few hours to days, depending on the platform.

60. Online real estate investing

Potential earnings: REIT investments typically yield 3-8% annually

Renting out property is a classic way to earn income, and it's now easier than ever.

Thanks to modern platforms, you no longer need to buy, renovate, or manage a building to invest in real estate.

You can start investing in real estate online, either through REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) or fractional ownership platforms (buying into properties without taking on the full cost or responsibility).

These tools allow you to invest with much smaller amounts of money, lowering the risk that usually comes with buying property outright.

How to start

Invest passively through fractional real estate platforms for rental income, or take an active approach by flipping property-backed assets. Trusted platforms make it easier to start without much capital or management experience.

• Best for: Anyone with money to invest in a long-term asset.
• Effort needed: Very low, you can earn money passively with real estate if you like.
• Setup time: An hour or two to find investments you align with.
• How fast you'll get paid: While you can get dividends monthly or quarterly, property sale profits can take months or years.

61. Real estate flipping

Potential earnings: $10,000-$100,000+ profit per property

Okay, this is one of the more ambitious ways to make money online, but if you have the capital and a good eye, it's totally doable.

Traditionally, flipping homes involves buying a fixer-upper, renovating it yourself, and selling for a profit. That’s a lot of time, effort, and hands-on labor.

But with today’s tech, you can take a modern, remote-first approach. Start by scanning online listings for undervalued properties in areas with growth potential.

Having a solid understanding of demographics and urban development trends can help you spot neighborhoods that are on the rise, where values may climb without much effort.

How to start

Research local and online real estate for undervalued properties – some flips profit without major renovations. It’s high risk and often debt-heavy, so know the financials, legalities, and market before diving in.

• Best for: People who have a large amount of cash to invest in buying fixer-uppers.
• Effort needed: It can be low if you sit on it and flip, or high if you hire a team to do renovations.
• Setup time: It takes time to find properties and flip them for profit.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid within days to weeks after you close deals.

62. Trading card reselling

Potential earnings: $200-$2000 monthly

Trading cards are one of the best types of collectibles to resell.

Generally, you buy trading cards either from collectors or from social media box openings, but you can also find valuable cards in random boxes here and there.

But you could be waiting a while to score a valuable card by buying boxes, so the trick is finding a way to pick up cards on the cheap and then sell them at a higher rate.

That's where the internet helps. FlipFlip makes money selling trading cards and has some advice on how to find cards at cost price:

"The best way to get started is to go to your retail stores—so Target, Walmart, Kmart.

Every single week there's going to be vendor restocks at your local stores in your cities, and all you have to do is ask employees when this vendor shows up."

— FlipFlip, trading card reseller

How to start

Scout local shops, events, and marketplaces for valuable trading cards that are hard to find internationally. Then, resell them to collectors abroad through platforms like eBay or your own whop.

• Best for: Collectors and pop-culture or sports lovers.
• Effort needed: Medium; it can take time to source valuable cards.
• Setup time: Not long to list collectibles once you've sourced them.
• How fast you'll get paid: If you're reselling physically, you get paid instantly, but it can take a few hours to a week if you're reselling digitally.

63. NFTs and digital collectibles

Potential earnings: $100-$10,000+ per drop

NFTs may no longer be the internet’s favorite buzzword, and you're more likely to see them mocked than praised these days — but that doesn't mean they’re useless.

In fact, NFTs are much more than digital art or monkey JPEGs.

At their core, NFTs are a technology for proving ownership and uniqueness in a digital format. This has serious value.

Behind the scenes, industries like logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain management are using NFT-like systems to track and verify assets.

How to start

Creators can sell art, music, or content as NFTs to reach fans directly and earn royalties on resales. Traders can flip NFTs for profit too – but it’s risky, so research trends and timing carefully.

• Best for: Degens, art collectors, tech lovers.
• Effort needed: Very low (for passive income via royalties) to very high (for NFT flipping).
• Setup time: Not long to list NFTs once you've created/obtained them.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid within a few hours to a day.

