UK Side Hustle Index 2026: 33 side hustles compared

The full Side Hustle Index

Filter and sort all 33 guides. Each row links to the full guide, with the costs, pricing, risks and a step-by-step start plan behind the numbers.

• Handyman services

  General home repairs, flat-pack assembly, shelving, minor plumbing and small jobs that homeowners don't want to tackle themselves.

  Earnings

  £500–£3,000 a month

  Startup cost

  £300–£2,500

  Weekly hours

  8–30 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the customer's propertyRecurring: Moderate

• Garden maintenance

  Regular mowing, hedge trimming, weeding and seasonal tidy-ups for householders who want a reliable weekly or fortnightly visit.

  Earnings

  £400–£2,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £200–£1,500

  Weekly hours

  8–25 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the customer's property, mostly outdoorsRecurring: High

• Pressure washing

  Cleaning driveways, patios, decking and building exteriors for households and small commercial sites.

  Earnings

  £400–£2,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £400–£2,500

  Weekly hours

  8–16 hours a week

  First income

  2–6 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, outdoorsRecurring: Low

• Window cleaning

  Regular exterior window cleaning for households and small businesses, usually on a monthly or four-weekly round.

  Earnings

  £400–£2,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £150–£2,500

  Weekly hours

  8–25 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the customer's propertyRecurring: High

• Mobile car valeting

  Travelling to homes and workplaces to clean vehicles inside and out, from quick washes to full valets.

  Earnings

  £400–£2,000 a month

  Startup cost

  £300–£2,000

  Weekly hours

  8–16 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the customer's addressRecurring: Moderate

• Domestic cleaning

  Regular house cleaning for local households, usually booked weekly or fortnightly on fixed days.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,800 a month

  Startup cost

  £50–£400

  Weekly hours

  6–25 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: LowLocal, in the customer's homeRecurring: High

• Freelance sales / appointment setting

  Booking qualified sales meetings, or following up quotes, for small B2B firms on a retainer or per-result basis.

  Earnings

  £400–£1,800 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£200

  Weekly hours

  8–15 hours a week

  First income

  2–6 weeks

  Difficulty: HighOnline, UK-wide clientsRecurring: High

• Local delivery service

  Delivering parcels, food, shopping or local business orders using your own car, bike or van, either via apps or direct local contracts.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,800 a month

  Startup cost

  £50–£1,500

  Weekly hours

  5–30 hours a week

  First income

  Under 1 week

  Difficulty: LowLocal, on the road or on foot/bikeRecurring: Moderate

• Freelance bookkeeping

  Monthly transaction coding, reconciliation and record-keeping for micro-businesses and sole traders.

  Earnings

  £400–£1,600 a month

  Startup cost

  £150–£900

  Weekly hours

  6–12 hours a week

  First income

  4–10 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateOnline, occasionally localRecurring: High

• Holiday let cleaning

  Fast turnaround cleans and linen changes between guest stays for short-term let and Airbnb-style properties.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,600 a month

  Startup cost

  £100–£800

  Weekly hours

  5–20 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the property between guest staysRecurring: Moderate

• Mobile bicycle repair

  Travelling to customers' homes or workplaces to fix, service and tune bikes, avoiding the overheads of a fixed workshop.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,600 a month

  Startup cost

  £250–£1,800

  Weekly hours

  6–20 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, at the customer's home, workplace or a fixed pop-up spotRecurring: Moderate

• Furniture flipping

  Buying tired second-hand furniture cheaply, restoring or upcycling it, and reselling it for a profit locally.

  Earnings

  £200–£1,500 a month

  Startup cost

  £150–£1,200

  Weekly hours

  6–20 hours a week

  First income

  2–6 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal sourcing and mostly local selling due to size and weightRecurring: Low

• Local social-media management

  Planning, writing and scheduling social posts for small local businesses on a monthly retainer.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,500 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£150

  Weekly hours

  6–14 hours a week

  First income

  3–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateOnline, with local clientsRecurring: High

• Vinted reselling

  Sourcing second-hand clothing, shoes and accessories cheaply and reselling them at a margin through the Vinted app.

  Earnings

  £100–£1,500 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£300

  Weekly hours

  4–15 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: LowOnline, run from home anywhere in the UK with a post office or parcel locker nearbyRecurring: Low

• Website maintenance

  Ongoing updates, backups, security checks and small edits for small business websites, sold as a monthly plan.

  Earnings

  £250–£1,500 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£300

  Weekly hours

  4–12 hours a week

  First income

  3–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateOnline, with local or remote clientsRecurring: High

• eBay reselling

  Building a focused eBay shop around sourced or surplus stock, using listing optimisation, feedback and fees to compete effectively on the platform.

  Earnings

  £150–£1,400 a month

  Startup cost

  £50–£700

  Weekly hours

  5–18 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateOnline, national reach through eBay's marketplaceRecurring: Low

• Virtual assistant services

  Remote inbox, diary, admin and customer support for busy owners, sold as monthly hours packages.

