6 Legit Ways to Make Money from Home in 2021 - For Free!

By: Danielle Pietersen | November 10, 2020 | Updated February 2, 2022

Make Money Online

The growth in the gig economy, and more recently, the slowing of the world economy as a result of the pandemic, have given rise to a whole new world of online work. There are so many ways to make money online now and we’ll have a look at a few of them. There are loads of options for people looking for part-time work or a side hustle, but there are also full-time jobs and careers to be found online. It all depends on what you are looking for.

Most of these options require little or no money to start up. All you will need is a reliable internet connection, and in most cases, a phone or laptop. Here are six great ways to make money online:

1. Freelance Online

The goal of a freelance website is to connect freelancers with clients from around the world. More and more businesses and small business owners are making use of freelancers. It’s a convenient way to make money from home because it offers far more flexibility than traditional jobs and offices do.

Is Freelancing Right For You?

Do you have a marketable skill? Some people can use the skills from their 9-5 job to freelance online. If you have a skill (which you almost certainly do), then you can use a freelancing website to connect with clients from all around the world. There are various freelance sites and some of them focus more specifically on certain skills.

How To Choose A Site

There are so many freelance sites these days and they have different niche markets. Some are very focused on specific markets, regions, and skills and some are far more general. Some sites focus more on high-quality professional skills like freelance writing, programming, marketing, and design. There are others like Fiverr which provide a platform for freelancers who just want a quick job that they can do in their spare time. These are usually the sorts of tasks that a virtual assistant might perform, like data entry, transcription, or general admin.

Upwork is a large site with an extensive database of clients and freelancers. They have a mixture of projects and jobs available. The variety of jobs is really impressive and it’s worth going to have a look if you’re interested. They range from writing and editing jobs like transcribing, proofreading, and search engine optimized writing; to market research, development and IT, and even engineering and legal jobs.

The Logistics

Most freelance sites take a cut of the pay, either from you or the client. In exchange, they connect you with clients and offer other services like vetting clients and sometimes guaranteeing pay. It’s important to know what services the site provides and be clear upfront about your and the client’s expectations of the project.

2. Start Your Own Online Business

Starting your own online business is a great idea. Unfortunately, it’s far less of a sure thing than most of the other ideas. Starting a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or even your own website can make you a lot of money, but they can take a long time to start generating an income and they often have significant start-up costs.

These types of businesses usually use affiliate marketing or other forms of website monetization like Google AdSense to generate income. That means that you need to establish a large following before you start making any money. That’s a lot of hours of hard work before you start earning anything.

If you want to be a blogger or have a famous YouTube channel, then you’ll probably need a side hustle to keep you afloat, pay the bills, and stop you from maxing out your credit card while you work at building it into a success. If you have blogging skills then you can use them to land other online jobs on a part-time basis and use the income to fund your own blog as it grows.

3. Stress-Free Ways To Make Money

Online survey sites like Swagbucks or Survey Junkie are excellent platforms to help you make extra money online. Swagbucks is a great site to check out. It’s very quick and convenient and you can easily squeeze the tasks into your daily life. They offer you cash back, rewards, and gift cards for things like completing surveys and watching videos online. You can even get paid to test products for consumers. There are also games and contests, and they have an active online community, which really helps to keep earning money light and fun.

They’re not just a survey site and also have some amazing ways to save money and offer a variety of online coupons. They pay out quickly and reliably. It’s all very convenient and worth having a look at.

4. Online Jobs For Extraverts

If being a transcriptionist or proofreader sounds mind-numbing and lonely to you, then there are some other online options that are a little more people-intensive.

Online tutoring and especially English tutoring are becoming more and more popular. Most sites will require you to have a bachelor’s degree and/or a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. Luckily there are online courses available and once you’re qualified the pay is quite good and the work is reliable. It’s a great side gig that can easily turn into a full-time job.

5. Rent Out A Room

If you have an extra room available our your house, you can rent it out using Airbnb or even social media. Renting out a room is a great way to make some extra cash and you’ll get to interact with people more often. You don’t need to be a real estate tycoon to rent out rooms. Just remember to check your lease to make sure you’re allowed to rent out a portion of your house.

This option could have some small start-up costs associated with it. You may need to spruce up the room a bit. A coat of paint and some new bedding can do wonders to make a room look new, fresh, and inviting. Doing some quick and stress-free jobs online is a great way to raise the money you need for a room makeover.

6. Invest

If you’re able to save some of the extra money that you’re earning from home, then you need to invest it well. Money that is wisely invested will start growing and over time it will provide a passive income for you. It can be hard to save, but keep doing it. Instead of heading for Amazon or eBay when you make some extra money, save it and invest it. Investing will quickly become one of your favorite ways to make money from home.

Be Patient

If you’re just starting to make money from home or only beginning to enter the world of at-home-jobs then you’ll need to be patient. There are some quick options that offer instant gratification and will see your Paypal account filling up as soon as you start, but they are scarce.

The majority of online jobs and freelancing businesses take time to build up. Most of these are, after all, businesses. You need to build a good reputation and develop your skills and confidence. You also need to know how to pitch your ideas and sell your product and skills.

As you become established, you will get more clients and jobs, and be able to charge higher rates. But while you wait for that to happen, there are some things you can do.

Upskill

As you take on work, you’ll notice that there are certain skills that are in higher demand and have higher pay than others. Keep track of which skills will take your online work to the next level. Up your skills with online courses and webinars. Platforms such as Udemy and eDX have some great courses (often for free) that you can use to improve your skills which will help you land more clients or run your business more efficiently.

Diversify

Take on a variety of work. Sites like Fiverr and Swagbucks or Shutterstock are great for making quick money without an established client base. Quick, low-stress options are a great way to keep making money while you build your business or supplement your income if you already have a nine-to-five.

Don’t Give Up

The world of online work can be tough to crack. Put your plans in place to keep earning an income and work on your skills. It can be patient-work, but giving up is the surest way to fail. Keep evaluating what you’re doing, ask other people for feedback, and keep trying. There’s a lot of work to be had and if you’re hard-working and reliable, then you should be able to make money from home in 2021.