Ways to make money online in South Africa? Are you looking for ways to make money online in South Africa?
If you are struggling to make a living online.
This is a list of actionable ideas to get you started.
In fact, I use one of those ideas to make passive income with my laptop and internet connection as you can see below:
The good part most of those opportunities pay in US dollars if you convert it into South African currency (Rent).
It is a lot of money and you do not need to work for anyone.
But I have to warn you making money online is not as easy as those online gurus make it sound.
For some of them, you need to put some work upfront to start seeing money coming in.
In this blog, you will explore 25 ways to make money online in South Africa.
So if you want to earn more money or build a stream of income in the comfort of your home you will love this list of ideas, techniques and strategies.
Let’s get started.
1. Participate in online paid surveys – Earn for Sharing Opinions
Many market research companies offer paid online surveys to gather consumer feedback on the products and services.
Taking online surveys and sharing your opinion on particular products and services can be a quick and easy way to earn some extra cash.
I have listed the Top Online Paid survey sites that you can sign up for and make money online in South Africa if you are interested in earning some extra cash.
| Name | Earning | Website |
|---|---|---|
| SurveyTime | $3 to $5 per hours | Surveytime.io |
| Timebucks | $2 to $4 per hours | Timebucks.com |
| Ysense | $2 to $3.5 per Hours | ysense.com |
| Swagbucks | $2 To $3 per hours | Swagbucks.com |
| Paidviewpoint | $1.5 To $3 per hours | Paidviewpoint.com |
However, those sites do not pay must and you can not rely on them to pay your bills.
Therefore, if you are a student or someone who does not mind earning a few bucks online you sign up with those sites.
You can earn for 10 to 25 minutes survey $0.3 up to $2.97 which is around R5.45 up to R54.5 depending on the exchange rate.
But you won’t qualify for every survey as it is market research.
If the researchers are looking for 32 old female accountants who have 1 kid and a house.
Then you are a female student you won’t qualify to complete that survey and the boring part they do not specify.
The trick is, to be honest when you are completing those surveys to start a chance to qualify for most surveys and complete your profile.
2. Start a Blog and Earn Passive Income
Starting a Blog is a great way to share your passions and make money at the same time.
With the right content and good traffic, you can monetize your blog through advertising, and affiliate marketing.
The drawback of blogging is that you need to put a lot of work upfront for you to qualify to partner with some advertisers companies like Google Adsense, Mediavine, Ezoic and others.
As a beginner to start a blog page, you need to build your website, register a domain name and host it.
Bluehost and 10Web it is the best platform to build your website, register your domain name and host it.
If you are scared about Word building a website and hosting it you can check out siterubix.com to see how you can build a website with few clicks.
Once you start getting visitors (traffic) to your blog you can apply for a partner program with those advertiser companies.
With Google Adsense, your potential annual revenue per 50,000 monthly page views which means people reading your blog $11,682 per year in the financial niche
In South African currency is an average of R210,000 depending on the exchange rate.
Your average earnings per month could be around R17,500.
This is passive income and the more you write the more visitors you get and the more money you make.
Partnering with Advertising companies is not the only way you can monetize your blog with it
You can also monetize your blog with Affiliate Marketing you can simply sign up with any affiliate programs and start referring people to different products and services through your blog and earn affiliate commissions.
Affiliate Marketing is the best way to make money online and I will talk about it in more detail later in this article.
3. Sell your skills – Be a Freelancer
Selling your skills is another way to make money online in South Africa.
If you have a talent for something, whether it is writing, photography, or web design, you can offer your services on freelancing websites like Fiverr, Upwork and freelancer.com
You can offer any service on those freelance marketplaces from web design to removing background images…
This is how much people charge for removing background pictures starting from $5 up to $30.
You can use remove.bg to help you remove the image background in less than 30 seconds.
Although you can sell any of the skills you have on those platforms.
But there is too much competition on those platforms.
To stand out from your competition you have to implement blogging as a strategy to promote your skills and get more customers.
4. Dropshipping – Earn without Buying Stocks
Dropshipping is another business model that allows you to open an online store without worrying about inventory or stocking up the products.
As a Dropshiper you also do not need to worry about shipping products to your customer the supplier will handle everything for you.
