How to Earn Money Online Without Paying Anything (2023)

Last Updated on March 19, 2023

Wondering how to make money online without paying anything? Don’t worry, you’re in the right place!

You must have seen or heard success stories of people making huge sums of cash using the Internet. The next thing that comes to mind is how you can set yourself up for the same success. You might have tried some way to earn money online but failed. Even worse than that, you got scammed.

Do you know why?

You failed because you didn’t equip yourself with sufficient knowledge and maybe gave up without changing your tactics. As for being scammed, you were probably looking for shortcuts to make big cash without putting in a lot of effort. You can make a fortune online only if you are open to doing some work.

13 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Without Investment

Online jobs and businesses are viable options when it comes to increasing your streams of income. You may need to deal with huge initial costs to get decent amounts of profits.

However, investing money isn’t the only way to build wealth using the Internet. It’s possible to make money online without paying for any stuff!

If you’re broke or don’t want to spend money right away, investing your time in doing some work online can make you achieve your financial goals. You only pay for online resources and tools when you start earning.

Many people have done it. Some gave up their studies or jobs and ventured into remote work without any backup plan.

An example is Billy Willson, a YouTuber who creates videos about entrepreneurship for young people. He dropped out of college after realizing that he didn’t have to wait until the age of 40 to become a millionaire. He makes thousands of dollars each month as a social media marketer.

So, yes! You can generate income using the Internet too. All from scratch!

Let’s go on and explore some real ways to make money online without investment.

1. Take paid surveys

Taking surveys online is one way to earn from home without paying a dime. Many Internet users make money online this way. The earnings you get come from companies that pay for market research-based data.

Not all survey websites pay their users. Checking a particular site’s reviews is necessary if you don’t want to waste your precious time giving free information.

One legit survey site to get paid doing various daily tasks is  Swagbucks. If you join Swagbucks, you earn extra money from surveys, searching online, and other offers. A few other great survey companies are MyPoints, InboxDollars, and Survey Junkie.

Surveys for money can be strict when it comes to choosing who is eligible. Requirements like age, location, and occupation can lock you out of some lucrative surveys. It would help if you were truthful and consistent with your answers to increase your chances of getting more surveys

2. Test websites

If you’re wondering how else you can make money online with no extra costs, this is an idea that can suit you. Testing websites is a great way to earn money on the side without stress.

You get paid to find out whether a website is user-friendly and provide feedback. It includes aspects like having a clear structure, being responsive, and an appealing design. Businesses hire testers to ensure that customers have a great experience while using their sites.

No special skills are required to do such work. But you need to be knowledgeable of the Internet. Also, good communication is necessary because you’re required to write responses or even speak while screen-recording.

Usertesting, TryMyUI, and TestingTime are a few of the sites to get web testing gigs. Most of the tasks take 20 minutes or less to complete. You can do it during your free time or set a schedule.

Aside from websites, you might also get tasks to test apps and other products or services.

3. Grab gigs on freelancing sites

Freelancers make money by offering their skills to clients without being employed. As an online freelancer, you can complete tasks wherever you are and get cash for your services. Freelancing is one of the best ways to earn income while following your passion freely.

You don’t have to be an expert in any field to become a freelancer. Also, no college degree is needed when it comes to getting paid for your skills. All you need is a portfolio showing what you can do and explaining why a particular client should choose you for a task.

Digital skills such as blogging, graphic design, and web development are highly demanded on various freelancing platforms. You can sell your skills on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and PeoplePerHour. After signing up, select the category of your service and browse the available jobs.

Before applying for any job, complete your profile to appear as a professional.  Also, include samples of your work by uploading them directly or adding links. Once you land any task, do your best to please the client to help you boost your ratings and positive reviews.

Learn how to get clients fast by checking out the 7 actionable strategies for finding freelance jobs online.

4. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing gives you a chance to get profits off someone else’s products. You don’t need to create a product to be able to sell one. Although most commissions occur within 10-20 percent, they can go as high as 100 percent of the total product cost.

