Do you want to earn extra money but don’t know where to start? Are you looking for ways to start a side hustle? There is plenty of advice out there for side gigs, but not all of them work. So, how do you actually make more money? We have listed a few ways in which you could earn Rs. 500 per day. These are some doable side hustles you can try to earn extra money. Whether you’re a student, a corporate employee, a housewife, or even any regular Joe, you can use these side gigs to your benefit. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details of how to get the bag!
15+ Side Hustles and Online Gigs To Earn Extra Money
The cost of living is going up. But the paychecks aren’t getting any bigger. Because of this, many are picking side gigs to earn something extra. From freelancing to selling pictures, people are doing everything they can for some side income. Here are some side hustles you can do to earn 500 (or more) per day.
| No. | Side Hustles | Time Investment | Income Potential |
| 1 | Affiliate Marketing | Around 3 – 4 hours a day | Rs. 10K – Rs. 30K/month |
| 2 | T-Shirt business | Minimum 8 – 10 hours a week | Daily profit of Rs. 3500 (if you sell a certain number of t-shirts) |
| 3 | Dropshipping | Minimum 10 – 12 hours a week | Rs. 45k – Rs. 90K/month |
| 4 | Thrift & Flip | Minimum 20 hours a week | Up to Rs. 10K/ day (estimated) |
| 5 | Freelancers | Minimum 20 hours a week | Minimum Rs. 30K/month |
| 6 | Renting | Minimum 1 – 2 hours a month | Rs. 10K – Rs. 25K/month (average) |
| 7 | Sell Digital Products | Minimum 15 hours a week | Minimum Rs. 30K/month (estimated) |
| 8 | Offer services on UC | Minimum 8 hours a week. | Rs. 29K – Rs. 36K/ month |
| 9 | Social media management | Minimum 20 hours a week | Rs. 20K – Rs. 40K/month (average) |
| 10 | Join delivery services | Minimum 14 hours a week. | Rs. 16K – Rs. 20K/month |
| 11 | YouTube channel | Minimum 20 hours a week | Rs. 20K – Rs. 33K/month |
| 12 | Micro Influencer | Minimum 20 hours a week | Minimum Rs. 5K/post |
| 13 | Tutor | Minimum 8 hours a week | Rs. 15K – Rs. 75K/month |
| 14 | Modeling | Minimum 20 hours a month | Rs. 20K – Rs. 55K/month |
| 15 | Book Reviews | Minimum 30 hours a month | Minimum Rs. 2000/review |
| 16 | Virtual assistant | Minimum 20 hours a week | Up to Rs. 55K/ month (estimated) |
| 17 | App tester | Minimum 8 hours a month | Up to Rs. 3 lakhs per year |
| 18 | Sell your voice | Minimum 8-12 hours a month | Up to Rs. 1.4 lakhs a year (Estimated) |
| 19 | Referral Programs | Minimum 8 hours a week | Up to Rs. 10K/ month |
1. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate Marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money in India. You just join an affiliate platform, create your unique affiliate links, share them with people/audience, and earn money anytime someone buys through the link. All you need to do is promote the links/products to your audience. But you need to remember that you can only make money if someone makes a purchase through the affiliate link. If you’re thinking about starting affiliate marketing, here are the steps you can take:
- Choose a niche you are passionate about that has a significant audience base.
- Then start creating content to build a loyal audience through social media or a website.
- Once you have built an audience, join relevant affiliate programs in your niche.
- Share the content related to the products you want to promote and share the affiliate links.
- Any time someone purchases through your link, you earn money.
| TIP: If you want to save time, you can join GrabCash. You can find a variety of product links from many popular brands that you can promote. And you can track all your links on the dashboard. When the purchase is approved by the brand, earnings are credited to your wallet. You can withdraw your earnings whenever you want. Join for free and start earning with GrabCash. |
2. Print and sell t-shirts (or things)
This is the easiest thing to do if you want to earn some cash by selling something. If you have a creative bent of mind, you can come up with quirky shirt ideas and bring them to life. Read to know how you can do it.
- Come up with 5 – 10 t-shirt ideas. It can be your own, or you can take inspiration from Pinterest.
