Budget: €0France · Belgium
Sell your things online
Clothes, books, toys, small appliances: what is sitting in your cupboards can find a buyer on second-hand sites.
Estimate not available France
You need: Smartphone
See how
Earn money with no investment
Starting with no upfront money is possible: many SmartExtraLab ideas mainly need time, a phone or a bike you already own. This page lists sheets marked as no investment, meaning a zero starting budget, with that filter already applied. You will find local services, one-off gigs, seasonal work or online activities that need no gear purchase on day one.
Figures on the sheets are indicative only and depend on demand where you live. If later you are ready to invest a little to launch an activity with AI agents, AI Agent Business Lab presents business ideas, including free starting points — the same referral the rest of this site uses for people willing to spend. Until then, stay on zero budget, read the rules guide for any declarations, and try one idea at a time.
63 ideas
Frequently asked questions
Does « no investment » mean everything is free?
It means a zero starting budget on our sheets: nothing you must buy to begin. Small costs may appear later (travel, phone). Read each sheet's budget note.
Why mention AI Agent Business Lab?
Only for people who later accept investing a little. On SmartExtraLab, the AIABL referral follows the same rule as elsewhere (ideas with a budget). It is not required for the zero-euro ideas on this page.
What about taxes?
It depends on country, amounts and status. The rules guide gives the general framework in France and Belgium, not personal advice.
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Temporary agency work
Assignments lasting from a few days to a few weeks, in logistics, industry, retail or events.
Estimate From €14.90 gross per hour France
You need: Good physical condition
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Student jobs
Retail, catering, activity leading, logistics: many employers recruit students, especially in summer and at weekends.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France
Grape harvest
Every late summer and early autumn, vineyards recruit pickers and porters for a few weeks.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour
You need: Good physical condition
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Fruit and vegetable picking
Strawberries, cherries, apples, asparagus: farms need extra hands at harvest time.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Good physical condition
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Tourist season work (seaside, mountains)
Hotels, restaurants, campsites and ski resorts recruit staff for the high season.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Languages, Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Holiday season staff (shops, gift wrapping)
In November and December, shops, warehouses and Christmas markets need extra staff.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Childminding and babysitting
School pick-ups, Wednesdays, evenings: many parents are looking for someone they can trust.
Estimate From €10.36 to €11.52 net per hour France
You need: Teaching, Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Pet sitting and dog walking
Walk a dog, feed a cat during the holidays, or host a pet at your home for a few days.
Estimate From €10 to €17 per 30-minute walk (price paid by the client) France
You need: Love of animals
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Private tutoring and homework help
Help a pupil in a subject you know well, at their home or by video call.
Estimate From €22 to €25 per hour (price paid by the client) France
You need: Teaching, Languages
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Gardening and lawn mowing
Mowing, hedge trimming, weeding: many people do not have time to look after their garden.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Gardening, Good physical condition, Car
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Cleaning and ironing in people's homes
A few hours a week in private homes, often with flexible hours.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Nothing in particular
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Help with house moves
Carrying boxes, taking furniture apart, driving a rental van: a helping hand that is always in demand.
Estimate not available France
You need: Good physical condition
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Rent out your parking space or garage
A parking space or garage you do not use can be rented by the month, especially in town.
Estimate From €33 to €132 per month (rent received) France
You need: Parking or garage
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Rent out your equipment (tools, trailer)
Drill, pressure washer, trailer, camping gear: rent out what you rarely use.
Estimate not available France
You need: Equipment to rent out
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Mystery shopper
Visit a shop or restaurant as an ordinary customer, then fill in a questionnaire about the welcome and the service.
Estimate From €10 to €80 per assignment (payment) France
You need: Customer contact, Writing, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Paid website tests and surveys
Give your opinion on a website, an app or a product, from home, a few minutes at a time.
Estimate From $ US4 to $ US10 per test (payment) France
You need: Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Film, TV and advert extra
Appear in the background of a film, series or advert, often for a single day.
Estimate From €98.48 to €108.33 gross per day France
You need: Nothing in particular
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Freelance writing and translation
Write content for websites, product pages and newsletters, or translate documents.
Estimate From €214 to €372 per day (rate charged) France
You need: Languages, Writing, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Youth leader at a holiday camp or leisure centre
Look after children during school holidays or on Wednesdays: games, outings and group life.
Estimate From €52.93 gross per day France
You need: Leading groups, Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France
Census officer for your town
For five to six weeks at the start of the year, help Insee and the town hall count the homes in a neighbourhood.
Estimate From €4.50 to €5 gross per household counted
You need: Customer contact, Good physical condition
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Rent out your car to other people
Is your car often parked and unused? List it for rent on a specialised platform, insurance included.
Estimate not available France
You need: Car, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Companionship and help for older people
Keep someone company, do the shopping, go with them to an appointment or for a walk: real support for older people and their families.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Customer contact
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Event host or hostess
Welcome and guide visitors at trade fairs, conferences, concerts or sports events, often for one or two days.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Customer contact, Languages
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Sell your photos on stock image sites
Submit your photos to stock image libraries: each time a customer downloads one, you earn a small amount.
Estimate not available France
You need: Photography, Smartphone, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Remote admin assistance
Handle quotes, invoices, diaries and letters for tradespeople, freelancers and small businesses, from home.
Estimate not available France
You need: Organisation and office software, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Referee for amateur matches
Referee football, basketball, handball or other matches at weekends, with an allowance for each game.
Estimate not available France
You need: Good knowledge of a sport
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Training artificial intelligence
Comparing, rating and correcting AI answers in French, remotely, for platforms such as Outlier or Mindrift.