This type of marketing is profitable because many sellers use affiliate programs to boost their sales. Using sites like ShareASale and Amazon Associates, you can find thousands of products to sell. Promote one product at a time and stick with the one that earns you the most commissions.

You can send traffic to your ShareASale or Amazon affiliate links using social media and emails. Be sure that whoever you recommend the product or service to has a known interest in that niche. For instance, you can post an affiliate link of a customized mug to coffee drinkers in your friend or email list.

If you are promoting a product, be sure to give potential customers a reason to buy it. Provide its specifications and reasons someone should try it. Adding a few testimonials or being the testimonial yourself increases the chances of someone clicking your links.

5. Tutor students

Tutoring is one of the best tips on how to make money online without paying anything. It’s a chance to get paid for sharing your knowledge.

You can be a tutor if you’re good at a subject. It can be Math, Science, Languages, among others.

Teachers, experts, and even college students can be qualified to do remote tutoring jobs. In most cases, you have to submit relevant documents or go through a background check to prove your expertise.

For instance, you should be holding a degree that can be verified if you’re signing up for a specific job as an expert. If you’re applying to tutor as a student, you must be enrolled at a college.

Other things you might need as a tutor include high-speed Internet and a computer with a microphone and webcam.

Some sites to become a tutor online are Tutor.com, TutorMe, and Skooli. Each of these platforms may have different requirements. Be sure to provide every detail they need to get approved sooner.

6. Sell photos online

You don’t need to be a professional photographer to earn money selling photos. If you also thought you need a 2,500-dollar DSLR camera to take photos for sale, you are wrong. The smartphone in your hand is what you need to get started.

Shutterstock, 500PX, and iStock are some of the largest photography marketplaces. Pricing varies by photo, but you can rake in up to $120 per sale. The more photos you upload, the easier it becomes to get buyers.

With a phone that takes pictures of 4 Megapixels and above, you can get in on selling photos. 4 MP is way below the camera quality of the average smartphone today. Uploading photos of the highest resolution improves your chances of making sales.

It’s okay if you don’t live near some breathtaking landscape or a city full of carnivals. You can create illustrations and put up their pictures for sale. Keep in mind that you must be the owner of whatever you want to sell to avoid legal issues.

7. Create a YouTube channel

It’s not late to start attracting thousands of views using your YouTube videos. Viewers need new content, and if you’re unique enough, they’ll click on your videos. There are dozens of niches to choose from if you want to become a YouTuber.

You can use your passion as motivation for choosing a YouTube niche. If you love making money, launch a channel related to that topic. Here, you may share money-making tips and stories about how you did ‘this’ to make ‘that’ amount of cash.

Although high-quality YouTube videos require a professional camera and a few other pieces of equipment, your phone can do the magic. Use natural light to your advantage when shooting your videos. Editing is also possible using your mobile device.

You can apply for YouTube monetization when your channel hits 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours. It takes a lot of patience to create a video that goes viral finally. While starting on YouTube, use the description section to share your affiliate links and earn commissions.

8. Start a blog

Blogging makes it easy to make money by sharing your thoughts, stories, and tips with an audience. You should only select a niche whose topics you can write about without having a hard time. Ensure that your chosen blogging niche is profitable and has low competition.

There are several free website builders like WordPress, Weebly, and Wix that can help you launch your blog without spending any cash on web developers. These web services include a free sub-domain containing the company’s URL, e.g., yournamehere.wordpress.com. But since custom domain names are pretty cheap, picking one for your blog makes you look professional.

Google Adsense is one of the most common web monetization tools. Here, Google pays you for showing images, videos, or interactive media on your website. You earn when your website’s visitors view and click on the ads displayed on your blog.

Companies in your niche can pay you to promote their products to your blog audience. Affiliate programs that align with your niche can also earn you huge commissions if you have a significant amount of monthly readers. Some bloggers use their products and services to boost their profits.

For more details on blogging, read this guide on how to start a blog.

9. Write guest posts for blogs

The Internet has millions of websites that are willing to pay for a well-crafted blog post. Guest posts are great for monetizing your writing skills without owning a blog. You also gain exposure by showcasing your pieces of writing on various blogs.

