Must read: Testerup review
12 Secret Websites to Make Money
Shhhh! If you want to make money online, keep these websites to yourself.
There’s much more to making money online than Amazon and eBay. From playing games and answering surveys to starting your own side hustle, there are plenty of hidden online gems that can help you earn extra income. So if you want to bring home the bacon, check out these secret websites to make money.
1. Freecash
How it works: Freecash is a get-paid-to (GPT) platform where you can make money online by performing simple tasks. You can get rewarded for playing games, completing surveys and signing up for special offers. You can then cash out to PayPal or a range of gift cards.
How much you can earn: up to $1,000 per offer
Pros
- Lots of different ways to earn money
- Sign up and start earning in minutes
- Cash-outs from as little as $5 - $20
Cons
- 5% fee for PayPal withdrawals
- New users may only have access to limited offers
- Time and effort required to earn high payouts
2. Testerup
How it works: Testerup is an online platform that pays real people like you to test out mobile games, apps and digital products. You can also get paid to complete surveys, then cash out via PayPal once you reach the minimum withdrawal limit.
How much you can earn: up to $800 per offer
Pros
- Plenty of different ways to earn money
- Free to use
- User-friendly app
- Easy withdrawals via PayPal
Cons
- $60 minimum cash-out
- Some tasks require you to make in-app purchases
- Some complaints about offer tracking issues
3. LEO
How it works: LEO (formerly Leger Opinion) is a Canadian survey site and app. Create an account and you can get paid to complete surveys, then convert your rewards to gift cards, prepaid cards or PayPal cash payments.
How much you can earn: Up to $2 per survey
Pros
- Sign up and start earning in minutes
- User-friendly app
- Canadian platform
Cons
- $20 minimum withdrawal
- Other platforms provide more ways to earn
- Withdrawals may take up to 10 business days to be processed
Go to site
Related: LEO review
4. Finder Canada
How it works: Here at Finder, we think you should be rewarded. So when you sign up for special offers on Finder, like applying for a new credit card or loan or signing up for a GPT site, we’ll pay you a cash bonus. Learn more about Finder Rewards.
How much you can earn: $25 to $250+ per transaction
Pros
- Many offers available
- You could potentially earn hundreds of dollars
- Easy way to earn money
Cons
- It could take several weeks to receive your cash
- Reward end dates may apply
Related: Discover more rewards
5. SurveyLion
How it works: SurveyLion is a legit Canadian site where you can get paid to answer surveys. It’s free to use, and you can get paid by cheque simply for signing up and sharing your opinions.
How much you can earn: $1 - $10 per survey
Pros
- Simple way to make money online
- No minimum withdrawal threshold
- Canadian platform
Cons
- Pays by cheque
- Cheques are only mailed out six times a year
- Other sites offer more ways to make money
Go to site
Dive deeper: SurveyLion review
6. Toluna
How it works: Next on our list of secret websites to make money is Toluna, a website and app that pays ordinary Canadians real money just for completing surveys. Once you reach the $10 minimum withdrawal limit, you can redeem your rewards through PayPal, gift cards or charitable donations.
How much you can earn: 15 - 50,000 points
Pros
- User-friendly website and app
- Wide range of survey opportunities
- Lots of rewards to choose from
Cons
- Other sites offer more ways to earn
- Payouts take up to three weeks
Must read: Toluna review
7. Prime Opinion
How it works: Prime Opinion pays you real money for answering surveys online or via a mobile app. It’s simple to sign up and start making money straight away, and the reward points you earn can be redeemed through PayPal, 90+ gift cards or charitable donations.
How much you can earn: Up to CA$7 per survey
Pros
- Sign up and start earning immediately
- Highly rated mobile app
- Cash out from $6
- Wide range of rewards to choose from
Cons
- Slow earn rate
- Some complaints about survey screen-outs
- Reward points expire after 12 months
Go to site
Dive deeper: Prime Opinion review
8. Great Canadian Rebates
How it works: Great Canadian Rebates is a website that pays cashback when you shop at over 900 partner merchants and brands. It also offers discount coupons for shoppers, along with rebates when you apply for a credit card at a partner financial institution. To start earning cashback, log into your Great Canadian Rebates account and click through to the merchant’s website from the cashback platform.
How much you can earn: from 1% to 5% cashback.
