10 Unique Side Hustles You Haven't Heard of in 2024

In today's world, sometimes having one regular job isn't going to cut it. With the cost of living booming worldwide, many people are on the lookout for side hustle ideas to make a little extra cash. If you're one of those people, you're in luck! Keep reading and learn about ten unique side hustles to help you make good money. Take up a side hustle opportunity or two in your spare time and earn passive income in your free time.

From freelance writing and grocery delivery apps to affiliate marketing, here's your guide to the best side hustle ideas in today's gig economy!

Almost every side hustle idea on this list requires no initial investment and can be done on your own schedule from the comfort of your house. Here's how to earn additional income.

The first side hustle is amongst the most popular in the digital world. Taking paid surveys to express your opinion is one of the easiest ways to make money online. Survey sites like Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, and InboxDollars are trusted ways to start your money-making side gig!

These online surveys cover various topics, from your spending habits to your favorite meals or opinions on a new video game. Everyone’s sure to find a topic that’s interesting to them.

Most survey sites pay $1 to $5 daily, depending on how many surveys you complete. This side hustle won't replace your day job, but who’ll say no to a little extra cash, right?

Do you know how to program or have any cooking skills? Are you good at knitting, math, or anything else? Make money online as you sell online courses. Look into websites such as Skillshare, Coursera, and Alison, sell courses, and start your passive income journey!

Before you watch your wallet grow, you'll need to categorize your knowledge, and create the actual online course. Then upload it to one of the online learning communities we've mentioned. When you're done, you can sit back and enjoy the passive income from your side gig.

The online course marketplace is available for a global audience in nearly all countries. It also allows you to make your own schedule, dedicating as much of your free time as you see fit. Earn some extra cash by sharing your knowledge with the world.

Another excellent side hustle idea is dog walking, dog boarding, or pet sitting! If you live in a house with a fenced backyard, offering pet-sitting services is a great option for you!

Put up flyers at local businesses, talk with your neighbors, and offer to walk dogs or look after their furry friends while the owners are away from home! The going hourly rate for pet-sitting services is $16.05 an hour. That's quite the extra income stream for playing with dogs in your spare time!

If you enjoy caring for other people’s pets, we suggest you look into platforms like Rover, where you can offer pet walking services like dog walking. Showcase yourself as a trusted pet sitter and set your own calendar and how much you want to get paid for an hour.

You've probably heard any side hustlers talk about affiliate marketing. And there's a good reason for that – this side hustle has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years because there's a high demand for innovative marketing strategies.

Affiliate marketers make money by promoting the products or services of a company online. Let's take Pinterest, one of the most popular social media platforms, as an example.

You upload a photo of a cool water bottle on your account and add an affiliate marketing link in the photo's description. When someone buys that water bottle using your link, you make money!

If you succeed, you can make enough money to transform this side gig into a day job. The average affiliate marketer in the USA makes $85,000 per year or $40.87 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $58,500 annually, while the most experienced can make up to $125,000 annually.

In a world where the internet is seeping into every aspect of our lives, opening a store doesn't equal renting storage space as rental properties, filling your spare room with inventory, and making money from selling physical products in store.

There are endless possibilities to start making money by selling digital products, such as eBooks, music, printable templates, coding fragments, apps, graphic design templates, and so much more! Let's take an eBook as an example.

You can start with an AI-generated outline and fill in the chapters yourself. Remember that AI can also help you proofread and edit your text to make it reader-friendly and improve clarity! Once you finish your book, you can start selling it online.

Listing your eBook on sites like Amazon is a fantastic option because you can design your cover and publish it online! The more books you sell, the more money you make, so there's no limit to how much money you can earn!

Freelance writing is another of the unique side hustles that offer an opportunity for extra cash to those with a passion for words. Unlike traditional part-time jobs, freelance writing allows individuals to leverage their writing skills and creativity to earn more money from the comfort of their own homes.

One of the most appealing aspects of freelance writing is the fact that it's super versatile. Writers can explore a wide range of topics, from technology and travel to health and finance, providing opportunities to pursue their areas of interest as a side business.

What you choose to write about is up to you – resumes, essays, social media descriptions, books, magazines, product descriptions, recipes, tutorials – the world’s your oyster!

