Make money online: 20 online ways anyone can earn in 2024

In a nutshell:

Online jobs can be done on a laptop or your phone and can both be a great source of additional income or a full-time job.

• Some full-time online jobs are fully remote and can be done from anywhere.
• Many online jobs may not be considered traditional, full-time employment for tex purposes. Instead, you’ll workas an independent contractor or a freelancer.
• In September 2023, 28% of workdays were performed remotely, an increase of 7% since 2019.

The internet is bursting with ways to make money online, but to take full advantage of these opportunities, you’ll need to know where to start.

1. Do artificial intelligence (AI) work

You may not think of artificial intelligence (AI) as a side hustle, but it is the driving technology behind many new online jobs. One way AI can be used to make money is through content editing, where AI is used as a starting point to write articles and human writers then step in and make the articles more readable.

Working as an AI prompter is another option. AI prompters refine the questions needed to ask AI tools to arrive at the desired results, and they help train the machine to be more accurate. Those who are interested in AI can simply search for “AI” on sites like Upwork reveals the possibilities available for AI enthusiasts.

2. Take online surveys

Companies spend thousands of dollars each year to find out what customers want. You can be a part of this process by offering your opinions through online surveys. In return, the survey companies pay you for your thoughts. Reputable online survey sites frequently update opportunities for members to share and earn. Swagbucks, for example, pays cash and gift cards for surveys, games and polls.

3. Become a virtual assistant

If you have the time to help someone with business or personal errands, you could be the right choice for a virtual assistant (VA). This type of work is varied and changes from day to day. You could be hired to help organize emails, schedule meetings or file and track invoices.

Just like an assistant in a physical office, a virtual assistant must be flexible, patient and willing to learn new skills. If you can go with the flow, VAs can earn a nice income.

4. Write and publish an e-book

Do you have a story inside you that you think others will read? E-Books are a popular form of entertainment, and a quick look at Goodreads shows you just how many digital novels people consume each day.

Writing an e-book takes time, and you may want to enlist the help of a professional editor and cover designer to make your book look its best. After it’s published, however, you can market it to friends, family and future fans, with payments arriving every time someone gives it a read. It’s possible to write many books a year and grow your income over time, too.

5. Become an influencer

If you have a natural online presence and don’t mind sharing your life with the world, you may make it as an online influencer. These professionals are everywhere, from TikTok and Instagram to their own published blogs. It’s a job that requires frequent check-ins with followers, often spending hours a day creating new and captivating content that others will want to share.

However, influencers don’t have to have millions of fans to make some cash. Micro-influencers can earn from the platforms themselves, as well as from sponsorships —even with just 10,000 or more followers.

6. Play online games

For some extra cash for doing something fun, why not try online games? Sites like Inbox Dollars make it easy (and entertaining) to try out new puzzle games, such as Monkey Bubble Shooter and Candy Jam. Game companies want new players to join their communities and are willing to pay Inbox Dollars members to give them a chance.

7. Tutor students

Do you have a knack for understanding Shakespeare, or do you love the Pythagorean theorem? Even if you aren’t a professional teacher, you may have the patience and knowledge needed to help students with homework and test preparation. Tutoring is very flexible; you just have to be available to meet with your students when it works for them. With most students requiring help in the evenings and on weekends, this is a very part-time way to make some extra money.

8. Buy and sell vintage items

Glassware, 90s Levi’s jeans, handmade blankets — these are all items shoppers are willing to pay big money for and that can be sold online. Etsy, for example, accepts listings of vintage items older than 2005, and you can often find out what buyers are willing to pay by looking at what’s already sold.

Even if you don’t think something is valuable, it probably has a special memory for someone. Buying these rare old items at garage sales or flea markets and then “flipping” them for a profit has become a very popular side hustle.

9. Become a mystery shopper

Mystery shopping or getting paid to buy things from a business and write a report on your experience, has traditionally been done in person. With more stores going to an e-commerce model, however, it’s possible to do this job completely online.

Just be careful of scams, and don’t pay anyone to get access to mystery shopping jobs. These are made available for free from companies who pay you (and not the other way around). The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) maintains a list of reputable companies for anyone interested in getting started.

10. Do voice-over work

While we often think of voices being done for cartoons and animated films, voice talent is needed for commercials, audiobook recordings and even voice-activated menus for phone answering services.

