19 Best Passive Income Ideas for 2024: (Proven)

Gone are the days when humans would completely rely on a single stream of income.

In today’s world, everyone has to be aware of financial literacy.

Now, having multiple streams of income is essential.

Passive income will certainly come to the rescue whenever there is a recession or pandemic situation.

To earn passive income, you don’t need to participate actively.

Due to technological advancement, one can simply earn passive income sitting in their home or office.

2024 has been a rough year financially for many, with increasing inflation, rising living costs, and job layoffs.

Even if the economic climate hasn’t affected you personally, the instability may be enough to cause you anxiety or stress over money.

Fortunately, creating passive income streams can be an excellent solution to these worries.

Passive income only requires a small amount of work to start up and maintain. Yet, it continues to generate regular earnings.

You can make profits off your initial work for years to come. It differs from active income because your job requires constant work to make money.

There are many ways to make a passive income this year. You may be pleased to know that some only need a computer and an internet connection!

That means almost anyone can create a side hustle from anywhere!

Excited to get started? Discover the best passive and proven income ideas for 2024 below!

1. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is one of the best passive income streams, made famous by giants such as Amazon and eBay. You can make a lucrative side hustle out of dropshipping, too. All you need is the time and patience to create an online shop.

Thankfully, you do not need to worry about producing or holding any stock for your online shop. You simply take care of marketing and selling your chosen products. When you receive an order, you can send it to the company that manufactures and supplies the items. Then, they will take care of order fulfillment. Talk about easy passive income!

2. Amazon FBA

Amazon can be an excellent opportunity for passive income if you have a knack for finding in-demand products. Millions of sellers worldwide use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to find buyers. They can also store inventory, pack and ship orders, and take care of customer service.

You must dedicate time to scoping out suppliers, developing competitive pricing, tracking your results, and optimizing your listings. Yet, over time, you have a chance to become successful on the platform. In fact, most Amazon sellers make between $1000 and $25,000 a month.

3. Blogging

The blogging business has become increasingly popular over the years, both for writers and readers. You can use your blog to earn money in multiple ways, making it one of the best passive income ideas 2024.

It takes time to learn how to build a blog and how to promote it, so this side hustle may not be a get-rich-quick scheme. However, once you have a large audience and steady traffic, you can start making a significant income. You can accomplish this through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, brand deals, or ads.

4. TikTok

TikTok is a new way to make passive income in the United States. You only need a smartphone, an internet connection, and a touch of creativity. Then, you can make short-form videos that draw in thousands or millions of viewers. Since TikTok is still in its young phases, you have a unique opportunity to reach a large audience and seize market share.

If you bring in more than 10k followers and 10k views, you can earn a few cents for every 1k view. Furthermore, TikTok is a wonderful platform for creating partnerships, scoring brand deals, or starting affiliate marketing. In this way, you can make extra money from just a few videos a month.

5. YouTube

YouTube could be one of your most lucrative passive income streams, attracting more than 120 million daily viewers. You could grasp a share of that audience, by creating videos that inform or entertain your viewers.

Since YouTube is already 18 years old, it is crucial to understand that this passive income idea may take more work than others. It requires dedication and patience. Yet, many individuals catch a lucky break and go viral quickly. Once you become popular with views and clicks, consider sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and ads to profit from your work.

6. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a low-risk passive income idea for 2024, especially if you are savvy in content creation. Whether you blog, create videos, take photos, or run a website, you can take advantage of affiliate marketing.

When you have an active and engaged audience, you can recommend products or services linked to an affiliate marketing program. You will earn a commission when they click the link and purchase the item (typically 3% to 7%). With a large enough audience, that’s easy passive income every month.

7. Ads and Sponsored Content

Businesses are always looking for new ways to advertise their products or services, which is where your social media account or website could be useful. They may seek intelligent, creative, and influential individuals to promote their brand or products in content or ads.

Some content creation platforms, such as YouTube, allow you to opt into an advertisement program and earn money for views or clicks. You can also search and sign up for paid sponsorships or brand deals with businesses. In this case, you must create content promoting specific products. You may receive payment upfront for your work or generate earnings from its popularity.

8. eBooks

An eBook can make a profit, especially if you can select an underserved audience and niche or solve a consumer problem. Likewise, eBooks can also be one of the best ways to make passive income. This is because individuals can continuously purchase the same digital product.

You can write your eBook yourself or find a freelance writer to produce it for a small fee. Then, you can sell your product via platforms such as Shopify, Amazon, or Google Play. It would be best if you also spent time developing an excellent marketing strategy and directing traffic to your eBook.

9. Online Courses

Are you an expert in a particular subject? Have you recently learned something that could save others time, energy, or frustration? Do you have the skill for teaching or tutoring others? Add an online course to your multiple streams of income and watch your wealth grow.

