Are Legitimate work at home websites real, or are they just all scams?
I used to be skeptical, but I knew there was a way to make money because there were people doing it. Making money online has always been a thing ever since the internet started.
When I first started back in 2013, I was constantly finding legitimate websites to make money from. Sadly, 95% of them that I found scammed my time and money.
Also with the COVID-19 pandemic, some people have no choice but to learn how to start making money online since they are unable to leave their houses.
Like I mentioned, finding legitimate work at home websites is like finding a needle in the haystack, with SO MANY SCAMS out there.
Sometimes, you just want to throw in the towel and give up after facing failure of finding a legitimate opportunity.
If you feel like that, then GREAT NEWS that you landed on this page.
I’ve narrowed down to a few legitimate work at home websites that you can start with today.
As someone who has been doing this for a long time now, I have verified each one of them to be 100% legit, so you don’t waste your time on something that is fake and doesn’t pay out.
Some of these work at home websites may make you a small side income, while others has the opportunity to make you a full time income or more!
NOTE: This page includes affiliate links that may earn me a small commission if you sign up! This comes at no extra cost to you, and it helps me keep my blog running + my daily cup of coffee! Thanks if you choose to treat me coffee 😀
1. Microworkers
Microworkers has been around for a long time. In fact, I wrote a review about it years ago. The fact that it is still operating till this days shows that it is definitely one of the few legitimate work at home websites out there.
For Microworkers, you’re basically doing micro tasks like what the website name implies. The tasks are usually very easy to complete and doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to complete
Take a look at some of the better paying tasks you can complete:
Most of the task don’t pay much, which is in the range of a few cents.
Completing these tasks will need you to do them properly. If not, your work may get rejected and will not get pay out. So follow the instructions carefully!
Depending on where you are from as well, you may be able to get more and better paying tasks as well. This means it usually favor the first tier countries (eg. US/UK/Australia)
The payment can be done through Paypal, but there’s a verification process where they send a pin number to your address first.
Once verification is done, then you can withdraw the money to your account. There is also a small fee for withdrawal too so beware of that!
Click Here To Sign Up for Microworkers2. Clickworker
Clickworker is also one of the many legitimate work at home websites that has existed since 2005, and is still running up to this day.
Looking at their task list, there’s not as many task to do.
Or maybe it’s because I’m out of the targeted countries.
You can also complete assessments in this platform that can help you to qualify for more jobs as well.
But however like Microworkers, the potential to earn isn’t as high as may just be a few cents for quick tasks.
If you’re able to finish them fast, it will quickly add up for sure.
One other thing that’s different is that they have a mobile app too which you can work on tasks while you’re on your mobile phone as well.
Click Here To Sign Up for Clickworkers3. Picoworkers
Picoworkers is probably the younger counterpart of both Microworkers and Clickworker. The website is also more modern as well.
Besides that, it actually works pretty much the same too. Tasks are micro tasks which can be completed quickly, but doesn’t pay out as much. The tasks that pays more require you to do more as well.
As you can see, the task that pays $0.21 requires you to do all these steps. Your task is actually finding the ones that require fewer steps, and pay out the most.
And of course, you need to do them correctly or your work will get rejected too.
One thing I need to make sure is that if this site is legit, and doing my multiple checks including the one below shows that this site does pay out for work.
Picoworkers is definitely reliable if you’re looking for a work at home job website that pays out.
Click Here To Sign Up for Picoworkers4. Amazon mTurk
If you’re seeing Amazon, then yes it’s the same brand everyone knows and love!
Amazon has their own version of micro working task website like the previous few recommendations.
However, the powerful thing is that I have actually seen people claim that they can make decent money that they can live off working on this platform.
I’ve seen people say they made $300 to $500, to even $1000 to $2000 per month on mTurk.
In fact, there’s a sub-reddit called HITsWorthTurkingFor is dedicated to help people identify which tasks are easy to complete and pays out the most.
My personal experience with mTurk is that the task actually do pay out more compared to the previous platforms, but depending on the tasks you do.
If you’re lucky, you may be able to earn $10 to $20 for just 3 – 5 minutes of work.
