Best Side Hustles With a Laptop (2026)

Fieldwork

Focus Groups & Studies

easy

Participate in high-paying market research studies including taste tests, product evaluations, and in-facility focus groups paying $50-$200 per session.

User Interviews

Focus Groups & Studies

easy

Participate in 1-on-1 interviews and focus groups for major brands, earning $50-$200 per session for sharing your opinions and experiences.

Braintrust

Freelancing

hard

Join a decentralized talent network for high-paying tech freelance work with zero platform fees for talent.

FocusGroup.com

Focus Groups & Studies

easy

Join paid focus groups and clinical trials paying $75-$200+ per session, with both in-person and online opportunities available nationwide.

Respondent

Research & Surveys

easy

Join high-paying research studies and one-on-one interviews paying $50 to $300+ per session.

Toptal

Freelancing

hard

Join an exclusive freelance network for top-tier developers, designers, and finance experts earning premium rates.

AI Prompt Engineer

AI Services

hard

Design prompt libraries and consult on AI integration for businesses — one of the fastest-growing freelance niches in tech.

AI Chatbot Builder

AI Services

hard

Build custom AI chatbots and automation workflows for businesses, leveraging high demand for conversational AI solutions.

Contra

Freelancing

medium

Find freelance projects with zero platform fees — Contra lets you keep 100% of your earnings on design, development, and marketing work.

Dribbble

Creative

hard

Showcase your design portfolio and find freelance design work from top companies looking for UI, branding, and illustration talent.

SolidGigs

Freelancing

medium

Receive curated freelance job leads for writers, designers, and developers delivered weekly to save hours of searching.

FlexJobs

Freelancing

medium

Access hand-screened remote and freelance job listings across 50+ industries with no scams or ads.

Voices.com

Creative

medium

Audition for voiceover jobs in commercials, audiobooks, e-learning, and animation — work from your home studio.

AI-Assisted Content Writer

AI Services

medium

Combine AI tools with expert editing to produce high-quality B2B blog posts and marketing copy at scale.

TrueCoach

Care & Wellness

medium

Build and deliver online personal training programs to remote clients — manage workouts, track progress, and earn recurring income.

Upwork

Freelancing

medium

Find freelance clients for writing, design, development, and marketing on the world's largest freelance marketplace.

Outschool

Teaching & Tutoring

medium

Teach live online classes to kids aged 3-18 on any topic you're passionate about — from coding to art to history.

Babel Audio

AI Services

easy

Get paid $17–60/hour to record conversations and voice prompts that train AI systems. Fully remote, set your own schedule, weekly payouts via PayPal or bank transfer.

Fiverr

Freelancing

medium

Sell freelance services in design, video editing, voiceovers, writing, and more to a global client base starting at $5.

Trainerize

Care & Wellness

medium

Create and sell custom fitness programs online — automate client onboarding, workouts, and nutrition plans to scale your coaching.

Wyzant

Teaching & Tutoring

medium

Tutor students online or in person in 300+ subjects, setting your own rates and schedule with no upfront fees.

Etsy

Creative

medium

Sell handmade goods, vintage items, and digital downloads to millions of buyers on the leading creative marketplace.

iTalki

Teaching & Tutoring

easy

Teach your native language to students worldwide on your own schedule, setting your own rates as a community tutor or professional teacher.

JustAnswer

Chat & Texting Jobs

medium

Get paid to answer questions from people online in your area of expertise — law, medicine, tech, auto repair, and more. Top experts earn $2,000-$7,000/month.

Preply

Teaching & Tutoring

medium

Teach languages online to students worldwide with flexible hours and the ability to set your own rates.

Swappa

E-Commerce

easy

Buy and sell used phones, laptops, tablets, and tech gadgets on a trusted marketplace with no seller fees and verified listings.

uTest

User Testing & QA

medium

Get paid to find and report bugs in apps, websites, and IoT devices with bonus payouts for critical discoveries.

Whatnot

E-Commerce

medium

Sell collectibles, trading cards, and vintage items through live-stream auctions to engaged buyers in real-time.

eBay Reselling

E-Commerce

medium

Buy low at thrift stores and garage sales, then resell items for profit on eBay's massive global marketplace.

Medium Partner Program

Content Creation

medium

Write articles and earn money based on reader engagement from Medium's 100M+ monthly audience — ideal for building a writing portfolio.

Scale AI

AI Services

medium

Train AI models by labeling data, evaluating AI outputs, and writing prompts — high-paying tasks for detail-oriented workers.

TryMyUI

User Testing & QA

easy

Test websites and mobile apps by completing tasks while speaking your thoughts aloud — earn $10 per 20-minute test.

UserTesting

User Testing & QA

easy

Earn $4 to $60 per test by sharing your screen and providing feedback on websites and apps from home.

Varsity Tutors

Teaching & Tutoring

medium

Tutor K-12 students and adults online in 3,000+ subjects with flexible hours and a steady stream of matched students.

Surge AI

AI Services

medium

Complete high-quality data annotation and AI training tasks with premium pay for skilled contributors.

Testbirds

User Testing & QA

easy

Test digital products globally and report bugs or usability issues — ideal for detail-oriented remote workers.

Belay

Virtual Assistant

medium

Work remotely as a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, or social media manager for established businesses.

PlaytestCloud

User Testing & QA

easy

Get paid to playtest unreleased mobile and PC games, providing feedback that helps developers improve gameplay before launch.

