18 Successful Strategies to Make Money Online in 2024

The world is becoming more virtual, increasing the number of ways you can make money online. An online work-from-home situation offers a lot of perks, including flexibility, a comfortable environment, and no stressful commute. Whether you’re stuck in an office and ready to make a change—or are just looking for a convenient way to make money on the side—check out this list of options on how to make money online.

Average payout	$0.40 – $2	$1 – $3	$0.50 – $5.00
Payment method	Paypal or gift cards	Paypal, eGift cards, or bank transfer	Paypal Cash, Amazon gift cards, Starbucks gift cards, and more
Minimum to cash out	$3 for gift cards; $25 for PayPal	$5 (500 points)	$30
Promotion	$10	N/A	$5
	View Offer	View Offer	View Offer

How to make money online: 18 options

1. Play online games

If you used to get yelled at for playing computer games instead of doing your homework, your time has come: Now you can earn money for doing that. Game creators eager to build traffic and test concepts will pay if you play. And websites such as Swagbucks are the way to cash in. And as the name says, you’ll be paid in bucks—through Paypal transfer, check, or gift cards if you prefer. Payments can be small, but they add up.

2. Complete online surveys

If you’re looking to get rich, online surveys are not the way to do it. But on websites like InboxDollars, filling in surveys will let you make some extra cash to spend on daily expenses such as gas and groceries—or get gift cards for different stores and restaurants like Amazon, Starbucks, and Target. According to its website, each InboxDollars survey takes between three and 25 minutes to complete, and pays between $0.50 and $5. Occasionally, you might find a survey worth $10 or $20 if you fit a specific demographic—which means these small rewards can actually add up pretty quickly.

RELATED: Best Online Surveys for Money

3. Test the next viral app

It may seem like the world’s most popular apps just pop into existence. But in reality, there’s a whole team behind the scenes designing, coding, and marketing them—and those teams need people to test their work to ensure they’ve done the best job possible. FreeCash offers you the opportunity to become that tester—and to be paid for it, in some cases quite handsomely. While many offers pay out only a few dollars, others offer well over $100 (though to get there, you may need to play a game for a substantial amount of time or number of levels, for example). FreeCash coins can be paid out via PayPal, Bitcoin, VISA rewards, or Amazon gift cards among other options, and you can also earn them by taking surveys or using the FreeCash portal to make purchases or sign up for new services.

Get paid for testing apps, games & surveys

View Offer

Get paid for testing apps, games & surveys

Bonus

Sign up now and win up to $250 in the free case

3. Start a side hustle

Having a side hustle or side gig in addition to a full-time job is pretty normal these days. Many people make a decent amount of money using side-hustle apps such as DoorDash or Uber. If you don’t want to go door-to-door delivering food—or don't have a car or the car insurance needed to become an Uber driver—you can look for other opportunities. With apps like TaskRabbit or Handy, you can get hired for random odd jobs in your neighborhood. If you want a side hustle that gets you outside and moving, check out the Rover app to find dog-walking clients.

4. Sell websites (or online businesses)

Got a website or online business with a decent following or perhaps a desirable domain name registered in your name? There’s money to be made from flipping websites. You just need to know where to look. Often the biggest hurdle is figuring out how much the website or business is worth and finding interested buyers. Websites are said to be worth two to three times the annual profit they generate, although that isn’t set in stone and can vary considerably. For a better idea, consider getting a professional valuation. Once you’ve settled on an asking price, look for an online marketplace that specializes in these types of transactions. It’s important to find somewhere safe that can attract as many potential bidders as possible. Flippa, which also offers a free website valuation tool, is considered one of the best.

5. Start a blog

If you love to write and have something useful or inspiring to say, consider starting a blog. A blog is a website where you regularly share your ideas or expertise with your readers. Before you start sharing your thoughts, you need to create a website. You can hire someone to build it for you or do it yourself. Website builders like SquareSpace make it really easy to put together a website on your own even with no previous experience. Once your site is up, it’s all about writing good content consistently and promoting your blog to attract readers and subscribers. If you want to monetize your blog, you need an audience. Then, you can use methods like affiliate marketing (earning income through product recommendations) and ads. You can also create your own product or service and sell it on your website.

6. Dropshipping

Dropshipping allows you to sell a product online without having to keep stock. Here's how it works:

• You set up an ecommerce storefront using a platform like Shopify.
• You fill your storefront with product listings that you purchase at wholesale prices from a third-party supplier.
• Buyers purchase listed products at retail prices, and your supplier handles the shipping.