Unlike in-person courses and classes, you do not need to be physically present to teach the lesson. Instead, you can create a pre-package course with videos, audio, text PDFS, and images. Several platforms will host your online course. They have the added benefit of promoting your course through searches.

10. Audiobooks

Many prefer listening to audiobooks to reading books, magazines, or journals. You may be the perfect choice to create these recordings if you have a clear, pleasant, and expressive speaking voice.

Audiobook narration mainly comes in the form of gig work, so you may have to spend time auditioning and landing your jobs. However, once you complete any work, you can earn passive income through royalties.

11. Useable Digital Products

Digital products are a great passive income idea for 2024. Individuals are always looking for products they can use to make their creations easier. Templates, themes, images, gifs, fonts, presets, and filters are just a few ways to flex your creativity and make extra money.

You must look into what digital products are popular now and find an appropriate selling platform, such as Etsy. Fortunately, since all your creations are digital, you will never need to worry about inventory or shipping.

12. Stock Photography

Photography may be an enjoyable hobby or occasional task, but did you know it could also be one of your best passive income streams? If you have a high-quality camera, you can find a buyer for a photo of almost anything, from nature, to animals, to infrastructure, to people, to products.

For many people, photography is an active income source. However, upload your photos for stock or commercial use, and you’ll make it a passive income gig in no time. You can use platforms like Shutterstock, Getty Images, or iStockPhoto. You’ll make a profit every time someone licenses an image.

13. Commercial Music

Your childhood piano lessons or aptitude for creating beats may be a prime source of passive income for you. Like creating stock photography, you can upload and sell music for commercial use.

Individuals may find selling music more difficult than selling photography. However, the process is relatively the same; you must discover music libraries that will license your recordings. Buyers can find your song, buy the rights to use it, and you will make royalties off of your work.

14. Mobile Apps

Undoubtedly, you have come up with some pretty amazing mobile app ideas. Yet, you may lack programming skills or assume outsourcing the development is too complicated. As it turns out, you only need a platform to build the app or help you build the app.

There are numerous ways to create passive income from a mobile app. You can use pay-to-download, include paid features or upgrades, incorporate ads, or add subscriptions. When you can market your mobile app correctly and serve a large audience, you’ll generate a large amount of passive income quickly.

15. Cashback Websites

Online shopping is not always about spending money; you can also make extra money simultaneously. Cashback websites or reward websites, such as Swagbucks, allow you to earn points in return for shopping. After you reach a certain amount of points, you can convert it to real cash.

While cashback websites may only produce a small amount of money, it is an excellent way to offset shopping costs. Apart from signing up for an account, you do not need to do extra work to earn. Accordingly, it ends up being an easy passive income.

16. Crowdfunded Real Estate

You may have heard of real estate investments as excellent passive income streams. However, they often require renovations, remodels, repairs, and maintenance. Consider looking into crowdfunded real estate to avoid all those tasks and costs. Knowledgeable investors pick out the property, and you can invest as much as you are comfortable with into real estate.

Crowdfunded real estate is one of the best passive income ideas, allowing you to view potential returns ahead of your investment. However, remember you take on considerable risk whenever you choose to invest in property.

17. Dividend Stocks

This year, the stock market provides unique opportunities for new investors and lower-income individuals. There are lower-than-average rates and fees associated with stocks, securing it as one of the best ways to make passive income in 2024.

Dividend stocks are a more lucrative option, as companies distribute earnings to investors regularly. Likewise, they are less susceptible to changes in the stock market than other types of stock. This way, they may be safer options, especially if you are just starting out.

18. Bonds

If you are worried about the economy, you may hesitate to invest in the stock market. Luckily, bonds are less volatile and safer than stocks and shares. They allow individuals to lend money to a company rather than buy a stake. Then, they receive the interest payments on that loan.

You may earn a lower return on investment (ROI) than with stocks; however, you can feel more confident about your choice. Be sure to ask your advisor about setting up a bond ladder or a series of bonds that mature during different years, so you can always count on returns.

19. High-Yield CD Savings Accounts

Setting up a savings account is the most traditional form of accumulating passive income. Today, it still stands as one of the best passive income ideas. You can deposit money into a savings account at your bank and earn a certain amount of interest by leaving it there.

The federal government backs a high-yield savings account with a higher interest rate than a typical savings accounts for a certain time period. For instance, you may earn a 3% yield annually rather than less than 1%. Ultimately, this is one of the easiest ways to make extra money.

Final Thoughts

Now that you read through the 19 best passive income ideas for 2024, you are most likely excited about potential earnings. You may even be looking forward to multiple streams of income, easing your present and securing your future.

When it comes to most passive income sources, success rarely comes overnight. It takes time to develop streams that produce favorable results. For instance, affiliate marketing, blogging, or investments are all long-term games. Yet, if you can stick with it, you can benefit from your money-generating side hustles greatly.

It’s time to begin! Choose one of the above 19 passive income ideas and get the ball rolling today!