I'm an idiot who tests tons of internet side hustles.

5-minute setup on your phone

PayPal, gift cards & crypto

No experience needed

Stack multiple games at once

There's an app called Freecash that pays you real money to test out mobile games.

It’s pretty simple. You download Freecash, make an account, and scroll through the games they have available. Pick one that actually looks fun, download it through the app, and play it like you normally would.

Each game has different “offers” attached to it — things like reaching level 10, unlocking a certain character, or hitting another milestone. Complete them and the money gets added to your balance automatically.

Getting started takes maybe five minutes. There’s no resume, interview, or application process. You can basically just sign up and start playing.

Some people report clearing close to $1k a month doing this, but that’s usually people stacking multiple games at once and putting a few hours into it every day. If you’re just playing a game here and there, I’d think of it more as beer money than a serious income stream.

Cashing out is pretty painless too. You can withdraw through PayPal, gift cards, or crypto once you hit the minimum threshold, which is usually pretty low.

And honestly, this is one of those side hustles that makes sense if you already waste a decent amount of time playing games on your phone. You’re probably not going to replace your paycheck with it, but getting a little money back for something you’d be doing anyway isn’t bad.

Why I LIKE ITYou’re basically getting paid for something you might already be doing anyway — playing games on your phone. And I like that the payout threshold is pretty low, so you don’t have to spend forever building up a huge balance before you can actually cash out.

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No followers needed

Phone camera is enough

Huge brand demand

Minimal editing required

UGC stands for user generated content, and it’s basically the reason your Instagram feed is full of “normal people” reviewing random products. Brands pay regular people — not necessarily influencers — to make these videos because they tend to feel a lot more natural than a polished ad.

You don’t need a big following or a fancy camera either. If you’ve got a phone and you’re comfortable talking on camera like a normal person, you’ve already got most of what you need.

Getting started is easier than it sounds. You can make a Fiverr account, set up a gig offering to create authentic UGC videos for brands, and upload a couple of example videos you filmed yourself using random products you already have around the house.

Once you land your first order, the brand will usually send over a script or some talking points, along with the product itself or a link to buy it. Then you film yourself using it, reacting to it, or just talking about what you like about it.

And the filming setup really doesn’t have to be complicated. Natural light, your phone propped up on something, and you talking like you’re telling a friend about something you found is usually enough.

Editing isn’t a huge deal for a lot of these gigs either. In fact, some brands actually want the video to look a little rough around the edges because that’s what makes it feel more like something a real person would post.

You send over the raw or lightly edited clips, the brand approves them, and you get paid. Most gigs pay somewhere between $50 and $500 depending on your experience and how much content the brand needs.

What makes this one interesting to me is that there’s so much demand for this kind of content right now. Brands are constantly looking for ads that feel less like ads, which is exactly what UGC is supposed to do.

Why I LIKE ITThe barrier to entry is basically zero, and there’s a ton of demand from brands right now. I like this one because you really can start today with nothing more than your phone and a Fiverr account.

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No coding skills needed

Fully flexible schedule

Work from anywhere

$20-$40/hour pay rate

Every AI tool you've ever used, ChatGPT, Claude, whatever, needed actual humans to help train it. That's where sites like DataAnnotation come in.

You sign up on their site, and the application honestly feels more like a skills test than a job interview. They’ll give you some sample tasks to see how well you write, follow instructions, and think through different answers.

Once you’re in, the work is mostly things like rating AI responses, comparing two answers and choosing the better one, or writing sample responses yourself. A lot of it feels more like doing a quiz than sitting down to do an actual job.

You don’t need coding skills for most projects either. If you can read carefully, follow instructions, and write a clear sentence, there are plenty of tasks you can potentially do.

The flexibility is probably what I like most about this one. There’s no set shift — you just log in when you have some free time and pick from whatever tasks are available.

Pay is usually somewhere in the $20 to $40 an hour range depending on the project, which is pretty solid for something you can do from your couch. Some projects pay more if they need specific expertise, like coding or a foreign language.

The main thing I’d keep in mind is that the work isn’t always consistent. Some weeks there can be plenty of tasks available, while other weeks are slower, so I’d definitely look at this as a side hustle rather than something to rely on as your main income.

Why I LIKE ITThe hourly pay is genuinely pretty impressive for remote work that doesn’t require a special degree. I also like that it feels more like getting paid to take quizzes than doing a traditional job, and you can work whenever you want.

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Legit Skillz-powered app

Regular solitaire rules

PayPal cash payouts

Free & low-stakes modes

I know this one sounds a little scammy at first, but Solitaire Cash is a real app and people genuinely do cash out from it.

The setup is pretty simple. You download the app, make an account, and you’ll see a bunch of tournaments and head-to-head matches you can enter.

Here’s what makes it different from a normal solitaire game. You pay a small entry fee, sometimes just a dollar or two, and you’re matched against other players trying to solve the same board faster or finish with a better score.