Dropshipping is a popular way to make money online because you don't have to store any physical inventory or make any products by hand. You make money by purchasing products at the lower wholesale price and selling them at a higher retail price.

The keys to success in dropshipping are:

• Utilizing the right ecommerce platform (again, Shopify is a great pick if you're looking for low costs and a wide range of features/benefits).
• Choosing a reliable supplier to work with.
• Selecting popular and trending products to sell so you don't get stuck with inventory you can't use.
• Promoting your products on social media to an audience who's most likely to buy them.
• Offering superior customer service.

Shopify

View Offer

Shopify

Cost

Basic: $29/month (25% discount; billed annually)

Welcome offer

Free trial; $1 for your first month

Features

• Shopify will help you start, sell, market and manage your business
• 15% higher average conversion
• 91% high mobile conversion
• 99.9% uptime
• 150M+ buyers on the Shop app

7. Write a newsletter

An online newsletter is an email you send out to your subscribers to share information or promote a product or service. Let’s say you have a blog or a YouTube channel that’s all about yoga. In your newsletter, you can promote your favorite yoga wear using affiliate links. If your readers click on the link, it’s money in your pocket. You can also use your newsletter to promote your latest online yoga workshops, your one-on-one online yoga coaching sessions, and your comfy merch.

8. Create a Youtube channel

If you’ve always dreamed of being the next big YouTube star, now’s your chance. To make money on YouTube you need views and subscribers—lots of them. To qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, you need at least 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 public watch hours over the last 12 months or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million public short video views over the last 90 days. If you can meet these criteria, it’s possible to earn money. Using your YouTube Channel, you can try to profit from advertising revenue, channel membership, and selling merchandise in your YouTube store.

9. Write an ebook

Have you been sitting on a book idea for years? If so, why not try to self-publish and sell an ebook online? From financial advice and self-help to cookbooks and fiction, there is no end to what you can write about. If you have expertise on a subject and want to share your knowledge, an ebook is a great way to get the word out. There are many online ebook publishers, including Amazon Kindle, Smashwords, and Rakuten Kobo. Writing a book isn’t easy, and it takes a significant amount of effort on the front end. But once you hit publish, your ebook has passive-income potential.

10. Voice-over acting

For those with a beautiful, unique, or radio-announcer tone, have you considered voice-over work? Successful voice-over actors often have a background in acting (though it’s not necessary) and are able to do different characters or accents. Voice-over actors can find work narrating ebooks, online videos, or online ads. To get started, you will need a professional portfolio to share with potential clients. Voice-over acting also requires some initial investment. You’ll need to purchase a microphone and headphones, as well as voice recording and editing software.

11. Work as a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant is a remote worker who offers administrative support to different clients. Successful virtual assistants are organized, reliable, and tech-savvy. The exact job tasks you will do as a virtual assistant can vary greatly based on your skill set as well as what your client wants. Some services you might offer include: responding to emails, scheduling client meetings and appointments, transcribing documents, and coordinating travel or bookkeeping. If you already have administrative experience, this can make it easier to break into the industry, but it's not necessary. You can start to look for clients using platforms like Belay, Upwork, and Zirtual.

12. Twitch streaming

Twitch lets gamers and other creators stream their content live. Similar to a YouTube channel, you make money by becoming a Twitch Partner or a Twitch Affiliate. There are several ways to monetize your content on Twitch, including subscriptions and “Bits.” Subscriptions (subs) allow your viewers to pay a monthly fee to support your channel. “Bits” are a virtual good that viewers can purchase to show their support and cheer on your content. As a Twitch Partner, you can also run ads on your streams and make money through sponsorship opportunities.

13. Test websites & apps

If you like being paid to take surveys, you might also enjoy earning money or rewards to test websites and apps. Instead of answering questions about specific products, you get to use websites and apps and provide your feedback. Similar to taking surveys, you aren’t going to earn enough to replace your full-time job. But it is a fun way to get paid for your perspective. If you’re interested, you can check out sites like UserTesting, UserPeek, and Userlytics. In addition to your computer, you will often need a microphone to participate.

14. Sell used items

Is your garage or hallway closet overflowing with stuff? Maybe it’s time to part with some of your old coats, toys, or kitchen appliances. Doing so not only frees up space in your household. It can also earn you extra money. With online sites like Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Craigslist, you can reach a wide audience of people perhaps interested in buying your unwanted items. It might not even be necessary to mail the stuff you sell. If you sign up on a local website, you can agree to meet the buyer in person.

