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I’ve tried over 30 side hustles in more than 10 years, so I’m rating five of the best side hustles UK readers ask me about. Many of them are still part of my week today.
This is my third round of Instagram ratings. This time I’m covering product trials, UGC, mystery shopping, training AI and playing games. Each one gets a mark out of 10 from me.
These ratings are my opinion. A side hustle that suits my life might not suit yours. I’ll show you what each one involves, what it can pay and what to watch for.
Quick note: this post contains a few referral and affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you sign up through them. It costs you nothing extra. You can read my affiliate disclosure for more.
My Best Side Hustle Ratings at a Glance
| Side hustle | My rating | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Product trials and testing | 10/10 | Anyone who wants to try products and give feedback |
| UGC | 9/10 | Creative people, even with very few followers |
| Mystery shopping | 8/10 | People who are out and about anyway |
| Training AI | 7/10 | People with skills to use, at any time of day or night |
| Playing games | 6/10 | People who already play games in their spare time |
Product Trials and Testing: 10/10
How Paid Product Trials Work
Product trials are a form of market research, so it’s obviously a 10/10 from me. A company sends you something. You trial it and give your feedback. Then you get paid, and sometimes you get to keep the item too.
The best part is trying products you’d probably buy anyway and getting paid for it. Lovely stuff.
How Much Do Product Trials Pay?
The pay is usually great. I don’t think I’ve ever been paid under £50 for a proper product trial. My highest paid one was £150. Those are my own figures, and pay changes from one trial to the next. Check the fee before you say yes.
Product trials sit inside the wider world of market research. Sites such as Respondent and User Interviews match people with paid research studies. My plan for making an extra £200 a month shows how market research can fit alongside surveys and website tests.
UGC Side Hustle: Make Money Online With No Followers (9/10)
Why UGC Suits Beginners
I’m a content creator, so UGC comes very naturally to me. That helps its score. The bit I love most is that UGC opens the door for anybody to create content and get paid for it, no matter how many followers you have.
UGC stands for user-generated content. Brands pay you for content they can use on their own channels. I explain the basics in my guide to what UGC is and how it works. On that page, I say one 10 to 30 second video typically pays £100 to £200. The range runs up to £1,000, depending on the brand and what you deliver.
It can be very lucrative. With effort and consistency, it can become someone’s full-time wage. Like any freelance work, income can change from month to month, so build up slowly before you rely on it.
Do You Need to Label UGC as an Ad?
Sometimes. If you post a collaboration on your own account, the ASA says you must make it clear when content is an ad. That covers content a brand pays you for or gifts you something for. Read the ASA’s influencer guide before your first post.
Mystery Shopping: Get Paid to Shop and Eat Out (8/10)
This is something I wish I had time to do more of. It’s so much fun. You get paid for doing activities, going for food in restaurants and checking stock in shops.
It’s a really good one if you’re out and about already and can do these things as part of your day. It’s not always highly paid, but it all adds up. The freebies make it worth it too. My favourite recent freebie was a £9 product from M&S.
How Much Does Mystery Shopping Pay?
Pay varies. One agency advertising on GOV.UK’s Find a job service says fees depend on the assignment and are comparable to the National Minimum Wage. It also says shoppers work as self-employed contractors who handle their own tax and National Insurance. That matches what I said above. Treat mystery shopping as a way to build up small amounts and enjoy some freebies.
Mystery Shopping Scams to Avoid
Fake mystery shopping offers do exist. Which? reported a student who took out expensive phone contracts for a sham agency and never got paid. Its advice is to never pay upfront for training or to access an online account. It also suggests checking whether a company belongs to a professional body such as the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association.
My rule is simple. A real company pays you. You don’t pay it.
Train AI: A Flexible Way to Make Money Online (7/10)
I need to do more of this to see its full potential, so it sits at 7/10 for now. From what I’ve done and seen, it’s a good “consistent” way to make money, and good money too. You can use the skills you already have to train AI and get paid even more.
Some sites offer between £30 and £60 an hour. You can also pick it up at any time of day or night, so it’s very flexible.
How Much Can You Earn Training AI?
Take my £30 to £60 as the top end of what some sites offer. Pay depends on your skills and the project. A TIME article on data annotation work found that general tasks usually pay less than specialist ones. It also said workers outside the US are typically paid a lot less than US workers. You can read it on AOL.
So check the hourly rate on each project before you start. The same Which? scam advice applies here too. If a site asks you to pay to join, walk away.
Playing Games for Money: 6/10
I don’t play games anyway. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and if I do it, it’s purely to make money. That’s why this one scores lower.
If you already play games in your spare time, it’s amazing that you can be paid to do it instead. It won’t make you rich. The small amounts add up, though. If you stick to the levels, you can make a healthy amount.
Check the payout rules before you play. If a game asks you to spend money before it pays you, skip it.
Side Hustles for Mums: Which of These Fit Around Family Life?
I can’t tell you which one suits your family. I can tell you what I’d look at first. Time is usually the problem, so look for a side hustle that fits into the gaps you already have.
Training AI works at any time of day or night, which helps if your spare time comes in short, unpredictable slots. Mystery shopping works when your day already includes errands or meals out. Product trials arrive at your door, and you give feedback when you can.
If you’re on leave right now, I wrote about how to earn money on maternity leave using a mix of side hustles.
Do You Pay Tax on Side Hustle Money in the UK?
Money from work like this can count as trading income. GOV.UK says the trading allowance lets you earn up to £1,000 gross a year without telling HMRC in most cases. “Gross” means before any costs come off. If your gross trading income goes over £1,000, you usually need to register for Self Assessment.
You may have seen news of a £3,000 limit. That is a planned change to reporting, and it isn’t live yet. I explain what is true in my post on the HMRC side hustle tax limit change. I’m not a tax adviser, so check GOV.UK if you’re close to the limit.
How to Choose the Best Side Hustles for Beginners
Pick based on your week, not on the biggest number. If you play games anyway, games make sense. If you’re out and about, try mystery shopping. If you like being creative, UGC could be your thing. If you want the highest mark from me, start with product trials.
Keep your expectations realistic too. A 2025 survey of more than 1,000 side hustle owners by Remitly Business found that 36% earn under £100 a month. The average was £367.88 a month. Small amounts are normal, and they still add up.
If you want a simple way to match a side hustle to your free time, read my guide on how to find the right side hustle for you. You can also browse more ideas in my side hustles section.
Want to know more about these side hustles and the sites I use? My Savvy Side Hustle Guide covers them. It costs £17.99, and you can get the guide here.
Side Hustle Questions People Ask Me
Which side hustle should a beginner try first?
My highest rating goes to product trials at 10/10. UGC comes next at 9/10. The best choice depends on your free time and what you already enjoy.
Can I make money online with no followers?
Yes, with UGC. Brands pay for the content they use on their own channels, so your follower count doesn’t decide whether you can start.
Is mystery shopping legit?
Genuine mystery shopping exists, and it can be fun. Never pay upfront for training, a list of jobs or account access. Which? says that is a sign of a scam.
Can I claim the £1,000 trading allowance for each side hustle?
No. It is one allowance a year for your trading income, and it applies before costs. Add up the gross income from all your side hustles together.
My Take on Best Side Hustles UK
I’ve tried over 30 side hustles, and these five all earn their place on my list for different reasons. Product trials top the list because the pay is good and you get to try things you’d buy anyway. A lower score only means the side hustle suits fewer people.
Start with one. Give it a few weeks and see how it feels in your real week. Which of these have you tried, or which one would you start with? Tell me in the comments. For more ways to make money, take a look at my Make Money section.