Ecommerce and selling products online

64. Start an online store

Potential earnings: $1000-$100,000+ monthly

Ecommerce is one of the biggest online markets — and thanks to platforms like Whop, it’s easier than ever to start your own online store and begin selling in just a few minutes.

You don’t need technical experience or a big budget to get started, especially if you’re selling digital products like templates, courses, or exclusive content.

An online store gives you access to a global market, whether you're selling digital or physical goods. Here's how one creator launched a clothing brand on Whop:

"You can start and scale a clothing brand just using Whop and the apps inside."

— Creator of 'Road to Revenue'

How to start

Decide on a product, ensure compliance, and start as a sole proprietor (upgrade to an LLC later). Physical goods require inventory and shipping, while Whop makes selling digital products effortless.

• Best for: Designers, writers, fashion lovers, niche experts.
• Effort needed: High — you need to create or source your product, make your store, and stand out from the crowd.
• Setup time: Setting up an ecommerce store usually takes a few hours and requires ongoing management.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on the platform you set up your store on, you can get paid within a few days to a week.

65. Online thrift flipping

Potential earnings: $200–$2000+ monthly

You've probably noticed clothing resellers all over TikTok.

That's because it's Gen A's favorite online hustle: 1 in 5 sell new or vintage clothes. You know what they say, one person’s old jacket is another person’s goldmine or something.

Thrift flipping is all about finding underpriced clothes, books, or collectibles at thrift stores, garage sales, or flea markets — and reselling them on platforms like eBay, Depop, or Poshmark.

The key is spotting items with hidden resale value — designer clothes, out-of-print books, deadstock sneakers, or trending vintage pieces.

With practice, you can flip items for 2–10x their purchase price.

How to start

Visit local thrift stores, flea markets, or clearance sales and look for popular brands, quality materials, or unique vintage finds: list items on eBay, Depop, Vinted or Poshmark with high-quality photos and clear descriptions.

• Best for: Bargain hunters, fashion lovers, or anyone with an eye for spotting valuable second-hand goods.
• Effort needed: Moderate — you’ll need to source items, take photos, list them online, and handle shipping.
• Setup time: Not long to create a profile on reselling marketplaces or to list on Facebook Marketplace.
• How fast you'll get paid: You can get paid for flipping within a few days of deals.

66. Affiliate marketing

Potential earnings: $500-$50,000+ monthly

Affiliate marketing is a great strategy if you want minimal involvement in a business but are confident in your ability to market it.

It’s a performance-based model that’s all about the promotion of products or services, and as an affiliate marketer, you can earn a commission for each sale, lead, or even action that your efforts result in.

Companies offer different types of affiliate programs, but typically, all you need to do to get started is sign up.

Once you’re accepted, you pick out which products or services you think you can market, and grab your tracking links.

How to start

Join affiliate programs and start sharing your links on socials, through newsletters, and blogs.

• Best for: People with an audience, but you can still make money from friends and family.
• Effort needed: Medium, but pretty passive income once you're set up with your links.
• Setup time: You can sign up for multiple affiliate programs in an hour.
• How fast you'll get paid: Depending on the platform you're doing affiliate marketing on, you can get paid within a few hours to a few days.

67. PLR digital products

Potential earnings: $200-$2000 monthly

PLR, a.k.a private label rights, is a concept you’ve likely seen before — like when popular products are manufactured to be sold under a store's home brand label.

That's basically how PLR works for digital products, and it's an easy way to make money online, especially if you're new to selling digital offers.

With PLR, you can buy the rights to use, modify, and sell products like ebooks, templates, courses, graphics, and software.

Or, you could create and sell PLR products yourself. If you’re skilled in design, content creation, or development, package your digital work and sell licenses to others who want to rebrand and resell it.

Whether you’re reselling existing PLR products or creating your own, this model is a low-effort, high-scale way to earn online.

How to start

Pick a niche and explore PLR products, either by buying digital assets to customize and resell, or by creating your own templates, guides, or tools to license out. Choose a platform (like Whop) to sell your digital products.

