Around 27% of Americans have a side gig, and side hustlers report about $530 a month on average.
Side hustles are not a trend anymore. For a lot of people, they help cover bills, build savings, or open a path to something bigger.
Still, most side gigs stay small because people jump into whatever is popular for a minute, instead of choosing work people pay for year after year.
Here are the 12 side hustles with the best chances to stay profitable in 2026, supported by current data on market size, growth rates, and customer spending patterns.
Highlights
- Most side hustles stay small. A 2025 Side Hustle Nation survey puts average monthly income around $1,122, while the median sits near $200, and about half of hustlers make under $100 a month.
- According to Adobe, side hustlers put in about 10 hours a week on average, usually from home.
- 37% of hustlers occasionally earn more than a primary income, rising to 54% among Gen Z.
- The easiest side hustle for beginners is selling unwanted goods. Most common items sold are used clothing (44%), books (35%), accessories (31%), and tech (26%).
1. AI Automation Consulting For Small Businesses
Small business owners are already using AI tools.
What they do not have is time to wire those tools into daily work.
That is where this hustle gets into the spotlight: you get paid to make AI actually run the business better.
| AI use in small firms is climbing fast | A 2025 Thryv survey found adoption in small businesses with 10 to 100 staff rose from 47% to 68% in a year. |
| Most firms still cannot roll it out well | Only 27% of SMEs say they feel confident implementing AI, with a lack of skills a top blocker. |
| Consulting demand is growing as a market | The AI consulting services market is projected to rise from about $11B in 2025 toward about $91B by 2035. |
| What consultants charge today | Current independent AI consultant rates are commonly reported at $150 to $500 per hour, with fixed projects often starting around $2,000. |
What People Hire You For?
Customer support that runs on its own
A bot that handles the usual questions day and night, then hands the messy ones to a person.
Lead follow-up that does not get forgotten
A simple flow that grabs inquiries, drops them into a CRM, and nudges people until they book or buy.
Numbers without the headache
A weekly report that pulls sales and ad data into one place so the owner sees what matters fast.
2. High Skill Freelancing In Tech, Design, Copy, Or Marketing
When budgets get tight, companies cut permanent roles first and still bring in freelancers for key projects.
When budgets open up, freelancers help them move faster. Either way, good specialists keep getting booked.
| Freelancing is already mainstream | About 1.5 billion people worldwide do some form of freelance work in 2025, close to half of the global workforce. |
| Platforms keep expanding | The freelance platform market is projected to more than double by 2030, showing sustained demand for remote contract work. |
| High-skill freelancing is a major economy | Skilled knowledge freelancers in the US earned around $1.5 trillion in 2024, based on recent Upwork insights. |
| Rates remain strong | Average US freelance rates were reported around $48 per hour in 2025, with top specialists far above that. |
| Creative and marketing work is still growing | Recent project and job indexes show steady growth in writing, design, video, and performance marketing roles. |
What clients pay for
Clients are not paying for “freelancing.” They pay for results:
- Technical builds and fixes. Sites, apps, automations, integrations, dashboards.
- Design that sells. UX, product pages, brand refreshes, ad creatives.
- Copy that converts. Landing pages, email flows, scripts, SEO content.
- Growth execution. Paid ads, funnels, analytics, lifecycle marketing.
3. UGC And Short Form Video Creation For Brands
Brands keep paying for short videos because short video keeps winning attention.
Companies need clips that look native to TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and ad feeds, where they can push products in a way that feels normal to viewers.
That work is called UGC, and it sits right in the middle of where marketing money goes now.
| Creator ad spend keeps rising | US creator-focused ad spend hit about $29.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach about $37 billion in 2025. |
| Short video remains the top format | Multiple marketing reports rank short-form video as the highest ROI content type for brands. |
| Creator economy keeps scaling | Global creator economy value sits around $200 billion plus in 2024, with long-range forecasts in the trillion-dollar range. |
| UGC is now a standard budget line | Brand spend on UGC has shifted from experimental to routine, especially in e-commerce, apps, beauty, fitness, and home. |
What People Hire You For?
- To create simple clips showing how something works, why it helps, and what problem it solves.
- For short hooks, fast cuts, strong proof, clear call to action.
Brands often want 5 to 20 clips at a time for testing different angles.
There are many other trends in the same domain. For example, faceless YouTube videos were very popular before Google made some updates, making it more difficult to monetize such content.
