The Best Websites to Make Money Online
The platforms with the deepest track record of real earnings, from freelance marketplaces to course and product sites where a single upload can sell for years.
The Best Websites to Make Money Online: Quick Answer
The short answer: 9 ways on this site fit "Money-making websites", spread across 3 categories. YouTube, Upwork, and Teachable rank highest for earning potential here.
9 ways, by category
Sell a skill you already have, from writing to code to design, to clients who post jobs or buy fixed-price gigs. The ceiling is high, but winning your first contract takes real proposals, not just a profile.
The largest general freelance marketplace, covering writing, design, development, admin, and more. Winning your first contract usually takes real proposals, not just a profile.
List fixed-price "gigs" for a skill you already have, from logo design to voiceover work. Buyers come to you instead of you pitching them.
Build an audience on video, streaming, or newsletters and get paid through ads, memberships, or sponsorships. Highest ceiling on this whole list, but it takes months of consistent output before it pays anything.
Ad revenue, channel memberships, and sponsorships once you clear the Partner Program thresholds. You'll need to learn filming, scripting, and editing (or pay someone who can), and most channels earn nothing for months before the ceiling gets huge.
A paid email newsletter platform with a built-in subscription and payment system. Works only if you're already a strong, consistent writer with something specific to say, not a way to learn writing from scratch.
Package what you know into a template, ebook, or course and sell it over and over with no shipping and no inventory. Needs real work up front to create, then scales without much added effort per sale.
Build and sell your own online course under your own brand, with more control over pricing and student data than a marketplace platform gives you.
Sell ebooks, templates, presets, or a small course directly, with a simple checkout and no marketplace fees eating into every sale beyond their flat cut.
Self-publish ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks to the biggest bookstore on earth, keeping most of the royalty. Writing and editing a book that actually sells is the hard part, but there's no inventory and it pays out monthly for years.
Printables, planners, and templates sell well here because buyers are already searching Etsy with intent to buy, unlike a brand-new storefront with no traffic.
A course marketplace with built-in traffic and frequent sales, in exchange for lower revenue share and less control over your price than selling direct.
Frequently asked questions
Are these legit ways to make money?
Yes, every one of the 9 ways here is a real platform people genuinely earn on, hand-picked and reviewed by hand.
What's the best one to start with?
YouTube has the highest earning potential here, 90/100. Ad revenue, channel memberships, and sponsorships once you clear the Partner Program thresholds. You'll need to learn filming, scripting, and editing (or pay someone who can), and most channels earn nothing for months before the ceiling gets huge.