However the average is still in cents like seen in the screenshot above. Those that pay out lower usually award bonuses and can be completed really quickly too.
As for cashing out, certain countries allow you to your bank account. If you don’t have this option, then you can transfer the balance to US Amazon website where you can utilize the balance for purchases.
One thing for sure, you’ll never be scammed on this platform!
Click Here To Sign Up for mTurk5. Fiverr
Legitimate work at home websites are more than just microtasks, with Fiverr giving you a chance to be a freelancer if you ever wanted to be one!
This website is something that I have personally used many times.
Both as a freelancer, and as someone who engaged other people’s services.
If you want more information, take a look at the review that I wrote quite a few years back!
In any case, you can actually make money if you have a useful skill set. These can be
- Graphic Design
- Digital Marketing
- Writing/Translation
- Music & Audio
- Programming
- Business
- And many more!
Chances are you have a skill set that you can sell services for. You would want to set up a profile and then you can start earning money with this platform!
Click Here To Sign Up for Fiverr6. Upwork
This is very similar to Fiverr, and also equally popular with freelancer.
You can set up your profile and charge by per hour as well, which is something you can’t do on Fiverr.
Generally if you are a freelancer, you definitely want to be on both of these platforms to increase your visibility.
Here’s a quick article you can read to get started on the platform quickly while following some general good to know guidelines.
Click Here To Sign Up for UpWork7. Rev.com
If transcribing is your thing, then Rev is definitely a legit way to get started.
In case you don’t know, transcribing is basically the process of turning audio into words. Listen to a sound clip of someone talking, then type that out in a document.
Sounds pretty simple, right?
Not quite. There’s requirements and standards you need to meet, and you have to take a test before you can start making money with the platform.
In any case if you do make the cut and become a transcriber, you can potentially earn anywhere from $0.30 to $1.10 per audio minute depending on the complexity of the clip.
There’s another role as well, which is the captioner. That’s the job of putting subtitles on videos, and it pays out as well too!
I have personally used this platform to get my transcribing work done as it is done by real people and not bots.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to make money through transcribing, I highly recommend using Rev as a platform as it’s reliable and trustable.
Click Here To Sign Up for Rev.com8. GoTranscript
GoTranscript has been around since 2005, so it’s definitely another legit website that you can work for if you want to do Transcribing work.
It is mostly the same as Rev.com in term of getting paid. However, it seems that it has a slightly lower pay out of only up to $0.60.
You will need to go through a test as well to determine if you can take up the job.
I have not gone through this test, but this first one requires you to answer every question correctly before you can proceed.
In any case, click the button below if you want to start working with GoTranscript.
Click Here To Sign Up for GoTranscript9. Appen (Leapforce)
Leapforce has been around since 2008, and was acquired by Appen in end 2017.
Back when I found out about this company, they were mostly doing Search Engine work.
However, they seem to have evolved to take on a wider variety of tasks which includes Social media evaluation, translation and even transcription!
Do note that in order to apply, you will need to attach your CV/Resume as well on their website.
I don’t have much experience with working with Leapforce as they used to only hire people in limited countries in the past. Right now, it seems like they expanded to more international audience
Which is why here’s a really good review on someone working for Leapforce making over $1,000 a month doing so.
In any case, click below to apply and start making money with Leapforce!
Click Here To Sign Up for Appen10. Swagbucks
Swagbucks has been the top of many lists that feature legitimate work at home websites.
Like repeatedly, over and over.
It has been around since 2018 but was only for select countries. Only in recent times, they have expanded internationally to more countries.
A quick summary of this website is that you can complete actions in order to earn their currency, which is also called ‘Swagbucks’.
These actions could range from completing surveys, shopping, completing offers, searching the web, and even more!
Every action will award you a certain amount of Swagbucks, which you can then cash out for cash on Paypal, Amazon gift cards, and more!
The exchange rate is 100 SB = $1, with a minimum cash out of 500 SB which is a $5 giftcard or paypal cash.
Click Here To Sign Up for SwagbucksConclusion
And that’s it with the list of 10 legitimate work at home websites you can start with.
There’s a lot more which I would be writing on in due time, including more survey sites, apps, and other kinds of ways to earn money.