- Find a printer near you and get some samples printed to know more about the quality.
- Once you have the products in hand, you can post them on Instagram or Etsy. If things go well, you can create a link on DM2Buy, which is perfect for small businesses.
| TIP: You can use Canva to create new shirt designs if designing is holding you back. If you do not want to ship your items, some printers can print and ship your products for you, like Qikink and Printrove. |
3. Dropshipping
You must have heard this term a lot when you look for side-hustles. But it is hard to turn around a dropshipping business. In dropshipping, you do not need an inventory, nor do you have to ship your products. You just create a website with your products and market it. Anytime someone places an order, the supplier will ship the product to the buyer. You don’t need to be worried about inventory, shipping, or even customer service. Here are some of the popular dropshipping suppliers in India you can check out.
- IndiaMART
- Baapstore
- Printrove
- SaleHoo
- vFulfill
| TIP: It is always smart to back up your backup, so have multiple suppliers. In case an item is not in stock with one supplier, you can ship it from the other one. Plus, if one supplier decides to raise prices, you can always have a backup and walk out of the deal, without putting your online store in jeopardy. |
4. Thrift and flip
Someone creative and street-smart can pull this off. If you are into fashion and know what looks good, this is an opportunity for you. You can just walk into your local street market, hunt for unique pieces, or look at things that have potential and get them for cheap, and you can flip them. Say, for example, you see an old curtain that is in a Versace print, you could sew it into a dress! That’s how thrift-and-flip works. Some additional things you can do
- Create an audience on Instagram before you start selling the stuff. First, start posting about how you thrift and flip it, then start selling it just like Tracy Garcia.
- You can also sell your stuff on Etsy. If the finds are unique and you have created something really whimsical, you can add it to your Etsy store.
- Not just dresses, you can flip anything from furniture, cups, to vases. People love getting rare pieces, and if you have created something truly one-of-a-kind, they will get it.
| TIP: Find your local thrift stores and look for items that are priced too low. Pick them up and list them on Etsy, eBay, or Poshmark. Don’t limit yourself to apparel; look for items like vintage pieces or books. There are opportunities everywhere; you just need to have an eye for them. |
5. Freelance and whatnot
If you want to earn money without selling physical products, then you need to learn a skill. It can be writing, designing, coding, translating, or anything else. You can join platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer to get gigs in your domain.
- During your early days on the platform, take good-quality projects even if they don’t pay that much.
- Build your portfolio by working with reputable brands and clients.
- Set up an account for your freelance income, so you can keep track of how much you are making.
| TIP: Sometimes freelancing platforms are crowded, so you can reach out to clients directly through LinkedIn as well. Cold texting can work if you provide value and connect well. |
6. Rent your place or things to people
Renting your place is the best way to get a side income. The money keeps coming in every month. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to rent your place full-time, you can do so for a few hours. There are platforms like Airbnb that let you rent your place for a few days, or platforms like Peerspace that let you rent your place for a few hours for meetings or photoshoots.
In case you do not want to rent your place, you can rent out your things, like a car, to others. This will give you some extra cash when you need it. There are platforms where you can also rent out your clothes. If you have some designer pieces lying around that you don’t wear, then you can rent them on platforms like Rent An Attire.
| TIP: Here are some platforms where you can rent your things. For renting your room or place, try out platforms like 99acres, Magic Bricks, OLX, FindMyRoom, Roomies, etc. For renting your car, you can try ZoomCar, Uber, Turo, Ola, etc. For clothes, you can use platforms like Rent An Attire, Rent My Wardrobe, The Stylease, etc. |
7. Sell pictures or digital products
This is the age of digital products. Every other person is selling an e-book or a course. While this market is saturated, you can jump on the bandwagon and give this a try yourself. Here are some things you could do.
- Sell your photos on platforms like Adobe Stock, Shutterstick, iStock, Getty Images, and more.
- You could create an online course on any skill you have: photography, writing, coding, designing, etc, and sell them on Udemy, Skillshare, Teachable, etc.
- Write an e-book on a niche topic and provide value to the readers. You can sell it on Kindle and earn money whenever someone buys your book. You could also write stories and sell them on Medium, Wattpad, or even Substack.
