17 Best Gig Jobs to Make More Money in 2022

With an on-going pandemic and inflation concerns, many American workers are struggling financially. Fortunately, there are more ways than ever to make extra money, and the best gig jobs can be a lifesaver when times are tough.

Gig economy jobs involve working as an independent contractor, like a delivery driver or freelancer, which are inherently flexible ways to make extra money. And according to a study by Upwork, over 59 million Americans are now freelancing. That represents 36% of the nation’s workforce!

So if you’re looking for a flexible way to make extra money, we’re breaking down the best gig economy jobs of 2022. 

What is the gig economy? How is it structured?

The gig economy is based on work that’s considered freelance, flexible, or temporary. Gig workers typically work for various clients or customers, and many gig jobs are based on apps or platforms. 

The most important thing to understand is that gig workers are considered independent contractors. That means you're responsible for expenses related to your work, self-employment taxes, health insurance, retirement, and other benefits that come with traditional jobs.

One of the best ways to work in the gig economy is to stack gigs, which is the idea of working multiple jobs at once. You're diversifying your income and never in a tight spot if one gig dries up or becomes less feasible. For example, you could be delivering for DoorDash during the dinner rush, taking online surveys when you get home, and doing freelance work on the weekends.

It's the inherent flexibility in this type of work that makes possible to do more than one at a time. It's not like a traditional job where you have to keep set hours.

Now that you understand the gig economy, let’s dive into the best gig economy jobs for [current year]!

1. Proofreading

If you cringe when someone uses the wrong verb tense or when they can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re, proofreading might be one of the best gig jobs for you. 

This is an extremely flexible gig, and freelance proofreaders make an hourly rate from $15-$30/hour. All you need is an internet connection and a computer or laptop. This makes proofreading a great gig for stay-at-home parents, digital nomads, college students, or anyone looking for remote work.

Proofreaders are responsible for polishing written content for bloggers, content writers, website owners, and more. The requirements are simple: you must have excellent spelling, punctuation, and grammatical skills.

2. Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is a market research company that pays users to share feedback about various products and services. You’re paid in points that convert to cash or gift cards, and the surveys pay in points worth $0.50 to $3.

You can cash your points out for PayPal cash, bank transfer, or gift card once you have $5 worth of points saved. Branded Surveys also has a loyalty program called Branded Elite that offers bonuses as you complete more surveys. Read our full Branded Surveys review to learn more.

3. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the most well-known online survey sites. It’s completely free, and you can make $1-$3 for every survey you complete. Survey Junkie pays in points that convert to cash, and you can cash out with PayPal, gift cards, or bank transfer once you have $5 worth of points.

Taking surveys isn't a high-paying gig, but it's too easy not to mention. Think about it like this: you can take a couple of surveys while taking your lunch break or watching TV after the kids go to bed. Learn more in our full Survey Junkie review.

4. DoorDash

Since DoorDash was launched in 2013, it’s grown to become the largest on-demand food delivery service in the U.S. It currently holds more than half of the total market share, meaning customers overwhelmingly choose DoorDash over its competitors. This is great news for gig workers!

Dashers — what DoorDash calls its delivery drivers — get paid $15-$25/hour. You can schedule your hours in advance in the app, or you can “Dash Now” during busy times. 

DoorDash has several promotions and driver incentives to help drivers earn more, including:

• Peak Pay: Higher pay when you drive during busy hours.
• Challenges: Bonus pay for completing a specific number of deliveries in a set amount of time.
• Tips: Drivers keep 100% of the tips they make while delivering for DoorDash.

Learn more in our full DoorDash driver review.

DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.

5. Instacart

Instacart is the leading on-demand grocery delivery service. Shoppers for Instacart accept orders in the app, shop for them, and then deliver the groceries to the customer’s home. The app tells you everything you need to know for each order, from approved substitutions and driving directions.

Shoppers for Instacart make $10-$20 on average, and you can schedule your hours to work whenever you have spare time. This kind of flexibility is why Instacart is one of the best gig jobs right now.

Your pay depends on the size and difficulty of the order, plus how busy the app is. Instacart shows you your estimated earnings for each order, so you can decide if the order is worth your time or not. Instacart encourages customers to tip their shoppers, and you keep 100% of your tips. Learn more in our full Instacart shopper review.

6. Shipt

Shipt launched back in 2014 as an on-demand grocery delivery service, and it now reaches over 260 grocery stores nationwide. Target acquired Shipt in 2017, and they now primarily use Shipt for same-day deliveries. This has opened up even more opportunities for gig workers.

On average, Shipt Shoppers make $15-$20 per hour. Shipt recently changed from commission-based pay that paid shoppers $5 plus 7.5% of the order amount to a black box formula.

Like the other best gig delivery jobs, Shipt lets you schedule your hours in advance, making it a flexible option for all kinds of people. Read our full Shipt shopper review for more information.

7. Facebook & Instagram ad management

Running Facebook and Instagram ads for small businesses is simply digital marketing through Facebook, which continues to be one of the best online platforms for small businesses to increase their traffic and visibility.

This is the exact side hustle I started after I quit my teaching job to run this site full time. My first client was the jeweler who sold me my wife’s engagement ring. That client led to another, then another, and pretty soon, my side gig was earning me more than my full-time teaching job ever did.

Facebook ad management can be one of the highest paying gig economy jobs because it’s so scalable. You can make $1,000-$1,500/month per client, and it takes approximately 2-3 hours a week to manage ads for one client once you’ve set up their ad system.

8. Blogging

Blogging can easily be the highest paying gig economy job on this list. I say "can" because not all blogs will make money, but this one has far exceeded my expectations. I started this site seven years ago when I was still a high school band director, and now I run a 7-figure business from my laptop. 

That trajectory isn’t guaranteed, and it’s a slow business model overall. But I truly believe that you get out of it what you put into it. Most bloggers make somewhere in the range of $500-$10,000/month.

You can start a blog and scale it during your lunch hour, after the kids go to bed, on the weekends, and so on. All that's required is a laptop or computer, internet connection, and blogging hosting service — we recommend starting a WordPress blog on Bluehost for as little as $2.95 per month

With blogging, you’re in total control of when you work, how you monetize your site, and what you blog about. I had no idea how life-changing this site would be for me, and my only regret is that I didn’t start sooner.

9. Sell digital printables

If you’re the creative type, designing and selling digital printables on Etsy is worth considering. What’s cool about this gig is that you only need to create one digital file per printable, and you can sell them virtually indefinitely. You’re not responsible for manufacturing costs, storing, shipping, and so on.

This is one of the best gig economy jobs if you have a background in graphic design, and you can make money selling digital products on Etsy, like:

• Planner pages
• Calendars
• Budget or lifestyle trackers
• Wall art
• Printable games
• Clipart
• Stickers
• Business cards
• Party invitations
• Stationary

There’s a fantastic free ebook called the Seasonal Products Secret that outlines printable ideas for each month of the year and how you can capitalize on them. We highly recommend checking this out because you can’t open an Etsy shop until you have a product to list.

If you have basic design skills and access to software like Canva, InDesign, Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator, you can open your Etsy shop after you’ve created your first digital product and list it in a matter of minutes. Etsy charges a listing fee of $0.20.

10. Pinterest VA

I know you’re already familiar with Pinterest, but did you know that there’s a need for Pinterest virtual assistants? Pinterest VAs work for online business owners and bloggers, helping them develop and execute marketing strategies on Pinterest. 

This is a great gig job for highly organized people who love playing around on Pinterest. And you can make an average of $500/month per client doing things like:

• Creating pins
• Optimizing pins
• Developing a pinning schedule
• Doing keyword research

11. Bookkeeping

Bookkeepers are responsible for things like collecting payments, updating financial records, checking records for accuracy, managing payroll, and reimbursing work-related expenses. 

Many people confuse accounting and bookkeeping, but bookkeepers don’t need a degree to get started. That difference means this is a gig job that almost anyone can start, and you can earn an hourly rate of $30-$40 as a freelance bookkeeper.

12. Transcription

Transcriptionists take audio files and convert them into text documents. You can get paid to transcribe podcasts, interviews, web conferences, lectures, or instructional videos.

Transcription is one of the best gig jobs because there are virtually zero start-up costs, there are no required skills, and you can earn $15-$30/hour. This isn’t a good gig if you don’t have a quiet workspace because it requires very close listening. Read Online Transcription Jobs for Beginners to learn more.

13. Virtual assistance

Technology has caused an explosion of growth in the area of virtual assistance. Things that once had to be done in person can now be done online by someone else entirely. This frees up valuable time for entrepreneurs, online business owners, and full-time freelancers.

I have several virtual assistants working for me, and I can honestly say that growing my blog wouldn’t have been possible without their work. 

Virtual assistants make an average of $500/month per client, and they perform a variety of tasks for their clients, including:

• Data entry
• Responding to emails
• Project management
• Bookkeeping
• Blog management
• Preparing reports
• Research
• Simple digital marketing tasks
• Content creation
• Event management
• Social media management

This is one of the best gig economy jobs if you have a background in human resources, administrative assistance, project management, or customer service.

14. Freelance writing

Freelance writing is a broad field, and there are a growing number of gig economy jobs for freelance writers. The vast majority of what you read in print or online has been written by a freelance writer, including:

• Marketing campaigns
• Blog posts
• Email newsletters
• Online and print articles
• Catalog descriptions
• Ghostwritten books
• Web copy
• Grant writing
• Technical writing
• Content mills
• Resumes

It’s not uncommon for freelance writers to make $1,000/month or more. Writers earn a wide range of rates depending on what kind of writing they’re doing and their level of experience. For example, some new writers earn on the low end of $0.01/word writing for content mills (this is an industry term for sites that focus on quantity and pay very low rates). Others get paid $1,000 to write a 2,000-word blog post.

15. Online tutoring

Tutoring is surprisingly one of the highest-paying gig jobs — you can make an hourly rate of $15-$30/hour as a subject-specific high school tutor or $45-$100 as an ACT or SAT prep tutor.

As a former high school teacher, I know for a fact that parents are willing to pay good money to help their kids get ahead academically. Parents were always looking for tutors for math, science, foreign language, writing, history, and more.

You can find potential clients by connecting with local schools, advertising your services on social media, or through an online tutoring platform like BookNook, an online tutoring platform that connects K-8 students with tutors who can help them develop critical math and reading skills.

BookNook tutors make $15-$22/hour and must meet at least one of these requirements:

• 3+ years teaching or tutoring or
• 1 year teaching or tutoring and at least a bachelor’s degree or
• 1 year teaching or tutoring and current enrollment in a teaching credential program

You also must be a U.S. citizen to qualify. The tutoring sessions last 30 minutes, and you will work with 1-4 students at a time. There's no lesson planning involved — BookNook handles this part for you. 

BookNook tutors are paid twice a month via direct deposit.

16. Dog walking & pet sitting

Whenever my wife and I go out of town, we rely on a pet sitter to come and stay with our dog. He’s not the kind of dog we could leave with just anyone, and it’s been an enormous relief to find the right pet sitter.

We found our dog sitter on Rover, which is an online platform where animal lovers can find gig jobs as pet sitters, dog walkers, cat boarders, and more. 

The amount you earn as a pet sitter varies based on where you live, and you can make $30-$70 for an overnight stay or $15-$25 per walk. Read our full Rover review for more information.

17. Web developer

Because more people than ever are working and learning online, web developers are in high demand right now. They are responsible for building and maintaining the technology that supports how we live, work, and learn.

There are different kinds of gig economy jobs for web developers depending on your background and skills. There are front-end and back-end developers, jobs in coding languages like Python and JavaScript, UI/UX designers, and more.

This is one of the highest paying gig economy jobs because freelance web developers can make anywhere from $40-$80/hour. Learn more in 11 Best Places to Find Freelance Developer Jobs.

Where to find gig economy jobs?

You can find gig economy jobs in a lot of different places these days. Here’s a round-up of some of the best places to find gig work:

• FlexJobs: This site aggregates listings from other online job boards and matches you with listings based on your skills and experience. FlexJobs is designed to help you save time hunting for work.
• TaskRabbit: You can find one-time gig jobs helping people move, hang pictures, cleaning, organizing, assembling IKEA furniture, and more. There’s a one-time fee of $25 to create your account, and you keep 100% of anything you earn on the platform.
• Fiverr: This is a freelancer platform where you can list gigs for as little as $5. 
• Upwork: Freelancers create profiles, and clients post job listings explaining what they’re looking for. Then, freelancers submit proposals, and the client can look over the freelancers’ portfolios.
• Guru: This platform is well-suited for freelance tech jobs, especially for highly skilled freelancers.
• Craigslist: Yep, don’t forget to check the Craigslist Jobs or Gigs section. This site has gotten a bad rap in the past, but it’s still a place to find legitimate side jobs.

How much can you make in the gig economy?

It’s entirely possible to earn a full-time income working in the gig economy. Some gig jobs pay hourly while others pay per job or month. It all depends on the type of gig worker you are,  your experience, and even where you’re located.

The final word: What is the best gig economy job?

There are so many solid options for gig work right now, and the best one for you honestly depends on what you’re capable of and interested in doing. To help you narrow down your choices, here are my top recommendations:

• Best for Food Delivery - DoorDash Driver: Get paid $23/hour while out on delivery, and schedule your hours when it works best for you.
• Best for Remote Work - Proofreading: Make $15-$30/hour proofreading from the comfort of your home.
• Best for Creative People - Selling Digital Printables: Make somewhat passive income creating and selling digital printables on Etsy. You can make $50 to $1,000/month.
• Best Easy Gig Work - Branded Surveys: Surveys don’t pay well compared to most of these gig jobs, but you can make $0.50-$3/survey in your spare time.