  Earnings

  £300–£1,400 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£120

  Weekly hours

  5–12 hours a week

  First income

  2–6 weeks

  Difficulty: LowFully onlineRecurring: High

• Dog walking and pet sitting

  Scheduled weekday walks, drop-in visits and holiday pet care for local owners, usually sold in weekly blocks.

  Earnings

  £250–£1,300 a month

  Startup cost

  £50–£600

  Weekly hours

  6–15 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: LowLocal, outdoorsRecurring: High

• Freelance photography

  Paid photography for portraits, small events, property listings and local businesses, built up alongside a full-time job.

  Earnings

  £150–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £300–£2,500

  Weekly hours

  4–15 hours a week

  First income

  4–10 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, with online booking and deliveryRecurring: Moderate

• Freelance writing

  Writing website copy, blog posts and articles for businesses and publications on a per-piece or retainer basis.

  Earnings

  £200–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£150

  Weekly hours

  4–15 hours a week

  First income

  3–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully onlineRecurring: Moderate

• Furniture assembly

  Building flat-pack furniture and fitting simple household items for people who do not want the job themselves.

  Earnings

  £250–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £80–£500

  Weekly hours

  5–15 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: LowLocal, in customers' homesRecurring: Low

• Online tutoring

  One-to-one or small-group tuition delivered by video in a subject you already know well.

  Earnings

  £200–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£150

  Weekly hours

  4–10 hours a week

  First income

  1–4 weeks

  Difficulty: LowFully onlineRecurring: High

• Personalised fridge magnets

  Making and selling personalised photo magnets, event favours and promotional magnets with a small home printing setup.

  Earnings

  £150–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £250–£2,000

  Weekly hours

  5–15 hours a week

  First income

  2–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateBoth — online orders and local markets or businessesRecurring: Moderate

• Reselling second-hand items

  Buying undervalued second-hand items locally and reselling them online or at car boot sales for a margin.

  Earnings

  £150–£1,200 a month

  Startup cost

  £50–£800

  Weekly hours

  5–15 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal sourcing, mostly online sellingRecurring: Low

• Google Business Profile management

  Setting up, optimising and regularly updating Google Business Profiles so local businesses show up and look active in local search.

  Earnings

  £200–£1,100 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£100

  Weekly hours

  3–10 hours a week

  First income

  2–6 weeks

  Difficulty: LowOnline, with local clientsRecurring: High

• Cake decorating

  Baking and decorating celebration cakes to order from home for birthdays, weddings and other occasions.

  Earnings

  £100–£900 a month

  Startup cost

  £150–£1,200

  Weekly hours

  4–16 hours a week

  First income

  3–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateLocal, with orders often arranged onlineRecurring: Moderate

• Etsy digital products

  Creating and selling downloadable digital files — planners, templates, printables and design assets — through an Etsy shop.

  Earnings

  £50–£900 a month

  Startup cost

  £20–£400

  Weekly hours

  4–15 hours a week

  First income

  3–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully online, sold worldwide through Etsy's marketplaceRecurring: Moderate

• Ironing service

  Collecting or receiving laundry to iron at home for local households, priced by the basket or item.

  Earnings

  £150–£900 a month

  Startup cost

  £40–£350

  Weekly hours

  4–20 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: LowHome-based, with local collection and deliveryRecurring: Moderate

• Proofreading

  Checking documents, manuscripts and web copy for spelling, grammar and consistency errors, paid per job or per word.

  Earnings

  £150–£900 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£400

  Weekly hours

  3–12 hours a week

  First income

  4–10 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully onlineRecurring: Moderate

• Print-on-demand products

  Selling designs on products that a fulfilment provider prints and posts only after a customer orders.

  Earnings

  £50–£700 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£500

  Weekly hours

  4–12 hours a week

  First income

  2–12 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully onlineRecurring: Low

• UGC creator

  Creating short-form videos and photos that brands use on their own social channels, websites and paid advertising.

  Earnings

  £0–£600 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£300

  Weekly hours

  5–12 hours a week

  First income

  2–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully remote, filmed at home anywhere in the UKRecurring: Moderate

• Babysitting

  Paid evening and occasional daytime childcare for local families, usually arranged directly or through a babysitting app.

  Earnings

  £60–£500 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£150

  Weekly hours

  2–12 hours a week

  First income

  1–3 weeks

  Difficulty: LowLocalRecurring: Moderate

• TikTok Shop affiliate

  Promoting products sold through TikTok Shop in short videos and earning commission when viewers buy through your affiliate content or links.

  Earnings

  £0–£500 a month

  Startup cost

  £0–£250

  Weekly hours

  5–15 hours a week

  First income

  2–8 weeks

  Difficulty: ModerateFully online, filmed anywhere in the UKRecurring: Low

Five of the fastest side hustles to start earning from

Selected on each guide's published speed to first income. Several share the same timing band, so these are listed as examples rather than a strict order. Speed usually comes from existing demand you can reach quickly rather than anything you have to build.

