18 Min. Read

15 Best Passive Income Ideas To Make Money

November 11, 2024

Imagine a way you could make money in your sleep! Well, millionaires (and billionaires) have cracked the code.

Whether you’re trying to save up money for something special or attempting to build an empire, passive income is something that could help you achieve that goal.

The average millionaire is estimated to have seven streams of income. That doesn’t mean seven jobs. Most millionaires have figured out additional streams of income other than their mainstream.

In this article, we’re going to walk you through the fundamentals of passive income. Then we’ll go into the best passive income ideas for 2025 to supplement your small business income.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What Does Passive Income Mean? Does It Exist?

Myths About Passive Income

Passive Income vs Active Income Examples

Key Takeaways

What Does Passive Income Mean? Does It Exist?

The basic principle of passive income is that you are not trading your time for money.

Just like active income, passive income is usually taxable. But it is often treated differently by the IRS. Portfolio income is also considered to be passive by some analysts. So dividends and interest would be considered passive too.

It’s best to think of passive income opportunities on a spectrum. Few things are purely passive.

A new term is “semi-passive income”. This is for the slightly more labor-intensive passive income streams. For example, writing a book. The book continues to sell after you’ve written it. So that part is passive. But the months or even years of writing it does not feel passive.

The list below has a mix of pure passive and semi-passive income streams.

Myths About Passive Income

The greatest myth about passive income streams is that it requires no work at all.

All income requires work on some level. Except maybe inheritance but that required the work of someone in your generational line. It didn’t arise out of thin air. Neither does passive income.

There’s usually a level of upfront effort in order to earn money. That could be investigating the best dividend-paying business to invest in. Or lesson planning a course you can sell online. Once you have done the upfront work, the product will hopefully continue to sell with very little input from you.

The second myth to debunk is that passive income is just a financial buzzword you see on Instagram. Passive income is a very real possibility for everyone. It just takes a bit of creativity to see what you can offer. But passive income is a real thing. You can make some serious money if you put your mind to it, so do try it for yourself.
The third myth is that passive income is a fast way to make money. Very few passive income ideas generate money instantly. Some of the passive income streams below are faster than others. For example, stock photography has a pretty fast turnaround. You might receive a paycheck in your first month. Building a blog or YouTube channel is much more work. It could take months or even years for the passive income to start flowing. Be prepared for a delay when you first start a passive income project.

Passive Income vs Active Income Examples

An example of active income would be being a journalist. You get paid in return for your labor. You have to keep producing articles to keep earning money.

Passive income would be writing a book. Yes, you labor at the beginning to create the book. But then the book can keep on selling with minimal input from you.

Other examples include:

Being a software developer vs creating an app that generates income

Knitting sweaters vs selling an ebook on sweater making

Here are a few passive income strategies to help you build up your personal wealth.

1. Earn Points from Online Purchases

When you use Swagbucks, you earn points for shopping you’re already doing online from places like Amazon, Walmart and Starbucks. Plus, earn extra points for watching videos about a variety of topics, browsing the web and answering surveys. You can then redeem those points for gift cards to your favorite stores or get cash back via PayPal.

Just like Swagbucks, with InstaDollar you can earn residual income for doing stuff online that you already do. Though you also get paid for doing a wider variety of tasks that you do with Swagbucks like checking email and playing games. Overall, the concept and reward structures are nearly identical. With InboxDollars, you do get a $5 sign-up bonus, but you won’t be able to collect it until you build up to $30 worth of rewards.

Pros:

Almost a completely passive income source. All you need to do is install an extension to start earning
Multiple ways to increase your points

Cons:

Takes a few months to build up enough points to cash in
Web browsing tasks and video watching can be dull

2. Make Your Car Work for You

Another daily activity you can turn into passive income is driving.

If you’re already driving around to run errands, why not pick up a passenger or two? Driving your car with Uber will help you make money by driving people to their assigned destination.

