How To Make Money Online: 33 EASY Ways To Earn

With those caveats out of the way, here are the 33 best ways to make money online.

1. General Freelancing

Freelancing is a great option for anyone looking to make money online. You work for clients directly or through an agency willing to hire you as a contractor. 

Pros: 

• Flexible working
• Higher earnings than going to a regular employer

Cons: 

• Irregular income
• Lack of benefits, such as healthcare or a company car

Who’s It for?

Freelancing is for people with pre-existing skills and expertise that clients want to buy now. It is also better suited to individuals who love autonomy, flexibility, and independence.

2. Freelance Copywriting

This work involves writing for websites, blogs, news publications, retailers, and organizations, and building a portfolio. 

Pros: 

• High level of flexibility
• The ability to do something creative

Cons: 

• High competition
• Risk of rejection by difficult clients

Who’s it for? 

Freelance writing is for creatives who love to work alone and have minimal contact with agencies, clients, and other contractors.

3. Freelance Graphic Design 

Freelance graphic designers typically offer various design services, such as creating logos, designing websites, developing marketing materials, and designing print materials such as business cards and brochures.

Pros: 

• Get a variety of work
• Benefit from high earning potential

Cons: 

• The need to self-promote
• Irregular income

Who’s it for? 

Freelance graphic design is for creatives who love to work independently and who don’t require a stable salary. 

4. Freelance Web Developer

A freelance web developer is a self-employed professional who designs and develops websites for various clients on a project-by-project basis.

Pros: 

• Work whenever you want
• Earn a substantial income with the right clients

Cons: 

• The challenge of getting new clients
• Difficulties in communicating with clients and meeting their expectations

Who’s it for? 

Freelance web development is for individuals who prefer to work alone and who are technically minded. 

5. Freelance Virtual Assistant

A freelance virtual assistant is a self-employed professional who provides administrative and other support services to clients remotely. 

Pros: 

• Work with a variety of clients
• Choose your own hours

Cons: 

• You’re competing against many other people
• Clients can drop you in an instant

Who’s it for? 

Freelance virtual assistance is for individuals who want flexibility and variety in their work. It requires self-motivation and strong communication skills. 

6. Freelance Video Editor

A freelance video editor is a self-employed professional who edits videos for businesses, individuals, and organizations. 

Pros:

• Interesting, varied work
• The ability to choose who you work with

Cons:

• Inconsistent income
• Challenges with client acquisition

Who’s it for? 

Freelance video editing is for people who love to work with video editing software and have a keen eye for detail. 

7. Freelance Digital Marketer

A freelance digital marketer is someone who helps companies and organizations improve their online reach and visibility. 

Pros: 

• Work whenever you want
• Earn more income than working for a regular employer

Cons: 

• High level of competition
• No access to traditional employee benefits

Who’s it for? 

People who love reaching out to companies online and have relevant in-depth marketing skills.

8. Launch An Online Course

Building an online course is another way to make money online. Selling your knowledge is lucrative and highly scalable. 

Pros:

• No upper limit on income-earning potential
• Do something you enjoy

Cons: 

• Success can be hard to come by
• You need to put in a lot of work upfront

Who’s it for?

Launching an online course is for anyone with knowledge that could help others.

9. Build An App

App-building involves coding and designing apps that help a large number of people. 

Pros: 

• It’s in high demand
• It’s creative work

Cons: 

• It requires technical skills you might not have
• Your app may not generate a sufficient stream of royalties

Who’s it for? 

App building is for people who love technical work and enjoy the idea of earning passive income. 

10. Start An E-commerce store

Setting up an online store usually involves finding an unfilled niche in the market and shipping products to paying customers. 

Pros: 

• Scalable income
• Low start-up costs

Cons: 

• High level of competition
• You may require technical skills

Who’s it for? 

Starting an e-commerce store is for conventional entrepreneurs who love the idea of building a successful business. 