Whoever performs best wins the pot, minus the cut the app takes for running the game. The higher the entry fee, the bigger the potential payout, which is how you sometimes see those pretty wild prize amounts like $483 for a single game.

What I like about this one is that it’s still basically regular solitaire. If you already know how to play, there isn’t some complicated new game you need to learn from scratch.

I definitely wouldn’t jump straight into the bigger tournaments, though. Start with the free or really low-stakes games first so you can get used to how the timing and scoring work before putting much money on the line.

You can cash out your winnings once you hit the minimum withdrawal amount. Just keep in mind that this one is different from most of the other side hustles on this list because you are putting your own money at risk to compete, so I’d only ever play with money you’d genuinely be okay losing.

Why I LIKE ITIt’s a game you probably already know how to play, which makes this one pretty easy to get into. I also like that you can start with the free tournaments and get a feel for how everything works before putting any real money on the line.

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2-minute signup process

Run it in the background

PayPal & gift card payouts

Stack with other tasks

This one is for anyone who already has YouTube open half the day anyway. Apps like InboxDollars will actually pay you to watch short videos and ads.

Signing up only takes a couple of minutes. You make an account, verify your email, and then you can start looking through the different ways to earn.

Depending on what’s available, you might find videos or other really simple tasks you can complete for a small amount of money. Once you finish something, the earnings get added to your balance.

A lot of these platforms also have things like reading emails, playing games, or taking quick surveys, and I think that’s where this one makes the most sense. Rather than relying on videos alone, you can stack a few easy tasks together whenever you have some time to kill.

I definitely wouldn’t look at this as a serious income stream. It’s more of a “why not?” side hustle — something you can mess around with while you’re already sitting on your phone or watching TV.

That’s really the appeal for me. If you’re already going to spend that time scrolling or watching random stuff anyway, you may as well see if you can earn a little something from it.

Once you hit the minimum payout amount, you can usually cash out through options like PayPal or gift cards.

Why I LIKE ITIt’s basically getting paid for stuff you’d probably be doing anyway. I like this one because there’s almost no learning curve — you can just let it run in the background while you’re doing something else and slowly build up your balance.

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Start today, zero wait

Prepaid shipping labels

Thrift store flipping

Multiple selling platforms

Everyone has a pile of clothes they don’t wear anymore, and apps like Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace can turn that pile into actual cash. I like this one because it’s probably the easiest side hustle on this list to start today — there’s really no waiting around.

Getting started literally just means grabbing your phone and taking a few pictures. Good lighting matters more than you’d think, so taking them near a window usually works best.

Then write a simple description with the brand, size, and condition. I’d definitely be honest about any flaws too, because buyers are going to notice eventually and it can save you a headache later.

Pricing is where a lot of people get it wrong. Before listing anything, search for the same or similar item on the app and see what it’s actually selling for instead of just guessing.

Once something sells, you package it up and ship it. Most of these apps make that part pretty easy with prepaid labels, and Poshmark in particular handles a lot of the shipping process for you.

The money can add up surprisingly fast once you start clearing things out. Some people make a few hundred bucks just selling what’s sitting in their closet, and if you enjoy it, you can take it further by finding more things to flip.

That’s where thrift stores come in. You can buy something cheap, clean it up, take better photos, and resell it for more. At that point, cleaning out your closet can actually turn into a pretty steady little side hustle.

Why I LIKE ITYou’re literally making money from stuff that’s already collecting dust in your closet. I like this one because there’s basically zero startup cost, and if you enjoy it, thrift store flipping can turn it into something you do over and over again.

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Free to sign up

Cash & gift card payouts

Do it while watching TV

Low payout minimums

This is probably the most classic couch side hustle on the list, and honestly, it’s still around because it still works. Sites like Swagbucks and Survey Junkie pay you for answering questions about things companies actually want feedback on.

Signing up is free and only takes a few minutes. You’ll fill out a basic profile first — things like your age, interests, and shopping habits — so they can try to match you with surveys that are actually relevant to you.

After that, you just check your dashboard for whatever surveys are available. I like that most of them tell you roughly how long they’ll take and how much they pay before you start, so you can decide pretty quickly whether one is worth your time.

The annoying part is that some surveys will disqualify you partway through if you don’t fit exactly what they’re looking for. That’s pretty normal with these sites, though, so I wouldn’t waste too much time thinking about it — just move on to the next one.

I think this one works best if you make it a little routine rather than trying to sit down and grind through surveys for hours. Ten or fifteen minutes here and there is a lot easier to stick with, and it can add up over the course of a month.

Once you hit the payout threshold, you can usually trade your points in for cash or gift cards. Amazon gift cards often have a pretty low minimum, which is handy if you don’t want to wait forever to cash something out.

