10 Ways to Earn Money Without Spending a Dime in 2026

[00:00] Most videos about earning money online for free  are either outdated, unrealistic, or they just try   to sell you a course. So, in this video, I will  show you 10 legit ways you can earn money without   spending a dime. And these method actually  work. They are completely free to start and  

[00:15] you don't need any experience. You don't need to  buy any course or anything like that. And number   seven is one most people have no idea about,  but it definitely has some great potentials.   Make sure you stick around to see all the  opportunities so you can find the best for you.  

[00:30] In case you don't know, my name is Mikael and  on this channel here, I test side hustles so   you don't have to waste your time on things  that don't work. And everything I share here   is based on real experience and not just hype.  So, in this video here, I will be showing you  

[00:42] 10 legit ways to earn money without any investment  at all. And some of them are just great for quick   extra cash and others they can potentially  grow into something bigger if you stick with   them. and I'll break down how each of the options  work, what you can realistically expect to earn,  

[00:58] and who each option is best suited for, so you can  find which ones fit your goals, your experience,   and everything the best. So, let's just get to  it. So before going over the options I want to   show you, I just want to talk a little bit about  the earning potential so you know exactly what  

[01:13] to expect because as mentioned some of these  methods they are some you can get started with   right away start earning right away even also  but then usually the earning potential is also   not huge. Most of the methods I will show here  are actually just methods to earn some extra  

[01:28] money on the side. They are not a way to build a  full-time income or anything like that. There are   a few of them that can grow into something bigger  potentially, but overall these are side hustles,  

[01:40] free methods to start earning where you can get  started very easily and start right away. And I'll   show you many different methods. So then you can  also choose different options. So it just keeps   being interesting and more fun to earn also. So  you can just join as many options I'll show you  

[01:57] and or as few as you want to. That's completely  up to you. So let's just get to the list.   So, when we talk about free ways to earn some  extra money, we have to talk about paid surveys.  

[02:09] one of the easiest ways to earn some extra money  right away. You can just sign up for the best   survey sites in your country. I'll show you in  just a bit how to find those and then you can  

[02:22] start answering surveys, questions, and get paid.  It's not a way to make a huge amount of money,   but it's easy to get started with and if you join  several survey sites, it can be a nice way to   earn some extra money depending on where you live.  A couple of examples of great survey sites that  

[02:36] I've tested is for example, Branded Surveys. We  also have TopSurveys. But as mentioned, the most   important thing when it comes to paid surveys is to find the right ones for your location,   your country, because what works for me or someone  else might not be the best for you depending on  

[02:50] where you live. So I manually actually have built  out these list here on my website where I show the   best surveys in many different countries here. I  keep updating them. I keep testing. I get feedback  

[03:02] from hundreds of people all over the world. If  your country is not here, then there are not a   or you can choose some of the other options  I will talk about here in this video instead.  

[03:15] The next option is to train AI or do AI training  jobs. And this has become very popular. There are   many different platforms. There are some where you  can actually get jobs or higher paying long-term  

[03:29] gigs. And then there are small platforms where  you can just find small kind of data entry type   of work but focused on helping to train AI where  you can just join and sign up and start earning a  

[03:41] bit of extra money right away. So which options  are best really depends on your preferences. A   couple of examples here also I'll show you a  few examples for each of the methods I will   talk about and then I will tell you where you  can find more information also if you want full  

[03:54] list about a specific method if you want a more  options or anything like that. But one option   here is Pareto and here you can see you can apply  to become an AI trainer. Here you can often find   a little bit longer term projects or jobs so you  can earn a little bit more. There's also something  

[04:11] like hyper micro where you would just find small  tasks, jobs where you can see it categorization,   drawing boxes, things like that. So, this doesn't  pay that much, but it's easier and faster to get   then I do have a list also on my website  of the best AI training jobs. You can find  

[04:28] full tutorials and reviews of the two options  there and many others also. So, if you think   this sounds interesting, then you can also find  a link to this list here below this video here.   Another great way to make some extra money is gig  economy jobs. And and on some of these platforms,  

[04:45] you can potentially even grow it into something  bigger. Some people are making almost a living   from gig economy jobs or apps or platforms.  So, it is an option. And just to give you an   idea about what type of work it is, usually it is  in your local area. So, it's not online. It's one  

[05:01] of the few here where you would actually have  to do something physically in your local area.   TaskRabbit is an option that will show you just  some of the many ways you can do it. But you   can see it can become a personal assistant. It  can be furniture assembly. It can be help moving,  

[05:16] indoor painting, all kind of different  things here. It can also be to deliver   different groceries. It can be pet sitting. There  are many different types of gig jobs. And this is  

[05:29] just one example. Also here I do have a list on  my website of some of the best platforms that I   have come across for this here. There are many  different types. So you can kind of just pick   and choose depending on what type of jobs you  are looking for. Some of them do pay decently.  