Estimate Up to $ US25 per hour (payment) France
You need: Writing, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Evaluating search results
Judging whether search engine results or AI answers are useful and reliable, a few hours a week.
Estimate On average €23 per hour (payment) France
You need: Languages, Computing, Computer, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Online microtasks
Small, simple tasks on Clickworker: sorting images, checking texts, answering short questionnaires.
Estimate not available France
You need: Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Audio transcription
Typing up short audio clips, paid per audio hour, on platforms such as TranscribeMe.
Estimate From $ US15 to $ US22 per audio hour (payment) France
You need: Languages, Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Teaching French to foreigners
Conversation or French as a foreign language lessons by video, for adults around the world, on Preply or italki.
Estimate not available France
You need: Languages, Teaching, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Selling digital products
Printable templates, planners, spreadsheets or PDF guides, sold as downloads on Gumroad, Payhip or Etsy.
Estimate not available France
You need: Creative, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Designs on T-shirts and goods
Publishing your designs on Redbubble or Spreadshirt, which print and ship T-shirts, mugs and posters for each order.
Estimate not available France
You need: Creative, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Self-publishing a book
A novel, practical guide or cookbook published as an e-book or in print on Amazon KDP and Kobo Writing Life.
Estimate not available France
You need: Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Paid newsletter
Sending a weekly newsletter on a hobby or area of expertise, with a paid option on Substack.
Estimate not available France
You need: Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Managing small businesses' social media
Posting, answering messages and running the Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages of shops and freelancers.
Estimate On average €256 per day (rate charged) France
You need: Writing, Creative, Computer, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Building showcase websites
Setting up simple websites for craftspeople, charities or freelancers with WordPress, Wix or a similar tool.
Estimate On average €290 per day (rate charged) France
You need: Computing, Creative, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Selling your revision notes
Selling your own course summaries and revision notes on Stuvia, to other students.
Estimate not available France
You need: Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Remote customer service agent
Answering customers' calls, emails or messages from home, as an employee of a company or a contact centre.
Estimate From €12.31 gross per hour France
You need: Customer contact, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Hunting app bugs
Testing websites and apps before release and reporting errors, paid per test or per bug found.
Estimate From €10 to €50 per test (payment) France
You need: Computing, Computer, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Selling 3D printable models
Designing useful or decorative objects in 3D and selling the files to 3D printer owners on Cults.
Estimate not available France
You need: Creative, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Video subtitling
Creating subtitles for videos made by companies, trainers or associations, including for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.
Estimate From €6 to €14 per minute of video (rate charged) France
You need: Languages, Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Proofreading and editing theses
Correcting the spelling, grammar and clarity of students' theses and dissertations, with Scribbr.
Estimate From €20 to €30 per hour (payment) France
You need: Writing, Languages, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Online content moderation
Remotely checking comments, posts and messages in an online community on behalf of brands, with ModSquad.
Estimate not available France
You need: Languages, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Writing CVs and cover letters
Helping applicants present their background clearly, with a readable CV and a cover letter tailored to each job.
Estimate From €50 to €80 per assignment (rate charged) France
You need: Writing, Organisation and office software, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Podcast editing
Cleaning up and editing podcasters' recordings: cutting silences, balancing voices, adding the intro and outro.
Estimate From €45 to €90 per episode (rate charged) France
You need: Computing, Creative, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Online role-playing game master
Running role-playing game sessions by video call for players who pay for their seat, on StartPlaying.
Estimate not available France
You need: Leading groups, Creative, Computer, Good microphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Book layout
Preparing a print-ready book interior for self-published authors: margins, headings, fonts, page numbers.
Estimate From $ US475 to $ US1275 per assignment (price paid by the client) France
You need: Computing, Creative, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Family biography
Collecting an older person's memories by video call and shaping them into a short book for their family.
Estimate From €220 to €1000 per assignment (rate charged) France
You need: Writing, Customer contact, Computer, Smartphone
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Remote IT help
Helping individuals fix a computer, printer or email problem by taking remote control, with their consent.
Estimate From €19 to €29 per assignment (price paid by the client) France
You need: Computing, Customer contact, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Reading manuscripts for publishers
Reading manuscripts sent to publishing houses and writing a report with a summary and a reasoned opinion.
Estimate From €30 to €60 per assignment (payment) France
You need: Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Video game coaching
Helping players improve at a game you master, through video sessions or match reviews, on Metafy.
Estimate not available France
You need: Teaching, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Genealogy research
Tracing a family's ancestors using online archives, then delivering a family tree and a short booklet.
Estimate From €295 to €595 per assignment (rate charged) France
You need: Organisation and office software, Writing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Paid expert consultations
Sharing your experience of a job or an industry in short paid calls with investors or consultants, through GLG.
Estimate not available France
You need: Professional experience, Customer contact, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Remote public letter writer
Writing or correcting letters, complaints, wedding speeches or tributes for individuals.
Estimate From €25 to €35 per assignment (rate charged) France
You need: Writing, Organisation and office software, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Virtual home staging
Digitally furnishing and decorating photos of empty rooms, for estate agents' or private sellers' listings.
Estimate From €15 to €49 per photo (price paid by the client) France
You need: Creative, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Online shop assistant
Adding products to a small Shopify or WooCommerce shop: photos, prices, variants, stock and orders.
Estimate not available France
You need: Organisation and office software, Computing, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Writing grant applications
Helping small associations fill in their grant applications: project description, budget, supporting documents.
Estimate not available France
You need: Writing, Organisation and office software, Computer
See how
Budget: €0France · Belgium
Clinical trial volunteer
Research centres look for healthy volunteers to test medicines, with an allowance for time and constraints.
Estimate not available France
You need: Nothing in particular
See how