When it comes to making money, there are always going to be numerous routes you can go down, and it’s something that you are likely to want to think about from a number of different angles. The truth is that you are generally going to be able to make money in some way or another, and this is worth bearing in mind if you are trying to really make this a reality. But when it comes to the online world, there are a lot of things that you might want to think about here.
In this post, we are going to take a look at making money online in 2026, and ask whether it is still a viable way to make a side hustle or even a main income. As you will see, while the world has changed a little, there are still things that you should be able to make use of here.
Remote Work & Freelancing
One of the main ways that people earn money online now is through a range of remote work, freelancing and related means. These have now become relatively standard components of the global labor market, driving demand for skills that cross borders, and there is a lot to be said for getting into this. That could mean that you want to expand in an area you are already in, or learn some new skills and enter a new economy, such as creator platforms or digital products.
These kinds of economies are continually growing, so it’s something that you are going to find really useful to consider. And of course, it is now easier than ever to make sure that you are creating content that really works and which people are going to buy, thanks in part to AI insights and the like. All in all, then, this is the kind of thing that you might want to think about when it comes to making money online.
Content Creation
As we have already seen, this is one of the main ways that people are still making money online in 2026, and it’s actually one of the most lucrative potentially. This will include everything from blogs to YouTube, podcasts, newsletters and so on. That all generates a lot of income through ads, sponsorships, premium subscribers, affiliate sales and the like. The creator economy is projected to keep growing through the late 2020s, and it’s a particularly good time to get into it right now, especially with AI doing what it is doing here.
Platforms reward consistent, niche content, especially when you one your audience - such as through email lists and memberships. So this is potentially very lucrative indeed. However, it can be slow to ramp up to earnings, and platforms often change their algorithms, meaning you have to stick to that as firmly as you can to keep up.
Affiliate Marketing
This is one of the web’s oldest means of generating income, and it’s still likely to be one of the best options out there. Recommending products or services and earning a commission remains a major passive income channel, and this is something you might want to think about for sure. Niches with strong growth include tech tools, health, financial products and digital services. The good news is that this has a low startup cost and is highly scalable. On the downside, it requires audience growth or traffic strategy, such as SEO or email. However, it can be really powerful and it’s well worth thinking about for sure.
Digital Products
Selling online courses, ebooks, templates or toolkits continues to attract creators and experts. This model scales because you build once and sell repeatedly, and for that reason it’s hardly surprising that you are able to make a lot of money this way. It’s a huge and growing industry, and it’s a good time to get into it. But you must prove your authority and generate an initial demand, which can take a lot of hard graft.
As you can see, there are still plenty of ways that people can make money online, and it’s likely to continue to be the case for a good while yet. If you are thinking of doing this, pick one and stick with it, and you should find that you start seeing results soon enough.