11. Online Tutoring

Online tutors help students learn all over the world. 

Pros:

• Excellent hourly rates
• Choose your hours

Cons: 

• Students can be flaky and not show up for lessons
• Agencies can apply pressure if you don’t perform

Who’s it for?

Usually, online tutoring is for people with university degrees who want to share their knowledge and understanding with others. 

12. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another way to make money online. Here, you review products on a website and then earn a commission every time users purchase. 

Pros: 

• Interesting and fun
• Unlimited commissions

Cons: 

• Unreliable income
• Highly dependent on SEO

Who’s it for? 

Affiliate marketing is for individuals who understand how to convert users into paying customers via high-quality content. 

13. Become A Machine Learning Expert

A qualified machine learning programmer understands the current state of AI technology and how companies can leverage it to improve their processes. 

Pros: 

• Exceptionally well paid
• In demand

Cons: 

• The need for continuous learning
• Technical requirements, including complex math

Who’s it for? 

Machine learning experts require an aptitude for math, programming, and other highly technical and specialized skills. 

14. Online Trading

Online traders make money by buying and selling currencies, commodities, stocks, and shares. 

Pros: 

• High-income potential in a short amount of time
• Engaging work that keeps you hooked on your screen

Cons: 

• High risk of significant losses
• No guaranteed income

Who’s it for? 

People who enjoy taking risks and who don’t want formal or conventional work. 

15. Dropshipping

Dropshippers are individuals who start ecommerce businesses without holding any inventory. 

Pros: 

• Low startup costs
• Plenty of support from platforms like Shopify and Oberlo

Cons: 

• Long shipping times
• Difficulty controlling product quality

Who’s it for? 

People who want to own a business and earn money with little to no money down. 

16. Online Coaching

Online coaches help their clients live better lives. 

Pros: 

• Fulfilling, engaging work
• Potential to charge high hourly rates

Cons: 

• Challenges in gaining recognition and respect
• No face-to-face interactions

Who’s it for? 

People with significant life experience or expertise in a particular area. 

17. Podcaster

Podcasters speak about topics that interest them and disseminate their shows via online platforms. 

Pros: 

• Do something you love
• Provide value to a large audience

Cons: 

• Challenges earning revenue
• Plenty of competition 

Who’s it for? 

People who can see issues from the perspective of their audience and who don’t mind podcasting as a hobby to start. 

18. Data Entry

Online data entry professionals can get work from platforms such as Turk, ClickWorker, or Amazon Mechanical. 

Pros: 

• Flexible working conditions
• Zero startup costs

Cons: 

• Dull, repetitive tasks
• Relatively low pay

Who’s it for? 

People who don’t mind repetitive work and who don’t have the resources to start another type of online business. 

19. Online Book Publishing

Online book publishers self-publish their books and then sell them through retailers such as Amazon, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble. 

Pros: 

• Earn royalties for life
• Engage in creative work

Cons: 

• Uncertain income potential
• The need to meet platform-specific publishing requirements

Who’s it for? 

People with great ideas or stories they want to share with the world with the ability to support themselves financially as they write. 

20. Webinar Host

Webinar hosts conduct webinars and charge guests a fee for attendance. 

Pros: 

• You always have new topics to explore
• Can do it from your laptop

Cons: 

• High pressure
• Hard to engage attendees 

Who’s it for? 

People who love speaking to an audience and sharing their ideas. 

21. Online Gamer

Online gamers earn money by becoming proficient in a popular game and then streaming themselves playing live over the internet. 

Pros: 

• Do something you love
• Engage with your community

Cons: 

• You can become addicted
• It’s expensive if you need to buy hardware

Who’s it for? 

People who love gaming and have a high level of skill in a popular title. 

22. Renting Our Assets

Asset renters rent out things they own to earn an income, like their car, a room in their house, or equipment. 