You can start your dropshipping business, where you sell products online without having to hold inventory.
You are just a middleman between customers and suppliers.
The process involves finding a supplier who is willing to partner with you and AliExpress can be the best place to find liable suppliers.
Once you have established a relationship with a supplier, you can start listing their products on your website or online marketplace.
When your customers place orders, you can send the order details to the supplier, who then will fulfil orders and ship them directly to your customers.
As the drop-shipper, you will make a profit by charging a markup on the price of the product.
You can speed up the process by using AliDropship it considered a one-stop shop for dropshipping needs.
There is also Shopify that you can use to start your Dropshipping business and they have 3 days trial better yet you do not have to give out your credit card information,
5. DropServicing – Earn by Outsourcing Services
Dropservicing is another way to make money online in South Africa even if you do not have any skills to offer.
The concept of Dropservicing is similar to Dropshipping, which involves selling products without holding inventory.
However, with Dropservicing, you are focusing on selling other people’s services rather than physical products.
You are just the middleman between service providers and customers.
As a middleman, to succeed in this business model you need a website to reach more people around South Africa and you can also do it globally.
Therefore, if you want to know how this business model works or you want to start your Drop-servicing business.
You can start your free course on alison.com
The process of Dropservicing is to choose some services that you can offer on your website this can be Web Design, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing or anything.
Whenever you get an order maybe Web Design that costs R3,000 you can go to Fiveer.com or Upwork and outsource the service for R1,500 or less and keep the balance.
You can make decent money with this business model if you keep on advertising the service on Gumtree or Facebook Market.
To make it more profitable you can learn also about Facebook or Google advertisements.
There are a lot of tutorials that you can watch on YouTube that teach how to do Facebook and Google advertisements or maybe you buy some courses on Udemy to speed up the process.
6. Rent out your property on Airbnb
If you own property, you can make money by renting it out on platforms like Airbnb.
They are several platforms that teach how to maximize your earning on Airbnb.
One such program is the Airbnb Host Academy, which provides training and resources for hosts to improve their listings, increase their earnings, and provide a better guest experience.
It also seems like they teach how to rent a property on Airbnb without owing one
Another option is the Airbnb Associates program, which allows you to earn commissions by promoting Airbnb listings on your website or social media channels.
Therefore, if you are a blogger and your niche is about properties you can join the affiliate program to monetize your blog with affiliate commissions
7. Sell Handmade Products
If you’re creative, you can sell your handmade products on online marketplaces like Etsy or Facebook Market.
Selling handmade products online in South Africa is a great way to reach a wider audience.
As you can see below how much people are charging for those handmade products.
There are several online marketplaces where you can sell your products, including Etsy, Handmade Hub, Hello Pretty, Facebook Marketplace, and Instagram.
With a little effort and creativity, you can turn your passion for handmade products into a successful online business.
8. Offer tutoring services – Earn Remotely
Technology and the internet have increased the demand for online education and education has become more accessible than ever before.
Therefore, if you have expertise in a particular subject, you can offer tutoring services to students in your area and earn money remotely.
Offering tutoring services can be a great way to earn some extra income.
If you’re passionate about teaching, tutoring can provide you with a flexible source of income.
You can choose your hours and set your rates, making it an excellent side hustle.
You can sign up with turtlejar.co.za as a tutor and earn between R150 to R270 per hour, depending on what level you are tutoring as well as what package the client takes out.
Wait!
There are more platforms where you can sign up as a tutor and start earning online.
You can check out brightsparkz.co.za and 123tutors.
123tutors provides one-on-one tutoring lessons and group tutoring sessions and they also allow students to sell their study notes and earn 50% of the commission.
There are also international online tutoring platforms that you can sign up for and start earning, better yet the pay in US Dollars.
Preply is one of the best platforms and it is available in 180 countries.
You can also check out tutors.com,
Cambly and Chegg Tutors are the platforms for teaching English as a second language and
9. Become a virtual assistant
Virtual Assistant is a very side hustle that you can do remotely from anywhere in the world and it has the potential to replace your primary income.
Many businesses and entrepreneurs are looking for virtual assistants to help them with different tasks like administrative jobs, social media management, email correspondence and bookkeeping.
