25+ Most Lucrative Online Businesses in 2024

There are many ways to earn some income online, but few will earn you lots of money. So, if you are looking for the most lucrative online businesses to make money from home, then you are in the right place.

Lots of online earning opportunities are just there to rip people off or pay them pennies for hard work. But with the evolution of the Internet, remote working technologies and platforms have made it possible for skilled people to earn decent incomes online.

This post focuses on the 25 most lucrative online businesses you can make money with from home. And it also shows you how to start, where necessary.

25+ Most Lucrative Online Businesses to make money from home

Here are the best online businesses:

1. Investor/Trader

Like the offline world, investing or trading online is probably the most lucrative business there is. But while it offers potential juicy returns, it also demands a level of capital investment, to be worth your efforts.

Another issue is that you just don’t become a good investor or market trader overnight. You will have to learn a lot to understand what is going on.

For those with some cash but no patience to learn, copy trading could be a solution. But again, you will still need some minimum understanding of statistics to get along. A good and easy copy trading platform includes IQ Options and Deriv.

2. Online Seller

Commerce is the backbone of civilizations and e-commerce has shown it is here to stay. But while e-commerce giants have arisen everywhere, there are always opportunities for niche sellers to make good money.

From eBay to Shopify and Amazon, if you focus on a target group of customers and give them what they want, they will gladly pay you. The trick is to find out what your target customers need and this is called niche marketing.

The easiest niche is to sell whatever your peer group seems to love and then grow from there. So, if you are into gaming, then start from gaming stuff, if you are into DIY electronics, you sell modules and microchips. If you are a biker, you sell biking stuff, and so on.

3. Build & Run Websites

The old business of building a website that offers one service or the other still exists and can still be very lucrative. But it needs some level of technical knowledge, although you can outsource the actual programming.

You build a website to either solve a problem that has not been solved before or to provide a better solution to an old problem. It could be a membership site, socially-driven, or business-focused.

With website ventures like this, anything goes and the competition can be stiff. But if you make it, then the rewards can be huge.

For most builders, Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress are the most popular tools. And there are also new development methods like the Jamstack, as well as the modern SaaS (Software As A Service) business solutions.

4. Software Developer

Software developers of all types built the Internet and continue to do so. If you can develop software then there are many ways to earn an income online and from home.

First, you can create and start a website, if you’ve got a good idea. Secondly, you can work as a freelance programmer. And thirdly, you can get hired to work remotely and permanently.

You can find software development jobs on sites like Upwork or Toptal if you are really good. And if you would prefer to work in a startup, then check out AngelList.

READ: How to Become a Software Developer (No degree needed)

5. Video Game Streamer

If you love playing video games, there’s good news, you can make a living from your passion. Twitch is a live-streaming platform for entertainment users of all kinds and it enables you to make a living.

While the highest-paid streamers like CriticalRole and xQc make millions per year from the platform, you will need to start from humble beginnings first and build your profile from a few hundred dollars a month upward.

6. App Developer

Smartphones changed computing forever. Smartphones are powered by apps and as they increase in power and hardware features, new apps will surface.

So, if you have a talent for developing mobile solutions, then you may want to try your hand at mobile app development.

Although it’s great when you are a computer programmer, you can still develop apps without being one. All you need is to know what you want and to either use the available tools like the no-code Appy Pie platform or outsource the application development online.

READ: How to create an app without coding

7. Content Writer

Content writers continue to be in demand for all kinds of web projects, including blogs, company websites, product documentation, marketing copy, and so on.

So, if you are a good writer or just enjoy writing, then you can build a career through platforms like Upwork and Freelancer.com.

8. Affiliate Marketing

You can also build a business online by helping other businesses to make money. This is called affiliate marketing and works the same as offline lead generation.

Affiliate marketing uses many modern methods and tools to help you send visitors to a company’s website through an intermediary called an affiliate network. This network then tracks user engagement and compensates you, depending on the campaign.

Popular affiliate networks include CJ Affiliate and ShareASale.

9. Social Media Influencer

A social media influencer is simply anyone with lots of followers on a social platform. They range from nano influencers with less than 10K followers to micro-influencers with up to 50K followers to mega influencers with over a million followers.

Brands of all kinds try to reach these followers, so influencers charge money to post a photo or make a comment about a particular brand. This is called influencer marketing and can be very lucrative when you have the numbers.

Micro-influencers can earn tens of thousands of dollars per year, while mega influencers make millions. These platforms range from Instagram to TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch.

10. Create & Sell Courses

If you are good at teaching others, then you can also build a lucrative career by creating and selling online courses or coaching services. The most popular platforms to get you started include Udemy, Teachable, and DigitalClass.

11. Website Flipping

People with a good eye for analyzing online businesses can excel in website flipping. The process is simple. You find undervalued websites for sale on a site like Flippa, unlock the website’s potential, then turn around and sell it for a tidy profit.