There are also podcasts. But the competition in this area is huge. Still, you could turn it into a decent side hustle with original ideas and authentic content. And, of course, interesting guests.
Another more controversial side hustle, many people undeniably use and make money from, is OnlyFans. You might be shocked when you see the average income streamers on this platform have. To find out how much money people make here, and what the differences are between the most popular faces and those who have just started, check out https://onlymonster.ai/blog/onlyfans-income/
4. Niche Content With Digital Products
People still buy from people they trust. So, you need to build a small audience on one tight topic, and then sell digital products that help them do something faster or better.
The digital products can be templates, mini-courses, paid newsletters, toolkits, Notion systems, spreadsheets, prompts, or short guides.
Examples
- Template or system that can save hours.
- Guide that solves a specific problem.
- A course that helps people earn more or do a job better.
5. Online Tutoring And Exam Prep
School standards do not get easier. Exams are still there, and they can sometimes be very difficult. That’s the main reason why tutoring is so popular as a side hustle. The demand is always high.
The most convenient format is online tutoring, as you don’t have to waste time traveling, and you can also teach people from other countries.
| Online tutoring keeps expanding | The online tutoring market sits in the low tens of billions now and is forecast to grow hard through the next decade. |
| STEM and language tutoring lead demand | Math, coding, science, English, and test prep show the most consistent year-round demand. |
| Adult upskilling adds a second customer base | More adults hire tutors for career exams, tech skills, and language certification, not only for school. |
| Platforms keep feeding work | Major tutoring platforms keep adding tutors and students, which shows steady buyer traffic. |
Tutors usually earn more when they focus on one or two subjects and build a track record there.
Clear explanations and better results bring repeat students and referrals, and that alone can keep weekly hours booked.
6. Coaching And Cohort Programs
People pay for someone to guide them step by step, watch their progress, fix mistakes early, and keep them moving until they hit the goal. That is the job.
The offer works best when the result is specific and easy to measure.
| People keep paying for guided learning | Online learning and professional upskilling continue to grow year over year, pushed by job churn and skill gaps. |
| Group programs are a standard format now | Cohort courses and group coaching are widely used on platforms built for live teaching and community. |
| Free content raised the bar | Information is everywhere, so buyers pay for structure, feedback, and accountability. |
| Companies buy coaching, too | Firms use outside coaches for leadership, sales, communication, and career growth on contract. |
What People Hire You For
- Job offer, exam pass, weight loss target, skill jump, business launch.
- Resume edits, form checks, practice drills, or review of work in progress.
- Weekly steps, checklists, check-ins, or corrections when someone drifts.
7. Print On Demand Stores In Tight Niches
Print on demand means selling products like t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, posters, or phone cases without holding inventory.
The process is simple and efficient. All you need to do is upload designs to a supplier, and they will print and ship when someone buys.
Your job sits in the front end: pick a niche, make designs people want, and drive traffic.
| Market still growing | Latest industry reports put print-on-demand ecommerce in the high single-digit billions, with strong double-digit growth forecasts through the decade. |
| Profit margins are established | Platforms and seller studies report typical profit margins of around 20% to 30% per product, depending on price and ad spend. |
| Niche stores beat generic ones | Seller data and platform trends show buyers respond best to niche identity designs rather than broad “for everyone” shops. |
8. Recommerce And Flipping
Resale is no longer a niche hobby. It has moved into normal shopping, pushed by high retail prices, tighter household budgets, and a culture that likes used goods.
For a side hustle, that means steady buyers and lots of inventory, online and offline.
| Global recommerce keeps growing | Global recommerce revenue is reported to be around $201 billion for 2024, with forecasts near $290 billion by 2030. |
| Secondhand apparel is rising into 2026 | The global secondhand apparel market is reported to be about $43.5 billion in 2024, about $55 billion in 2025, and about $61 billion in 2026. |
| Luxury resale is speeding up | A 2025 BCG and Vestiaire Collective report projects secondhand luxury reaching about $360 billion by 2030, growing much faster than traditional retail. |
| Shoppers plan for resale | A 2025 ThredUp survey says 47% of shoppers think about resale value before buying new items. |
What People Flip Most?
- Clothing and sneakers in niches like vintage, streetwear, workwear, and kids’ gear.
- Consumer electronics like phones, tablets, laptops, and game consoles, especially trade-in and refurb.
- Furniture and home goods with local pickup and quick turnaround.
- Collectibles tied to fandoms or hobbies.
9. Social Media Management And Performance Ads For Local Businesses
Local shops and service businesses live and die on attention and leads.
