I’m Brian. I’ve been testing side gigs since 2017 when I was trying to pay off $30K in student loans while working a job I hated. Some of these helped me build a six-figure online business. Most wasted my time. A few were borderline scams.
This isn’t a generic list I scraped from other websites. I’ve personally tried the majority of these — tracked my hours, measured my actual earnings, and figured out which ones are worth your time and which ones you should skip entirely.
I’m going to be brutally honest. If something sucks, I’ll tell you. If I made $3/hour doing something, I’ll tell you that too. You deserve to know what you’re actually getting into.
What You Can Realistically Expect to Earn
Pick your tier based on your goals. If you need $200 this week, skip the “start a blog” advice. If you’re building long-term wealth, don’t waste years on survey sites.
⚡ Gig Economy Jobs
These are your “need money this week” options. I drove for delivery apps for about 8 months while building my blog. Here’s what I actually learned.
1. DoorDash
My experience: I drove for DoorDash from March to November 2019. That $19/hour gross becomes roughly $13/hour after gas, car maintenance, and self-employment taxes. Still decent, but not the $25/hour people brag about on Reddit.
What I’d do differently: I wasted my first month accepting every order. Terrible strategy. Now I know: decline anything under $6 or over 7 miles. Your acceptance rate doesn’t matter nearly as much as DoorDash wants you to think.
What I’d avoid: Lunch shifts on weekdays (dead), orders from fast food joints (always slow), and any delivery to apartments without gate codes in the notes.
2. Instacart
My experience: I tried Instacart for about 6 weeks. Shopping for someone else’s groceries sounds simple until you’re hunting for organic free-range eggs in a store you’ve never been to while the timer ticks down.
What I’d do differently: I’d only take orders from stores I know well. Learning a new store layout mid-shop killed my hourly rate.
What I’d avoid: Costco orders. The parking lots are nightmares, the items are heavy, and the tips rarely justify the effort.
Want the full breakdown? I wrote a complete guide on how to become an Instacart shopper with everything I learned.
3. TaskRabbit
My experience: I’ve done maybe 15 TaskRabbit jobs over the years — mostly helping friends who asked me to try it. The best gig was assembling IKEA furniture for a tech bro who tipped me an extra $50 because I finished in half the estimated time. People really hate building IKEA stuff.
What I’d do differently: I’d specialize immediately. “IKEA assembly expert” or “TV mounting specialist” gets more bookings than “I do everything.” People want someone who’s done their specific task 100 times.
What I’d avoid: General cleaning (low rates, high competition) and anything priced under $30/hour (attracts difficult clients).
4. Amazon Flex
My experience: Delivering Amazon packages pays $18-25/hour in most areas. The catch? Shifts get snatched up fast. You’ll be refreshing the app like you’re trying to buy concert tickets.
I tried it briefly but preferred DoorDash because I could start whenever I wanted. Flex requires grabbing scheduled blocks, and the good ones disappear in seconds.
Best for: People who like structure and can commit to scheduled blocks. Pays more consistently than food delivery.
🎮 Game Apps That Actually Pay
I was skeptical about these until I actually tested them. Some are legitimate. Most are trash. Here’s what I’ve verified with real withdrawals to my PayPal.
5. Bingo Cash
My experience: Bingo Cash surprised me. I expected it to be rigged garbage like most “win money” apps. Instead, it’s skill-based — everyone gets the same cards and numbers, and the fastest dauber wins. Once I understood that, I started winning consistently.
What I’d do differently: I deposited $20 on day one and lost it within an hour because I jumped into cash games before learning the timing. Spend at least 3-4 days in free practice mode first.
What I’d avoid: High-stakes tournaments until you’re consistently winning at lower levels. The competition in $10+ entry games is fierce.
6. Solitaire Cash
My experience: Same developer as Bingo Cash, same concept. Solitaire Cash matches you against players with identical card layouts — the fastest solver wins. I prefer this over Bingo Cash because I already knew how to play solitaire well. Made $83 in one tournament once.
What I’d do differently: I’d focus on learning the bonus scoring system earlier. Speed matters, but knowing which moves give bonus points matters more.
