Top 16 Ways To Make Money Online in 2026

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With all the digital products and AI-powered tools available today, earning money online, either with a side gig or a full-time job, is easier than ever. From selling digital products and affiliate marketing to completing paid surveys and launching your own YouTube channel, the opportunities are endless when it comes to digital side hustles. All you need is an internet connection, a bit of creativity and the right strategy to start earning.

Here are 16 of the best ways to make money online in 2026, including high-paying side hustles and scalable income ideas that can help you reach your financial goals faster.

1. Sell Print on Demand

• Average monthly income: $3,275

First things first, to sell print on demand, you have to choose a niche and create a unique design, then select a print-on-demand (POD) provider and integrate it with marketplace options like Etsy or Shopify.  You can then list your products, set prices and develop a marketing plan to promote your store through social media platforms or other outlets.

How do you make money this way? Well, when a customer purchases one of your items, a print-on-demand company prints your design on the product, packages the order and ships it directly to your customer. So basically, it’s estimated that printing on demand can earn an average monthly income of around $3,275, or in some cases, about $1 per active listing per month.

2. Share Your Opinions

• Average monthly income: $50 to $200

Leaving a review on Yelp won’t turn into cash or rewards, but plenty of websites exist that will pay for your opinions as a form of digital marketing. The pay might be free gift cards that you can redeem for products, such as Starbucks or Amazon, but it’s compensation, nonetheless.

You can write product reviews for software and related services on G2, take a poll on Harris Poll or write reviews for a variety of products from bread to electronics on websites such as ReviewStream. You could also complete surveys on a site like Branded Surveys, but no matter where you sign up, check for any reviews about its credibility and see if the company has complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

3. Freelance Your Skills

• Average monthly income: $2,500

If you’re good at something, never do it for free. Instead, opt to freelance out your skills for extra money. You could focus on any area from pet sitting to creating online courses. Here are some popular examples:

• Freelance writers: With the need for good written content creators for websites, blogs and other outlets higher than ever, excellent writers can find freelance opportunities online through sites such as FlexJobs, Upwork and Fiverr.
• Freelance graphic design: Put your skills to work by designing logos or other artwork for small businesses or startups. You can find those gigs on Upwork and Fiverr, or share some of your creations on social media to find clients.
• Freelance website design: Every credible business needs a website and could use your expertise to get one up and running. If you also have those writing, photography and graphic design skills, you can build a full-service website creation business.

4. Manage Social Media Accounts

• Average monthly income: $5,404

Do you speak Instagram and TikTok? How about X? Plenty of people who run small businesses don’t, and they could use help crafting and managing their social media platforms.

Social media managers create content, both verbal and visual, to help companies get the word out about their products and services. They also recommend social media strategies. With online communications, you can work from home with clients based anywhere. 

5. Clean Out Your Closet

• Average monthly income: $1,000 to $3,000

Next time you clean out your closet, don’t just bundle the old clothes and shoes you no longer wear into a box for charity. Look through them with a critical eye — ask a friend to join you — and determine whether your items have value on the resale market. A designer bag you no longer use might fetch big money on websites such as Facebook Marketplace, The Real Real or Poshmark.

6. Become a Virtual Assistant

• Average hourly wage: $24 to $27

Your impeccable phone manners will lead to good word-of-mouth referrals and help you land a position to schedule appointments. Besides scheduling, virtual assistants often help with all the administrative duties, such as organizing conference calls and other interoffice communications. If you prefer organizing over dog walking, then this just might be the perfect side gig for you.

7. Monetize Your Blog or Vlog

• Average monthly income: $500 to $2,000

Readers love blogs they can relate to, whether the topic is parenting, travel, sports or something else. If you already have a blog and it gets decent foot traffic, you could be monetizing it. Sell ads on your own or sign up for a service like AdSense, which will send advertisements your way. While your blog is free for readers now, you can create a subscription service and provide exclusive content for subscribers.

You could also monetize a vlog. The blog’s video version is the vlog, and you can also make extra income via YouTube ads or other forms of affiliate marketing. With either a blog or vlog, you can sell merchandise and create sponsored posts to bring in income.

8. Offer Online Tutoring

• Average hourly wage: $15

If you have experience teaching English as a second language or if you’re a whiz at math, there might be a struggling student who could use your help. Apply with a tutoring service such as Cambly or Tutor.com, or let the counselors at your local high school know about your expertise, experience and availability. Your work with students can be done online. 

9. Lead a Class

• Average annual salary: $48,000

Outside of just tutoring, you could create course content that students can subscribe to and learn on their own schedule. If you’re a yoga teacher, create workouts that clients can access on demand.

If you have done this work before, tap into past clients for direct marketing. You can also use social media or influencer marketing to spread the word of your class. Or, take an online course yourself to determine the best way to produce, price and market your class.

10. Translate Other Languages to English

• Median annual wage: $57,090 to $59,440

Our diverse society means many people in our community speak something other than English as their first language. This has increased the need for translators and interpreters, with the field expected to expand by 4% by 2032. People working in the field often have a bachelor’s degree, but they also need proficiency in English and the language they seek to translate.

11. Use Savings Apps

• Average monthly income: Varies

Register for a browser extension such as Capital One Shopping or Rakuten to save money on purchases you plan to make anyway. If you sign up for the site, Capital One Shopping will search for discounts and let you know if you’ve found the best price. It also has agreements with some retailers to offer cash back on what you buy.

That compensation will go into your account, and you can redeem those savings for gift cards to well-known stores. Rakuten works much in the same way, but you can get cash back via PayPal or mailed to you as a check, known as the “Big Fat Check.”

12. Transcribe Medical Recordings

• Annual median income:  $37,060

Thanks to the internet, doctors’ offices and hospitals can transmit medical records for transcription into reports. These are voice recordings that need to be converted into documents, and that can be accomplished from home. By getting a certificate in the field, you’ll learn the medical terms and basics that you need to know to succeed. 

13. Sell Photos Online

• Average monthly income: Varies

If your friends say “wow” when they look at your vacation photos, consider selling them either in an online store or through existing sites such as Getty Images, Etsy or Shutterstock. With your own store, like on Etsy, you set the prices. You’ll receive a commission when someone uses your photo on most sites.

14. Online Consulting 

• Average hourly wage: $46

Maybe you’re retired from full-time work but want something in your field on a part-time or occasional basis. Or, you’re just tired of the commute or your job and want a bit more freedom. Use the expertise you’ve amassed during your years on the job to become a consultant.

15. Edit Audio and Video

• Average annual salary: $65,728

Today’s business websites and social media pages also need audio and video components. It’s one thing to pull out the iPhone and shoot some video, but it’s quite different to edit it, enhance the sound quality and put it to music. Businesses need you if this is your skillset, and jobs can be found on many websites, such as FlexJobs, Upwork and Fiverr.

16. Produce Podcasts

• Average earnings: $500 to $900 per 10,000 downloads

Along the same lines, many everyday people — not just celebrities, athletes or news personalities — have podcasts today. Those famous podcast hosts need editors and producers to polish up the finished product. Use your experience editing audio and video to create podcasts for clients.

Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.

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