Becoming a virtual assistant is a great way to make money online in South Africa and work from home.
You can assess your skills, choose your niche, and create a business plan and brand, you can become a successful virtual assistant.
And with platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, and TaskBullet, you can easily sign up and start offering your services to clients from all over the world.
10 Sell second-hand items
One of the most popular ways to sell second-hand items in South Africa is through online marketplaces.
Platforms such as Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace offer a convenient and accessible way to reach potential buyers across the country.
You can sell your old clothes, furniture, and electronics on platforms.
Although you won’t be having old clothes, furniture and electronics every time.
But there are places where companies and other families drop their old stuff that are in good condition you can buy them for a cheap price and resell them and make good benefits.
There are sites in Lyndhurst, Woodemead and Klerksdorp where companies throw some goods that you can buy and resell online.
11. Start a YouTube channel
You can start a YouTube channel and monetize it through advertisement, affiliate marketing and sponsorships.
Starting a YouTube channel is the same as starting a blog.
Instead of writing articles or blog posts, you are creating video content.
It also requires initial work upfront to start seeing results.
This is an estimate you can make 20,000 daily video views.
I used Youtube Money Calculator to arrive at this number. That is not all you can monetize your channel with Affiliate Marketing and Sponsorships.
Therefore, if you have something to share with the world it is the right time to start your YouTube channel and start earning passive income.
You can also use tools like YoubeBuddy and VidIQ to successfully help you build a YouTube channel that gets many views daily.
A YouTube channel that gets many views can help you to build a stream of income.
12. Be an E-Hailing Driver – Earn Money Driving Your Car
Technology and smartphone apps have changed the way most of us gain access to taxi services.
You can make money by providing taxi services to people around your area and earn money.
The E-Hailing taxi services industry has become a major role player in public transport.
Platforms like Uber, Bolt and InDrive always looking for people to join the platform.
Therefore, if you sign up with those platforms you will need to do some background check to make sure you do not have any criminal record.
You can make decent money with those platforms around R4,500 to 7000 per week excluding Petrol, Data and other expenses.
The drawback is that you will need to be on the road every day to make such cash and services your car can eat up your earnings.
But, this is not a passive income as becoming a blogger or Youtuber and I recommend people to do it part-time as a side hustle.
13. Food Delivery Services – Earn Money by Delivering Food
With the rise of e-commerce, there is a growing demand for delivery services, which you can provide through platforms like Uber Eats, Mr D Food and Bolt Food.
It works the same as an E-Hailing Driver instead of driving people you are delivering food.
Some driver some are making R2,500 to R3,500 including petrol, Data and other expenses.
Below are my weekly earnings before I quit delivering with you UberEats.
I was driving a Hunday I20 and 1.6 Liter. I could spend R1,000 to R1,400 per week for Petrol depending on the Demand.
The drawback is that you work every day for more than 12 hours per day to make such cash.
I recommend this job as a part-time job.
You can not rely on it.
It is a very stressful job you can not control the demand and Uber Eats and other platforms do not value their driver.
You may be asking why I quit Uber Eats.
As you are on My Blog Page I am a blogger, Youtuber and Affiliate Marketer.
This is how I earn my living online.
Instead of driving around delivering food, all I need is a laptop and an internet connection to make money.
Therefore if you want to know how this works or how you can make money online in South Africa
You can check out My Top Recommendation Platform to learn step-by-step how to build a niche website and make passive income online.
14. Meal prep services – Build digital Restaurant
If you are a good cook, you can offer meal prep services to busy individuals who don’t have time to cook and you can do it your home.
Let me explain…
Platforms Uber Eats, Mr. D and Bolt can help you reach customers from around your area and make money in the comfort of your home.
All you need is to draft your menu and apply it as Ghost Kitcken.
There is some document you need to have before you apply such as a Certificate of Acceptability
You can get it at your local Municipality.
I do not like leaving money on the table.
I have Ghost Kitchen on UberEat and I am making around R 7,500 to R10,000 per week including the 25% Uber Eat Marketplace and VAT.
15. Become a freelance writer
If you have a knack for writing, you can offer your services to businesses and publications that need content for their websites, blogs, or social media channels.
