Most “money making websites” lists haven’t been touched in years. Amazon Mechanical Turk has closed. Elance is now Upwork. Field Agent sends you to a different company. You click through half of them and nothing’s there.
Every site below is open, pays out in cash (PayPal, bank or a cash card, not just points), and works from a regular computer. That last part matters. A lot of the best earning apps are phone-only, and this page is for the laptop crowd.
Websites that pay for your spare time
No skills needed. You trade minutes for small payouts: offers, games, surveys and research studies.
1.Freecash
Best for: same-day PayPal cash
- What it is
- A rewards website (and app) that pays for games, app trials, surveys and offers.
- What you do
- Log in on your laptop, pick an offer or survey, finish it, cash out.
- How much it pays
- $10 welcome bonus after your first offer. First withdrawal needs $5 to $20 depending on where you live, then $5 for PayPal. Most PayPal, crypto and gift card withdrawals are instant.
- The catch
- You have to send a selfie and your ID before the first payout. 16 and up.
Worth it? Yes. It’s the quickest way on this list to turn a free evening into PayPal cash.
2.Swagbucks
Best for: online shoppers
- What it is
- A long-running rewards website that pays points (SB) for surveys, games, shopping cash back and deals. 100 SB = $1.
- What you do
- Mix surveys and offers with cash back on stuff you were buying online anyway.
- How much it pays
- PayPal cash in 2 to 5 business days, or gift cards from 300 SB ($3).
- The catch
- The $10 welcome bonus only pays after you spend $25 at a store through Swagbucks within 30 days. Points per survey are small.
Worth it? Only if you shop online. The cash back is where Swagbucks actually earns its spot.
3.InboxDollars
Best for: easy tasks paid in dollars
- What it is
- A website and app that pays in dollars for surveys, games, PaidEmails and shopping.
- What you do
- Open PaidEmails, take surveys, play games, shop for cash back.
- How much it pays
- $5 welcome bonus after the profile survey. Cash out at $15 the first time and $10 after that, by PayPal, Visa or gift card.
- The catch
- Payments can take up to 10 business days, and you have to stay active in the 10 days before one processes or it gets removed. US only.
Worth it? Only if you can wait. Easy money, slow money.
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4.KashKick
Best for: a $10 cash-out
- What it is
- A US-only website and app that pays cash for game goals, surveys and deals.
- What you do
- Grab a game offer or a survey, finish it, and wait for it to clear.
- How much it pays
- Cash out at $10 to PayPal or gift cards. Withdrawals get reviewed by staff, typically in 1 to 3 business days, and most are approved within a day.
- The catch
- Earnings sit pending for 1 to 31 days (about 14 on average) before you can cash them out. 18+.
Worth it? Yes if you’re in the US. A $10 cash-out is pretty easy to reach.
5.Prolific
Best for: research studies
- What it is
- A website where researchers pay you to take part in online studies.
- What you do
- Take studies from your dashboard when they fit you. You can quit any study whenever you want.
- How much it pays
- Real money only, by PayPal. Researchers have to pay at least $8 an hour, you can cash out from $6, and it lands within 24 hours.
- The catch
- You can only cash out once a day, and a new or changed PayPal account means a 72-hour wait.
Worth it? Yes. Of all the spare-time sites, it’s the one that treats your time like it’s worth something.
On your phone more than your laptop? Testerup is a phone app that pays you to test games, with a $10 welcome bonus. The full list is in apps that pay you real money.
Websites that pay for your skills
This is where the bigger money is. You’re doing real work for real clients, so you’re competing on quality, and every one of these takes a cut.
6.Fiverr
Best for: selling a service at a set price
- What it is
- A marketplace where you sell fixed-price services, called Gigs.
- What you do
- Set up Gigs for what you’re good at (writing, design, editing, voiceovers, whatever), take orders, deliver.
- How much it pays
- You keep 80% of each order, and tips go straight to you. PayPal withdrawals take about 24 hours with a $1 minimum.
- The catch
- Money waits 14 days to clear before you can withdraw it. Fiverr’s 20% cut comes off every order.
Worth it? Yes if you can do something people pay for. Start cheap, get reviews, then raise your price.
7.Upwork
Best for: bigger freelance projects
- What it is
- A freelance marketplace where clients hire you for hourly or fixed-price projects.
- What you do
- Build a profile, send proposals for jobs, win contracts, do the work.
- How much it pays
- Upwork takes 0% to 15% of each contract. Hourly work gets released the Wednesday after the billing week. PayPal withdrawals are usually instant, or $0.99 to a local bank.
- The catch
- You pay to apply: proposals cost Connects at $0.15 each. Fixed-price money also sits on a five-day hold.
Worth it? Only if you’ve got a real skill and the patience to write a lot of proposals before the first contract lands.
8.Rev
Best for: fast typists
- What it is
- Freelance transcription and captioning work you do from home.
- What you do
- Type out audio and video files, or caption them, on your own schedule.
- How much it pays
- Transcriptionists earn $0.40 to $1.10 per audio minute and captioners $0.54 to $1.10 per minute. Paid weekly by PayPal for approved work.
- The catch
- There’s a waitlist, and you only get paid for work that passes review. An audio minute takes a lot longer than a minute to type.
Worth it? Only if you type fast and have a good ear. Fine for a few hours a week, rough as a main gig.
9.TaskRabbit
Best for: handy people in big cities
- What it is
- A website and app where people near you hire you for odd jobs like furniture assembly, moving help, mounting and cleaning.
- What you do
- List your skills and service area, set your hours, accept tasks.
- How much it pays
- You set your own hourly rate. Client service charges don’t come out of your pay, and you keep 100% of tips.
- The catch
- There’s a $25 non-refundable registration charge, and paying it doesn’t guarantee you get in. You also need to pass a background check and live in an active US city.
Worth it? Yes if you’re handy and in a city it covers. You set the rate, not the app.
Which money making website should you use?
Got an hour a night and no particular skill? Freecash and Prolific. That combo gets you fast PayPal cash without much thinking.
Got a skill? Fiverr if you’d rather set a price and let buyers come to you, Upwork if you’d rather pitch for bigger projects. Good with a drill? TaskRabbit.
And skip any “money making website” that wants money from you first. Apart from TaskRabbit’s registration charge and Upwork’s Connects, none of these charge you to get started.
Writing is one of the easiest skills to sell, and there’s a whole guide on getting paid to write articles. For more ideas you can do from your couch, see how to make money from home or the short task sites roundup. All of it lives under side hustles.
Money making website FAQ
What website pays you the fastest?
Freecash. After the one-time ID check, most PayPal, crypto and gift card withdrawals are instant. Prolific pays to PayPal within 24 hours.
Can you really make money from websites?
Yes, but match the site to what you want. Spare-time sites like Freecash and Swagbucks pay pocket money. Freelance sites like Fiverr and Upwork can pay a lot more, because you’re doing real work.
Is Amazon Mechanical Turk still a thing?
No, it has permanently closed. Prolific is the closest thing to it now for small paid online tasks.
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