Pros: 

• Easy extra income
• Use idle assets

Cons: 

• Liability risks such as damage
• Additional administration

Who’s it for? 

People who have extra assets that aren’t being put to work. 

23. Data Scientist

Data scientists explore databases and then extract useful information from them. 

Pros: 

• In high demand
• Good hourly or daily rates

Cons: 

• Lots of technical skills required
• Fast-paced work environment

Who’s it for? 

People who love working with numbers, computers, and statistics in a fast-paced environment. 

24. Social Media Management

Social media managers operate organizations’ social media outreach and campaigns on their behalf. 

Pros:

• Exciting, engaging work
• Always a new challenge

Cons: 

• Dependent on one or two big clients#
• High pressure

Who’s it for? 

People who understand social media and how to garner attention for the firms they represent. 

25. YouTube Personality

A YouTube personality is someone who grows a channel on the video platform and then makes money from advertising and paid subscriber services. 

Pros: 

• Highly creative and interesting
• Always something new to talk about

Cons:

• You need a lot of subscribers to make money
• YouTube may demonetize you

Who’s it for?

People who feel confident in front of the camera and can communicate with audiences clearly. 

26. Sponsored Content Creator

Sponsored content creators create content on behalf of organizations to advertise products and services. 

Pros: 

• Can be lucrative if you have a large audience
• Always new ideas and information

Cons: 

• You need to tow the company line
• Long hours

Who’s it for? 

Natural marketers who don’t mind creating content on behalf of third-party brands. 

27. Website Testing

Website testers explore newly built or updated websites looking for issues and bugs. 

Pros: 

• Simple and easy to get into
• Reasonable pay and relatively low-pressure

Cons: 

• Tedious
• Limited work availability

Who’s it for? 

People who enjoy relatively simple work or want to make an extra income on the side. 

28. Crowdfunding For Business Projects

Crowdfunding experts help organizations and entrepreneurs raise funds on crowdfunding platforms. 

Pros: 

• Potential to generate high returns and large commissions
• Ability to work on a variety of projects

Cons:

• Can feel overwhelming because of the large sums of money involved
• A risk of scams and fraud

Who’s it for? 

Becoming a crowdfunding expert is for people who understand the landscape and can deal with the high pressure. 

29. Influencer

Influencers are people who establish authority in their niche on online platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. 

Pros:

• Gain a personal brand
• Get thousand or millions of followers

Cons: 

• A highly competitive landscape
• Difficult to earn money quickly

Who’s it for? 

People who love being in front of the camera and want to talk about a specific topic. 

30. AI Trainer

An AI trainer or labeler is someone who trains AI systems so they can generate more human-like responses. 

Pros: 

• Easy to get into
• Often highly paid

Cons: 

• Repetitive and tedious
• Requires long periods of intense concentration

Who’s it for?

People who don’t mind laborious work and can focus on tasks for a long time. 

31. AI Ethics Consultant

An AI ethics consultant is someone who provides guidance and advice to organizations considering using AI. 

Pros: 

• Interesting and varied work
• Good rates of pay

Cons: 

• Requires technical knowledge and skill
• Comes with liability risk

Who’s it for? 

People who are experts in the field of AI and machine learning and who understand the ethical issues the new technology raises. 

32. AI Chatbot Developer

An AI chatbot developer is someone who programs and customizes chatbot systems for a specific client. 

Pros: 

• Varied and flexible work
• Highly creative and abstract

Cons: 

• High technical skill requirements
• Limited scope and work available remotely

Who’s it for? 

People who have developed AI chatbots in the past and understand how they operate. 

33. Natural Language Processing Specialist

A natural language processing specialist is someone who develops algorithms and models that let machines understand human language. 

Pros: 

• Intellectual work
• Always something new to do

Cons: 

• Cognitively demanding
• Requires extensive education and experience

Who’s it for? 

People with expertise in natural language processing and who also understand organizations’ requirements for the technology.