• Babysitting

  First income typically 1–3 weeks. Paid evening and occasional daytime childcare for local families, usually arranged directly or through a babysitting app. Startup cost £0–£150, 2–12 hours a week.

• Dog walking and pet sitting

  First income typically 1–3 weeks. Scheduled weekday walks, drop-in visits and holiday pet care for local owners, usually sold in weekly blocks. Startup cost £50–£600, 6–15 hours a week.

• Domestic cleaning

  First income typically 1–3 weeks. Regular house cleaning for local households, usually booked weekly or fortnightly on fixed days. Startup cost £50–£400, 6–25 hours a week.

• eBay reselling

  First income typically 1–3 weeks. Building a focused eBay shop around sourced or surplus stock, using listing optimisation, feedback and fees to compete effectively on the platform. Startup cost £50–£700, 5–18 hours a week.

• Furniture assembly

  First income typically 1–3 weeks. Building flat-pack furniture and fitting simple household items for people who do not want the job themselves. Startup cost £80–£500, 5–15 hours a week.

If your time is limited to particular days, our after-work ideas for evenings and Saturday and Sunday options apply the same data to those windows.

Five of the cheapest side hustles to start

Selected on the bottom of each guide's startup range, where several start from the same figure, so these are examples rather than a strict order. A low entry cost reduces what you risk, but it does not remove the work of finding your first customers.

• Google Business Profile management

  £0–£100 to start. Setting up, optimising and regularly updating Google Business Profiles so local businesses show up and look active in local search. First income typically 2–6 weeks.

• Virtual assistant services

  £0–£120 to start. Remote inbox, diary, admin and customer support for busy owners, sold as monthly hours packages. First income typically 2–6 weeks.

• Babysitting

  £0–£150 to start. Paid evening and occasional daytime childcare for local families, usually arranged directly or through a babysitting app. First income typically 1–3 weeks.

• Freelance writing

  £0–£150 to start. Writing website copy, blog posts and articles for businesses and publications on a per-piece or retainer basis. First income typically 3–8 weeks.

• Local social-media management

  £0–£150 to start. Planning, writing and scheduling social posts for small local businesses on a monthly retainer. First income typically 3–8 weeks.

For a fuller walk-through of low-cost starts, see our picks for people starting on a small budget.

Five of the highest earning side hustles

These have the highest published earning ranges, not guaranteed income. Higher potential usually reflects more skill, more hours, a larger setup or harder customer acquisition — check the difficulty and hours columns before choosing on earnings alone.

• Handyman services

  £500–£3,000 a month at the top of the published range. Difficulty moderate, 8–30 hours a week, startup cost £300–£2,500.

• Garden maintenance

  £400–£2,200 a month at the top of the published range. Difficulty moderate, 8–25 hours a week, startup cost £200–£1,500.

• Pressure washing

  £400–£2,200 a month at the top of the published range. Difficulty moderate, 8–16 hours a week, startup cost £400–£2,500.

• Window cleaning

  £400–£2,200 a month at the top of the published range. Difficulty moderate, 8–25 hours a week, startup cost £150–£2,500.

• Mobile car valeting

  £400–£2,000 a month at the top of the published range. Difficulty moderate, 8–16 hours a week, startup cost £300–£2,000.

If you have a specific target in mind, we have worked the arithmetic through for an extra £500 a month and an extra £1,000 a month.

Five side hustles requiring the least weekly time

Selected on the bottom of each guide's weekly hours range — the smallest commitment that still makes the work viable. Useful if you already work full time or on shifts.

• Babysitting

  2–12 hours a week. Paid evening and occasional daytime childcare for local families, usually arranged directly or through a babysitting app. £60–£500 a month.

• Google Business Profile management

  3–10 hours a week. Setting up, optimising and regularly updating Google Business Profiles so local businesses show up and look active in local search. £200–£1,100 a month.

• Proofreading

  3–12 hours a week. Checking documents, manuscripts and web copy for spelling, grammar and consistency errors, paid per job or per word. £150–£900 a month.

• Cake decorating

  4–16 hours a week. Baking and decorating celebration cakes to order from home for birthdays, weddings and other occasions. £100–£900 a month.

• Etsy digital products

  4–15 hours a week. Creating and selling downloadable digital files — planners, templates, printables and design assets — through an Etsy shop. £50–£900 a month.

See also our tailored pages for people in full-time jobs and those working shifts.

Online versus local side hustles

Online work travels: you are not limited by who lives nearby, but you compete with everyone else who is also online, so positioning matters. Local work has a much smaller pool of competitors and customers who can see you, but your income is capped by travel time and the size of your area.

Browse everything in the full library of side-hustle guides or the recommendations by occupation and lifestyle.

Where do these figures come from?

Every number in the Index is read from the same research behind each individual guide — nothing is written specifically for this page. Our methodology explains how we research, review and score each idea.

Costs and income figures are estimates for guidance only. Actual results depend on your location, experience, pricing, demand and execution.

Whether you need to register as self-employed, and what tax you pay, depends on your own circumstances. Check GOV.UK guidance on setting up as a sole trader and the £1,000 trading allowance.