You can also place advertisements on your car to earn money while you’re driving around. Yes, companies will pay good money to have you unconsciously peddle their product for them on the road. Your car is better than a billboard!

If you can even make money when your car is not being used while you’re on vacation, traveling or just during a typical workday. With an app like Getaround, you can make thousands of dollars by renting out your car while you’re not using it.

Plus, Getaround car owners get:

The best parking spots in town
A $50 monthly credit to rent whatever vehicle they like
$1 million in primary insurance coverage.

Another side to this is parking. On websites like SpotHero, you can rent out your parking space. This is hugely sought after in large cities like New York, Atlanta and San Francisco. Wherever you are in the country, you’ll find someone who will delight in renting your parking spot while you’re on holiday.

Pros:

Making use of an asset you already own
Flexible and easy to run

Cons:

You have the risk of others abusing your car

3. Get a High-Yield Savings Account

You probably dismissed this hack when you first saw it. We don’t blame you. Traditional banks have historically low interest rates. But online banks are making a difference. They have started to offer enticing interest rates that can help earn money on your savings.

With CIT Bank, you can get a 1.55% return on your savings. It is not money you are going to get rich from but it is free money. And since there are no monthly fees, that’s a double win from CIT Bank.

An alternative option is Discover. Like CIT Bank, Discover offers competitive rates on their savings accounts. The big perk with Discover is that there is no minimum opening balance.

Pros:

Completely passive
Easy to set up

Cons:

Interest rates are extremely low

4. Rent out a Room in Your House

If you have a spare bedroom, you can rent out your room through Airbnb. It is totally up to you when the room is available, what the daily rate is and you make the rules for your guests.

A great way to make money while you’re on vacation or out of town is renting out your whole place on Airbnb. Rental income is reliable and trustworthy.

Eventually, some opt to invest in rental properties but this has a higher barrier to entry. Not everyone can buy an investment property just to rent out.

It might feel weird leaving your space in the hands of strangers. But luckily Airbnb has up to one million dollars of insurance in case something goes wrong. There’s also a rating system, so you can review the renter’s reputation before letting them rent your place.

Pros:

Makes use of spare square footage
You can make a lot of money this way

Cons:

There are regulations to follow, so it’s not the easiest to set up
You run the risk of guests abusing your home or hospitality

5. Invest in Crowdfunded Real Estate

With just $500 you can start real estate investing via a Starter Portfolio from Fundrise. You will get to take advantage of a REIT (real estate investment trust) with more flexibility and potentially high returns. Performance reports indicate that you will get returns of 12.25% on your initial investment.

Another crowdfunding real estate platform to consider is RealtyShare. It is similar to Fundrise but the minimum investment is $5,000. With this platform, there is more control. You are allowed to choose what properties you want to invest in, instead of relying on the performance of the entire portfolio.

If you choose either of these options, keep in mind that since they are private funds and not public stocks. You won’t be able to easily liquidate your investment and access your cash right away. Your investments could be tied up from anywhere from six months to five years. However, you’ll most likely still receive monthly or quarterly payments. It depends on which investment opportunity you select.

Pros:

Proven wealth building strategy
Creates wealth for your future

Cons:

You can’t, or shouldn’t, withdraw funds short term. It takes a long time for investments to bear fruit.
Requires a lump sum of money to start
Requires some education on investing to make the right decisions

6. Invest in Dividend Paying Stocks

Stock investments that pay quarterly dividends is the oldest and one of the best ways to generate passive income.

Let’s say you buy shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock. When you buy stocks the price is likely to rise over time, you will get paid for each share of stock you own. Over the past seven years, Colgate-Palmolive has paid between $0.34 and $0.68 each quarter for every single share owned by stockholders.

If you’re trying to develop a long-term investment strategy, you might want to reinvest those dividends. If you’re strictly looking for passive income, you do well to cash those dividends.

