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There’s more to making money online than Amazon and eBay. From training AI models to renting out your garage, there are plenty of hidden opportunities that can help you earn extra income. Here are 13 secret websites to make money that most “make money online” lists skip.
How it works: Scrambly is a get-paid-to (GPT) platform built around playing mobile games and testing apps. You earn coins for hitting small in-app milestones — not just for finishing whole offers — then cash out via PayPal, Cash App, Visa, bank transfer or gift cards.
How much you can earn: varies by game or app, with no set cap. Scrambly’s own site cites $17+ in average daily rewards per user across games, apps and surveys combined.
How it works: Freecash is a get-paid-to (GPT) platform. You earn money by playing games, completing surveys and signing up for offers, then cash out to PayPal, gift cards or crypto.
How much you can earn: up to $391 per offer, according to Freecash.
How it works: When you sign up for select offers on Finder — like a new investing account, credit card or cash advance app — we pay you a finder reward on top of any provider sign-up offer.
How much you can earn: varies by offer and changes regularly. Check the current Finder Rewards page for live amounts. Finder sends rewards as a digital Visa gift card.
How it works: Prolific connects you with paid academic and commercial research studies. You answer surveys or complete short tasks for university and corporate researchers instead of marketing surveys.
How much you can earn: Prolific enforces a minimum reward of $8 an hour, and recommends researchers pay at least $12 an hour.
How it works: DataAnnotation pays people to help train AI models — things like writing prompts, checking outputs and grading responses. You apply, pass a qualifying assessment for a role (generalist or a specialized field like coding, law or medicine) and get matched to projects.
How much you can earn: DataAnnotation’s own job board lists generalist roles at $25–$50 an hour, with specialist roles (coding, finance, legal, medical and more) paying $60–$150+ an hour depending on the field.
How it works: UserTesting pays everyday people to test websites, apps and prototypes while recording their screen and talking through their experience. Companies use the feedback to fix usability problems before launch.
How much you can earn: UserTesting doesn’t publish a flat rate — the amount for each test depends on its type, length and customer demand, and shows on your dashboard before you accept it.
How it works: Neighbor lets you make money from home by renting out unused space — a garage, driveway, basement or closet — to people who need storage. You set your price, and Neighbor handles the booking and payment.
How much you can earn: varies by location, space type and size. Listing is free.
How it works: TopCashback pays you cash back when you shop online through its links at partner retailers. It says it passes on 100% of the commission it earns from retailers, rather than keeping a cut.
How much you can earn: cashback rates vary by retailer. TopCashback advertises no minimum cash-out amount, with payouts via bank transfer, PayPal, Venmo or gift cards.
How it works: Rev pays freelancers to transcribe audio, caption video or translate subtitles. You apply, pass a skills assessment and then claim available jobs.
How much you can earn: transcription pays $0.40–$1.10 per audio/video minute, captioning pays $0.54–$1.10 per minute, and subtitle translation pays $1.70–$4+ per minute, according to Rev.
How it works: Toluna is a market research company that pays you to answer surveys through its website or app. Points convert to gift cards, charitable donations or PayPal cash.
How much you can earn: Toluna says each completed survey earns 15–50,000 points, depending on length, plus a 500-point welcome bonus. Toluna doesn’t publish a flat point-to-dollar conversion rate or minimum redemption threshold on its site — check the Rewards page in your account for current values.
How it works: Canva runs an official Canva Creators program for designers, photographers, illustrators and other specialists. You apply as a Template Creator, Element Creator or Specialty Creator, get approved, and your work becomes available to Canva’s user base — you earn royalties every time someone uses it.
How much you can earn: Canva says royalties depend on how much your templates or elements get used, but doesn’t publish a flat rate or typical earnings figure on its site.
How it works: Printful is a print-on-demand platform. You upload designs, add them to products like apparel and home decor, and Printful prints, packs and ships each order straight to your customer.
How much you can earn: a few dollars to thousands, depending on sales volume and margins you set.
How it works: Adobe Firefly is a generative AI platform for images, video and audio. You can use it to create content for clients, run a print-on-demand shop, build digital products or offer AI-assisted design services.
How much you can earn: a few dollars to thousands, depending on how you use it. Adobe Firefly has a free plan, then Standard ($9.99/month), Pro ($19.99/month), Pro Plus ($49.99/month) and Premium ($199.99/month), according to Adobe’s pricing page.
The best secret website for you depends on your skills, schedule and how much effort you want to put in. If you want fast, low-effort cash, Scrambly, Freecash and TopCashback are hard to beat. If you’d rather use downtime productively, Prolific and UserTesting pay fairly for your opinion and attention. If you have subject-matter expertise, DataAnnotation and Rev pay well for specialized or detail-oriented work. And if you’re creative, Canva, Printful and Adobe Firefly can turn designs into an ongoing side income.
Compare a few options against your own time and skills before committing to one.
There are far more legitimate ways to make money online than the handful of sites everyone already knows about. Whether you want a few extra dollars in your spare time or a new side income stream, the sites above are a solid place to start.
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