15. Host on Airbnb

If you have a spare room or home, you can consider listing it on Airbnb. Decide whether you want to rent your space full-time, part-time, or just when you’re away traveling. While renting your space on Airbnb is considered a passive form of income, there is work involved. First, you need to ensure your space is ready to rent. This might include sprucing it up with new sheets, towels, and maybe a fresh coat of paint. There’s also the task of cleaning the space after guests leave. You can do this yourself or pay a cleaner. To get started, you need to sign up as a host with Airbnb and post your listing. While signing up is free, Airbnb will collect a percentage of your nightly rate. Prior to posting, it’s a good idea to confirm you’re allowed to rent your space. If you are part of a homeowners association, there might be rules against it.

16. Freelance writing

To become a freelance writer, you need to be a good writer, a strong researcher, and possess good organizational and time management skills. You don’t need a degree in journalism or English literature, though it doesn’t hurt. To start making money, you should have a portfolio with a few writing samples to share with potential clients. You can create a free writing portfolio on sites such as Contently and Muck Rack. To find clients, you can use online job boards. Three options: Upwork, Fiverr, and ProBlogger. However, there’s a lot of competition on these sites and the pay is often low. Once you have some experience, you can start to pitch clients on your own and increase your rates accordingly.

17. Print on Demand

Print-on-demand (POD) lets you add your own designs to white-label products supplied by a third party on a per-order basis. Popular POD items include t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and socks. A benefit of POD is it eliminates the need to stock inventory, as everything is handled by the printing company. Many POD websites make it easy to set up your store and select products that you want to add your designs to. These companies will also print your designs and ship the products. To create your designs, you can use websites like Canva or you can hire someone else to create designs using sites like Fiverr or Upwork. To make money, you purchase your custom product for one price (let’s say $10), sell it for a markup ($22), and keep the profit.

18. Sell websites (or online businesses)

Got a website or online business with a decent following or perhaps a desirable domain name registered in your name? There’s money to be made from flipping websites. You just need to know where to look. Often the biggest hurdle is figuring out how much the website or business is worth and finding interested buyers. Websites are said to be worth two to three times the annual profit they generate, although that isn’t set in stone and can vary considerably. For a better idea, consider getting a professional valuation. Once you’ve settled on an asking price, look for an online marketplace that specializes in these types of transactions. It’s important to find somewhere safe that can attract as many potential bidders as possible. Flippa, which also offers a free website valuation tool, is considered one of the best.

Found is banking built for the self-employed

View Offer

Found is banking built for the self-employed

Fees

Free plan: $0; Plus plan: $19.99 monthly or $149.99 annual best value

Features

Free business checking account; Free Mastercard© debit card; Helpful tax savings tools; User-friendly bookkeeping support; Fast and easy contractor payments; Professional and customized invoicing; No required fees

Best for

Self-employed individuals; Freelancers; Sole proprietors; Single member LLCs; Gig workers; 1099 Contractors; Small business owners

Disclaimer

Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Business banking services are provided by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC. The funds in your account are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for each account ownership category. The Found Mastercard Business debit card is issued by Piermont Bank pursuant to a license from Mastercard Inc. and may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I make $300 a day online?

It’s possible to earn $300 a day online freelancing. Many experienced freelance writers, web developers, graphic designers, and so on earn $300 or more per day.

What is the fastest way to make money online?

If you need to make money fast, selling used items online is one option. You can use online marketplaces such as Facebook, Craigslist, or OfferUp to find local buyers and earn cash quickly.

How do I make money online from my own website?

There are a variety of ways to monetize your website. You can earn money through affiliate marketing, by creating and selling a product or service, or by setting up a paid newsletter.

How do I make money on Amazon?

Amazon offers several ways to make money. There are various selling options, including wholesale selling or retail arbitrage. You can also make money by self-publishing a book on Amazon Kindle, through its affiliate marketing program, or by delivering packages with Amazon Flex.

How do I make money on TikTok?

There are several ways to make money on TikTok. For example, if you have at least 10,000 followers and more than 100,000 views in the last 30 days, check out the TikTok Creator Fund. Those who meet these requirements, are at least 18 years old, and based in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain, or Italy can start to earn money for engaging content. You can also sell products to your viewers or offer your fans the chance to see additional content using a subscription model.