9 Ways to make passive income with no money in 2025 | Ranked

Here are the best ways to start making a passive income when you don't have much money, and cannot make any large initial investments. Most of these ideas are completely free, but some rely on you having a place to live or a car, and for a couple you need a camera or a microphone. 

If you need any to buy any equipment to get started, I recommend doing what I did and using a market research platform that lets you make money online completing simple tasks. These sites offer the quickest way to generate those initial funds.

9. Rent out your hobby gear 

I have included a few suggestions based on renting out the things you own, starting with hobby gear. Many of you will probably assume that you do have expensive gear to rent, but even a camera or bike can be leased. 

First, find the items you might be able to rent, clean them, and take some great photos. Then, I would recommend listing on platforms that specialize in your specific hobby gear (for instance, ShareGrid for camera equipment), as well as making posts on local social networks like NextDoor.  

8. Mine crypto like Ethereum and Doge 

Mining bitcoin may no longer be possible on a home computer, but you can still mine several other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Doge. This is not an especially difficult process, either, and should only take you about half a day to set up if you are comfortable with computers. 

On a mid-end PC (RTX 4050 / i7), I was able to make the equivalent of about $40 a month mining crypto. Of course, the electricity costs probably brought that number down to about $20/25 a month in profit, but that still represents $250 a year with minimal effort. 

7. Rent out your car 

For many of us, a car is the most expensive thing we own, and leasing it out can sound daunting. What if the renter drives like a maniac and crashes? What if the insurance company try and blame us? 

These are understandable concerns, but if you do not use your vehicle for weeks or even months at a time, then I highly recommend you at least inquire about your earning potential with a company like Turo.  

By working with a platform like Turo, you can feel much more secure about renting out your car. They offer their partners up to $750,000 in third-party liability insurance, and can help connect you with trustworthy car renters. 

The average Turo user earns $10,868 a year with one car, but this assumes you rent out full-time.  

6. Share your internet bandwidth  

This is similar to mining crypto; You set your PC up, leave it running, and generate a small passive income. However, by using apps like HoneyGain you can make the whole process incredibly easy. All you need to do is sign up to HoneyGain, install their app, and wait to get paid. 

So what's the downside? This has a very low earnings potential, and will realistically earn you less than $10 a month. I recommend using this method in conjunction with other ways to earn a passive income. 

5. License your photos 

Although this method of earning a passive income is becoming less and less viable with the rise of AI, you can still create a portfolio of photos that could earn you tens or even hundreds each month.

You don't need to be a professional photographer, as the easiest stock photo portfolio to build will be simple shots of everyday items. But you do need a half-decent camera to be able to take pictures worth buying. 

Simply take your shots, then upload them to a stock photo marketplace like Adobe Stock Photos. 

4. Get paid for your gaming progress 

If you already spend a lot of time gaming each week, you should sign on to a rewards platform that will pay you for in-game progress. These platforms have a library of titles that need player-testers, simply pick one that interests you and start earning.  

They will normally pay you for completing specific tasks, like reaching a certain level or defeating an especially hard boss. If you spend a few hours a day gaming, then you can expect to make a few hundred dollars a month, but top earners make it to 5k each month. 

3. Rent out your space

If you have a spare room in your house or apartment, you could rent this out to generate significant monthly income.

You could take in a long-term renter for minimal effort, or you could rent by the night on AirBnB for the highest earnings. However, renting by the night does also mean daily check-ins and room cleanings, as well as forcing you to respond to a lot of messages on the platform. 

Even if you don't have a room to rent, you could also consider renting out a parking spot or garage, but for those kinds of rentals I suggest you advertise locally rather than via a platform like AirBnB.  

2. Use cashback apps when you shop 

This is a no-brainer for everyone. You are probably spending thousands every year on groceries anyway, so install a cashback app (I use Ibotta, but there are many alternatives) and get paid for your shopping. 

The earnings potential is low — according to Ibotta users only earn $250 a year on average — but it is incredibly easy to set up. I recommend everyone use cashback apps in conjunction with other methods to increase their passive income.

1. Create a YouTube channel 

My favorite method to increase passive income is something I started a few years ago and have had great success with: Creating a YouTube channel. Before you begin to panic and doubt yourself, do what I did and start a faceless channel focused on Top 10-style videos. 

All you need is a mic and some basic video editing software (I use DaVinci Resolve, which is free), and you can get started. I recommend you focus on a subject that interests you, which will make script writing far easier, and try to produce a mix of long form and short form content to see what works best for you. 

Good luck earning a passive income!