You can offer your services on Fiveer, Upwork and Freelancer.com
This is how much freelance writers charge per 1,000 words
Freelance writer job is always in demand. This person has done more than 80 jobs and she has 3 orders in the queue.
Let’s assume all the job was for 1000 words.
She has made an average of $1,600 which is R29,600 depending on the exchange rate.
Bloggers are always looking for freelance writers to help them write more content to increase traffic to their websites.
As a freelance writer, you can not just write about anything you need to identify your niche.
This step will help you develop some expertise in the field, which can be a valuable asset when seeking clients.
Some examples of niches include technology, health, finance, and lifestyle. With the rise of AI, you can use some tools to help you in the process of writing.
You can use ChatGPT as a personal assistant and once you get all the data need you can use undetectable.ai to humanize it.
16. Sell your photography
Selling your photos it is another way to make money online in South Africa and you can make passive income with this passion.
Therefore, if you are a talented photographer, you can sell your photos on stock photography websites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock.
Selling your photography online can be a profitable business if you take the time to build a strong portfolio, choose the right platform, set a fair price, promote your work, and monitor your sales.
With dedication and hard work, you can turn your passion for photography into a successful career.
You can also implement blogging to showcase your profile and affiliate marketing to increase your earnings.
Better yet Shutterstock has an affiliate program where you can refer new contributors and customers and earn even more.
17. Offer social media management services
Many businesses struggle to manage their social media channels, and you can offer your expertise to help them grow their online presence.
Many businesses in South Africa need help managing their social media accounts.
You can offer your services to help them create content and engage with their followers.
Again you can offer Media Management Services on Fiverr, Upwork and Freelance.com and earn money in the comfort of your place.
If you do not have the skill you can learn it on Udemy or Alison or outsource the service by implementing the dropservice method and start earning.
18. Participate in affiliate marketing – Build a Stream of Income
Affiliate Marketing is the best way to build a stream of income from anywhere in the world and anyone can do it as long as they can read and write.
You can earn commissions by promoting different products or services on your website or social media channels through affiliate programs.
This is what I do and help to earn passive income online all you need is a computer and an internet connection.
Many people from around the world have built 6 to 7-figure US Dollars in business with Affiliate Marketing.
But I have to warn you Affiliate Marketing is not as easy as many coaches make it sound.
It is a very competitive business model that requires one to wear so many hats to make it successful.
The process of it is very simple and if you master it and put in the work it can change your entire lifestyle and have financial freedom.
Therefore if you want to know how affiliate marketing works you can sign up with Wealthy Affiliate for 10 free lessons on how to build a niche website and earn affiliate commissions.
19. Offer graphic design services
If you’re skilled in graphic design, you can offer your services to businesses or individuals who need logos, branding, or marketing materials.
There are also several platforms where you can offer your graphic design services and connect with potential clients.
Upwork, Fiverr, 99designs, Dribbble, and LinkedIn are some of the best places to showcase your work and build your client base.
Choose the platform that best suits your needs and offers the tools and support you need to grow your business.
20. Sell Online Courses or Digital Products – Passive Income
If you have a passion for writing or teaching you can create and sell Online Courses or Digital products like ebooks, courses, or templates on platforms like Udemy, Gumroad or Teachable.
There is no need for me to remind you again how technology and the internet have changed the world drastically and made some of the impossible possible.
The worldwide e-learning market is expected to be worth $848.12 billion by 2030,
There is no better time than now to create your online course on platforms like Udemy and Teachable and start earning passive income in the comfort of your home.
As you see above Udemy has more the 57 Million Students, and 773 Million Enrollments and is available in more than 180 countries.
So do not limit yourself only to South Africa you can go global and make good money online.
Therefore if you do not have any skills to offer you can learn them on Youtube and you can teach about anything on those platforms.
Again if you decide to sell digital products you can use tools like canva.com to help make eBooks, templates and even study material for your students.
21. Sell products on Takealot
Selling products on Takealot is also another way to make money online in South Africa and it is a very lucrative way to reach a broader customer base and expand your business’s reach.
To sell on Takealot, you need to set up an account, list your products, price them competitively and provide excellent customer service.
With the right strategy and effort, you can grow your business and succeed on the platform.
The question you may ask is where to get your stocks.