Who should try this: Anyone who already plays solitaire on their phone. You’re literally getting paid for something you do for free.
7. Blitz Win Cash
My experience: Blitz Win Cash has 10+ different games in one app — bingo, solitaire, pool, blackjack, puzzle games. When I get bored of one, I switch to another. I’ve made about $200 total across their different games. The pool game is my best earner because fewer people seem to be good at it.
What I’d do differently: I’d focus on mastering one game instead of bouncing between all of them. Jack of all trades, master of none = smaller winnings.
8. MISTPLAY (Android Only)
My experience: MISTPLAY pays you to play mobile games. The catch? The games are mostly generic mobile games with ads. You’re essentially being paid to be advertised to. I made about $15/month leaving it running while watching Netflix.
What I’d avoid: Getting sucked into games that pay poorly per hour. Check the GXP (their point system) rates before committing to a game.
Who should try this: Android users who play mobile games anyway. iPhone users are out of luck — it’s not on iOS.
9. Freecash
My experience: Freecash isn’t a game app — it’s a rewards platform where you get paid to download apps, play games to certain levels, and complete offers. The payouts are insanely fast. I’ve had money in my PayPal within 3 minutes of cashing out.
What I’d do differently: I’d prioritize the game offers over surveys immediately. Surveys pay $0.50-2 for 15 minutes. Game offers pay $15-50 for playing a game I’d probably enjoy anyway.
What I’d avoid: Any offer that requires a credit card or subscription. Not worth the hassle of canceling.
📋 Survey & Reward Sites (Honest Assessment)
I’ll be real: I don’t love survey sites. The hourly rate is usually terrible. But if you’re going to do them anyway, here are the only ones I’ve found worth using.
10. Swagbucks
My experience: Swagbucks is the OG reward site. Been around since 2008, paid out over $800 million to users.
What actually earns money:
- Sign-up offers (open a free bank account, download an app) — $5-75 each
- Cash back on shopping you’d do anyway — 1-10% back
- Their search engine — random bonus points for searches
What wastes your time:
- Surveys that disqualify you 10 minutes in (infuriating)
- Watching videos for $0.03 (not worth it)
- Daily polls and games (pennies)
They have a $10 sign-up bonus right now. Grab it, do the high-paying offers, and use cash back when you shop. Skip the surveys.
11. Survey Junkie
My experience: If you’re committed to doing surveys, Survey Junkie is the least frustrating option I’ve found. They’re upfront about survey length and payout before you start, and disqualifications happen early rather than after 15 minutes of questions.
I’ve made about $150 total over 2 years. The hourly rate works out to maybe $6-8/hour — not great, but I only do them while watching TV, so it’s technically free money.
What I’d do differently: I’d fill out my profile completely upfront. Better profile = better survey matches = fewer disqualifications.
12. InboxDollars
My experience: InboxDollars pays you in actual dollars instead of points, which I appreciate psychologically. The video watching pays terribly ($0.01-0.03 per video) but I leave it running in a background tab while working. Made about $30 over 6 months doing basically nothing.
The catch: $30 minimum to cash out. Takes a while to hit if you’re only doing passive stuff.
💳 Cash Back Apps (Actually Worth Having)
These aren’t “side gigs” exactly — you’re not earning money, you’re losing less of it. But that’s still money in your pocket.
13. Rakuten
My experience: Rakuten is embarrassingly simple — install the browser extension, and it automatically pops up when you’re shopping at a qualifying store.
What I’d do differently: I’d check Rakuten BEFORE starting any online purchase. I’ve missed hundreds of dollars by forgetting to activate it.
They’re offering a $10 sign-up bonus after your first $25 purchase. Free $10 for doing nothing different.
14. Ibotta
My experience: Ibotta gives you cash back on groceries. I’ve earned about $200 over 3 years by scanning receipts and buying store brands with rebates.
What I’d avoid: Buying stuff you don’t need just because there’s a rebate. That’s not saving money — that’s spending money for a 10% discount.
$10 sign-up bonus available.
15. Fetch Rewards
My experience: Fetch Rewards is the easiest receipt app because it works with ANY receipt. Gas station, restaurant, grocery store — just scan it and get points. I’ve earned about $80 in gift cards.
