It can be challenging to find a side hustle that's worthwhile. The best side hustles allow you to make the most money, while also balancing your time and growth potential.
Side hustling can allow you to earn that little bit of extra money that can help you achieve your financial goals faster - whether it's paying off student loans or saving for retirement. But finding the best side hustle can be tough - you don't want to waste your time or money - you want to start earning!
There are a lot of side hustle ideas out there (here's our list of 50+ Side Hustle Ideas). I'm a huge fan of earning more money, and I think everyone should have a side hustle. My goal today is to show you the best side hustles you can start AND why.
I have three main criteria for side hustles, which I talk about below.
- Earning Potential
- Scheduling
- Growth
Each one of the ideas below strikes a good balance of these. Let's break it down.
Our Picks Of The Best Side Hustles
Here's our list of the best side hustles that you can do today to start earning more money.
1. Deliver Food And Groceries
Right behind ridesharing is delivering food and groceries. This has become one of the fastest growing trends nationwide, and as such, it's also one of the best side hustles. If you don't like people in your car, but still want to make extra money on your own terms, this is a great way to do it.
The only drawbacks are you can't do it all the time (restaurants aren't usually open at 2am), and you may make less that traditional ridesharing. However, it's still a great way to earn extra cash!
How To Start:
- Instacart - Help delivery groceries and shop for others. Read our full Instacart driver review here.
- UberEats - The original food delivery platform still has one of the largest selections and is a great side hustle.
- DoorDash - Currently the fastest platform, expanding in many cities. Check out the DoorDash review here.
Earning Potential: $600 per month
Schedule: 8/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
2. Ridesharing
Yes, everyone talks about ridesharing - some people love it and some people despise it. However, it's our #2 pick for the best side hustle because it's one of the few side hustle jobs that you can literally do anytime, anywhere. Want to earn some extra money at 2am? You can do it? Don't want a set schedule? That's fine!
With ridesharing, you can earn when you want, on your terms. It's one of the only side hustles that is truly anytime, anywhere.
Harry Campbell is The Rideshare Guy, and he built his entire business around driving for rideshare. Now he helps drivers get started. Check out The Rideshare Guy here if you're interested in this side hustle.
How To Start:
- Uber - The first and largest ridesharing platform. Read our review on driving for Uber.
- Lyft - Check Lyft for specials they have for new drivers. Learn more insights on driving for Lyft here.
Earning Potential: $1,000 per month
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
3. Start A Blog
This is my favorite side hustle (this blog was started as a side hustle), but it's not an immediately income-producing opportunity. Starting and growing a blog does take time, but I estimate you can start earning at least $1,000 per month at the 12 month mark - if you do it consistently (e.g. 3x per week).
But, it does start slow, and it's a lot of work. However, the growth potential of a blog is nearly limitless! So, if you're looking for a long term side hustle, this could be it!
This was one of my earliest side hustles. I started several websites, some of which I still operate (like this one), and others which I've sold. Here's my story of how I built a blog and sold it for $11,000 in my spare time. Basically, if you commit the time to creating the content, you can create a lot of potential for yourself.
How To Start:
- Bluehost - Start your blog on Bluehost for just $2.95 per month
- Read This - How To Start A Personal Blog Or Website
- Become a Pro with this Course - Full-Time Blogger
Earning Potential: $1,000 per month with 12 months
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 10/10
4. Tutoring As A Side Hustle
If you're a teacher, or really anyone with a college degree, you can get paid to tutor kids online. One of the hottest growing areas of demand right now is teaching English as a second language online to children overseas. But you can also tutor students in almost any area imaginable! And the demand has never been higher - growing at a rate of 14% per year!
One of the benefits of this is time zone differences. Our nighttime here in the United States is typically the day in other counties - meaning that this is the perfect side hustle if you're looking for something you can do at home, on your computer, at night.
These companies require you be a teacher or have at least a bachelor's degree. You should also be comfortable teaching over webcam at home - so lights, good camera and mic, and some technical computer skills.
Remember, you can also tutor any subject offline by finding students in your area. This could be a great way to start a side hustle in an area you're strong at!
How To Start:
- Tutor.com - One of the largest platforms to connect tutors and students.