One thing for sure, there’s a difference between finding a job online, and starting your own online business.
I personally have my own online business ever since 2014, and still operating till this day.
This helped me generate an online income even when I’m not working actively on the computer.
Sometimes even when I’m sleeping!
If you’re interested, click the banner below and learn how you can do so too and how you can sign up for my #1 recommended solution to make money online today!
Adyns68 says
I think you have listed the best websites to make money from. I have heard of most of them, only Picoworkers sounds new to me. But they are all great places to find tasks and earn cash.
I think what really bothers me is the scalability of these platforms, I feel limited in the cash that I can make. Because there is no guarantee that you will get a job to do every day. So, it is a great way to make extra income but it will be hard to make it your main source of income right away.
Thanks
Terence says
Hey Adyns68,
Most of these websites has been around for 10 years+ with the exception of Picoworkers, so that’s one thing about reliability. You’re right about the limitations in the cash earnings as well, but it’s definitely great for newbies who are starting to learn how to make money online and gain confidence in doing so.
Ella says
Wow! The goal right now is being able to earn decently without having to step away from home and seeing that it has been made possible right now is simply eccentric. I like every bits of the information you have shared concerning the various platforms to earn decently here or work from home. Thanks
Terence says
Hi Ella,
You’re welcome! Feel free to share to people who you feel may need this during this crucial time as well!
Lisa says
You have provided 10 very good examples of legitimate work from home opportunities. It is a minefield out there with scams that take your money stay around for a few months and then disappear with everyone’s money. I have joined a couple of those. Lots of people looking to work from home will get a great deal of value from your Article.
Terence says
Hi Lisa,
Yes there are definitely a lot of scams out there which prompted me to create this article to help people, especially in the times of need. Glad it helped out!
edahnewton1 says
Hey nice article you have there . In this period of covid 19 and the lockdown across nation’s, using my skills to earn money online has been my thought, with this platform my dream is gradually becoming a reality, I am a graphic designer, how can I use Fiverr to drive this process , do I need to sign up, is there cost attach to the sign up?.
Terence says
Hi edahnewton1,
There is no cost to sign up for Fiverr! How it works is that if someone buy a service from you, you’ll give the platform a cut of your earnings. So if you don’t have any sales for the month, you don’t have to pay anything at all. Consider signing up to start earning today for free!
Marc Ho says
Hi Terence, this is very useful information especially now. I know of people who are out of a job or cannot work for the time being. I know about one of them and have bookmark your article for me to learn about the rest.
I can share with people who need help in this area. Thank you. Marc.
Terence says
Hi Marc,
Glad to be able to help! Definitely do share with your friends or families looking to do some work online!
Henderson says
I think this is a very fantastic way for me to be able to make some really good money online. I have never really given this a try before but this lockdown really have a lot of us at a tight spot so this is what I think I need to do right now. I would try Fiverr out. I have heard of that platform before and I am really glad you shared it. Thanks.
Terence says
Hi Henderson,
Great to hear that you’re going to try Fiverr out. Let me know if you need help with that! There’s a lot of guides online that teaches you how to set up a basic profile quickly too!
Sami says
Thank you for the list of online workplaces. How do I know if I have the skills needed? It seems they all say you can learn while you are working, but I don’t think I would earn very much not knowing what I was doing.
I have seen most of your companies names before but didn’t know anything about them, so did not check them out. Now that I am interested in learning more about this kind of work, I find there is a lot I don’t know. Can you work for more than one company at the same time? Dio you have to work your way up the list? Is the list based on work quality or length signed up with the company? For a newcomer is it better to work where you are paid through the company or do they allow the worker to collect their own fees? Thanks for your help Sami
Terence says
Hi Sami,
Glad to answer your questions! First of all, you are right to say that you won’t earn as much if you don’t know what you’re doing. But the thing is you can still earn but at a slower rate. Once you are more used to the websites (especially microworkers, picoworkers, mturk, etc) then you can start to earn a lot faster.
For your other questions:
1) Yes you can work with more than 1 companies at a time. Sign up with every one in the list if you want to. No need to work up any list
2) The list is based on my experience of legitimate places where you can work to earn money.
