Passive income has become one of the most sought-after ways to achieve financial freedom. While it often requires an initial investment of time, skills, or resources, the right tools can help you set up systems that keep earning long after the work is done. Here are seven powerful, still-active online tools that can help you start building your passive income streams.
1. Shopify – Build Your Own E-Commerce Store
E-commerce remains one of the most popular ways to generate passive income, and Shopify makes it easy to set up an online store with minimal technical knowledge. You can sell your own products, dropship items, or even offer digital goods like ebooks or templates. The platform provides customizable templates, integrated payment processing, and marketing tools to attract customers. Because it’s scalable, you can start small and grow your product line over time. To maximize passive potential, pair Shopify with a dropshipping app so you don’t have to manage inventory or shipping yourself.
2. Teachable – Turn Your Expertise Into a Course
If you have skills or knowledge in a specific area, Teachable allows you to package your expertise into a course you can sell repeatedly. You can offer everything from video lessons to downloadable resources, set your own pricing, and enroll students worldwide. Once your course is created, it requires little maintenance beyond occasional updates and student engagement. The platform offers marketing features like coupon codes, affiliate programs, and sales pages to help boost visibility. This makes it ideal for educators, coaches, and professionals looking to create a long-term income stream from their expertise.
3. Medium Partner Program – Get Paid to Share Your Ideas
If writing is your strong suit, the Medium Partner Program offers a way to earn money based on how much time paying members spend reading your articles. You don’t need a massive following to get started—just a knack for creating engaging, informative content that resonates with readers. Popular topics like personal finance, entrepreneurship, productivity, and self-improvement often perform well. Over time, your articles can continue earning long after they’re published, making it a low-barrier entry point into passive income for writers.
4. Printify – Sell Custom Products Without Holding Inventory
For creatives and entrepreneurs who want to sell physical products without managing manufacturing, Printify offers a print-on-demand solution. You can design custom merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, or phone cases, and when someone makes a purchase, Printify handles printing and shipping. The key to turning this into passive income is to create evergreen designs that appeal to niche audiences. Because Printify integrates with platforms like Shopify and Etsy, you can automate much of the sales process while focusing on creating new products and marketing your store.
See also: A Practical Guide to Customer Journey Analytics Tools
5. Podia – Sell Digital Downloads and Memberships
Podia is an all-in-one platform that lets you sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads without worrying about multiple tools or integrations. This is great for creators who want to offer e-books, templates, or exclusive content to paying members. You can set up automated email campaigns, manage customer payments, and even host webinars directly on the platform. Podia’s streamlined setup means you can launch quickly and scale over time.
6. Skillshare – Earn Royalties for Educational Videos
Skillshare is a learning platform where instructors earn royalties based on the total watch time of their classes by premium members. You can teach creative skills, business strategies, or personal development topics—anything that aligns with the platform’s categories. Once your class is published, it can continue to generate income for months or even years. Successful instructors often create multiple classes to build a steady revenue stream. To boost your results, engage with students in the discussion boards and update your course with fresh content periodically.
7. Adobe Express – Create a Brand That Works While You Rest
Strong branding can make all the difference in your passive income success, and Adobe Express offers powerful tools to help you establish a professional identity. Whether you’re building an online store, launching a digital product, or starting a YouTube channel, having a polished logo builds trust and brand recognition. With Adobe Express, you can create a free logo design in minutes, even if you have no design experience. Once you have a recognizable brand, you can use it across your website, products, and social media to keep attracting customers automatically.
Passive income doesn’t mean zero work—it means front-loading the effort so you can reap the benefits over time. Whether you’re selling physical products through Shopify or Printify, creating educational content on Teachable or Skillshare, or writing articles on Medium, the right tools can set you up for lasting success. Platforms like Podia make it simple to manage and sell your work, while Adobe Express ensures your brand is memorable and professional.
By combining creativity, strategy, and the right software, you can build income streams that grow while you focus on your next big goal—or simply enjoy the extra freedom passive income provides.