An undervalued website, for instance, might have good traffic but a bad monetization strategy. Or it could have great content from an expert, but lacks proper SEO. Websites generally sell for about 36x of their monthly revenue.

12. Blogging

You can download WordPress or set up a hosted blogging platform like Medium or WordPress.com and start writing about issues that you care about.

Blogging can generate a wide range of income. From small part-time earnings to makings millions, like the many celebrity bloggers.

To be successful, you’ll need to first choose a profitable niche, produce very good content, then maximize your monetization strategies.

READ: How to start a blog

13. Video Editing

Mastering video editing software such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut is not an easy task. So, if you’ve got that knowledge, then you can turn it into a lucrative business by selling video editing services online.

Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr make it easy to find clients and grow your earnings.

14. Dropshipping

If you have expertise in a certain niche and you are good with marketing but lack the capital to start a full online shop. Then dropshipping can be your friend.

Dropshipping simply means having an online shop but no products in stock. When a customer places an order, however, you order it from your supplier and have your supplier ship the order directly to your customer.

Many large businesses offer dropshipping services because it helps lots of small players to start generating income online, without needing to make a large capital investment.

15. Graphic Designer

Talented art creators, Photoshoppers, and graphics enthusiasts can equally build lucrative online businesses by leveraging platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.

Of course, your skill level, business smarts, and design portfolio will go a long way in determining how much money you will make.

16. Online Tutor

While online courses include general learning materials developed for the public, online tutoring involves a more direct approach to cater to the needs of individual students.

Online tutoring can be very rewarding, but it also requires a higher level of discipline, patience, and commitment to helping students meet their individual needs.

Popular online tutoring platforms include Tutor.com, Preply, and LearnToBe.

17. YouTuber

Top YouTube star Jake Paul earned about $45 million in 2021, while the number #1 ranked jimmy Donaldson earned over $50 million.

This shows you that the YouTube channel business can be big business, but you still have to put in the work. You can check out YouTube courses on Udemy if you are interested and want to get started.

18. NFT Publisher

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Tokens. So, they are crypto assets that cannot be exchanged for one another, like you could exchange 1 Bitcoin for another Bitcoin.

This non-fungibility makes them potentially valuable when they contain a good piece of art. And that is exactly where the work lies here.

If you can create a nice piece of digital art that lots of people can appreciate, then you should make an NFT from it and try selling it. Keep in mind that the most expensive NFT sold for $92 million.

NFT art creation might not be for everyone. But if you think it’s your thing, then check out OpenSea or Rarible to get started.

19. eBook Publishing

The Internet has also made it easy to self-publish your books, which can be quite lucrative. But as with so many things, this business might not be for everyone, because you first need to be a good writer and have a steady income.

If you think it’s your thing, however, then you might want to check out Amazon KDP, as well as Smashwords or the Kobo Writing Life.

20. Domain Flipping

A good domain name has its worth. Take for example cars.com which sold for $827 million or Voice.com for $30 million. But while these are exceptional cases, there are thousands of other domains that sell for less, but still profitable prices.

As a domain flipper, you have to first buy domains that you think people will want down the line, then hold on, until someone wants them. Of course, you can also reach out to those you think might need the domain.

Some flippers additionally use services like Dropcatch to find domain names that are expiring. Then turn around and sell them on Sedo.

21. Digital Marketing Consultant

From offering Search Engine Optimization services to organizing Pay Per Click campaigns on Google and Facebook Ads, digital marketing consultants can command good pay as long as they bring results.

22. Sell Handmade Arts & Crafts

If you are the type that creates beautiful stuff, then Etsy might be the right platform for you to find customers. You can also check out ArtFire.

23. Social Media Manager

Countless firms will pay you good money to spend the entire day on social media networks, engaging with their followers.

While simple social media management might bring average income, a good social media marketer can build a lucrative career by helping clients make more money.

24. Podcasting

Podcasting is for listeners, just as blogging is for readers. It takes effort to build a good podcast base, but when you do, then you can enjoy lots of ad revenue, affiliate sales, complementary products, and even premium subscriptions.

Some podcasts like the H3 Podcast or the Chapo Trap House make over $100k per month, while others like the Joe Rogan Experience make millions.

25. Virtual Assistant

Working as a virtual assistant can also be very lucrative, depending on the type of assistance you are providing and who you are working for.

The highest-paid virtual assistants include executive virtual assistants, legal assistants, web-design, and graphic-design assistants.

26. Translator

If you know more than one language and your grammar is good, then you might want to try translations. The web is bilingual and many platforms like Gengo and Blend make it easy to find jobs.

You can also earn translation income from selling translation pieces, creating a foreign language glossary, translating user guides and technical instructions, plus earning royalties.

Conclusion

Reaching the end of this list of the 25+ most lucrative online businesses to make money from home, you can see that the Internet is full of opportunities.

All you have to do is to discover what you are good at, upskill yourself if you must, then reach out and start making money.