Get Paid To Be An Online Friend Right Now

Can you really get paid to be an online friend? What even is this?

I know, it sounds really strange but it’s actually a real side hustle that you can do to make some good money!

You will learn what being an online friend is, how to start and how much you can make so let’s get straight into it…

What Is An Online Friend?

An online friend is someone who you know exclusively through the internet and whom you converse with and virtually hang out with.

Think of it as a person you met on Facebook or Instagram that whom you chat with occasionally and built a friendship but never physically met them.

In the digital age, this happens all the time and these online friendships can blossom into ever-lasting friendships and even relationships.

However…

In the context of this post on getting paid to be an online friend, it gets strange because friendships aren’t happening naturally, it’s pretty much a job as a friend… I know… pretty strange!

So, let’s dig deeper into getting paid as a virtual friend and why someone would hire you…

Why Would Someone Hire A Virtual Friend?

The biggest question when it comes to this side hustle is why the heck would someone hire a friend?!

It must mean they are a creep or something right?

No, I mean I’m sure there are some really sketchy people out there that want to hire a friend but since this is purely online you are safely tucked away behind your screen.

There are many reasons why someone would hire an online friend. For example, being that you are safe behind your screen they might feel the same way and think this is a safe way to make some friends.

Another reason can be that they have social anxiety and meeting people in person makes them really uncomfortable.

There are many other reasons and you can actually make some really close friendships from this side hustle!

Now, that you know what an online friend is and why someone would hire one, let’s see what is required to become a virtual friend…

What Is Required To Become An Online Friend?

If you are interested in getting paid to be an online friend let’s see what is required to do so.

Firstly, since you will be an online friend you will need internet access either through a computer or mobile device.

Other than this, there aren’t really any globally set requirements but the services you use will have their own requirements that you will need to meet.

For most friend services online you will have to be at least 18 years old.

I highly recommend using one of the services in this post (we’ll get there soon) instead of creating a Craigslist ad as a friend for hire.

Even though you will be online, you should definitely take your safety seriously and by using one of the services below you will be using a platform that is designed for safe interactions.

With that said, let’s jump into the ways you can get paid to be an online friend!

Best Ways To Get Paid To Be An Online Friend?

The services below are the most trusted and popular friend “renting” platforms available right now…

Rent A Friend

One of the most popular platforms that you can use to become a friend for hire is Rent A Friend.

Rent A Friend is actually the largest platform available right now so it’s definitely worth checking out to make money as an online friend!

This platform focuses mostly on in-person meetups but they do have the option to limit your profile as a virtual friend only.

The great thing about Rent A Friend is that you can set your own rate anywhere between the range of $15 to $50 an hour and they claim that most users earn $25 an hour.

Plus, you get to keep all the money you make!

However, there is one downside…

Becoming a friend on Rent A Friend is completely free but for those looking to hire a friend, they will have to pay for a membership to the platform.

This means that there can be much more friends for hire on the platform than people looking for friends which can lead to a lot of competition.

But… Since it’s free to join and you get to set your own rates it definitely worth checking out!

Freelancer

Another platform you can use to get paid as a virtual friend is Freelancer.

Freelancer is one of the largest freelancing platforms where people can post gigs that they need to be completed and freelancers then bid to win this gig.

So, this means that you can find gigs on Freelancer posted by people looking for a virtual friend and then bid on the gig.

The great thing about bidding on gigs on Freelancer is that you can set any rate, there is no minimum or maximum price you can set but you definitely should be realistic in the bid you set.

The downside to Freelancer is that it’s not a dedicated platform for virtual friends which might make it harder to find gigs for online friends because there aren’t that many people that are looking to pay for online friends on Freelancer.

You get eight bids for free on Freelancer, anything more than this you will have to pay for.

It’s a great platform to use but it’s definitely not the best platform to use to get paid to be an online friend because the gigs are extremely limited.

Rent A Cyber Friend

Another great site that you can use to make money as an online friend is Rent A Cyber Friend.

Unlike Rent A Friend which also focuses on local friends, Rent A Cyber Friend focuses only on virtual friendship gigs which is great for you!

All you need to do is sign up for an account, set up your profile, and then set your price which can be in the range of $20 – $50 per hour!

However, the downside to using Rent A Cyber Friend is that you will need to pay for a membership.

They have different membership plans which are listed below:

• $29.99 per month
• $49.99 for 3 months
• $79.00 for 6 months
• $99.99 for 1 year

As you can see, their membership plans are really expensive which makes it seem like a platform you should avoid but it might still be a good option, here’s why…

You can make $20 to $50 per hour on Rent A Cyber Friend so let’s say you charge $35 per hour and you spend 10 hours a month as a virtual friend.

This means you can make $350 a month as an online friend and it will cost you $29.99 for the monthly membership which leaves you with a net profit of $320.01.

So, you can still make a good amount of money on Rent A Cyber Friend in just a few hours a month!

It’s definitely a risk with Rent A Cyber Friend because there is no guarantee that you will make money but it’s a platform worth checking out.

Fiverr

Another platform similar to Freelancer that you can use to get virtual friends is Fiverr.

I’m pretty sure you heard about Fiverr before which is the freelance site that freelancers use to make money from many different types of gigs.

