Best Digital Side Hustles – You don’t need an office, a big budget, or even a lot of experience to start making money online in 2025. All you need is a laptop, an internet connection, and the willingness to learn as you go.
Whether you’re trying to build passive income, explore a career change, or simply earn more from your free time, digital side hustles offer real opportunities, with minimal startup costs.
Here are 10 proven online side hustles that you can start today, from wherever you are.
1. Freelance Web Design
If you know your way around WordPress, Webflow, or even just Canva and Elementor, you can start offering simple web design services to local businesses, creators, and nonprofits.
Start with:
- Portfolio websites
- One-page landing pages
- Shopify or Wix store setups
Tools needed: WordPress, Canva, Figma, Notion
Where to find clients: Upwork, Fiverr, local Facebook groups, LinkedIn
2. Print-on-Demand Product Sales
You don’t need inventory to sell custom products. Print-on-demand lets you upload designs to items like shirts, mugs, or stickers, and only print them when someone orders.
Start with:
- T-shirts with Canadian themes
- Motivational mugs or notebooks
- Niche stickers or digital art
Platforms: Printful, Printify, Redbubble, Amazon Merch
Skills needed: Basic design (Canva is enough)
3. Blogging for Affiliate Income
Choose a niche you care about, tech tools, skincare, pet care, finance, and start writing content around it. Monetize through affiliate links to products, courses, or software.
Start with:
- List posts like “10 Best Free SEO Tools”
- Product comparisons or tutorials
- Answering search questions (long-tail keywords)
Tools needed: WordPress, RankMath or Yoast, Google Search Console
Income timeline: Expect 3–6 months to see results
4. Selling Digital Products
Digital goods are one of the most scalable income streams. Once created, you can sell them unlimited times with no shipping, stock, or storage.
Product ideas:
- Canva templates
- Notion planners
- Resume designs
- Budgeting spreadsheets
- Lightroom presets
Platforms: Gumroad, Etsy, Shopify, Creative Market
5. Online Course Creation
If you know how to do something, design, writing, budgeting, even organizing your time, you can teach it. People are paying for concise, helpful courses that solve real problems.
Course formats:
- Video lessons
- Downloadable workbooks
- Private Discord or Slack communities
Platforms: Teachable, Podia, Thinkific, Skillshare
6. Social Media Management for Small Businesses
Local businesses often want to be on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, but have no time to manage it. You can create and schedule posts, respond to messages, and monitor performance.
Services to offer:
- Monthly content creation
- Basic design with Canva
- Engagement tracking
- Posting + comment replies
Tools: Canva, Buffer, Meta Business Suite, ChatGPT for captions
Start with: Restaurants, salons, real estate agents, fitness studios
7. Remote Customer Support
Many startups and eCommerce brands hire part-time, remote support staff. All you need is good English (or French, for Canadian bilingual roles), patience, and internet access.
Tasks may include:
- Live chat support
- Email handling
- Order tracking
- Troubleshooting common issues
Platforms to find jobs: We Work Remotely, Remote OK, Support Driven, Indeed
8. SEO Writing or Copywriting
You don’t need to be a novelist to write online. Businesses need writers for blog posts, emails, product pages, and more.
Start with:
- How-to articles
- Listicles and roundup posts
- Product descriptions
- About or landing page copy
Skills that help: Keyword research, clear writing, basic formatting
Tools: Grammarly, ChatGPT, SurferSEO, Google Docs
9. Virtual Assistant (VA) Services
Think of this as a digital helper for busy professionals. You can offer admin services, inbox management, scheduling, research, or even light design and content posting.
What to offer:
- Calendar and email organization
- Research tasks
- Customer follow-ups
- Data entry
Tools: Trello, Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Loom
Clients: Coaches, solopreneurs, course creators
10. Selling Stock Photos or Videos
If you own a smartphone and know how to take crisp, well-lit photos, you already have what it takes to sell digital visuals.
What sells:
- Diverse, authentic people
- Nature, urban shots, and seasonal themes
- Business and tech setups
- Short video clips for ads
Platforms: Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Pexels, Getty Images
How to Make Money With a Laptop (Digital Side Hustles)
There’s never been a better time to start a digital side hustle in Canada, or anywhere else. The tools are accessible, the audiences are global, and the skills you build along the way are valuable for any future career.
You don’t need to know everything to begin. Start with what you can do today, offer value to real people, and improve as you go.
If you’re building your first online brand, blog, or product and want a professional website to grow with it, we can help. Contact Maple Web Design and let’s build your digital foundation right.
