Side hustles to start with no money

12 Best Side Hustles To Start With No Money (Low Startup Cost!)

Presented byTom Blake Hours Fresh Since

One of the most common misconceptions people have about starting a new side hustle is that they have to spend money to make money.

However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, many of the most popular side gigs and business ideas require zero or very low startup costs.

And as someone who has been testing out different side hustles for the last 5+ years, I definitely stand by this notion.

So today, I'm covering some of the best side hustles to start without money you can use if you're in a financial pinch and want to boost your income.

The Best Side Hustles To Start With No Money

In this post, I'm going to cover numerous free and low cost side hustles you can use to diversify your income without sinking cash into getting started. Some of the ideas also involve reinvesting earnings into future growth, so keep this in mind. But all of the ideas below can be started for free or for very low startup amounts.

1. Blogging

Out of all the side hustles to start with no money, blogging is my absolute favorite recommendation.

This online side hustle is also something I've been doing for the last five years. And when I began WebMonkey in 2018, I barely spent anything except for the domain name, a cheap WordPress theme, and some basic SiteGround hosting.

All of this took about $100 to get off of the ground. And fast forward to today, and WebMonkey makes $1,000 a day and over $50,000 per month now between affiliate income and Mediavine display ads.

My blogging journey and video above highlights the income potential a blog has without requiring immense startup costs. After all, I went from making $1,700 in my first year of blogging to $272,000 in 2022!

I also like blogging because it teaches you so many valuable skills, including content writing, SEO, and web design. Plus, you can make money in plenty of ways, including affiliate income, selling courses, influencer marketing, sponsorships, online coaching, and more.

And again, you don't need to spend a fortune to get started. You can use a beginner-friendly host like SiteGround to launch your blog for just a few dollars per month. Free blogging platforms like Medium are also something you can explore if you want to keep things even simpler.

2. Rent Out Assets For Money

If you love the idea of passive income, another low cost side hustle you can try is to rent out things for money to people in your neighborhood.

Thanks to the rise of the sharing economy, there's actually so many asset classes you can rent out to begin earning.

Some of my personal favorites include renting out:

Become-Neighbor-Host

The fact you can rent out assets like extra storage space or even parking spaces is the perfect example of a side hustle to start with no money.

And even if you're just making $50 to $200 a month in extra income, this is largely autopilot cash that takes no effort.

3. Online Surveys

Another simple side hustle that doesn't cost money you can try is answering surveys for money.

I've actually been using cash survey sites since college. And they've always been a free and flexible way to make a bit of extra money on the side without needing any startup cash or skills.

Several leading survey sites I use and suggest checking out include:

My YouTube video also covers more of my favorite survey platforms that I've cashed out with in the past.

Branded Surveys and Swagbucks are the two platforms I use the most. But you can always create a side hustle stack with multiple sites and enjoy some free cash without much work.

4. Play Games For Cash

Did you know it's possible to earn money by playing video games?

That's right: there are actually dozens of websites and apps that pay you to play games. So if you're an avid PC or mobile gamer, this is a fun and low cost side hustle you can enjoy.

I've been testing out these types of paid gaming apps for several years at this point. Some of my top picks right now include:

My video covers even more of my favorite gaming side hustles that don't cost any money. And I even mention a few games that pay to PayPal cash so you can enjoy real money.

You won't get rich with these money making apps, but hey; this idea is a lot more fun than most hustles!

5. Online Freelancing

Online freelancing is another popular side hustle to start with no money. And freelancing is also how I make most of my online income these days while traveling the world.

Let me share a bit of a personal story here to highlight the potential of freelancing.

When I graduated college in 2018, I was working a pretty low-paying job at a digital marketing agency. But I began freelance writing on the side after work and on weekends.

After 6 months, I quit my day job and moved to Colombia to try writing and blogging full-time. And after one year, I was making more money as a writer than at my old day job, and I was much happier.