• Best for: Anyone can buy and resell PLR digital products, but you'll still need to be able to market them.
• Effort needed: Low to buy and resell, higher if you’re creating PLR digital products.
• Setup time: Listing is quick and easy with marketplaces like Whop.
• How fast you'll get paid: While you can get paid instantly upon sale, the actual payout will happen within a few days.

68. Start a print-on-demand business

Potential earnings: $100-$5000+ monthly

Print-on-demand lets you sell custom products, like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, or phone cases, without holding any inventory.

POD is a great option for anyone who wants to run a physical product business without the hassle of warehousing or upfront stock costs.

It can also be a fun passive income earner for artists who already have works to upload.

Once you’ve created or sourced your designs, you can upload them to platforms like Printful or Printify, then connect those platforms to your online store.

When a customer places an order, the POD service handles everything — printing, packing, and shipping — so you don’t have to lift a finger.

How to start

Choose a niche and create unique, eye-catching designs that speak to a specific audience—this is what sets successful print-on-demand (POD) stores apart. Use free tools like Canva to design your products, or hire freelance designers. Launch your store on a POD platform and start marketing.

• Best for: Graphic designers, artists, and creatives.
• Effort needed: Medium effort to create designs, but once your storefront is up and running, the POD platform takes care of the rest for you.
• Setup time: Not long to list once you've created designs.
• How fast you'll get paid: Your store will get the funds instantly upon sales, and the withdrawal can take a day or a week.

How to start making money online

Before you pick an idea, get clear on what you actually have to work with — your time, your skills, and any existing audience. This makes it dramatically easier to choose something you can start quickly, sustain long-term, and genuinely enjoy.

Here’s what to check:

• How much time do you have?
  Got a free afternoon every day? Or just squeezing this in after work? Your schedule will influence what’s realistic — and how fast you can scale.
• Do you already have an audience?
  If you’ve built a following online, you’re ahead of the game. You can start promoting right away to people who already know you.
• What are you good at?
  Play to your strengths. Whether it’s organizing, designing, writing, or coding—some money-making methods will fit you better than others.

Figure this stuff out first, and the rest gets way easier.

Make money online with Whop

Whop is an all-in-one platform where you can sell digital products, run communities, launch online courses, and more — with your storefront, hosting, delivery, and payments handled for you.

No matter your time, budget, or skill level, there’s something here that can work for you. And the best part is, you don’t have to stop at just one idea.

With Whop, you can launch multiple income streams from one place. All you need is an idea; Whop takes care of the rest.

Making money online FAQs

Can you really make money online with no upfront cost?

Yes, many online income methods require little to no investment. Options like paid surveys, user-generated content (UGC), clipping content, and affiliate marketing are free to start and can generate income using just your phone or computer.

What is the fastest way to make money online?

The fastest ways include sign-up bonuses, cashback apps, microtask platforms, and UGC gigs that don’t require a following. Some methods can pay out within hours or days, depending on the platform.

How can beginners start making money online?

Beginners should start with low-barrier options like surveys, clipping content, video watching apps, or selling simple digital products. These require no special skills and let you build experience while earning.

What is the most profitable way to make money online long-term?

Selling digital products, building a paid community, or creating online courses are some of the most profitable long-term methods. They scale well, require minimal ongoing costs, and can generate passive income.

Are online side hustles legit?

Yes, but always research platforms before signing up. Stick to well-known options like Whop, Upwork, Amazon, or Survey Junkie. Avoid any “opportunity” that asks for upfront fees without clear value.

Do I need a large social media following to make money online?

Not at all. Many platforms — especially those offering UGC, clipping, or freelance work — pay based on the quality of your output, not your follower count. You can earn without ever going viral.

Avoid online money-making scams

Before diving in, protect yourself from scams.

Red flags include: upfront fees, get-rich-quick promises, vague job descriptions, pressure tactics, and requests for personal information.

Stay safe by: researching companies, starting small, using established platforms (Whop, YouTube, Upwork, etc.), and trusting your instincts. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The methods in this guide focus on legitimate, established platforms with real earning potential.