- Skooli - A fast upcoming platform that is growing and hiring teachers to tutor students.
Earning Potential: $400 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 4/10
5. Online Freelancing
There are so many ways to make money online freelancing. If you can read, write, program, make videos, or are open to learning a variety of skills, you can make money freelancing online. You could even do bookkeeping for other businesses online!
Some areas that are easy to start a side hustle with are online transcription work (think of all the podcasts that need thins), online virtual assistant services, bookkeeping for other businesses and even online social media management.
Adrian Brambila (pictured) has created over a dozen different side hustle income streams using tactics that he shares in his course below. Today, he's a 7-figure online business owner, but it all started with teaching people to dance online.
The bottom line is that the potential is limitless if you are even a little tech savvy or have writing skills.
How To Start:
- The Brambila Method - 8 days of online training, plus 4 online side hustle ideas you can launch right away, this is perhaps the best course in general online freelancing anywhere!
- Proofread Launchpad - Learn how to get paid to be a professional proofreader
- Transcribe Anywhere - Learn how to transcribe audio and get paid online
- Facebook Side Hustle Course - Learn how to dominate social media for small businesses
- $10k VA - Learn how to become a high paid virtual assistant
- Bookkeepers - Learn how to become a bookkeeper and help businesses with accounting online
Earning Potential: $5,000 per month within 12 months
Schedule: 7/10
Growth Potential: 8/10
6. Take Online Surveys
I had to include this on here because there are definitely places that you can make money online. And this is a really low paying opportunity, but one that you can do in your spare time - any time.
In fact, I used to take these surveys when I was in class in college - so I was getting an education and getting paid. Basically, if you can turn on your computer, you can be earning a little bit of money.
But, the income potential with this is very low with this side hustle. Seriously - very low. But if you're looking to kill time while watching TV, filling out surveys can suddenly become very rewarding.
How To Start:
- Swagbucks Surveys - Swagbucks now has a dedicated survey section, and you can get $5 just for signing up. Sign up here.
- Survey Junkie - Earn cash and rewards for sharing your thoughts and opinions. Click here.
- Branded Surveys - Earn points for filling out surveys, which you can redeem for over 100 gift card options.
- OnePoll - If you're 18-25 and want to make some small money, check out OnePoll.
Check out our full list of paid surveys here.
Earning Potential: $50 per month (sometimes paid via gift card)
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 1/10
7. Rent Your Car
One of the coolest new ways to build side hustle income is to rent out your car. If you have a car that you don't use often - maybe you're in school or work at home - you can rent it out to others! In fact, I have a friend who bought 3 cars just to rent via these services - and she makes back her payment and more each month!
Just read this story from my friends Heather and Joe (side note: Heather has written for us before). They make a great side hustle income from renting their cars.
These services allow you to list your car for rent on your terms. You set the price and availability - so if you want to drive it, you don't have to worry. Plus, they cover insurance as well! And if you're willing to offer upsells like airport delivery, you can earn even more!
How To Start:
- Turo - The original car rental service, and one of the largest platforms
- Getaround - A new competitor that also allows you to rent your car
Earning Potential: $600 per month
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
8. Deliver For Amazon
Have you noticed those Amazon deliveries that come from people in their own cars? This is called Amazon Flex. With the huge need for delivery drivers to deliver packages, food, and more, Amazon Flex is more in demand than ever.
Unlike other delivery apps, Amazon pays an hourly rate of $18 to $25 per hour. Once you're accepted into the program, you can select two hour windows in which you'll be available - and then you'll start receiving tasks during that time.
Related: 10 Other Ways That You Can Get Paid For Driving
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $600 per month
Schedule: 2/10
Growth Potential: 2/10
9. List Your House Or Room For Rent
Similar to listing your car, you can also list your house, or room, or garage, or any other space you might have where someone could stay. I've even seen people listing their backyard for camping locations! The possibilities are limitless.
It all depends on the property that you're renting how much you can make. I have a friend with a lake house in Michigan that can cover all their expenses and make a small profit in just three months every year. However, I have another friend who just sold their property in Indiana as it wasn't working financially.
You just need to put in a little effort to make your house or space friendly for potential people to come over, but otherwise, everything can be handled online! Check out our comparison of the top two companies - Airbnb vs Booking.com.