Pro tip: Scan every receipt immediately. I have a pile of receipts I forgot to scan that are now expired. Don’t be like me.
16. Upside (Gas Cash Back)
My experience: Upside gives you $0.05-0.25 per gallon back on gas. I save about $8-12/month. Not huge, but considering I have to buy gas anyway, it’s free money.
What I’d do differently: I’d actually check which station has the best combined price + cashback instead of just going to my usual station.
📈 Investing Apps (Make Your Money Work)
Not a side gig in the traditional sense — but this is how I turned my side gig earnings into real wealth.
17. Acorns
My experience: Acorns rounds up your purchases and invests the spare change. I started in 2018. My round-ups plus occasional deposits have grown to over $3,000. Not huge, but it’s money I would have spent on random stuff.
What I’d do differently: I’d enable 10x round-ups earlier. Instead of investing $0.50, it invests $5. Grows way faster.
$10 sign-up bonus when you make your first investment.
18. Fundrise
My experience: Fundrise lets you invest in real estate starting with just $10. I’ve had about $2,500 in Fundrise for 2 years and earned roughly 8-10% annually.
The honest truth: Your money is locked up. You can’t withdraw easily like a stock brokerage. This is for money you won’t need for 5+ years.
19. SoFi
My experience: SoFi is where I keep my emergency fund. Their savings account pays 4%+ APY — way better than the 0.01% my old bank offered.
What I’d do differently: I’d have switched from my big bank years earlier. The interest difference alone has made me hundreds of extra dollars.
💼 Freelancing (Real Money, Real Skills)
This is where I made my first significant side income. Freelancing is harder than gig apps but pays 5-10x more per hour once you’re established.
20. Fiverr
My experience: Fiverr is where I cut my teeth. Started at $5/gig (hence the name), raised my rates as I got reviews.
What I’d do differently: I’d niche down immediately. “I write blog posts” competes with millions. “I write technical SaaS blog posts for B2B companies” competes with hundreds.
What I’d avoid: Racing to the bottom on price. The $5 gigs attract terrible clients who leave bad reviews. Charge more, deliver more, work with better people.
21. Upwork
My experience: Upwork is where I landed my first $1,000+ contracts. The platform takes a 10-20% cut, which hurts, but the clients have bigger budgets.
What I’d do differently: I’d write custom proposals instead of templates. My response rate tripled when I started referencing specific things in each job posting.
The grind: Your first few months will be rough. Bid lower initially, overdeliver, collect reviews, then raise rates.
🚀 Building a Real Business (Long Game)
This is how I actually changed my financial life. Everything above is trading time for money. These options can scale beyond your hours.
22. Start a Blog
My experience: You’re reading my blog right now. It took 18 months of writing before I made real money. Now it generates six figures annually. The first year was brutal — I made maybe $200 total.
What I’d do differently: I’d focus on one topic from the start instead of writing about everything. I wasted my first 6 months writing scattered content.
What I’d avoid: Expecting quick results. If you need money this month, don’t start a blog. If you can invest 1-2 years of consistent work, it can change your life.
Interested? Here’s my guide to starting a WordPress blog.
23. YouTube
My experience: I started a YouTube channel in 2022. Still small (under 5K subscribers), but it’s growing and the ad revenue is starting to add up.
What I’d do differently: I’d start posting consistently earlier. I made 3 videos, got discouraged by low views, and stopped for 6 months. That was dumb. The algorithm rewards consistency.
24. E-commerce / Dropshipping
My experience: I tried dropshipping briefly in 2019. Made a few hundred dollars but hated the customer service aspect. Not for me.
The honest truth: Most dropshipping courses are scams sold by people who make money selling courses, not dropshipping. The business model works but it’s way harder than the gurus claim.
Shopify has a 14-day free trial if you want to experiment.
🚫 What I’d Skip Entirely
My Final Recommendations
The best side gig is the one you’ll actually stick with. Pick something that fits your life, start today, and adjust as you go.
Good luck out there. 🍺
Questions?
Drop a comment below or reach out. I’ve probably tested whatever you’re curious about and can give you an honest take.
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