Rev

Transcription

medium

Transcribe audio and video files, add captions, or provide subtitles remotely with flexible scheduling and competitive per-minute pay.

Shutterstock Contributor

Creative

medium

Upload photos, vectors, and video clips to earn royalties on every download from a global buyer network.

Appen

AI Services

easy

Complete AI training tasks including voice recording, audio annotation, data labeling, and search evaluation. One of the largest AI data companies with projects in 70+ languages.

Redbubble

E-Commerce

medium

Upload original designs and sell them on 70+ print-on-demand products like t-shirts and stickers with zero inventory risk.

Appen

Micro Tasks

easy

Help train AI models by labeling data, evaluating search results, and transcribing audio for top tech companies.

TranscribeMe

Transcription

easy

Transcribe short audio clips with free training provided, making it ideal for beginners looking to earn from home with flexible hours.

VIPKid

Teaching & Tutoring

medium

Teach English online to students in China with pre-made lesson plans and flexible early-morning or evening time slots.

Arise

Chat & Texting Jobs

medium

Provide customer service for Fortune 500 companies from home via phone, chat, and email. Set your own schedule with 30-minute increments.

Prolific

Research & Surveys

easy

Participate in academic and market research studies with fair, transparent pay averaging $8-$20 per hour.

Clickworker

Micro Tasks

easy

Complete micro-tasks including AI training data annotation, text creation, and web research from anywhere with flexible scheduling.

Fancy Hands

Virtual Assistant

easy

Complete small virtual assistant tasks like scheduling, research, and data entry from anywhere on your own time.

GoTranscript

Transcription

easy

Transcribe audio files at your own pace with per-minute pay and no fixed schedule, perfect for remote freelancers worldwide.

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Micro Tasks

easy

Complete small online tasks like surveys, data labeling, and content moderation from anywhere with an internet connection.

UserCrowd

User Testing & QA

easy

Complete quick UX design surveys and preference tests in 1-5 minutes, earning credits redeemable for gift cards.

Branded Surveys

Research & Surveys

easy

Share your opinions with brands and earn up to $5 per survey with fast payouts via PayPal or gift cards.

Cambly

Chat & Texting Jobs

easy

Get paid $12/hour to have casual English conversations with students worldwide via video chat. No teaching degree required — just be a native English speaker.

KashKick

Surveys

easy

Earn cash by completing surveys, trying apps, and watching videos — payouts via PayPal with a low $10 minimum.

Survey Junkie

Research & Surveys

easy

Complete online surveys and earn cash with reliable PayPal or gift card payouts and a low minimum threshold.

Swagbucks

Research & Surveys

easy

Earn points for completing surveys, watching videos, and online shopping, redeemable for PayPal cash or gift cards.

InboxDollars

Surveys

easy

Earn real cash by watching videos, completing surveys, and reading promotional emails — no skills required to start earning immediately.

Acorns

Investing

easy

Automatically invest your spare change by rounding up everyday purchases into a diversified portfolio — ideal for beginners building wealth passively.

Amazon KDP

Self-Publishing

medium

Self-publish eBooks and paperbacks on Amazon's massive marketplace and earn up to 70% royalties on every sale with no upfront cost.

DistroKid

Music Distribution

medium

Distribute your music to Spotify, Apple Music, and 150+ streaming platforms while keeping 100% of your royalties for just $22.99/year.

ElevenLabs Voice Library

AI Services

easy

License your voice to the ElevenLabs Voice Library and earn passive royalties every time someone uses your AI voice clone. One-time recording, ongoing income.

Fundrise

Investing

easy

Invest in commercial real estate projects starting at $10 and earn quarterly dividends — one of the most popular real estate crowdfunding platforms.

Groundfloor

Investing

easy

Invest in short-term real estate loans starting at just $10 and earn 8-14% annual returns — a beginner-friendly alternative to traditional real estate investing.

Honeygain

Passive Income

easy

Earn passive income by sharing your unused internet bandwidth — just install the app and let it run in the background with zero effort.

Kalshi

Investing

hard

Trade on real-world event outcomes — from Oscar winners to weather and economics. CFTC-regulated prediction market with real money payouts.

OpenSea

Creative

hard

The largest NFT marketplace — create, buy, and sell digital art, collectibles, and event-themed NFTs. Zero listing fees on most collections.

Pawns.app

Passive Income

easy

Share your unused internet bandwidth for market research purposes and earn passive income with minimal setup and zero ongoing effort.

Polymarket

Investing

hard

Crypto-based prediction market for betting on world events — elections, entertainment awards, tech milestones, and more. Larger pools and exotic markets.

PredictIt

Investing

medium

Academic prediction market with small-stakes trading on political and cultural events. Beginner-friendly with $850 max per contract.

Printify

Print on Demand

medium

Design and sell custom products like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases with zero inventory — Printify handles printing and shipping for you.

Rarible

Creative

hard

Community-owned NFT marketplace for independent creators — mint, sell, and trade digital art and collectibles with low fees.

Skillshare Teacher

Teaching & Tutoring

hard

Create and publish video courses on creative, business, or tech topics and earn royalties based on minutes watched.

Substack

Content Creation

medium

Build a paid newsletter and earn recurring monthly subscription income from loyal readers on your own terms.

TopCashback

Cashback & Rewards

easy

Get the highest cashback rates from thousands of retailers — often beats competitor cashback amounts on the same purchases.

YouTube

Content Creation

hard

Create and upload videos to earn from ads, sponsorships, and channel memberships with unlimited long-term earning potential.