How To Start:
- Airbnb - The original space sharing platform, and one of the largest to let you list your space
- Booking.com - A huge travel site that allows individual listings
Earning Potential: $1,000 per month
Schedule: 6/10
Growth Potential: 4/10
10. Rent Out Space In Your House
Do you have empty space in your house or yard that you always wondered "could I do something with that?" Well, you can! Rent it out to others who could use it.
For example, do you have a side yard that could store an RV? You could easily rent that space out. Do you have a basement or shed that someone could store their stuff in? Rent that space out! Here's an example of our neighbor's property where they are renting our two RV spots!
There are companies out there that will allow you to rent your space, and you can profit!
Side note: this is one of my favorite side hustle ideas!
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $250 per month
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
11. Buy And Resell Stuff
This was one of the first side hustles I ever did. I would go to garage and estate sales and then start selling the items on eBay or Amazon. And that was after I sold all of my own stuff (you can see my eBay seller account that I start way back in 2002).
Today, the technology has improved so much that there are a lot of people who make this their full time job. Search for flippers on Instagram and you'll see all kinds of people who are hustling and reselling stuff. And even better deal - search Craigslist Free Stuff and go get free things to resell. It's possible!
Check out this list of Craigslist alternatives to sell your stuff as well.
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $1,000 per month
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 5/10
12. Create Stuff To Sell
Maybe you're not into scavenging for things to sell, but you have the skills to craft things to sell. If so, you can sell your own products online.
From creating stationary and unique gifts, to household items, to printables or downloadables, the potential for selling your own stuff is limitless. The amazing thing about printables is that you're simply creating a document and you get paid when people download it!
Julie Berninger sells Etsy printables to the tune of $1,000s of dollars per month - and she created an E-Printables course to show you how to do it as well!
How To Start:
- The E-Printables Selling Course - Learn how to create online items to sell on Fiverr and Etsy in your first day of this online course that's proven to work.
- Etsy Sellers Shop
- Amazon KDP
Earning Potential: $600 per month
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 8/10
13. Help People Move
If you have the ability to help people move, you can easily make money in your spare time. Maybe you have a truck, or are strong and can lift heavy furniture.
There are people all over that pay for help moving - from moving their own houses, to when they buy furniture and need someone to help get it home.
If you're just the muscle, you won't earn as much, but if you have a truck too, you can really earn a lot.
I've personally used the service to have people help me move, and it's great. You can hire one or two people, and request a vehicle if needed. You can also tip in the app (and if you're the mover, the tip is all yours).
How To Start:
- Dolly - An app that connects people looking for help moving. Read our full Dolly review here.
Earning Potential: $300 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
14. Be A Handyman
Are you handy around the house? Can you mount pictures or a TV? Can you assemble furniture, or setup a smart home device? If so, you can get paid for doing it for people near you.
If you have the skills, there are people out there looking for help. In fact, this is another service I've used to help me assemble massive amounts of Ikea furniture. The time saving on my end was well worth the cost - and the handyman was great.
If you have even basic handyman skills, this can be a great way to make money side hustling.
How To Start:
- Handy - An app that connects to people looking for handy individuals. Read our full Handy review.
Earning Potential: $500 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
15. Babysitting
Do you love kids? Would you enjoy making some extra money babysitting in your spare time? But maybe you don't know anyone who would pay you?
Now there's apps that allow you to connect online with people looking for your services. This makes it easy to be found, and also has a trust factor involved.
If you have the time and want to do these gigs, they are usually good pay for the work involved.
How To Start:
- Sitter City - A platform and app for both babysitting and dog sitting.
- Care - A huge platform that connects caregivers and those seeking help
Earning Potential: $500 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
16. Dogsitting or Dogwalking
Let's reverse the above - do you love dogs? Would you enjoy making some extra money dog sitting in your spare time? But maybe you don't know anyone who would pay you?
Now there's apps that allow you to connect online with people looking for your services.
In fact, my sister has used both of these apps to book a lot of services for her pup. From finding dog walkers, to dog trainers, to boarding. If you offer these services or have the potential to, they can be a great way to make extra money.
