The digital economy created unprecedented opportunities for people to earn money from the comfort of their homes. As millions of people turn to popular sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Amazon Mechanical Turk, an increasing number of resourceful online money-makers are finding secret gems – lesser-known websites that provide valid earning opportunities with much less competition.
These “secret websites” are not necessarily secret, but below the radar of popular money-making conversations. They are goldmines waiting to be tapped, where early birds can set up shop before markets get saturated. Most of these sites pay more, have improved working conditions, and offer more exciting projects compared to their mainstream counterparts.
The glory of these underdog platforms is that they are specific and niche-based. Instead of competing with millions of people on generic freelancing platforms, you can become one of the pioneers in niche areas where supply tends to lag behind demand.
Why Look Beyond Popular Platforms?
Disadvantages of Websites to Make Money Online
1. Oversaturation – The most trending platforms have millions of freelancers, and thus, the competition is extreme.
2. Decreasing Wages – Clients demand lower wages because there are too many workers; a race to the bottom
3. Unrealistic expectations – Many clients demand unrealistically low prices, making it difficult for freelancers to make a living.
4. Scams & Fake Jobs – Larger sites have difficulty moderating, which leads to fake postings and non-paying customers.
5. Time Wasted – Many projects never turn into paid work, which can be frustrating and a waste of time.
Benefits Of Secret Websites to Make Money Online
1. Less Competition – Fewer users means you don’t have to underbid against thousands and thousands of other users!
2. Higher Earning Potential – Clients who appreciate niche work are also more willing to pay top dollar.
3. Better Quality Customers – Niche websites are always known to have serious buyers and leads.
4. Easier to Stand Out and Build Credibility – Smaller communities mean easier ways to stand out and build credibility.
5. Skill-Based Monetization – These platforms provide an opportunity to monetize specific skills that are undervalued on traditional platforms.
Top 12 Secret Websites to Make Money Online
1. UserTesting
UserTesting helps you make money by testing websites, apps, and online products and sharing your opinions. Businesses pay to learn how actual users use their websites, and you’re rewarded for leaving a running commentary on your actions. Tests typically entail filling out tasks, providing follow-up answers, and talking aloud during your experience. Payment is received through PayPal, with some tests paying up to $60 for more comprehensive studies, which is a convenient side job.
How it works: You receive testing assignments based on your demographics and interests, complete 15-20 minute sessions while speaking your thoughts aloud, and earn money depending on complexity and length.
Earning potential: $10-60 per test
Website: usertesting.com
Best for: People comfortable speaking aloud while navigating websites and apps, with reliable internet and basic tech skills.
2. Rev
Rev is a website providing transcription, captioning, and subtitling work that offers flexible online earnings opportunities. Freelancers can register to transcribe audio and video files into text or insert captions to media content. Pay is different per minute of audio/video, and you can select assignments depending on your ability and availability. It’s best for individuals who are good listeners and typists. It’s paid weekly through PayPal, and thus a good option for consistent side income.
How it works: Complete a skills assessment, choose from available audio/video files to transcribe or caption, submit completed work for quality review, and get paid weekly via PayPal.
Earning potential: $15-22 per audio hour
Website: rev.com
Best for: Fast typists with good listening skills who want completely flexible scheduling and steady work availability.
Suggested Read: How to Make Money in One Hour
3. Respondent.io
Respondent.io brings you into contact with businesses and researchers seeking participants for market research and focus groups. Unlike most survey sites, Respondent has much higher pay, usually between $20 to over $200 per study, depending on the background and expertise of the participant. Research can be through online interviews, usability testing, or product feedback sessions. Members are assigned projects depending on their profession and demographics. Payment is done through PayPal, so it’s an excellent option for professionals and students.
How it works: Create a detailed profile highlighting your professional experience and demographics, apply for relevant studies that match your background, participate in interviews or research sessions, and receive payment after completion.
Earning potential: $75-500+ per study
Website: respondent.io
Best for: Professionals with specific expertise, business decision-makers, and people with unique demographic characteristics that researchers value.
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4. SliceThePie
SliceThePie is a one-of-a-kind site where you can earn money writing reviews of music, fashion, accessories, commercials, and even mobile apps. Artists and companies want feedback prior to releasing something, and members are paid for posting brief, genuine reviews. The more thorough and helpful your reviews are, the more your ratings and income increase. While individual payments are modest (cents per review), the cumulative effect over time will add up. Payments are made through PayPal when you’ve met the minimum withdrawal threshold, so it’s a great side hustle.