Pros
- Minimal effort required
- Hundreds of partner merchants
- Competitive credit card rebates
- Canadian platform
Cons
- Risk of unnecessary spending
- Slow payouts
- Interface isn't very easy on the eye
Must read: Great Canadian Rebates review
9. TopCashback
How it works: This secret website for making money online pays cashback when you shop at over 200 retailers that deliver in Canada. All you have to do is log in to your TopCashback account and search for the store where you want to make a purchase. Then you can click the “Get Cash Back” button to be taken to the retailer’s website and start shopping, with cashback credited to your account within seven days.
How much you can earn: 0.5% to 16.16% cashback.
Pros
- High cashback rates
- No minimum withdrawal threshold
- Simple online shopping process
- Plenty of positive customer reviews
Cons
- Be wary of overspending
- Not as many Canadian retailers as some other platforms
- Long wait time for withdrawals
Dive deeper: TopCashback review
10. Canva
How it works: Online design platform Canva offers a huge range of tools that you can use to make extra money. Canva allows you to create just about anything, from artworks and t-shirt designs to social media templates, video content, books and websites. And that, of course, means there are many different ways to make money with Canva, like working as a freelance designer, selling printable products and templates, selling your own art, running a print-on-demand business and even creating templates for Canva’s own content library.
How much you can earn: A few dollars to thousands
Pros
- Opens up multiple money-making opportunities
- User-friendly design platform
- Lots of AI tools to simplify the creative process
- Free plan available
Cons
- Monthly subscription fee for Canva Pro
- Some design skills required
- Other platforms have more advanced editing tools
Related: How to make money on Canva
11. Printful
How it works: Printful is a print-on-demand dropshipping platform that makes it easy to sell custom products online. Once you create custom designs using a site like Canva, Printful lets you add them to hundreds of products, including art prints, clothing, home decor and a whole lot more. Then, when a customer orders one of those products from your online store, Printful creates, packages and ships the item directly to the customer.
How much you can earn: A few dollars to thousands
Pros
- Has a fulfilment centre in Mississauga
- Add your designs to 300+ products
- User-friendly platform
- 24/7 customer support
Cons
- Other print-on-demand sites are cheaper
- Plenty of competition
- Managing product returns can be difficult
12. Adobe Firefly
How it works: If you want to make money with AI, Adobe Firefly offers plenty of ways to make it possible. Firefly brings together a range of AI models from Adobe, Google, OpenAI, Runway and others. You can use these models to generate and edit images, video, audio and vectors, opening up a world of creative possibilities. There are then plenty of ways to monetize your content, whether you work as a graphic designer, run a print-on-demand store, create digital products or explore other options.
How much you can earn: A few dollars to thousands
Pros
- Access a wide range of generative AI tools
- Safe for commercial use
- High level of customization
Cons
- Plans start at $12.99 per month
- There are plenty of other generative AI tools available
Don't Leave Money on the Table
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What are the top secret websites to make money?
The best secret websites for making money really depend on your needs and skills. The ideal platform for someone who wants to make a bit of extra cash in their spare time will be very different to the best site for someone who wants to start their own design business, for example.
If you want to earn rewards simply for signing up for special offers, it’s hard to go past Finder Canada. Freecash and Testerup are top options if you want to make money playing games, while there’s a lot to like about LEO if you’ve got your eye on a survey side hustle.
But if you’re trying to turn your creativity into cash, an online tool like Canva is ideal for bringing your designs to life. If you want, you can also pair it with a print-on-demand service like Gelato to start selling merch with your own unique designs.
Compare money-making websites based on your own requirements to find the best options.
Risks or scams to watch out for
- High minimum cash-outs. Watch out for GPT and survey sites that require you to earn $20 or more in rewards before you can make a withdrawal.
- Survey screen-outs. Just because surveys are available in your account doesn’t mean you’ll be eligible to complete them. You won’t meet demographic requirements for all surveys, so expect to spend a bit of time answering initial questions only to be screened out of a survey.
- Subscription fees. Some online tools for making money come with monthly subscription fees. For example, while Canva offers a free plan, you will need a paid Pro plan to access Canva’s full range of tools and features.
- Fake sites. Fake survey sites try to get you to hand over sensitive personal information. Research any platform to make sure it’s legit before you sign up.
- Scams. Watch out for offers that sound too good to be true, like writing letters for money or getting paid to watch Netflix. A lot of the time, they could turn out to be scams.
Bottom line
There are a whole lot more secret websites to make money online than many people realize. No matter whether you want to make a couple of bucks in your spare time or maybe even find a new career, check out the sites listed above to start making money straight away.
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