Germany presents excellent opportunities to earn an income online without any financial investment. With its strong economy, widespread internet connectivity, high rates of disposable income and thriving startup ecosystem, Germany enables multiple ways of making money online at no cost.
This comprehensive guide shares the top proven methods to start earning online in Germany without spending any money.
Take Online Surveys
Taking online surveys is one of the easiest ways to make extra money from home in Germany. Numerous market research companies and brands seek consumer opinions to develop better products and make smarter decisions. And many pay you to share your views.
You can easily find such paid survey panels by searching on Google and signing up on their websites. Typical earnings range from €2 to €25 per survey lasting 15-20 minutes. The more consistent you are with completing surveys, the more companies offer you new high-paying survey opportunities. Popular panels include:
- YouGov
- Toluna
- Pinecone Research
- Harris Poll Online
- Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
Participate in Website User Testing
Sharing your experience of using a new website or app can help earn cash rewards. UX research companies like TryMyUI and UserTesting hire people to evaluate websites and give improvement feedback.
As a website tester, you will be asked to perform some tasks on an website/app and speak out your thoughts while doing so. The entire user test session lasts 15-30 minutes and pays around €10 per test. With consistent participation, you can expect to earn €100 or more per month.
Take Paid Online Surveys
You can easily find such paid survey panels by searching on Google and signing up on their websites. Typical earnings range from €2 to €25 per survey lasting 15-20 minutes. The more consistent you are with completing surveys, the more companies offer you new high-paying survey opportunities. Popular panels include:
- YouGov
- Toluna
- Pinecone Research
- Harris Poll Online
- Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel
Sell Your Photos Online
If you have a knack for photography, you can earn handsomely by selling your photos through stock image websites like ShutterStock and iStockPhoto.
You simply need to create an account, upload your high quality, unique images and set a price per image. When someone buys your photo for their websites, brochures, presentations etc., you earn a royalty income. Top stock photo sellers easily make over €800 per month.
Earn From Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing enables you to earn commissions by promoting someone else’s products or services on your website/social media. When one of your site visitors purchases a product using your promotion link, the merchant pays you an affiliate commission.
With affiliate programs from giants like Amazon, eBay and Booking.com, you have endless products and services to choose from. As you build your site and social media audience over time, your affiliate earnings can scale up dramatically. 15%+ commissions per sale is common.
Leverage Dropshipping Business Model
Dropshipping provides an excellent business model to sell products online without holding any inventory. You set up an online store with products imported on order from a supplier. This means when you get an order, the supplier directly ships the product to your customer.
This is a scalable ecommerce model allowing you to try small without big financial commitment. While monthly profits typically range from €1500-€5000 for top performing dropshipping stores in Germany.
Rent Your Home Parking Space
In crowded cities, people are often willing to pay to rent parking spots. By listing your unused home parking area on platforms like JustPark or ParkLet, you can earn up to €150 per month.
They take a small commission and handle all renter coordination. You simply earn by sharing what you are not using!
Create How-to Video Courses
From photography to fitness to arts to crafts, you can create engaging online video courses on topics you know well. By hosting them on your website or platforms like Udemy, Skillshare and Podia, these expert-taught courses can sell for premium prices like €97 or €197 per enrolment.
Top-performing course instructors easily make over €5000 per month in passive income from the knowledge they share.
Offer Freelance Services
There is great demand for talented freelancers to provide services like web development, graphic design, data entry, virtual assistance, consulting and more. Freelancing websites like Upwork, Fiverr and PeoplePerHour allow you to create your service listings and get hired by global clients right away.
By consistently delivering quality results and getting great client reviews, you can quickly scale your freelance microbusiness into a healthy income from full-time projects. Most freelancers charge at least €25 per hour.