3) That depends. For most of these platforms the money will flow through the company, which will in turn the company will pay you after a certain cut. If you’re looking for a place where workers collect their own fees, it’s slightly more tricky because many platforms make the money flows through them first.
Steve says
I totally get where you are coming from when you say that so many of the work at home opportunities are scams. That is so true! I love how many different opportunities are on this post! It also feels like you could dapple in all of them to maximize your earnings. Is that something you would do or should you focus on one particular category, like the task completion sites instead of trying a little bit of everything?
Terence says
Hi Steve,
I would say it depends on how much time you have, and how willing are you to complete the tasks. If you can do everything that it’ll maximize your earnings for sure. I would say one of my favourites would be mTurk as I’ve seen people get phenomenal results just working from that platform alone.
Yvette says
I think you provided great information here. I must admit I’ve only heard of one of those sites. (Fivver) But then again, I’ve never really searched for work at home websites.
I guess because most seem to have been around for some time, they are considered legitimate. However, they all seem to pay very little, so are they really worth your time to check out?
Do you suggest looking at one of these companies as providing a stepping stone of income, while you establish your own online business? I don’t see any of those companies, except Fivver, as able to provide a livable income.
You said there’s many more out there and I look forward to your next review of these types of companies.
Thank you and well done.
Terence says
Hi Yvette,
For one, I would say these websites won’t provide you enough income that you can replace your day job. Maybe for people in certain countries this would be a possibility so I’m not discounting that either. Also, these websites can be definitely worth it to take a look especially for beginners who are making $0. I used to started with stuff like that too, which funded my initial affiliate marketing business, and it just grew from there because I had the funds to do so.
Nimrodngy says
During this period I am looking to work from home and I am glad that I found this article where I have the opportunity to choose a legitimate work opportunity. I read a lot of opinions about Amazon mTurk and I want to tell you that I would like to sign in.
I saw that not all people are accepted in this program, do you have any idea if it is a specific selection?
Terence says
Hi Nimrodngy,
Hope you enjoyed the article! I would say just try to sign up for mTurk first and see what else is needed to get accepted. From what I know, the requirements to get into the program is a lot more lenient than before.
Mike Adkins says
Hi – Thanks for the great information. It seems as if there are a number of sites out there where you can make a little extra cash on line. I had never thought of trying to “offer” services before but having read your post I think I may give it a go. I had not heard of many of these sites, in fact I was only familiar with one which is Fiverr – I used Fiverr here in the UK as I had a question about my Tax return, I employed a UK accountant who was brilliant and answered my question and told me exactly how to complete a part of my return for the sum of $17 which to me was an absolute bargain as it took away the worry of getting the information in the wrong place!. Thanks again for the information, I just need to figure out what I can offer to make a bit of extra money…
Kind Regards
Mike
Terence says
Hi Mike,
I agree with you! I have used Fiverr to hire people to help me with things like logo design and other stuff, and gotten a really good bargain for most of it. If you want to make money from it, you definitely need to find out what you can offer first. Sometimes, it doesn’t really have to be a skill at all!
EliteCarol says
The current stay at home order has made me decide to step into the world of online business but so far, it’s been difficult finding a legit platform where I can earn well. This post has been very helpful and I’ll be following through on all the platforms listed. The services of Microworkers are quite enticing and I’ll be looking more into it as a lucrative opportunity.
Terence says
Hi EliteCarol,
It definitely is difficult finding a legit platform. Hope to see that these opportunities work out for you!
Affiliate for Amazon says
Making money online is a broad topic, however, there are many website out there that are scammer as explained in this article. The information on legitimate Work At Home website is very informative to me since I have never heard of most of them before now, or I never pay attention especially the Survey, the Freelancer, the Transcription or doing transcribing words from an audio. My interest was never towards those work during my search online for working at home job.
In reviewing these 10 legitimate website, it great that majority of them has been around for over 10 plus years, and of course they must be doing well in there business, now that I learn a bit on their type of work they offer, I know this would not satisfied me based on their pay scale and what you have to do to earn their payout.
For other talented entrepreneur with skills to offer or utilize for themselves would be great for most of these websites. Over all excellent article for many new seekers who are looking for extra cash working from home.