[05:44] Others will not pay you that much. But if you just  choose the right option considering your location,   your preferences, all these things, it can  definitely build up to some nice extra income.  

[05:56] If you spend a lot of time online, then installing  passive income apps can also be a great way to   earn a bit extra. Usually, they don't actually  earn you a lot because it will just run in the  

[06:08] devices and then you will just share your unused  internet bandwidth. In many cases, in some cases,   it will track anonymously what websites you're  using, the ads you're seeing, and things like  

[06:22] this that is used for market research. So whether  you feel comfortable about this or not that really   depends on you. One example is Pawns is very  well known for offering these options. There   are other options also like Honeygain. I also  have a full video about that. I'll leave a link  

[06:36] in the corner here. But in general I do have a  full list also on my website of course with the   best passive income apps. So I'll also leave a  link to that below. Again you just need to do   this with the right expectations. It will not make  you a lot is one of the options here on this list  

[06:50] that will make you the least. But you also don't  have to do anything. So if you are online a lot,   you can let it run in the background and then  a little bit of extra money once in a while can   of course also be nice. So I just want to take a  quick second to make you aware that the majority  

[07:05] of you watching have actually not subscribed to  my channel. And it's a free easy way to support   me and my work so I can keep focusing on creating  valuebased content like this. So I would really   appreciate if you could just take one second here  to hit the subscribe button and also the like  

[07:18] button for this video here. So thanks for that and  then back to the list now. So the next option is   to earn crypto for free that you can then use to  either trade or you can invest it in crypto in the  

[07:31] cryptos you believe in the long-term potential of  and then what you can earn now from free platforms   can potentially grow into something more. This is  of course a little bit more risky because there is   no guarantee. So I'm not guarantee you that this  will give great results. Of course, you need to  

[07:45] do some research about the different cryptos,  especially if you want to trade. But there are   many free earning platforms, even some of the ones  I have already mentioned here where when you earn,   you can actually choose to withdraw in crypto. So  that way you can either then hold on to it if it's  

[07:59] a crypto you believe in or you can trade it if you  want to. A couple of examples also of platforms   that offer this is for example Gemsloot here.  It offers to pay out in many different cryptos   including Bitcoin and Solana and also PrizeRebel,  one of my favorite get-paid-to sites where you can  

[08:16] earn in many different ways by doing small online  microtasks and then you can get paid out also in   Bitcoin and many other cryptos. So these are just  two examples. I also do have list on my website of   the best ways to earn Bitcoin or Ethereum for  free. I'll leave links below. I also have for  

[08:32] other cryptos. Then you can just go on my website,  use the search bar and search for your crypto.   for example of XRP and Solana, Dogecoin and  more. So you can go there and check that out   if there's other cryptos you are interested  in. But as mentioned, you can also just take  

[08:46] out the cryptos each of these platforms have  and then you can trade it into something else,   if there is a particular crypto that you want that  these different free online earning platforms are   not offering. So this can be a way if you don't  need the money here and now to potentially grow  

[09:01] it into something bigger over time. But again, do  your own research so you know the risks and what   is involved. But it can definitely be something  to consider. So focus groups is another great  

[09:14] way to earn some extra money. Sometimes it's  in person, other times it is online and often   you can participate in interesting discussions.  I have done it quite a few times. And the great   thing about it is that it's not only interesting,  often you can also earn really nice extra money.  

[09:31] Some focus groups are very hard to qualify for  because they're looking for very specific type   of people or demographic groups or things like  that. So, just be aware that it's a good idea to   join several platforms that offer this so you  have a bigger chance of finding projects you  

[09:45] qualify for. But the great thing is when you then  qualify, it can really boost your site income. I   do have a list on my website of the best online  focus groups. So, I'll leave a link to that below   here also, so you can go and check that out if you  think this sounds like the right option for you.  

[10:01] So number seven here is one that most people  are not aware of and one that I find quite   interesting and this can grow into something  quite big potentially. Of course it depends on   your effort and everything but it is to become  a Sharetown rep and Sharetown is a platform  

[10:18] where you can actually resell items or you can  get paid to pick up store and resell like new   oversight products. It can be mattresses, it  can be furniturees, it can be gym equipment,   all kind of things from people that are returning  it after they bought it and then you have to pick  

[10:34] it up. You have to then resell it and then you can  keep a big part of this profit here and that is   for Sharetown and you can apply to become a rep.  And I also do have a full tutorial of that. I'll   you can see here that uh some of the reps are  making up to $50 an hour. This is currently only  

[10:56] in the US, so just keep this in mind here. And  of course, it also requires you to have a vehicle   so you can pick up these items here and also  storage space of course. But if you have that,   then this can be a great way to earn by reselling  items. If you're interesting in more ways to earn  

[11:11] in the top corner so you can check that out. If  you ever shop online, then the next option here is   something you should definitely consider and that  is to join cashback sites because there are many  

[11:25] both apps and websites where you can join and then  when you click the links there to certain shops   then you will be able to shop there as you usually  would. It doesn't cost extra anything but you will   earn a percentage of your what you buy back into  your account and then you can take that out as  

[11:41] cash or gift cards depending on the platforms you  are using. Some cashback sites or apps actually   even allow you to connect a credit card. So when  you shop in physical shops also you will earn cash  

[11:53] back. But one example is just my points. This is  if you live in the US or Canada. But this is just   one example. There are many great cashback sites  depending on where you live. I of course also have   a full list of the best options like this on my  website if you're more interested in this option.  