How does your screen time look like? We bet you spend a little bit too much time on apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. How would you like to earn money from those hours of scrolling? 

Many big companies need someone who keeps up with the latest trends and knows how to publish a post on social media platforms. Why not try social media management in your spare time?

Look for businesses who are seeking social media management services and offer your help. An entry-level freelance social media manager in the USA can charge anywhere from $20-$50 per hour.

Take your chance to earn money from posting on social media platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, or LinkedIn! In the last few years, thousands have turned their passion for social media into a full-time business.

Another great side hustle idea is starting a YouTube channel. It's unsurprising to anyone that social media platforms like YouTube can be a great source of income and eventually become a full-blown online business!

All you need to start is an idea for a channel, a laptop, or a phone with a camera and access to a stable internet connection to upload your YouTube videos. Pick a topic, turn on your camera, and start making YouTube videos!

Since the YouTube monetization system was altered a while ago, even smaller channels can now monetize their content and turn this side hustle idea into reality. The average YouTuber in the U.S.A. earns around $.01 to $0.03 per view, which equals about $10-30 per 1,000 views.

Your boss or manager at work probably has an assistant or two helping them with everyday tasks. The assistant may even have their own assistant because everyone needs some help from time to time.

It turns out that being an assistant doesn’t mean you have to work at an office fetching someone a latte. Nowadays, you can become a virtual assistant!

How much can you make as a personal assistant? Your actual salary is up for debate, but on average, a virtual assistant can expect to cash out around $25 an hour. If you have skills and talents that are highly beneficial to your employer, you’ll earn much more!

Out of all the side hustle ideas on this list, washing cars is one of a few that doesn't require you to be glued to your laptop 24/7. If that sounds like something you're up to, all you need to start is a sunny day, a bucket, a mop, soap, and water. That's all!

Put up some flyers in your area, talk to your neighbors, or post about your car washing services online, and clean! Some customers will own all the cleaning supplies suitable for their car, so all you have to do is clean.

Suppose they don't – offer to buy the supplies yourself, as it won't be a significant investment. How much you earn depends on you, but we'd recommend starting with a lower rate and gradually increasing it after you get positive reviews through word of mouth!

Starting a side hustle and offering your services online can initially seem daunting. But if you're passionate about the gig economy and making some extra income in your spare time, you can always find your way to success.

To make the start of your extra income journey easier, here are some of our picks for the best side hustle online platforms to make some extra cash!

Facebook Marketplace has boomed in popularity because everyone has access to it. It's basically an online store where you can sell anything that you don't use anymore. While not an online business per se, it can help you make money in your spare time!

Look around your house, and pay special attention to that spare room filled with all the junk you last used months ago. Could someone else use it? Sell it! Many people have become side hustlers by selling their belongings or buying furniture, upcycling it, and selling it.

Upwork is a one-stop shop for side hustlers. You can find all types of side hustles here, from becoming a virtual assistant to dog walking, pet sitting, and helping out with digital marketing. If you're stuck on what to do, just head to Upwork and browse their catalog for unique side hustles that you could start.

List your services and wait for a few clients to reach out. As time passes and you get positive reviews, your hustle income will surely pick up! Extra income is just a few clicks away.

DoorDash is an app you've probably used to order food when you're having a relaxing day and don't feel like cooking. Did you know that you can use this app as a side hustle? If you use food delivery apps to deliver food instead of ordering it, you can get yourself a side hustle income.

As people get busier and busier for grocery shopping, food delivery is one of the unique side hustles that will keep growing in popularity. Pick up food from local businesses and make some money! You'd be surprised at how many people deliver food as a full-time job!

From starting your own blog doing digital marketing to starting your own business or being a personal chef, there are tons of side hustle ideas for you to supplement the income from your full-time job with some extra money.

Pick any side hustle ideas and stop depending on your full-time job today! While picking between the side hustle ideas on our list, why not start making money online right now? Be sure to check out Honeygain, the first-ever app that lets you make money from your phone!

After you download the app and set up your account, you can start sharing your unused internet connection and earn money! The data you share is helpful to scientists and researchers who use it for data-driven projects, and Honeygain rewards you for helping them out!