The great thing about Fiverr is that you get to set up your own gigs on the platform and you can set whatever price you’d like but just make sure your price is realistic.

It’s completely free to sign up to and list your gigs but Fiverr will take 20% of every sale you make as a fee so just keep this in mind!

Just set up your Fiverr account and gigs to start getting sales!

However, just like with Freelancer, Fiverr is not a platform dedicated to virtual friends gigs so it might be a bit hard to get sales.

But… It’s free to join Fiverr so I recommend setting up your gigs on Fiverr and waiting for sales while you use other platforms.

Rent A Local Friend

Despite the name, Rent A Local Friend is one of the best platforms that you can use to get paid to be an online friend!

Rent A Local Friend is an awesome platform that you can use to make money with virtual friend gigs.

While the platform focuses mostly on local friend gigs it’s definitely possible to find gigs for online friend gigs also.

Rent A Local Friend doesn’t have a specific pay range but most users on the platform charge anywhere from $20 – $100 per hour!

The big downside to Rent A Local Friend is that it will cost you $100 a year to be a member which is around the same price as Rent A Cyber Friend.

Yes, the membership cost sucks but you can definitely make much more than the membership cost so it’s worth checking out!

FriendPC

One of the best platforms that you can use to get paid to be an online friend is FriendPC.

FriendPC is similar to Rent A Cyber Friend being that this platform also focuses on online friendship gigs rather than local gigs.

The great thing about FriendPC is that you can start for free but you will have to pay if you get more jobs on the platform.

You are allowed one free listing a month but you can also pay $10 a month for 5 listings a month and $25 a month for 15 listings a month.

On FriendPC you can set your own rates so you will be able to cover the membership costs if you choose to opt for one of the paid plans.

FriendPC is a great platform that you can use to make some extra money as a virtual friend so I highly recommend checking out!

Seeking Arrangement

A controversial site that you can use to make money as a virtual friend is Seeking Arrangement.

Seeking Arrangement is pretty much a flirtatious site where people pay to flirt with others.

So… yes… you can see how this can be treading dangerous waters. Everyone on the platform is background checked but you can be sure that you’ll run into some creeps from time to time.

The platform is usually geared toward older men hiring younger females to be virtual friends (yes, to flirt).

You can make a lot of money on this platform but it is one of the strangest sites on this list so carefully consider if you want to use this platform!

College Steps

I kind of cheated here because College Steps is not a platform dedicated to virtual friends but you can get paid to mentor college students.

Freshmen in their first year of college are looking to learn the ropes and if you are a college junior or senior then you can show them around and get paid for it!

You can give them tips on how to make friends, what events are going on, where the hang-out spots are, places to eat, clubs to join, etc…

With College Steps, you can help nervous freshmen acclimate to their new college life.

Plus, you’ll get paid for it so I highly recommend checking it out!

How Much Can You Earn As A Virtual Friend?

The great thing about being an online friend is that you can set your own rates!

However…

You should definitely be realistic because most people won’t pay $500 an hour for a virtual friend.

As a virtual friend, you can expect to make $20 – $50 an hour.

You can definitely make more but this is the most common pay range.

This is great pay for an easy side hustle!

What Do You Have To Do As An Online Friend?

As an online friend you simply have to be friendly so it’s probably not a good side hustle for introverts.

You will have to strike up conversations with people through text, calls, and video calls.

A lot of people who hire virtual friends aren’t very social so you will most likely have to be the social one and keep the conversation going.

You will most likely be matched with people with similar interests as you so naturally fun and engaging conversations can occur.

As a virtual friend, your interactions will be strictly online but if you feel comfortable with the person you can meet in person.

Tips To Stay Safe

Now, just because your interactions will be online it doesn’t mean you should throw safety out the window.

There are many things that you should do to stay safe online, here are a few tips:

• Don’t share personal information that can reveal your identity such as your address, social security number, number, etc…
• Avoid meeting people in person unless you are absolutely comfortable with doing so.
• Don’t sacrifice your comfort for money, if you feel unsafe then end the friendship immediately.
• Make sure you use legitimate sites, if you choose to go with a platform not on this list make sure you read reviews on the platforms before signing up.
• Be cautious with shared files online, people can share files/pictures embedded with viruses so be careful with opening anything shared with you.

These are just some tips to stay safe as an online friend but the best thing you can do is use your best judgment.

If you feel like someone is sketchy then you don’t have to continue the friendship so do what’s best for you to stay safe in an online world.

FAQ

Here are some common questions asked about getting paid to be an online friend…

Conclusion

As you can see, you can actually make money by simply being a friend online!

It’s such a simple side hustle and you can make a good amount of money doing this.

However…

You might have noticed that there are not a lot of platforms dedicated to online friendship gigs so there are not many opportunities out there but if you land one of these gigs you can make some decent cash.

I definitely recommend considering being an online friend for money if you are interested but don’t rely solely on this for your income.

If you are looking for other ways to make money I recommend checking out my posts on 83 Unique Side Hustles To Make $1,000’s and 29 Best Free Money Apps To Earn Instantly.

Have you tried making money as an online friend before? What do you think about this side hustle? Let me know in the comments below!