8. Offer services
This may seem vague, but hear us out. There are plenty of services you can offer as a beautician, electrician, or plumber. You can take a course or acquire the skill and list yourself on platforms like Urban Company. You get to choose how much you work and when you work. If you want, it can be your primary source of income, or it can be a supplementary income. However, Urban Company does take a commission from workers, so factor that in while pricing your services.
| TIP: If you do not have skills as a beautician or electrician, you can try something else, like cleaning or cooking. You can offer your services for a couple of hours and clean kitchens, rooms, or cook for clients. |
9. Social media management
If you are good at spotting trends and getting things viral, then this must be right up your alley. You can take a social media management course on Coursera or Udemy. Or you can learn the trade by offering your services pro bono to local brands. This may help you test the waters and learn more. There are many social media marketers you can follow, like Mari Smith and Ann Handley.
| TIP: You can target small local businesses that have no online presence and offer your marketing services to them. This is a great way to start and build a portfolio and put local brands on the map. |
10. Join delivery services
Anyone who has driving skills can join delivery apps or ride-booking apps. You can become a Zomato delivery assistant or a Rapido Captain. The best thing about these apps is that you can join as a full-time or part-time employee. You can have a full-time job and still make extra money by driving around people after work. Here are some apps you can use:
- Rapido
- Uber
- Ola
- Blinkit
- Zomato
- Swiggy
| TIP: Before joining the platform, make sure your vehicle is in proper condition and you have all the necessary documents. Also, try to work during peak hours to make the most of it. |
11. Start a YouTube channel
While starting a YouTube channel will not get you the benefits straight away, you can reap the benefits later. You can start making videos with your phone camera. You don’t need fancy equipment to start shooting. There are free tools you can use to edit your videos as well, like iMovie.
- Pick a niche you are passionate about. (but make sure it is not over-saturated).
- Come up with ideas and start shooting content.
- Be patient while your channel grows.
- Once you have enough subscribers and views, you can monetize your channel.
Please note, you need at least 1000 subscribers or 4000 public watch hours in the past 12 hours to monetize your YouTube channel. You can earn anywhere between Rs. 150 – Rs. 400 per 1000 views.
| TIP: Try to create unique and valuable content rather than lazy, repetitive content using AI. YouTube has changed its monetization regulations. While YouTube has not banned AI content, it has taken a crack at the inauthentic uploads of mass-generated content. |
12. Become a micro influencer
This market is saturated. But scrolling and binge-watching are how we consume content, so there is still a chance you can make it as an influencer. You can start by picking a niche like fashion, fitness, reading, theories, finance, or anything. Start an account on things that interest you and share genuine content. The moment people start relating to you, your views will soar and your followers will increase. You can partner with brands you like and earn from partnerships.
| TIP: You can find brands on platforms like Collabstr, Aspire IQ, IZEA, and more. Make a list of the brands you would like to collaborate with and reach out to them. Send them a portfolio of your best work and ask them whether they want to work with you. |
13. Teach and tutor
In the words of the notorious Joker, “If you are good at something, do not do it for free.” That means if you are good at something, start teaching people that. And charge money for it. Are you good at dancing? Start giving dance lessons. Do you like journaling? Teach people how to do it. Know how to cook something unique? Give cooking lessons! Monetize your skills. You can teach all this stuff offline. But if you have skills like good spoken English, a Biology major, or a Marketing guru, then you can sell courses on Udemy, Preply, Skoll, or more. You can also find freelance tutoring gigs on Fiverr and Upwork.
14. Modeling and more
This option is for good-looking people who aren’t shy to be in front of the camera. The industry may not be as friendly. But if you have the “it” factor, then you are going to be making a lot of money. Try to partner with upcoming photographers on Instagram and make a portfolio. This will also build your confidence. Once you have built an impressive portfolio, you can start earning by representing various brands. You can handpick the gigs you want. Invest in it when you have the time and make money on the side.
| HACK: If you are not confident in front of the camera, you can also become a hand model and model for jewelry and skincare brands. This is a rare niche, but if you do the research and find the right contacts, you can make it. |
15. Get paid for reading and reviewing books
Anyone who loves reading can make money out of it. This is a side hustle that will bring you a decent amount of money. If you can devour books and are genuinely interested in writing book reviews, there are plenty of sites where you can do so.