How it works: Listen to music snippets, view fashion items, or watch advertisements, write thoughtful reviews explaining your opinions and reasoning, and earn money based on review quality and quantity.
Earning potential: $0.05-0.20 per review, with bonuses for high-quality reviewers and consistent activity.
How it works: Listen to music snippets, view fashion items, or watch advertisements, write thoughtful reviews explaining your opinions and reasoning, and earn money based on review quality and quantity.
Earning potential: $0.05-0.20 per review
Website: slicethepie.com
Best for: People with opinions about music, fashion, or advertising who enjoy expressing their thoughts in writing.
5. Prolific
Prolific is dedicated to academic research surveys, paying participants decent rates and interesting work relative to the more popular survey sites. University and institution researchers post studies, and participants are matched by demographics. Unlike standard surveys, Prolific work is formally organized, clear in its time and money terms, and usually pays out between $6–$10 an hour. PayPal payments are used, and a reputation for legitimacy and respect for people’s time has been established, meaning it is favorite among survey fanatics.
How it works: Complete an initial screening questionnaire, receive notifications when studies match your profile, participate in research studies ranging from psychology experiments to market research, and get paid promptly after completion.
Earning potential: $8-15 per hour
Website: prolific.co
Best for: People interested in contributing to academic research while earning above-average survey compensation.
Also Read: Apps to Earn Money by Watching Ads
6. Niche.com
Niche.com compensates users for posting reviews of schools, colleges, employers, and neighborhoods. Your feedback assists other students, parents, and professionals in making an informed decision, while the platform gets real community-based feedback. Although Niche is mostly concerned with gathering real reviews, users can be offered some small incentives or sweepstakes entries for sharing their views. It’s not a serious income stream but provides a potential for residents and students to exchange experiences while contributing to a developing information center. Perfect for those who have fun writing reviews.
How it works: Share your genuine experiences about places you’ve lived, worked, or studied, write comprehensive reviews covering various aspects of your experience, and earn money when your reviews are published and deemed helpful.
Earning potential: $5-25 per review
Website: niche.com
Best for: People with firsthand experience of schools, neighborhoods, or workplaces who can write detailed, honest reviews.
7. Field Agent
Field Agent allows you to get paid for doing little things, typically involving retail and product placement. Some of the tasks involve inspecting product displays, barcoding products, validating prices, or mystery shopping. Everything is categorized on the app, and users can pick according to location and availability. Pay for each task differs but typically is a few dollars to $20. Payment is routed straight to your PayPal or bank. It’s a convenient side job for individuals who like to do micro-tasks on the move.
How it works: Download the mobile app, browse available tasks in your area, complete simple assignments like checking product availability or taking photos of store displays, and submit your work for approval and payment.
Earning potential: $3-20 per task
Website: fieldagent.net
Best for: People who frequently visit retail locations and don’t mind adding quick tasks to their shopping trips.
8. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a freelance platform that specializes in local jobs and odd tasks. From furniture assembly and moving assistance to house cleaning and delivery services, users can post what they are good at and find local clients. It is perfect for those who like offline, on-site work instead of virtual online work. Payment rates are determined by the tasker and are highly variable based on the service. TaskRabbit offers flexibility, direct client communication, and payment security, making it a “secret” online alternative to open freelance platforms.
How it works: Create a profile highlighting your skills and services, set your hourly rates for different types of work, respond to task requests in your area, and complete jobs ranging from furniture assembly to home repairs.
Earning potential: $25-75+ per hour
Website: taskrabbit.com
Best for: Handy individuals comfortable with physical tasks and local service provision.
9. WeLocalize
WeLocalize is an international platform that provides paid work in translation, localization, and language services. Freelancers can undertake projects from website translations and multilingual marketing to training datasets for AI. The platform covers more than 250 languages, making it perfect for bilingual or multilingual speakers. Pay varies with project complexity and turnaround. With steady demand for language services, WeLocalize is a gem hidden away for earning a steady income with specialized skills while remotely working from any part of the globe.
How it works: Apply with relevant language qualifications and experience, complete skill assessments for your language pairs, accept project assignments based on your availability, and deliver high-quality translations on deadline.
Earning potential: $15-40+ per hour
Website: welocalize.com
Best for: Bilingual or multilingual individuals with strong writing skills and cultural knowledge of target markets.
10. JustAnswer
JustAnswer provides professionals and experts the opportunity to earn money by responding to questions from users who seek advice. Subjects vary from legal, medical, and finance to technical support, mechanics, and pet care. Experts create their own schedules and answer questions online and get paid a portion of the user’s payment per answer. It’s most ideal for specialists with verified credentials or professional qualifications. It pays on a monthly basis through PayPal, so it’s a lucrative side gig for experts who prefer to earn from their expertise.