It’s obviously never going to replace a job, but for something you can do while half-watching a show on the couch, the $50 to $200 a month some people report making is honestly not bad.

Why I LIKE ITIt’s basically the ultimate “do nothing extra” side hustle. You’re already sitting on the couch anyway, so I like that you can answer a few questions, share your opinion, and make a little extra money while you’re at it.

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No studio needed

Free editing with Audacity

Fiverr & Voice123 ready

Rates grow with reviews

If people have ever told you that you have a nice voice, this is one I’d definitely look into. Companies constantly need voiceovers for commercials, explainer videos, audiobooks, phone systems, and all kinds of other projects.

Getting started mostly comes down to recording a few demos. You don’t need a fancy studio either — a decent phone mic in a quiet room can be enough to get started, especially if you use blankets or soft furnishings to cut down on echo.

Once you’ve got two or three short clips showing different styles — maybe upbeat, calm, and professional — you can start putting yourself out there. Fiverr and Voice123 are both places where you can set up a profile and look for work.

Your gig description doesn’t need to be complicated. Just explain the kind of voice work you can do and include examples like commercials, IVR systems, explainer videos, or narration so people know exactly what they’re hiring you for.

When you get a job, the client will usually send you a script and some direction on how they want it to sound. Then you record a couple of takes, pick the cleanest one, and send it over.

Editing is pretty minimal for most beginner gigs too. Usually you’re just trimming out dead air and cleaning up any obvious background noise, and free tools like Audacity can handle that pretty easily.

Pay varies a lot depending on the project. A quick clip might pay around $50, while longer or more involved jobs can pay a few hundred dollars. And once you’ve built up some good reviews and a bit of experience, you can start charging more.

Why I LIKE ITMost people probably don’t realize their voice can actually make them money. I like this one because there’s basically no startup cost, and you can naturally start charging more as you build up reviews and experience.

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Consistent contract work

Set your own hours

Appen & Lionbridge hiring

Repetitive, easy workflow

This is one of those jobs that sounds made up until you realize companies actually pay people to do it. Search engines and ad platforms need real humans to check whether their results and ads actually make sense, and that’s basically the job.

Companies like Appen and Lionbridge hire people for this kind of work. The application usually involves filling out a profile and taking a qualification exam to show that you can follow their rating guidelines properly.

The guidelines are probably the most intimidating part. They can be pretty long, but once you understand what they’re actually looking for, the day-to-day work seems much more straightforward and repetitive.

Once you’re approved, you log into a task portal and work through whatever assignments are available. A typical task might be looking at a search result and deciding how relevant it is to what someone actually searched for.

The flexibility is what I like about this one. Most of these roles are contract based rather than traditional scheduled shifts, so you can usually log in when you have time and work for as long as you want.

Pay is generally around $14 to $15 an hour, depending on the project and whether you’re being paid by the hour or by the task. If there’s consistent work available, that can add up to pretty decent part-time income.

The one thing I wouldn’t rush is the qualification exam. Getting accepted — especially for some of the better projects — really comes down to how well you understand and follow those guidelines.

Why I LIKE ITIt feels a lot more like real part-time income than just pocket change. I like that once you learn the guidelines, the work is pretty simple and repetitive, and you still get to choose when you want to log in.

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No inventory or shipping

Use Canva for designs

Etsy + Printify combo

Recurring passive income

This one is for anyone who wants something a little more creative. Print on demand basically means you make a design, put it on something like a shirt or mug, and sell it online without ever having to deal with inventory or shipping yourself.

A really common way to get started is Etsy paired with a print-on-demand service like Printify. You connect the two accounts, set everything up, and then you can start creating listings.

You don’t need to be a professional designer either. Canva has plenty of templates for things like shirts and mugs, and there are free design resources you can use legally if you’re not confident starting completely from scratch.

Once you’ve made something you like, you upload the design to your print-on-demand account and choose which products you want to put it on. Shirts, hoodies, mugs, tote bags — whatever actually makes sense for the design.

I think the listing itself is where people sometimes underestimate the work. Your title and tags are what help people actually find what you’re selling, so I’d spend some time getting those right instead of just throwing the product up and hoping for the best.

The part I really like about this one is how hands-off it becomes once someone actually buys something. The print-on-demand company handles the printing, packing, and shipping for you, so you never have to touch a box.

At that point, your job is mostly coming up with new ideas and figuring out what people actually want to buy. Niche hobbies, trending phrases, and inside jokes for specific groups can all give you a good place to start.

It usually takes a little longer to build momentum than some of the other side hustles on this list, but if you end up with a few designs that keep selling, it can turn into a pretty solid stream of recurring income.

Why I LIKE ITIt’s probably the closest thing to passive income on this list. I like that once you’ve got a design that sells, the fulfillment side is basically hands-off — no packing orders, no shipping, and no inventory sitting around your house.

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