How To Start:
- Rover - An app specific to dog sitting that lets you connect with people needing help. Read our full Rover review here.
- Wag - This app connect you specifically for dog walking. Read our full Wag review here.
- SniffSpot - This app allows you to rent your space for dog meetups and play. Read our SniffSpot review here.
Earning Potential: $500 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
17. Become A Mobile Notary
There is a huge market out there for people that need things notarized. From bank forms, to loan documents, people need things notarized - and they're willing to pay for you to come to them.
Becoming a mobile notary is a basic entry to getting paid for your time and signature. If you want to take it up a notch, you can become a loan signing agent - where you help people sign all those documents required by lenders.
The amazing thing is that you could get paid anywhere from $75 to $200 per hour doing this, once you're experienced.
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $500 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 3/10
18. Start Streaming
Are you into online gaming? Do you like to play and chat with other players? Are you willing to consistently put in the time and effort to get online everyday at the same time?
If so, then starting a Twitch channel (and related YouTube and Discord) could be a great way to start side hustling this year.
Twitch has a $100 payout minimum to use the platform, and reports are that of those regularly earning from streaming on Twitch, they are making $25 to $130 per month. But if you build a following, there is huge growth potential. Plus, hopefully you love to play video games anyway!
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $150 per month
Schedule: 4/10
Growth Potential: 8/10
19. Work Odd Gigs
This is one of my favorite ways to make money if you really have no idea what you want to do. Have you ever noticed people doing odd gigs around town - maybe working an event, or helping at a fair, or something that's just a one-off.
Well, you can find these gigs online and get paid to do 1 or 2 day random events. If you go to Craigslist -> Gigs, there are a bunch of listing for people looking for help with a random event.
It's not consistent work, but it's quick and easy to get paid.
How To Start:
Earning Potential: $300 per month
Schedule: 3/10
Growth Potential: 1/10
20. Sign Up For Freebies
Here's another fun side hustle that doesn't have a huge amount of earnings potential, but definitely is a way to put extra money in your pocket. There's a huge list of companies that give away money just for signing up for their product or service!
Check out our full list of places to find free money, but here's a short version of the easiest options below.
Once again, not an amazing long term side hustle, but if you want to make a little money right now, do it!
How To Start:
- Upromise - $25 bonus (read our full Upromise review)
- Acorns - $20 bonus (read our full Acorns review)
- Rakuten - $10 Bonus
- Swagbucks - $5 Bonus (read our full Swagbucks review)
- MyPoints - $5 Bonus (read our full MyPoints review)
- InboxDollars - $5 Bonus (read our full InboxDollars review)
- Robinhood - Free stock (read our full Robinhood review)
- Webull - Free stock (read our full Webull review)
Also, check out these lists of bonus offers:
Earning Potential: $50
Schedule: 10/10
Growth Potential: 1/10
What To Look For In Earning Potential
Whenever you're assessing the best side hustle, earning potential is probably going to be your number one priority. However, it will also likely be in relationship to scheduling.
For example, driving and delivering packages has a good earning potential with totally flexible scheduling. If you were going to compare this to working a second job, there is low earning potential and poor scheduling.
Earning potential also depends on your time horizon. If you have the time to invest in your side hustle, you can likely grow your earning potential over time. However, if you need immediate income today, you likely won't have huge growth potential.
Best Side Hustles: How Much Can You Really Make?
Let's be honest - how much can you really make side hustling? With the best side hustles we list above, the amount is truly limitless.
I can tell you from my own personal experience, I've made thousands side hustling. Here's a couple of my own stories:
Selling on eBay: When I was buying and reselling collectables to sell online, I was able to net up to $2,000 per month after fees and expenses (like shipping, packing, etc.). It took about 20 hours per month to earn that. That time was spent going to garage sales, listing items online, and then packing and shipping.
Freelance Writing: When I was freelancing writing, I was able to earn about $10,000 per year working about 5-10 hours per month. The amazing thing about freelance writing was I could scale up as needed. While most months I would earn about $500 (writing 5 articles or so), some months I would ramp that up to $1,500 by writing more. It's more work, but more income as well.