How it works: Apply as an expert in your field with relevant credentials, pass verification and testing processes, answer user questions with detailed, helpful responses, and earn money based on customer satisfaction and question complexity.
Earning potential: $5-50+ per answer
Website: justanswer.com
Best for: Licensed professionals or individuals with deep expertise in specific fields who enjoy helping others solve problems.
11. ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange)
ACX, operated by Amazon, brings authors and publishers together with narrators to produce audiobooks. If you’re voice- and story-talented, you can audition for audiobook narration work. Payments can be designed as per-finished-hour pay or royalty-sharing contracts. Narrators can work from home and require minimum recording equipment to start. With the surging audiobook demand, ACX is a consistent chance for voice over artists and beginners to gain portfolios and earn money while discovering innovative narration opportunities.
How it works: Create a narrator profile with voice samples demonstrating your range and quality, audition for available audiobook projects, negotiate payment terms with rights holders, and produce completed audiobooks for publication on Audible.
Earning potential: $200-5000+ per finished hour
Website: acx.com
Best for: Individuals with quality voice recording equipment and narration skills who enjoy reading and storytelling.
12. Neighbor.com
Neighbor.com is a peer-to-peer storage marketplace allowing you to rent out extra space in your home, garage, or property. Rather than pay high prices to rent from traditional storage facilities, individuals use Neighbor to discover cheaper options, while hosts generate passive income. You can post basements, parking lots, attics, or even closets. Pay is location- and demand-dependent, but most hosts generate hundreds per month. Neighbor also offers insurance coverage, so it is a risk-free and convenient method to earn money from vacant space.
How it works: List available storage space with photos and descriptions, set competitive pricing based on local market rates, screen potential renters through the platform’s verification process, and earn monthly passive income from space rental.
Earning potential: $50-500+ per month
Website: neighbor.com
Best for: Property owners with secure, unused space who want to generate passive income without active time investment.
Conclusion
These secret websites to make money online serve as potent alternatives to conventional money-making platforms, providing opportunities for those willing to look beyond the surface. The combination of reduced competition, niche specialisation, and often higher payouts makes these platforms especially lucrative for anyone taking their online income seriously.
The key to success is to experiment and explore the platforms that align best with your skills, time commitment, and income aspirations. Some people can enjoy active things like user testing and transcription, while others can enjoy passive income like storage rental or digital product sales. The great thing about having different options is that you can try out all sorts of things and concentrate your efforts on the most profitable ones.
Solving the puzzle of sustainable online income takes patience, consistency, and strategic thinking. These secret websites form the basis, but you have to approach online earning as a serious business venture and not as a get-rich-quick scheme. Begin with a single or two platforms relevant to your existing skill set and expertise, establish your credibility and authority, and then slowly branch out to more platforms as you gain experience in online earning.
FAQs
Do I need special skills or qualifications to make money online?
Most of these platforms are beginner-friendly and offer training or guidelines to help you succeed. Some, such as JustAnswer or WeLocalize, need specific knowledge or qualifications, whereas others, such as UserTesting or SliceThePie, only need basic communication skills and attention to detail. Start with platforms aligned to your current skills and build new skills as you gain experience and identify higher-paying opportunities.
How much money can I make from these websites?
The income you can earn from this varies widely depending on the platform, your talent, the time you put in, and your consistency. Some make $50-200 per month from casual side income, others establish large businesses that make $2000-5000+ per month by combining multiple platforms, developing market expertise, and building a high-quality brand. The key is to have realistic expectations and approach this as a process to build income over time, and not anticipate that you will be getting high income right away.
How can I tell the scams from the new money-making websites I want to look into?
Legitimate sites never charge you before you’re accepted and ready to complete tax documentation, promise unrealistic returns, or ask for sensitive information such as Social Security numbers. Do your research, read reviews, ensure you have the right contact information and customer support, and make small investments in time before making any significant commitment to a new platform. If something sounds too good to be true, it is likely.
Should I choose one platform or try a few websites at the same time?
The best income earners online usually have a diversified income stream, using 3-5 platforms that work well together. This way, you are not likely to lose income if a single platform changes its policies or limits available work. It is a good idea to begin with just one platform to get used to it and gain confidence before you start adding more platforms as you develop systems and routines. Note that building up reputation and expertise takes effort, and you can’t spread yourself too thinly across too many platforms.