To get started, you’ll need some basic equipment and a quiet place to record. You’ll also want to make a portfolio with samples of work you could be doing. Then, you can apply for jobs on sites like Upwork, which connect freelance voice-over artists to hiring companies.

11. Sell your art

Most people are familiar with the phrase “starving artist,” but this term was coined before the internet. Now, illustrators, photographers and fabric art designers have many ways to promote and sell their work. They can open a store on Etsy or create their own e-commerce shop through Shopify.

There are two ways to make money with art: creating work to sell and taking commissions. With the second choice, customers come to you and ask that you make art from their ideas. It can be a profitable way to bring a customer’s vision to life, and it’s also a good way to encourage repeat business.

12. Make custom merchandise

Do you have a clever saying for a t-shirt, mug or bumper sticker? Now, you don’t have to know how to print the saying on these items, but you can have a print-on-demand shop do it for you. This business model is great for those with a creative spark but no interest in producing or shipping items.

Just upload your designs to a print-on-demand shop and have the finished result sent directly to your customer. The shop takes a commission for their work, but you get to own the designs and sell them over and over again.

13. Teach courses

If you’ve been successful in marketing, speaking Chinese or explaining how the Keto diet works, you could show others how to do these things successfully, too. In fact, course creation is a great way to earn money online because there are so many things you can talk about!

Whether you choose to record your courses ahead of time or teach them live is up to you. Just be prepared to make new content regularly to keep your students coming back for more and to help you earn over time.

14. Translate other languages

Translators are still in demand, despite there being many digital apps automating translation services In fact, some professions require real-time human translation to ensure their jobs are done right.

Assisting doctors to speak with patients or translating a legal document are both situations where a live translator is best. If you can provide these services over a Zoom call or the phone, you could earn a nice income and help others, too!

15. Test apps and software

There are few things more frustrating than a buggy app or game, and that’s why product developers need testers to make sure things are right before they launch. Product testing usually falls into two categories: professional quality assurance (QA) testers, who look for more technical issues and regular beta testers, who try out games or apps as a regular consumer would.

Both can be paid nicely for their time and feedback, which means more money for you and a better product for everyone.

Twitter (now X), Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn — the list goes on and on. With so many social media channels, it can be an overwhelming task for businesses to market effectively. That’s why social media managers are sought out by organizations, both big and small.

If you understand what makes a Reel share worthy or have a knack for making funny TikToks, you could earn cash using this talent to help others.

17. Do graphic design

Since most companies use dozens of graphics for their advertising and products, graphic designers continue to be in high demand. So, just what do these professionals do? Logos, website images and book covers are just a few of the products graphic designers make for money.

You can get started with low-cost software, such as Canva, but some professionals prefer high-end creative suites offered by Adobe. Whatever you decide to use, be sure to charge enough for your work to pay for the cost of your tools.

18. Run an eBay store

eBay is as close to an online garage sale as one can get, and the variety of items that sell there every day is quite amazing! That means you, too, can make some cash by selling your old stuff and reselling stuff you buy from others. Whether you focus on car parts, used books or clothing, there are two ways to earn money on eBay:

• Auctions, which end after a set time and depend on active bids to get the best price.
• Fixed listings, which act like store inventory and can be priced as you wish.

Different items will sell better in different ways, so research past sales before you list your items.

19. Provide computer and tech support

If your aunt or neighbor often calls you to ask about an email glitch or how to remove a virus, you could be well on your way to starting a tech support business. A good number of these tasks can be done remotely and walking people through their computer or smartphone problems can end up being very profitable. To ensure you have the right answers for your customers, read up on the latest technology and try out software solutions for yourself.

20. Make and sell video game assets

It takes many years and a lot of money to make a great video game. Have you ever thought about how the items in the games come to be? Some of them are purchased premade, such as a gun in a first-person shooter game or a car in a racing title. These premade assets get made and sold in the digital marketplace at a set price and come ready to drop into the video game design. It saves game developers time when they don’t have to make these assets from scratch. If you have the talent to create these assets, you could make money designing the parts of a game and selling them to others.

The AP Buyline roundup: Consider the implications of making money online

Whatever idea you end up pursuing, remember that working from home comes with some financial responsibilities. You’ll need to track what you spend and what you earn so you can accurately file taxes at the end of the year.

Even making money online as a teenager requires reporting your earnings to the IRS; enlist the help of a financial professional if you’re unsure how the tax laws apply to you.