Colombia Trip
From my digital nomad days. Colombia is really where my online income journey began.

I did all of this without spending any money on finding clients, save for my blog which I used as a portfolio when pitching editors.

You can do the exact same thing. But you can branch out from writing and sell your skills in other freelance roles like:

  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Editing
  • Digital marketing
  • Graphic design
  • Proofreading
  • SEO
  • Social media management
  • Website design
  • Using microtask sites
  • Video editor
  • Virtual assistant work

Personally, I always turn to my network and have used LinkedIn to find freelancing gigs before. But you can also use remote job sites or find jobs on Upwork without spending a penny.

6. Pet Sitting

Do you love animals? If the answer is yes, one low cost side hustle you can try is offering pet sitting and dog walking services in your area.

This side hustle is also easier to start than ever before thanks to gig apps like Rover.

Rover walker

With Rover, you can offer services like dog walking, pet sitting, and overnight boarding to pet owners in your city. And I love Rover since it lets you set your own hours and rates so you're basically your own boss.

This is also a no cost side hustle if you already have leashes and harnesses and offer dog walking. And even if you spend some money, you can easily recoup this with just a few hours of work.

After all, Rover gig workers often earn $15 to $20 per hour, making it one of the highest paying apps in the gig economy.

Sign up for Rover! (U.S. only.)

7. Delivery Driver

Speaking of gig jobs, another side hustle you can start without money is to become a delivery courier.

There are plenty of delivery and driving gigs that pay you to deliver food, groceries, and packages to people. And you can start many of these hustles if you have a car or even a vehicle like a bike or scooter.

Some of the top delivery gigs you can consider include:

Uber-Eats

And again, gigs like Uber Eats or DoorDash let you deliver via bike and even on foot in some markets. So, this is a zero or low cost side hustle that doesn't require a car.

Many of these gigs can also pay $10 to $20 or more depending on your market and tips. Stacking apps also helps you get more orders per hour.

Sign up for Uber Eats and Instacart!

8. YouTube

Like blogging, one more low startup cost side hustle you can try is YouTube.

Here's another personal example: I started my YouTube channel back in 2020 as a fun side project. All-in-all, I spent about $600 on a used camera, USB microphone, tripod, and some lights.

These days, my channel is over 22,000 subscribers and makes $50 a day or so in Adsense revenue.

YouTube 50 dollars a day

It took me about 6 months of consistently making videos to begin making money with YouTube. But I easily paid off my investment into gear within the first year.

And many successful YouTubers begin by just using their smartphone camera and microphone, or very budget-friendly gear off of Amazon.

You can take the exact same approach with something like podcasting; you don't need to spend a fortune and have all the latest equipment as long as you're producing valuable, engaging content.

9. Online Tutoring

Online tutoring is another straightforward low cost side hustle you can start if you're an expert in a certain subject.

Plenty of my friends have made money with tutoring during college. And there are plenty of in-person and online tutoring jobs for college students and graduates you can apply to.

BookNook is one example, and it pays U.S. tutors over $17 per hour to teach English and Math.

BookNook Tutor

There are also companies out there like VIPKid and Qkids that pay you to teach English to students. And you can find dozens of other websites that pay you to do homework, tutor, sell notes, and more.

Most online tutoring gigs require having a webcam and microphone. But this is the only startup cost this side hustle typically faces.

10. Cash Odd Jobs

If you're willing to put in some sweat equity, one no-cost side hustle you can turn to is doing cash jobs for people.

I made money with this method by shoveling snow and raking leaves in the neighborhood when I was a kid. And some of my friends made money in college with gigs like landscaping or window washing.

We had to go door-to-door to find clients. But these days, you can use a variety of odd job apps to find local cash gigs.

Several leading apps and marketplaces include:

  • Oppizi: A fun way to get paid to walk and deliver flyers in your area.
  • Instawork: This gig app helps you find same-day pay hustles in areas like manufacturing, event staffing, and manual labor.
  • Steady: A free app that helps you find new side hustles based on your skills and goals.
  • Wonolo: Another on-demand job app in the United States.
  • TaskRabbit: One of the most popular odd job marketplace in the world.