- Online Book Club can help you make around $5-$60 per review.
- Reedsy is another platform you can join and review books that aren’t published yet.
- Kirkus is mostly targeted towards indie books.
| TIP: You can also get paid to read books aloud. There are platforms like Audio Creative Exchange (ACX) and Spoken Realms where you can earn money by reading books out loud, for audiobooks. |
16. Virtual assistant
If you are into remote work opportunities, then a Virtual assistant is as easy as it can get. You can become a virtual assistant with no prior experience. Pick up a few skills and try to hone your communication. Look for opportunities on platforms like Upwork and LinkedIn. Reach out to small business owners, asking if they need help. Before you start looking for jobs, you can take VA training or get free materials from Facebook freelancing groups.
| TIP: Post your queries on subreddits like r/VirtualAssistant, r/OnlineJobs, and r/forhire to get more visibility. |
17. Become a tester
There are website/app testing companies that let you work from anywhere. You can just download the app or visit the website. Try it out and leave a short and honest review. The more apps you test, the more you earn. You can earn anywhere between $5 – $30 for a review. Payment can also increase with time as your experience increases. Here are some websites you can join as a tester:
- Test IO
- TesterWork
- UserTesting
- Lambda Test
Interested in an easy side hustle? Then you can make money by becoming a tester. Try out new websites and apps, and get paid for it.
18. Sell your voice to AI
Here is something that not many people know. You can sell your voice for use in AI applications. There are websites like Eleven Labs and Kits Earn that use your voice in various ways. You can create a professional voice clone and share it in the voice library. Any time someone uses your voice, you get rewards. Here are some websites that may be helpful to you.
- Eleven Labs
- Kits.ai
- Murf AI
- Voice-Swap
- LOVO AI Voice marketplace
19. Join referral programs
Almost every brand has referral programs. You can share the app or website with your friend, and any time they make a purchase, you get a commission. Here is a tip: whenever you are shopping from a brand, scroll down below, and see if they have a referral program. If they do, you can recommend the brand to your friends and get extra cash or a discount for it. This can’t turn into a main hustle, but it is a decent way to get offers and rewards. In case you want to make it big, you can always join GrabCash and earn more.
20. Start a cloud kitchen
If you’re someone who can work some serious magic in the kitchen, a cloud kitchen just might be in the cards for you! As long as you have access to a functional kitchen, you can get started by obtaining an FSSAI licence that costs just ₹100. You can start with a simple menu that repurposes ingredients, then gradually expand as business picks up. To get a steady inflow of customers, you can also partner with food delivery apps or even advertise your own through social media. Here are some apps you can consider.
- Swiggy
- Zomato
- EatSure
- EatClub
Wrapping it up
Earning 500 a day is easy if you know what you are doing. You need to pick a side hustle that interests you, so you actually invest time in it. You can become a freelance writer, an app tester, or a gamer! There are plenty of options that will suit your skill set and passion. Pick a side hustle, invest your time in it, upskill if you have to, and start earning!
FAQs
How to make 500 in one day?
To make 500 in a day, you need to focus on high-value online work like freelance writing, selling digital products (such as e-books, templates, or courses), or affiliate marketing. You can also try out high-skilled gigs like web design or app development. Even local options like ridesharing can help you reach this target, especially during peak hours.
What side hustles can I do from home?
For home-based side hustles, you can consider roles like virtual assistant, freelance writer, designer, or other remote gigs such as social media management, online tutoring, or transcription. You can also sell handmade goods, do dropshipping, or offer digital products and services.
How can I earn from home as a student?
Students can earn from home by app and website testing, freelancing in areas like writing or design, becoming an influencer or content creator, or tutoring online using their academic strengths. Other flexible gigs include content writing and paid surveys, making it easy to fit around a student’s schedule.
What side gigs pay the most?
The top-paying side gigs generally include affiliate marketing, influencer marketing, and book reviewing, especially for established creators or experts. Specialized freelance writing, design, web development, and consulting also offer strong earning potential due to their demand and the expertise required.