Sipheni says
Brilliant article. Not only does it provide useful websites for work at home opportunities, I have ideas on where to look for when wanting to outsource freelance services for my website. I recently used Fiverr for outsourcing and had a great experience with the platform. I personally think the best way to make money online is to build your own website.
Terence says
Hi Sipheni
I agree with you there. Building your own website is definitely one of the best way to earn money, but no harm using these sites to do so at the same time!
Lisa Hall says
I truly enjoyed your article. It was very thorough and informative. This information could be very helpful at a time like this when a lot of people are struggling. I also liked the backup information you provided for the pay for the quick services. It leaves no room for doubt that in order to make money, they need to be willing to put forth some effort.
Terence says
Hi Lisa,
Great to see you enjoyed it. Do share it with your friends who may need the help as well!
Dave spear says
I read your blog and review of the websites. I too agree that the there alot of scams out there we must look at them objectively before we commit. Lots of them just eant want to take your money. They promised to make you rich quickly and with little or no work on your part. They want to sell you their system. Most are just scams. I agree with you that the sites listed and reviewed are legitimate. But you the newbie must put in the time and efforts to be successful .
Terence says
Hi Dave,
That is correct. You definitely need to put in the effort in order to succeed in making money online as well!
Dolbe says
Thank you so much for providing these 10 legitimate online works.
I am a freelancer for two research companies, and at the same doing my online business, too. Frankly speaking, the income from doing surveys is very unstable and unreliable because you never know when you will receive the jobs. Even being notified of the jobs, you may be disqualified on the way of the survey. Therefore, I need to extend the sources of online jobs. You’ve just given me more chances and I will try some.
Dolbe
Terence says
Hi Dolbe,
Definitely agree with you there! Surveys are quite unstable because you can be rejected anytime in the survey making you waste time and effort. At least for these jobs, that won’t be the case.
Chris says
Thats a pretty comprehensive list! I only knew of Fiverr, Upwork and Swagbucks, but some of those others look interesting too.
My wife is fluent in Chinese and English, so the rev subtitles job could be of interest to her. I’ll mention it to her.
I’d considered setting up on Fiverr before, but wasn’t sure if I was qualified enough in my chosen field. Does it matter what your skill level is if you want to sell a service, for example logo design?
Thanks so much for this list!
Terence says
Hi Chris,
Glad to be of help! For Fiverr, all I can say is just set up your profile and give it a try. Definitely it’ll be better if you have prior experience as it will build the credibility and for people to use your services.
Mark says
Thanks for these ten legitimate websites to make money from home Terence. I had heard of most of them apart from the Amazon mTurk. Thanks too for the link to the sub-reddit. It’s great that someone is already annotating these and with the comments, it’s easy to see which ones are worth diving into.
We are Blessed.
Mark
Terence says
Hi Mark,
Glad to be of help! mTurk is definitely a great one to start with because it’s definitely a reliable platform. Plus, I’ve made quite a bit from that platform without much effort too.
Favorme says
Hi, You really invested time in researching and reviewing these websites. It is a very creative way to assure the online opportunity seekers, that there are quite legitimate online websites one can join and make decent income with time. These websites, from what I can see, were well researched and reviewed based on facts and your personal opinion for first-hand information. That’s what I call Online Search Made Easy. Because you have what they are looking for put together in one spot.
Actually, I have not heard of most of the names of the websites you listed before, but since the online platform is becoming as massive as anyone can only imagine, there is nothing lacking inside.
I like the Transcriber’s Platform. because it seems like a job that can be brain-stimulating, and equally increase knowledge as one will be exposed to different fields, like legal, business, healthcare documents, or projects to transcribe right? I will check on your website from time to time to find out what’s new.
Favorme – Sarah.
Terence says
Hi Favorme,
Glad you love it! I created this list for people who really want to get started making money online but have no idea where to start. Hope that it helps you especially the 2 transcribing websites that I recommended.
Jay says
hi Terrence
Are you still with GDI?
If yes, pls email me your referral link.
by the way, how do you think of this program?
look fwd to hear your opinion. Thanks.
Terence says
Hi Jay,
I’m not with GDI, and it’s something I don’t recommend!