Oppizi

With the right gig, making $50 to $250 a day should be possible. And this is especially true if you find some heavy-lifting gigs like moving help or landscaping work.

11. Print On Demand

Print on demand, or POD, is an online business model that lets you sell products without having to manufacture them or ship them yourself.

All you have to do is create unique designs and work with a POD fulfillment partner who's responsible for making and shipping your products when you make a sale.

The reason this is a low cost side hustle is simple: when you make a sale, you use part of the customer's money to pay your POD partner to make and ship the order. You charge the customer more than you pay the POD provider, netting a profit per sale.

I actually tried this side hustle during college by launching an Etsy Printify store. And I actually made two sales of the meme mugs I was making.

Printify-Mug
I also ordered one of my own mugs to test the quality – not bad!

Printify is my POD company of choice since it's free to sign up for and has a very beginner-friendly design tool. You can also add your designs to 100+ products, including apparel, backpacks, stickers, phone cases, and more.

I also like selling on Etsy for passive income since it just takes $0.20 to list an item on your shop, so again, not a high startup cost.

Of course, you can also sell print on demand products on Redbubble or with your own Shopify store. And all of these options have incredibly low startup costs since they're similar to dropshipping.

Extra Reading – The Best Websites Like Redbubble.

12. Sell Old Stuff

One final side hustle to start with no money is to sell old stuff you don't need anymore.

I've done this in the past by selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace. And my family threw a few garage sales when we were kids to do the same thing.

These two methods are how I suggest you begin selling. But you can also try local selling sites and online options like:

  • Poshmark: An easy way to sell apparel, sneakers, handbags, jewelry, and more.
  • eBay: One of the largest online marketplaces in the world.
  • Worthy: My favorite way to sell watches, diamonds, wedding rings, and jewelry.
  • Craigslist: A popular classifieds site like Facebook Marketplace that's free to sell on.
  • OfferUp: Another leading selling app where you can sell almost anything.

My video covers some of my favorite selling platforms. I also share some seller tips and red flags to watch out for in buyers that I've learned over the years.

And if you like this no startup cost side hustle, you can try flipping money by getting into retail arbitrage. This involves buying and reselling goods for a profit, and it's a very popular hustle these days for categories like sneakers, electronics, and clothing.

Extra Reading – The Best Things To Flip.

Tips For Starting Your Low Cost Side Hustle

Now that I've shared some of my favorite side hustles that don't cost money to start, here are some tips I've found helpful over the years to scale my income:

  1. Do More Of What Works: I stick with freelancing writing and blogging because the market has shown me this is what I'm best at. Think about your own skills, and do more of what pays the bills.
  2. Set Specific Goals: Do you want to make $1,000 a month, or $10k a month with your hustle? Set specific targets and pick a hustle that's realistic.
  3. Don't Burn Out: I'm a huge fan of working hard. However, sleep and time off are still important to keep you from burning out.

If you're still looking for some side hustle ideas, you can also check out our latest side hustle database for more ideas.

Extra Reading – How To Make Quick Money In One Day.

Final Thoughts

I hope my guide on side hustles with low startup costs helps you make more money this month without risking a lot of upfront cash.

I honestly love how many ways there are to make money without spending anything. And there's also plenty of hustles that have reasonable or low startup costs that are worth it in my opinion.

Maybe it's blogging, using beermoney sites, or renting out things for passive income. Whatever the case, you don't have to spend money to make money in this day and age if you know the right hustles.

Thanks for reading!

Want even more money-making ideas? Checkout:

Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and making money online. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Forbes, and more.

Tom also founded the blog This Online World - a finance site dedicated to helping people make money online - in 2018. After 6 years, that site merged with WebMonkey, with the goal of helping even more people earn their first dollar of online income.

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