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Realistic online side hustles that don’t require offline setups?
Yes, there are digital-first jobs that require only a stable internet connection, allowing you to work from anywhere.
But we’re not here to overpromise anything. We wrote this guide to provide you with a realistic earnings overview for each side hustle, plus tips on how to integrate them into your daily schedule.
Remember, not all these online side hustles are for everyone. But we hope that you discover one that fits your lifestyle.
Online side hustles are internet-based income streams that you can do with a laptop or phone. Some of these jobs allow you to work on your own hours. But most importantly, a side hustle allows you to work from anywhere.
So, compared to traditional 9-5 jobs, online side hustles capitalize on providing work flexibility. Plus, you can combine them with your full-time job, if you still have enough time and energy. Having multiple income streams is something that defines work flexibility today.
That’s not the only advantage of online side hustles, though. Take a look:
| Little to no upfront costs | Start with a laptop and an internet connection. |
| Time and location freedom | Deadline-based gigs that you can finish at home or in a cafe. |
| Diverse opportunities | Connect with local and international clients. |
| Clear tax guides | Calculate taxes and write off business expenses based on your country’s tax guidelines. |
Freelance jobs connect you to clients who need specialized work for short-term or even long-term projects. According to Upwork’s Future Work Index, 28% of skilled knowledge workers now work as freelancers or “independent professionals.”
There’s a real market for freelancing today. You just need to know where to start.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
The money you make from freelancing jobs varies depending on your niche. For example, a social media manager could earn around $20-35 per hour. Meanwhile, a highly credentialed video editor could generate income per project or an hourly rate of up to $50.
| Pros | Cons |
| Opportunity to work for local and international clients. | Competition on freelancing platforms is higher now. |
| Freelancing platforms offer secure payments through escrow and dispute reviews. | Freelancing platforms charge fees on payouts. |
| Scheduling flexibility. | Inconsistent flow of projects. |
App and game testing is one of the unique side hustles that you can do online. Websites, apps, and game developers need people to test their products to get user experience (UX) feedback. You just need to follow prompts, record your experience, and submit your test.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
User testing might not be a full-time job, especially with an inconsistent flow of opportunities. Long tests and live sessions could earn you up to $75. Niche tests that require specialized knowledge might pay more, probably around $100-$120.
| Pros | Cons |
| Simple setup that only requires a laptop, headset, and internet connection. | Inconsistent flow of assignments. |
| Deadline-based tasks can fit any schedule; not time-consuming. | Low average payout on some tasks. |
Got little to no spare time on your hands? You can still generate income through bandwidth-sharing apps like Honeygain. It’s one of those passive side hustles that allow you to earn money for sharing unused internet bandwidth.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Realistically, bandwidth-sharing is one of those side hustle opportunities that only offer a meager amount of money. But it’s truly a passive source of income, as you just run the app in the background.
You can make more money through referral programs. For example, Honeygain offers a referral program that gives you “$5 for every time your friends reach the $20 threshold.”
| Pros | Cons |
| Passive income that doesn’t require any effort. | Consistent but small earning potential. |
| Doesn’t require expertise, skills, or time investment. | Relies on how fast your internet connection is, along with the level of demand in your region. |
On marketplaces like Depop, you can sell pre-loved items and vintage clothing. It’s similar to the concept of garage sales, except that you do this entirely online.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Early on, you could net around $10 to $20 after platform fees and shipping. Your earning potential could also depend on your suppliers. If you could source items cheaply without compromising your shop’s quality, that could be a big boost to your earning potential.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fully online setup. | Platform fees and shipping costs. |
| Ability to reach local and international buyers. | Dealing with fit issues and item returns. |
| Opportunity to build a unique brand for your online store. | Requires you to build connections with potential suppliers and partner stores. |
Take online surveys, complete very short and easy administrative tasks, and categorize images. This side job is mostly app-based, so you can work even through your smartphone or tablet.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
You could earn around $50-$100 on platforms like Survey Junkie or Prolific, but it depends on the opportunities you get. You could find jobs and apply for them, but the flow could be inconsistent. You can do these side hustles from home or from anywhere; that’s the biggest advantage.
| Pros | Cons |
| Zero skills required. | Low hourly rate and per-task payout. |
| Work from anywhere, even through your smartphone. | Task opportunities might come and go. |
| Finish tasks quickly. | Tasks can be repetitive and boring. |
Transcribe interviews, video recordings, and other audio. Typically, you can use the assistance of AI-powered transcription software like Dovetail to make your work easier. Your transcription helps podcasters, legal firms, or medical offices to get clear, written versions of their activity recordings.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Starting rates for transcriptions often range from $10-$15 per audio hour. Niches with more complicated terminologies, like legal and medical areas, could reach up to $40 per audio hour.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fully remote and online setup. | Low hourly rate and per-task payout. |
| Legit way to make money without a degree. | Pay per audio setup could be deceiving (it might take you 3-4 hours to transcribe a single audio hour) |
| Improve transcription speed with more practice. | Transcribing could be difficult when you encounter hard-to-understand accents and low audio quality |
Teaching English online could come in two ways. First, you can find jobs on English teaching platforms like Cambly. They’ll connect you to students and you’ll get paid per hour.
In addition, you can also self-publish or upload online courses for English learners. It could be about the basics (phonetics or grammar) to help them start writing or speaking in English. Or you can focus on English for professionals, including resume writing and workplace communication.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Teachers with TEFL certification and teaching experience can earn up to $25 per hour. Moreover, teaching professional-level English (business or travel) could offer higher earnings.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fully remote and online setup. | Technical issues (internet and sound) could disrupt your lessons. |
| Ability to set your time availability. | Most classes come after ordinary school or work hours: late at night or very early in the morning. |
| Rewarding work that helps you build long-term relationships with learners. | Student holidays could cause income drops and inconsistent work opportunities. |
Tech companies, especially AI-related ones, need to train their machine learning systems and algorithms. This is where they need help in categorizing information, identifying objects in images, and comparing chatbot replies. You can do these side hustles online.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Complex annotations and quality reviews could help you earn around $18-$25 per hour. However, it’s advised to go for entry-level tasks first to build your accuracy score.
| Pros | Cons |
| No need for a bachelor’s degree or specialized skill. | Inconsistent flow of tasks. |
| Higher payout than taking surveys. | Complex tasks might call for very strict accuracy requirements. |
Adding subtitles requires you to synchronize on-screen audio with text. Bilinguals and fast typers are perfect for this job. This is also great for people who are already creating content and adding video captions on social media platforms.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Simple English captioning could earn you $0.6-$2 per video minute. For foreign languages, you could receive payouts of up to $5 per video minute.
| Pros | Cons |
| Growing demand thanks to the growth of short-form reels. | Difficult to add subtitles to videos with low audio quality. |
| Work-from-anywhere setup. | Tight deadlines for social media clips. |
Run your online store without an in-person stockroom or warehouse. You could build an online shop on eCommerce platforms like Shopify or Etsy. You don’t even have to provide tech support; you just need to optimize your marketing strategies.
How to start:
Platforms to use:
Print-on-demand shirts, mugs, or bags could net $5-$20 per item. There are premium items, like hoodies or canvas, that net higher payouts. The key lies in finding suppliers that could optimize your cash flow.
| Pros | Cons |
| No in-person inventory or warehouse. | Thin margins for marketing and advertising costs. |
| Fully online setup and scaling. | Might require bringing in a virtual assistant to manage surges in orders and inquiries. |
| Experiment with products and niches without investing too much in inventories. | Competition could be high in popular niches. |