[12:06] I will leave a link to that below so you can check  that out if you're interested in this. One really   great side hustle I enjoy is user testing. And  there are quite a lot of great user testing sites  

[12:18] where you can sign up and you can then get paid  to share feedback. Sometimes where you record   your screen and think out loud. Other times it can  be one-on-one interviews where you give feedback   about something. Sometimes it can be to find  bugs in uh new games or new programs. There are  

[12:33] many different types of user testing like this.  The great thing is that they can pay quite well.   Sometimes it can be hard to qualify for some  of them. So that's why it's always a good idea   to join several user testing platforms. A couple  of examples is for example user interviews here.  

[12:47] And you can see some examples here of the type of  tasks they have here. This was actually a focus   group in person but they also have online tasks.  You can see sometimes it can pay really well if  

[12:59] you end up qualifying. Other times this one is  online there. This only takes 10 minutes but then   you get $10. That's also quite nice. So that's  just one example. Another popular user testing   platform is just called user testing.com where  you can also earn some nice extra money when you  

[13:14] qualify. I am a member of quite a lot of different  user testing platforms uh because then I will   regularly get invited because as mentioned it can  take some patience. So just joining one then you   will likely not get too many tests but I also do  have a list of the best usage testing platforms  

[13:29] on my website. I'll leave a link to that below. So  then you can check that out and find the ones you   want to join if you think this sounds like a great  option for you. So the last option I want to talk   about is to get paid to be a friend. It sounds a  little bit strange. I also thought so when I first  

[13:45] heard about it, but there are a few different  platforms where you can sign up and then people   are willing to pay you to well in some cases it  depends on the platform there. But for example,   if we go to one example is Papa.com here where you  can see that it help health plans and employers  

[14:02] connect members or and their families to real  people for help with companion care, for example,   everyday task, transportation, and more. So this  is one option. Another one is one that's called   RentAFriend where you can see you can earn up  to $50 per hour. Of course, there's no guarantee  

[14:16] you'll earn this because people need to be willing  to pay that. So you need to look at what people   they actually um are willing to pay in your local  area. It can for example be to go out for meals,   for concerts, sporting events and more if they  need companion. But be aware of course it is to  

[14:33] be a friend. There's nothing else going on there.  They have very strict rules about that. So just   want to make that clear. Personally, this here  particular one here I find a little bit strange.   It's not something for me. But it is an option.  I know some people are making decent money like  

[14:47] this. Of course there's a huge competition and  need to do it with the right expectations. So,   I also do have, of course, more information about  both of these options here on my website. So,   if you want to know more details to find out if  it's for you, you can also find more information  

[15:01] about this, but I just wanted to present it so you  have a wide range of opportunities of different   methods and then you can figure out yourself which  ones are the best for you. So, as you can see,   there are quite a lot of different ways to make  some extra money. And I have shown you some very  

[15:17] different options. [clears throat] Some from just  sitting at home starting right away to where you   have to go out and be a little bit more active  where you can then potentially also grow it into   something bigger. There is no best method. It  all depends on your goals, your interest, your  

[15:31] preferences, all these different things. So that's  why I presented so many different options. And for   each of these methods, there are many different  platforms you can join. So you'll definitely not   run out of tasks if you just make sure to join  the best of the options within each category. And  

[15:47] I have mentioned throughout this video here also I  have more information about the different options,   So if you're interested in knowing more about  them or anything like that before you decide,  

[16:00] then you can just check that out. And if you have  any questions, any experiences with any of these   method or any other methods, then please just  feel free to share it in the comments. I love   to hear from all of you and I make sure to reply  to every single comment. Once in a while there are  

[16:14] some people that say why I didn't reply or why the  comment get deleted. I just want to make it clear   I am not deleting any comments as long as it's not  spam and as long as it's not abusive or anything   like that. But sometimes the comment system here  can be a little bit tricky and sometimes it a  

[16:27] comment can get lost or get deleted uh without me  actually knowing it. So just wanted to make that   clear because some people have mentioned this.  So just want to give an explanation. But anyways,   if this video helped you, then also please  make sure to give it a like and don't forget  

[16:40] to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the  notification bell so you won't miss out next   time I release a video with tips and tricks  about different ways to make money online.