If you’re new to investing, Ally Invest has free courses to help you have a better understanding. If you would like the guidance of financial advisors, you just need an initial investment of at least $2,5000. You can then get professional help for as low as $0.62 per month.

Pros:

Proven wealth building strategy
Ensures you’ll create wealth for the future
Pays out dividend income so you don’t have to wait to sell your investment to make extra money

Cons:

You need a lump sum of money to start investing
May need support from financial advisors or brokers

7. Peer-To-Peer Lending

If you want a higher than average return rate on your investment, consider becoming a part of the Lending Club. The Lending Club takes your investment and uses it to help people borrow to start a business, consolidate debt and pay for medical care.

Here’s how it works:

Open an account and transfer as little as $0.01 as a minimum initial deposit

Build your portfolio by investing in a range of loans in increments of as little as $25

Get paid by receiving monthly payments as borrowers repay their loans

Reinvest payments or withdraw your money

This is a great way to support the global entrepreneurial community. You can invest in projects that appear interesting and you want to see succeed. It’s like being an Angel investor for a startup. You may just fund the next best thing! Or you can think of it as a charitable donation, offering assistance to those less fortunate. In any case, you can do good while earning extra cash.

Pros:

You are supporting others in the community
You receive higher interest rates on your financial investments

Cons:

Risk that the money isn’t returned
You need a large sum to invest to get started

8. Affiliate Marketing

With affiliate marketing, you earn a commission by promoting a product. The product you promote online should be something you know about and that you believe is high quality.

There are a few ways to get started as an affiliate. You can form an affiliate relationship directly with a specific company. Alternatively, you can earn through a commission platform like Commission Factory or LTK. You could also sign up for the Amazon affiliate program.

So how do you get started? You’ll need a blog.

When you have an online presence, you have a place to give recommendations and share your knowledge about products. Then you add affiliate links so the affiliate can track your sales. This is an essential part of affiliate marketing. Having a blog opens you up to all sorts of revenue streams. Not only can you earn passive income online with affiliate commissions, but you can also make money on advertising, too.

Pros:

A reliable source of passive income
You can make money quite quickly if you already have an audience

Cons:

If you don’t have an audience, it takes time to build one

9. Create and Sell an Online Course

Perhaps, you have a piece of certain knowledge and excelled skill level with a particular topic. You can use these skills that you have earned during a very long career to make you money.

You can create an online course to teach anything from algebra to guitar. Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare and Teachable are incredibly easy to use. Sign up is simple and the platforms give you a lot of support to get you started.

The only barrier to entry is actually creating the course. You’ll need to think of how you can break your subject down into sizable chunks for your students. You may want to create downloadable exercises and guides too to enrich the learning experience. These aren’t a must, but your course may be better reviewed if it’s more complete than the others on the platform.

The best part about this idea is that once you do the initial work of setting up your course, you will continue to get paid when people take it.

Pros:

You can earn extra money from your expertise
Sales can be fast. You can make money within the first month
Low barrier to entry with plenty of course platforms to choose from
You can make thousands from course sales

Cons:

You’ll need to spend time writing, filming and editing a valuable course
Can be slow growth if you don’t have an audience

10. Get Cashback on Online Purchases

There are several online companies that will give you cashback on your purchases. TopCashback is the best known. By signing up for the free extension, TopCashback will calculate cashback on your online shopping. As long as you are using a partner retailer, you can get a few dollars back.

Your credit card provider might give you cashback with their partners too.

Pros:

Completely passive. You are earning money on purchases you would’ve made anyway
Fast passive income

Cons:

Generally quite a low amount of extra income

11. Write an eBook

The ability to write and publish an e-book is more accessible than you may think. eBooks don’t need to be long, nor do they need to be fiction. You can create best selling e-books on any skill that others would find valuable. If you set a good price for selling the e-book, you could have hundreds or thousands of sales as a passive income source.