How To Find Flexible Scheduling
A key factor in side hustles is flexibility. If flexibility didn't matter, you would just go get a job. But the reason most people are looking for a side hustle is because they are trying to easily accommodate extra income on the side of whatever they are doing during the day.
Best Online Side Hustles
The most flexible jobs are all online based (or app based, like ride sharing and delivering). That's why the bulk of this list has online opportunities. By using your computer, the internet, or an app on your phone, you can unlock a lot of side income potential.
However, you can still do many of these jobs offline - especially tutoring. And there is good flexibility and earning potential there as well. But without access to a marketplace, it could be hard to find work (and get paid).
How To Assess Growth Potential
If you want your side hustle to grow over time, you need to think about growth potential as well. Some of these jobs have no growth potential. Others, like starting a blog, have huge growth potential.
This is really a personal question about where you want your side gig to go. Some people might just want some extra money for Christmas. Other people may want to try and scale their side hustle into their full time job.
There is no right or wrong answer here, but you should realize the future potential when you get started.
What About Taxes?
One of the biggest "what ifs" I hear about doing a side hustle is "what about paying taxes on your side hustle earnings". The short answer is yes - you will pay taxes on your earnings. But as a side hustle, your earnings are technically "self employment earnings". This means that you'll only pay taxes on your net earnings.
What are net earnings? This is your profit from side hustling after expenses. For example, if you drive for ridesharing, you'll have mileage you get to deduct. The 2023 mileage rate is $0.655 per mile, according to the IRS.
So, if you drive 100 miles, you might earn $95 for those rides. However, you get to deduct the mileage - $6.55. So, you'll only pay taxes on $88.45.
Best Side Hustle FAQ
Here are some answers to the most common questions we get about the best side hustles:
What is a side hustle?
A side hustle is another word for earning extra income on the side of your main job. This is also known as moonlighting, earning more money, working a second job, and more.
What are some of the best side hustle ideas?
Some of the best side hustles are driving for rideshare, delivering food and goods, working online and creating a side business, and more.
What if I don't want to work online?
There are many side hustles that are basic - from getting a second job to working as an independent contractor on odd jobs.
How much money can you make with a side hustle?
The amount of money you can earn with a side hustle is limitless. Many easily earn an extra $100 per month, and the best side hustles can easily earn over $1,000 per month or more.
What is the best side hustle for earning extra cash with flexible scheduling?
The best side hustle with flexible scheduling for earning extra cash is delivering food and groceries. Platforms like Instacart and UberEats offer opportunities to earn money on your own schedule almost any hour of the day.
How can I start with Uber or Lyft as a side hustle?
To start ridesharing as a side hustle, you can sign up with Uber or Lyft, which are the leading ridesharing platforms.
How much can I earn by starting a blog as a side hustle?
Starting a blog as a side hustle can potentially earn you at least $1,000 per month after consistent efforts for about 12 months.
What are some online freelancing options for a side hustle?
You can explore online freelancing opportunities in areas like transcription work, virtual assistant services, and social media management. Websites like Fiverr and Upwork are popular platforms to get started.
What is the earning potential for taking online surveys as a side hustle?
Taking online surveys as a side hustle can earn you around $50 per month, but it is considered a low-paying opportunity.
How can I rent out my car to earn extra income?
Platforms like Turo and Getaround allow you to list your car for rent and earn money when others use it.
How can I rent out empty space in my house or yard?
Platforms like Neighbor allow you to rent out empty space in your house or yard to others, providing you with a side income.
How can I sell my own products online as a side hustle?
You can sell your own products online, including printables and crafts, on platforms like Etsy and Amazon KDP to potentially earn up to $600 per month.
How can I make money by helping people move?
You can earn money by helping people move through apps like Dolly, which connects you with people seeking moving assistance.
How can I find odd gigs and earn money quickly?
You can find odd gigs through platforms like Craigslist Gigs, where people post short-term jobs and events that you can get paid for.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully these give you some good insights into what I think makes a good side hustle. Plus, this list of the best side hustles goes a long way to making things happen.
Remember, the key to the best side hustles are balancing both your earning ability with scheduling and growth potential.
If you're still on the fence and want other ideas, check out these articles:
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared toward anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Today, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
Editor: Claire Tak Reviewed by: Clint Proctor