There are many places you can buy your store depending on what you are selling.
One of my friends got his store from China Mall in Johannesburg.
You can also buy products on Alibaba
I strongly advise you to buy products only from merchants who are certified for any circumstance you will get refund.
To learn how to sell and pick up winning products you can buy Takealot Masterclass for only R499 from pushaonline.com and it is on sale at the time of writing this article you can get it for R259
22. Translation services
If you are fluent in multiple languages, you can offer translation services to individuals and businesses.
you can offer your services on Fiverr or Upwork by creating a profile and setting up a gig that outlines your services and pricing.
You can also customize your gig based on the type of translation services you offer, such as legal, medical, technical, or general translation.
Below is the video that I shot long ago to explain how you can use Google Translation even if you do not know the language.
I do not advise people to use Google Translate anymore because it does not maintain the original meaning and intent.
However it is very important to use translation software and tools to enhance the quality of your work.
Translation Memories and Terminology Management Systems can help you maintain consistency and accuracy in your translations, and can also save time by reusing previously translated content.
What you have to keep in mind is there is no easy money you need to market your business to get clients.
23. Invest in cryptocurrency and trade on exchanges like Luno or Binance.
Investing in cryptocurrency can be a highly rewarding but also highly volatile experience.
The market is highly speculative, and prices can fluctuate wildly in short periods.
However, if you have a good understanding of the market and are willing to take calculated risks, investing in cryptocurrency can be a lucrative opportunity.
To minimize the risk you can sign up with forexsignals.com to learn how you can trade on exchange One way to get started in the world of cryptocurrency investing is to trade on exchanges like Luno or Binance.
These exchanges allow you to buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and many others.
They also offer a range of trading tools and features that can help you make informed decisions about your investments.
24. Transcription services
If you are a fast typist, you can offer transcription services to individuals and businesses and make money.
Businesses and individuals seek to create accurate, written records of their audio and video content.
Whether it’s for legal proceedings, academic research, or simply creating subtitles for online videos, transcription services are in high demand.
you can sign up to work with Rev and take on transcription projects as they become available.
Rev pays its transcriptionists anywhere from $0.30 to $1.10 per audio minute, depending on the complexity of the project.
TranscribeMe pays its transcriptionists anywhere from $15 to $22 per audio hour.
There are many platforms like Scribie and GoTranscript where you can sign up as a transcriptionist and make money online in South Africa.
Overall, transcription can be a great way to make money as a freelancer, especially if you enjoy listening to and transcribing audio content.
By choosing the right platform and honing your skills as a transcriptionist, you can build a successful career in this growing field.
25. Become Onlyfans content creator – Earn Money as an Adult Content Creator
I do not advise anyone to do this and there is a reason why I put it last on the list because of some you won’t be able to read the whole article.
By the way, if you are constantly using your beauty and your body to get cash from men or you are relying on suga mama to your bills.
Then you should start creating adulting content and Onlyfan.
The good part is you can block people in a certain area to not see your content and you do not need to show up your face.
Many people are making money on OnlyFans by creating exclusive video content to entertain fans who pay a subscription to watch your video.
You can charge a monthly subscription fee starting at $5 upfront which is R90 depending on the exchange rate.
Although Onlyfan is not only for adult content the majority of content is adult content.
It also needs a bit of work to put up front and consistency to start earning money.
You can make money by providing personalized services, receiving tips, and collaborating with other creators.
OnlyFans allows content creators to monetise their content and earn money from their subscribers.
By providing high-quality content and engaging with their subscribers, creators can build a loyal following and earn a significant income.
Conclusion – 25 Ways to Make Money Online In South Africa
There you get the 25 Proven ways to make money in South Africa you can start with it today.
The key is to find a way that aligns with your skills and interests and to be persistent and patient in your efforts to build a stream of income with your laptop and internet connection.
Therefore if you want to learn how I built my stream of income you can check out My Top Recommendation Platform for step-by-step training.
Now I would like to turn things over to you:
Which way from this list was your favourite?
Or maybe you have a way that I did not cover here.
Either way, let me know and leave a comment below.
I like these ideas, but dont know where to start.
The question is what do you want to do? If you want to build a full time income online you can sign up with Wealthy Affiliate for the step by step training.