Of course, you have to create the eBook in the first place. There are many guides on the internet on how to do this. You can even design the final product yourself with design apps like Canva. Self publishing ebooks is easy to do online. The most well-known platform is Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), owned by Amazon.

Like any digital product, e-books do take some marketing effort. Maybe even marketing dollars. Keep that in mind.

Pros:

Unlimited potential for income

Cons:

Takes time to write the book
Sales may take time. You may need to invest in marketing

12. Sell Stock Photography

If you’re a photography hobbyist or seasoned professional, you can make cash online selling stock photography. There is a large range of sites for stock photos. Depending on your subject, you could make loads from it.

Stock photo sites work by licensing your images to businesses. In return, you’ll get a cut of the proceeds.

When choosing a platform, you need to think about its licensing structure and ideal clients. Some sites pay more than others. You also have to bear in mind exclusivity clauses for the sites you submit to. For example, can your photos appear on multiple stock photo platforms or can they only be sold by one? Some have thriving photography communities that help you make a name for yourself in the photography space. You may just be snapping photos for fun and not care much about the following.

Figure out what you want from stock photography and happy selling!

Pros:

Open to hobbyists and professionals
Easy to sign up to stock photography platforms
Could earn first paycheck in the first month
You can grow your following as a photographer

Cons:

Multiple regulations tied to licensing that you need to understand
Can be slow growth
Professional photographers have a competitive advantage

13. Start a Blog or YouTube Channel

In 2025, starting a blog is definitely not the easiest vehicle for passive income. If you master SEO and write about a niche product, you can make thousands from a blog. The more niche and searchable the better!

To start a blog, you need a domain and a blog platform. You can choose platforms like Squarespace and Wix to create a website easily at a low cost. Or you can use WordPress for free that gives you more flexibility.

YouTube is similar in that it has a relatively low barrier to entry. To succeed on YouTube, you need to provide your audience with value. There is a level of YouTube SEO to learn which is easy to grasp.

With both blogs and YouTube, you are likely to make money from advertising. However, this can take a long time. You can make money faster if you advertise and sell a product using your channel.

Pros:

Low barrier to entry
Capitalize on your expertise
Wide range of topics and niches you can cover

Cons:

It takes a long time to grow an audience to make money from advertising

14. Rent Out Your Storage Space

Just like renting out your parking space or spare room, folks need storage. Keeping your items in storage containers can be expensive. Offering your garage or attic as potential storage space is a win-win for everyone.

For the customer, they can keep their items in storage for cheaper. It’s also more convenient to keep it in a home than a storage container that could be quite far away.

For you, you make cash from literal dead space in your home. It costs you nothing to make more use of that square footage.

Pros:

You can make money quickly

Cons:

You only have so much space to lease. So this is not a scalable passive income option like others on this list
The amount you earn may be less than others on this list

15. Sell Designs Online

Finally, you can make money from your talents again with design sites like Zazzle. Listing your graphic designs or digital art can earn you a lot of passive income. You can have hundreds or even thousands of customers for your prints and artwork. Alternatively, some platforms turn your art into t-shirts, mugs and posters. You don’t have to handle any of the shipping or inventory. The platform will create, ship, and fulfill the order for you.

That can create a steady income for you over time.

Pros:

Very easy to get started
You can use designs and drawing you’ve already made

Cons:

Platforms take a huge percentage in order to create products on your behalf. It may be more cost-effective to create your own wares and sell them. However, this ceases to be passive income in the traditional sense.

Key Takeaways

The true path to unlocking wealth is scalability. Passive income is the ultimate scalable solution as you don’t have to sweat to make money.

The golden rule of passive income is to still provide a good service to your customers. Whether that is writing the best e-book in the world on your chosen subject or being flexible and fair to folks hiring your parking spot.

Don’t think of this as a get rich quick scheme. It takes time, effort, and education to succeed. Luckily, once you gain momentum, you can easily achieve your financial goals.

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