Most still do not have anyone in-house who can shoot steady content, run ads, track results, and keep the phone ringing.
So they pay someone part-time to do it.
| Small business growth plans keep marketing spend alive | A 2025 Bank of America survey reports 74% of small and mid-size businesses expect higher revenue by 2026, and close to 60% plan to expand. |
| Small firms already lean on outside help | The same survey shows many small businesses using contractors for growth tasks because hiring full-time feels risky or expensive. |
| AI adoption in small businesses is rising, but marketing skill still lags | The majority of small businesses have adopted some AI tools, yet most still report weak internal capability in digital marketing and analytics. |
| Short-form social content is the top priority channel | 2025 marketing benchmarks keep naming TikTok, Reels, and Shorts as the highest return formats for customer acquisition. |
What People Hire You For
- Content that keeps them visible: Simple, consistent posts that show work, products, offers, and customer proof.
- Ads that bring leads: Meta and Google campaigns tied to bookings, calls, or purchases, with basic tracking.
- A clear monthly report: What was spent, what came in, and what to change next month.
10. Instructional Design And Corporate Course Building
Companies, coaches, and subject experts keep moving training online.
They do it to save time, standardize onboarding, and teach the same skill to a lot of people without repeating live sessions.
Most of them have knowledge but do not know how to turn it into a clean course.
That gap is the hustle.
| Corporate e-learning keeps growing | Online training for business teams is a major driver of the wider e-learning market, which keeps expanding year over year. |
| More experts sell courses directly | Professionals in tech, sales, fitness, language, and business keep launching paid courses instead of relying on employers or schools. |
| Buyers want structured training | Firms are moving away from long PDFs and random videos toward short modules with clear outcomes and checks. |
| AI speeds up content, not course design | Tools can draft slides or scripts fast, but someone still has to shape lessons, flow, and practice. |
What People Hire You For
1. Course Design From Scratch
Turn messy notes or a brain dump into a clear outline, modules, and lessons.
2. Materials That Look Professional
Slides, worksheets, quizzes, exercises, and recording scripts.
3. Platform Setup
Upload, structure, and launch on an LMS or course platform.
4. Updates and Refreshes
Keep a course current as tools and standards change.
11. IT Support And Basic Cybersecurity For Micro Businesses
Small companies run on laptops, phones, Wi-Fi, and a pile of apps.
Most do not have anyone on staff who can keep that stack stable and safe.
When something breaks, the owner can lose hours and even days to fix it.
An even bigger issue is when something gets hacked. It can wipe out months of work.
That is why basic IT help stays a steady side hustle.
| Small firms keep outsourcing tech help | Recent consulting market reports show rising reliance on outside specialists for setup, maintenance, and upgrades, mainly because full-time IT hires cost too much for small teams. |
| Cyber risk is hitting small firms harder | Industry surveys keep showing small businesses as a common target for phishing, account takeovers, and ransomware, since defenses are usually weak. |
| Remote and cloud work made tech stacks bigger | Even very small teams now use multiple cloud tools, payment systems, booking apps, and shared drives, which increases the need for someone who can keep it all running. |
| Owners pay to avoid downtime | For most micro businesses, one broken laptop or locked account means lost revenue the same day, so support is treated as essential. |
What People Hire You For?
- Setup and cleanup: New laptops, email, shared drives, printers, backups, and basic network fixes.
- Account security: Password managers, two-factor setup, access control, safe sharing rules.
- Ongoing support: “Something is not working, fix it now.” type of help for staff.
- Simple protection: Antivirus, patching, backup checks, phishing awareness, recovery plans.
12. Local Service Business With Strong Online Booking And Marketing
Local services keep paying because people still need hands-on help at home and around town. Cleaning, repairs, yard work, hauling, pet care, and organizing.
None of that disappears because a new app shows up. What changes is how customers choose who to hire.
They search on a phone, look at reviews, and pick the person who answers fast and looks reliable.
People will keep hiring for physical jobs they cannot or do not want to do.
A local service side hustle keeps paying when it runs tight: reply fast, make booking simple, keep reviews strong, and stay easy to find online.
The Bottom Line
A side hustle stays profitable when it solves a problem people already pay to fix. Start with something concrete, learn the basics fast, and get a first result you can point to.
After that, repeat the same kind of work until it becomes routine. Income grows from skill, trust, and consistency. Jumping between ideas kills momentum. Pick a lane, do solid work, and keep showing up.