It’s best to be niche-specific when looking for sites that need new writers. A simple trick to find guest-blogging opportunities is typing “Write for us + niche” into the Google search bar. Send pitches to the sites that have indicated to pay for approved articles and filter out the rest.

If the site owners allow, include an affiliate link to a product in your blog post to maximize your earning potential. Make sure the link comes off naturally to prevent it from looking irrelevant. You can also enjoy the benefit of new followers by including your social links.

10. Sell your designs on products

How would you like to make money by selling your designs online for free? With print on demand, customers can buy apparel and accessories containing your designs. A company does the printing for you after someone orders an item from your store.

The printable designs are either textual or digital art. If you aren’t good at graphic design, go for texts as your primary style. You can also hire a freelance graphic designer for as low as $5 to create an original design for you.

Teespring, TeeChip, and TeePublic are some print on demand sites where you can upload your designs on items. Your profits depend on how you price each item in your store. Check the pricing of sellers in your niche to be safe.

This online business works well if you have tens of designs to your name. Placing your designs on multiple products is also necessary for exposing your work to customers. Put more effort into promoting your most-selling design.

Want a simple way to create designs and product mockups for attracting buyers? Check out Placeit.net. It’s not free but has affordable plans to help you start designing various products without struggle.

11. Manage social media accounts

This is a perfect way to make money online without paying anything if you spend a lot of time on social media. The majority of prominent figures don’t have the time to update their social media pages because of busy schedules. The same applies to brands that have a considerable amount of consumers.

Most social media management roles require a full-time worker. Before striking such deals, make sure that you can set aside time for doing the tasks. Some positions allow for teammates and hence division of the tasks.

High-level social media management roles may require a bachelor’s degree in communications, media, journalism, or marketing. You can take a short course in related fields to enhance your qualifications. Choosing a niche that you are passionate about motivates you to perform great work and hence more opportunities.

You should also be knowledgeable about social media trends to manage a well-known brand account efficiently. Consume all the information you can get about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and link-building. Use keyword research and analytics tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, and BuzzSumo to stay ahead in the game.

There are more ways to earn money using social media. Check out this article on ways to make money on Facebook. And here’s how to become a Pinterest manager.

12. Sell used items online

Everyone has an item that they don’t use anymore or only will in the future. It’s human nature to get hyped up at the thought of owning something and then losing interest after having it for some time. Because you don’t need it anymore, why not hand it over to the next person eager to pay for it?

Amazon allows you to sell old books, movies, gadgets, and other items on its platform. You only need to select the product’s condition, print a shipping label, and send it out to them for free. eBay and Craigslist are the other sites where you can sell such items.

Ensure that any product you put on sale is in good condition. For instance, a book must have all the pages. If part of an item is missing and a customer buys it, you’ll get negative reviews.

Another thing to keep in mind is that certain products can’t be sold when used. E-commerce platforms like Amazon don’t allow you to sell any old wearable pieces, baby products, and cosmetics. Be sure to read a particular website’s guidelines before becoming a seller.

If you want more tips, here’s the beginner’s guide on selling a product online.

13. Answer questions for money online

The Internet is full of people seeking answers to their problems. The majority of these individuals love to have a real human being on the receiving end of problem-solving communication. If you have knowledge or experience in a particular field, you can earn from it without spending any cash.

If you are a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, you can join JustAnswer to trade your expertise for some cash. It would be best if you verified your profession to boost your reputation on the platform. Qualities like profile photo, expert bio, and responsiveness are crucial for success in such question and answer websites.

The amount of money you earn depends on the time spent giving advice. Don’t rely on answering questions to become rich. It works best for people who need extra cash quickly.

Everyone is eligible

As you can see, there are several ways to make money online without paying anything. It’s no rocket science or voodoo. You can experience enormous success by focusing on a few options in one go.

Keep trying out new ideas until you find out what works best for you. Once you get some cash out of an online business, scale it up and grow your wealth!

Need more ideas? Check out this free guide: