23 Best Side Hustle Ideas to Make More Money in 2023

We love making extra money, and that’s the power of a side hustle! And according to a new study from Zapier, 40% of Americans had a side hustle in 2022, which is no surprise considering that a side hustle can help you cope with inflation, pay off debt, save up for a vacation, or just add a little extra room in your budget.

My team and I have reviewed dozens of side hustles, and we've narrowed it down to ones with the right combination of flexibility and pay for your effort.

If you want a quick and easy way to make a little extra money? You might consider taking surveys for Branded Surveys or Survey Junkie instead. But if you want to make an extra $1,000-$2,000 per month, keep reading. We’ve got the best side hustle ideas for you.

1. Food Delivery

Earning potential: $15 to $25/hour

This is one of the easiest side hustles to start if you want to make decent money fast, and DoorDash dominates the market, controlling nearly 65% of the market share as of May 2023. DoorDash is always looking for new drivers, and you can make between $15-$25/hour right now.

Dashers (what DoorDash drivers are called) can schedule themselves to drive whenever they want, there are no minimums or limits to the number of hours you can deliver, and you can cash out weekly. 

We recently spoke to a reader who drives for DoorDash, and here are her tips to make the most out of this side hustle:

• Make yourself available during busy hours, and the busiest times are during dinner hours and weekend evenings.
• Bring a friend or spouse along for the drive to keep things fun.
• Track your miles ASAP with an app like Everlance so you can write off your mileage and expenses at tax time.

DoorDash is one of the best food delivery services out there because they also offer drivers promotions to earn more, including Peak Pay (you earn extra per order to drive during busy times) and Challenges (DoorDash gives you additional pay to complete a certain number of deliveries in a set amount of time). 

Learn more in our complete DoorDash Driver Review.

 
2. Bookkeeping

Earning potential: $20 to $40+/hour

Freelance bookkeepers help business owners record and manage their business's daily financial transactions, including bill pay, managing payroll, and collecting payments. Bookkeeping is not the same thing as accounting, and that difference is why you can start bookkeeping online without a degree or certification.

Bookkeepers need to be familiar with popular bookkeeping software like Quickbooks or Zero and know how to read and create balance sheets. Pay averages $20-$40/hour, and you can work online and get paid daily or weekly. It's a great side hustle for home if you like to nerd out with numbers.

3. Proofreading

Earning potential: $20 to $50/hour

Proofreaders are responsible for polishing written content for bloggers, content writers, website owners, academics, business owners, and more.  If you cringe when someone uses the wrong verb tense or can’t tell the difference between their/there/they’re, then proofreading might be one of the best side hustles for you. 

Freelance proofreaders can work for a number of clients at once, and you can set your own rates and bill hourly or by the word. And if you're looking for remote work, proofreading is one of the best side hustles from home — you only need an internet connection and access to a computer. 

4. Freelance Writer

Earning potential: $500 to $5,000+/month

Freelance writing is a broad field that can encompass a number of different jobs including:

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

It can take a little time to build your portfolio and business, but freelance writers can realistically make $1,000 to $5,000+/month.

5. Run Facebook and Instagram Ads

Earning potential: $1,000 to $2,000+/month

Running Facebook and Instagram ads is simply digital marketing through two of the world's largest social media platforms, which continue to be some of the best platforms for small business owners to reach new customers. Business owners pay digital marketers because they often lack the time or knowledge to run an effective ad campaign.

This is one of the best side hustles because you  don't need a degree in marketing or have a background in advertising either — these are skills you can learn, and you can make $1,000-$2,000 per client working just a few hours a week.  And I know this is true because I ran Facebook ads while I was building this site.

If you're interested in learning more, check out the Facebook Side Hustle Course. You'll learn the exact strategy I used to build my Facebook ads agency.

6. Invest in Commercial Real Estate

Earning potential: Varies on the market

While this side hustle takes a financial investment to see any returns, you can start investing in real estate for as little as $10. Overall, learning how to invest in real estate can be a fairly lucrative and passive side hustle, but it's also an excellent hedge against inflation.

We highly recommend Fundrise if you're interested in getting started. You can start with as little as $10 and invest in commercial and residential developments. Fundrise's mission is to offer low-cost and diversified real estate portfolios to everyday investors, and they are currently offering new clients an additional $10 to invest!

7. Get Paid to Grocery Shop

Earning potential: $15 to $25/hour

Having your groceries delivered is incredibly convenient for families, busy professionals, and anyone who has different priorities for their time. DoorDash has recently partnered with groceries stores to offer grocery delivery services, and you can make $15 to $25/hour. 

DoorDash lets you your own hours and has pretty minimal requirements for shoppers — you just have to be 18 years old, have a clean driving and criminal record, and access to a car and smartphone.

You're paid for each order individually, and the DoorDash app gives you the exact list of items to shop for and instructions for easy delivery.

8. Become a Virtual Assistant

Earning potential: $500 to $1,000+/month

We have several virtual assistants (or VAs) on our team who help us manage social media accounts, with inbox management, scheduling, data entry, WordPress tasks, and more. Having a solid VA is lifesaver!

Additional virtual assistant tasks include:

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

You can leverage skills and experience you’ve learned in past jobs, especially if you worked in executive assistance, HR, customer service, or project management. What you’ll love about this side hustle is that it’s extremely flexible, and many VAs work from home with kids.

If this is one of the side hustle ideas you’re interested in, we highly recommend checking out Gina Horkey’s course Fully Booked VA.

9. Start a Blog

Earning potential: $500 to $10,000+/month

Blogging easily has the highest earning potential on our list of best side hustles. It’s a slow business model overall, but look at what I’ve done: I started this blog in my spare time after coming home from my job as a high school band director, and in five years I was able to turn my blog into a seven-figure business that I run from my laptop.

That trajectory isn’t the norm for everyone, but you get out of it what you put into it. You can start and grow your blog on your lunch break, after the kids go to bed, and on the weekends.

The reason I feel so strongly about blogging is that you are in complete control of your work, from when you work, what you blog about, how you make money blogging, and so on.

If you’re interested in starting one of the best side hustles ideas, I highly recommend Bluehost for blog hosting, and here’s why:

• Bluehost has a ton of free themes to choose from, and that means you can get a professional-looking blog without paying for web design services.
• They have stellar customer service.
• You get a free domain name for your first full year.
• WordPress is included with Bluehost — that’s the platform THIS blog is built on!
• When you sign up for Bluehost using our link, my team will set up your blog and install key components at no additional charge with Launch That Blog.

10. Get Paid For Your Opinions

Earning potential: $1 to $3/survey

Large companies use market research companies, like Branded Surveys, to learn about the opinions and habits of their target customers. Because companies pay for the research, market research companies pay members an average of $1-$3 to complete surveys. This isn't the highest-paying side hustle (and I've had a love-hate relationship with surveys over the years), but it's honestly one of the easiest and fastest ways to make money online.

What we love about taking online surveys is that it's incredibly flexible. You can take surveys when you're waiting in the carpool line, watching TV, on your lunch break, and more.

Learn more in our Branded Surveys Review.

11. Make Money Taking Surveys

Earning potential:  $1 to $3/survey

 Survey Junkie is one of the most well-known and most reputable survey sites online. It’s completely free to sign up, and the process takes about 5 minutes or less. The sign-up process includes filling out several questionnaires so they can match you with appropriate surveys, and you’re paid in points for filling them out.

You earn points for each survey you complete, and 100 points = $1. You can request a payout once you reach 500 points. Survey Junkie used to require that users reach 1,000 points before they were paid, but lowering the payout threshold to 500 points means you get paid that much faster! You can cash out with PayPal cash, bank transfer, or gift cards to major U.S. retailers.

To learn more about this side hustle idea, check out our in-depth Survey Junkie review.

12. Sell on Shopify

Earning potential: $500 to $5,000+/month

Shopify is an easy-to-use platform for setting up and running your own eCommerce store. And if you’re thinking that it sounds like a lot of work running an online shop, it can be surprisingly passive side hustle if you use Shopify for dropshipping.

Let me explain… 

You use Shopify’s platform to build your eCommerce site — there are over 70 customizable themes, a drag-and-drop editor, and custom domains. You select items to sell on the site that can be drop shipped. You don’t touch, store, or ship these goods. You’re only listing them for sale, and then connecting the customer with the supplier.

After your site is built, it’s one of the more passive side hustles because you’re not actively managing or shipping orders — Shopify does this for you. You will need to run traffic to your site and check in to maintain it. Right now, Shopify is giving you a free 3-day trial and then three months at $1/month after that. This is a MASSIVE savings.

Learn more in our full Shopify review.

13. Find a Flexible Part-Time Job

Earning potential: $20-$50+/hour

You've probably seen a store or restaurant in your area with a "Help Wanted" sign up, and you might not want to overlook those options because sometimes the best side hustles are the ones right in front of you. While part-time jobs aren't technically side hustles, it might be exactly what you need to realize your financial goals. Major companies like Amazon, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Michael's are all hiring.

If you want an even more flexible part-time job, we highly recommend FlexJobs. This platform specializes in flexible or remote-work positions, and they vet all of the jobs before listing them so you know they're legit.

Learn more in our full FlexJobs Review.

14. Buy Fractional Stock Shares

Earning potential: Varies on the market

Financially savvy people understand that investing is how you grow true, long-term wealth. One of the easiest ways to start investing is with fractional shares of stocks. It's when you buy a portion of a stock instead of a full share, which can be expensive! It's far more affordable, and you can quickly diversify your portfolio.

Investing is essentially a side hustle for the wealthy, but average folks can get started with Acorns. This investing app tells you exactly how to invest based on your current financial situation. Accounts start at $3/month, and you can start investing with as little as $5.

Learn more in our full Acorns Review.

15. Sell Printables on Etsy

Earning potential: $500 to $1,000+/month

Founded in 2005, Etsy has become the go-to marketplace for all things crafty. It’s grown into a massive site that saw over $3 billion in sales in 2021, and some of the best things to sell on Etsy these days are printables. 

Printables can be things like:

• Planner pages
• Calendars
• Lifestyle/financial trackers
• Wall art
• Printable games
• Stickers
• Business cards

Because printables are digital files, all you have to do is create the product once, and you can sell it an unlimited number of times with no additional overhead. Plus, there’s no need to store or ship physical products.

There’s a fantastic free ebook called the Seasonal Products Secret that outlines printable ideas for each month of the year and how to capitalize on each idea. You should definitely grab a copy of that free ebook if you’re interested in learning more.

16. Watch Videos on Your Phone

Earning potential: $1/hour

Watching videos on your phone is another one of the easiest side hustle ideas. However, you can realistically expect to make under $1/hour watching videos (we know that’s low), but think of it as something that can run in the background while you’re working on other side hustles.

Here are a few platforms to check out if you want to learn more:

• MyPoints: Get paid to watch videos, take surveys, play games, and more. New users can earn a $10 bonus reward for signing up today.
• InboxDollars: Make money watching videos, playing games, and taking online surveys. New users can claim a $5 sign-up bonus.
• Swagbucks: Get paid to watch videos, take online surveys, shop online, and more. New users can take advantage of a $10 sign-up bonus.

17. Play on Pinterest

Earning potential: $500 to $1,000+/month

You’re probably already familiar with Pinterest — it’s a great place to find recipes, workouts, DIYs, etc. But did you know that online business owners and bloggers have a high need for Pinterest virtual assistants? 

Pinterest virtual assistants make an average of $500 per month/per client, and their responsibility include:

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

18. Walk Dogs & Pet Sit

Earning potential: $15 to $25/walk and $35 to $70/overnight stay

Rover is a platform dedicated to connecting pet owners with dog walkers and pet sitters in their area. This should go without saying, but you have to love pets for this side hustle.

Pay varies depending on where you live. You’ll be paid more if you live in an urban area, which can be around $25 per walk or $70 for an overnight stay. Rover can help you find clients, but you can also list your services on social media. Because trust is such a big part of this side hustle, referrals go a long way. 

We spoke to someone who recently started with Rover, and they shared:

• Try your best to be steadily accepting bookings in order to keep your rankings up.
• Take advantage of pet sitting as an opportunity to work on one of your other side hustles.

19. Earn Cash Back Shopping

Earning potential: $5 to $50/month

I was a little hesitant to put this on my list of best side hustles because there’s not big money in cash back sites and apps, but it’s honestly too easy to leave out. I mean, if you’re already shopping, why not make money back on your purchases?

Here are my top cash back app recommendations:

• Ibotta: Earn cash back when you shop online, in-store, or from your phone.
• Upside: Formerly known as GetUpside, this app gives you cash back on gas, grocery, and restaurant purchases. You can earn up to $0.25 back on every gallon of gas you purchase with the Upside app.
  
  

20. Sell Old Electronics

Earning potential: Varies based on what you sell

Decluttr is a company that will buy gently used electronics so they can refurbish and resell them. This site will buy tablets, computers, smartphones, video game consoles, and they’ll even buy Legos and textbooks.

The process is super easy: Simply find the item you want to sell in their database (you can use the app’s barcode scanner for some items), and see if you agree to sell at the offered price. Once you agree to sell, Decluttr will send you a prepaid printing label so you can ship it to them for free. Payments are processed one day after Decluttr receives your items.

21. Clean Houses

Earning potential: $20 to $50/hour

While it’s not the most exciting option on this list of side hustles, cleaning houses pays surprisingly well if you work for yourself. House cleaners can make $20-$50/hour working for themselves, and you can share your name with friends and family or list your services on Care.com.

As you begin to build trust with your clients, you’ll find them sharing your name with their contacts and growing your business from there.

22. Tutor From Home

Earning potential: $15 to $40/hour

If there is a subject you know well and can teach to others, tutoring is a great way to make extra money. I know this because when I was working as a teacher, I learned that parents are always looking for tutors for math, science, writing, foreign language, history, etc. 

Tutoring is actually one of the best side hustle ideas for teachers because the hourly pay can get pretty high, around $15-$40/hour depending on where you live. 

If you're interested in this side hustle, BookNook is an online tutoring platform that connects K-8 students with tutors who can help them develop critical math and reading skills. 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. 

23. Rent Out Your Car

Earning potential: Average of $700/month

If you like the idea of Airbnb, did you know you can do the same kind of thing with your car on HyreCar?

Hyrecar is a peer-to-peer rental platform where you can list your car, which dates it’s available, and then rent it out to prescreened customers. Don’t worry, HyreCar offers up to $1,000,000 liability coverage and coverage in the event of theft or physical damage.

Most of the cars listed on HyreCar list for approximately $35/day, and HyreCar takes a 15% to 25% commission. This is a great side hustle to offset the cost of your car payment, or if you aren’t driving as much these days. Check out our HyreCar review for more information.

How Do You Start a Side Hustle?

When I started my blog, I had no freaking clue that it would turn into a seven-figure business. I just really disliked being a teacher and knew I wanted more than a teacher’s salary could ever allow me.

That was why I started a side hustle. Your reason or goal is an incredibly important part of this process.

A hustle means work, and your why is how you motivate yourself to make it happen.

After you have your motivation, start looking into side hustle ideas by thinking about what you’re good at, things you enjoy, and your availability. For example, if you are already good at spotting errors when you’re reading, why not try proofreading?

Say you just want to make a little extra cash here and there with something pretty mindless. Why not drive for DoorDash or take surveys with Branded Surveys?

Or, if you’re really motivated to find something you can scale and maybe one day leave your 9-5 for, a lot of people have done that running Facebook ads.

What is The Best Side Hustle of 2023?

There is no magic pill to earn more money, and I see lots of so-called magic pills online. That drives me to produce lists like this. I want my readers to have the best options available, like:

• Driving for DoorDash: Get paid $23/hour while on delivery (that’s the national average). DoorDash drivers set their own hours and can work as little or as much as they want. This is a nice side hustle if you’re looking for something that offers both a low commitment and decent pay.
• Get paid to proofread: Proofreaders make in the range of $15-$50, and this is an incredibly flexible option that’s great for people who love reading and writing. The FREE Well-Paid Proofreader seminar teaches you the five steps to becoming a proofreader.
• Take online surveys: Sign up for Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie and make $1-$3/survey. It's not a lot of money, but it's super easy.

The reality is that not all side hustles are created equal. Do your research, read the reviews, and find the best side hustles to make your goals happen.