Get Paid to Chat: 19 Legit Sites That Will Pay You to Have Ordinary Conversations

If you want to chat with people in a customer service or support role, you can use the following platforms to find opportunities.

This class of jobs features middle-of-the-road pay—you can realistically expect to earn $15–$20 per hour—and is quite accessible, requiring no degree or special certifications.

1. Working Solutions

Working Solutions connects businesses with customer service reps, who it calls its “WooHoo! Crew.” As a worker, you’ll handle incoming and outgoing calls, emails, and video chats with customers.

What you need to know about Working Solutions

• User reviews: User reports for Working Solutions are mixed to negative. The platform is legitimate, but some users have complained that their payments were delayed and that it’s hard to find stable work.

2. Arise

Arise is another virtual call center that connects independent contractors with remote customer service jobs. You won’t be directly employed by Arise; instead, you’ll work for one of the businesses registered with the platform. However, Arise will facilitate the arrangement and help you find jobs.

What you need to know about Arise

• Fees: You need to pay a per-agent fee of $19.75 twice per month.
• User reviews: Users complain that Arise’s application process is frustrating. You’ll have to go through multiple system checks, assessments, and rounds of training (all unpaid) while waiting for your background check to be completed.

3. Liveops

Liveops matches you with customer service jobs that fit your skills and schedule. After creating your profile, you can select your available working hours, scheduling your availability in 30-minute blocks, known as “commits.”

What you need to know about Liveops

• User reviews: Liveops is also a legitimate platform, but user experiences on it are mixed. One issue that often comes up in user reports is that Liveops makes you pay for your background check, which they charge you $25 for. This is a bad sign; it doesn’t mean that the app is a scam, but most gig apps don’t require you to assume any of the costs of your application.

4. LivePerson

LivePerson is a platform that businesses use to outsource customer service and support to both AI and human agents. You’ll work remotely and provide live chat support to customers.

What you need to know about LivePerson

• User reviews: There are relatively few user reports on LivePerson, and the ones that do exist are quite old, suggesting that there’s not much current activity on the app. Moreover, when we looked into LivePerson, we didn’t see any available jobs, which suggests it’s not a good idea to rely on it to drive your chatting-based side hustle. It might still be worth signing up to—just keep your expectations modest.

5. ModSquad

ModSquad connects users with remote jobs as moderators or customer support agents. You can pick the projects you want to work on and have full control over your schedule.

What you need to know about ModSquad

• User reviews: While ModSquad is an established company and it pays its moderators, user reports on the platform are mixed. Many of the negative reports center on a lack of available work—something that seems to be a common problem on many of the apps and sites on our list.

There are several apps and sites that will pay you to provide mental health support to clients on a remote basis. All of them require some form of certification. You may need to be a licensed therapist in your state, for example. On the plus side, they pay substantially more than the customer service apps we just listed (upwards of $100 per hour, in at least one case).

5. BetterHelp

BetterHelp is an online therapy and counseling platform that lets users speak with licensed therapists remotely. You can give mental health support to clients in four ways:

• Messages (correspondence-based, aka not live)
• Live chats
• Phone calls
• Video calls

It’s worth noting that BetterHelp has been subject to substantial controversies regarding some of its therapists’ practices, as well as improper use of customer data. In 2023, the US Federal Trade Commission finalized a $7.8 million order against BetterHelp for sharing data with advertisers and social media platforms without consent. 1

That doesn’t necessarily mean the site isn’t worth using, but it’s worth evaluating whether it’s a platform you’re comfortable having your name associated with, especially if you have an off-app therapy practice to protect.

What you need to know about BetterHelp

• Earning potential: $30 per hour.
• User reviews: Therapists’ experiences on the platform seem to be fairly mixed. Unfortunately, BetterHelp offers much lower rates than licensed therapists normally command. However, it’s possible that for some therapists, this is balanced out by the ease of finding work.

6. Talkspace

As another teletherapy platform, Talkspace puts users in touch with licensed therapists who provide mental health support through video calls or chats. Talkspace is a legit platform that pays its therapists as stated, although as with BetterHelp, its rates are still lower than what a privately practicing therapist can make.

What you need to know about Talkspace

• User reviews: User reports from therapists on Talkspace are a mixed bag. Some users question Talkspace’s practices (e.g., alleging that patients aren’t immediately referred to therapists even when they need to see one urgently), while others seem to largely enjoy their experiences on the platform.

7. Headspace (formerly Ginger.io)

In 2021, the “meditation and mindfulness” company Headspace acquired the digital therapy platform Ginger.io. It now offers remote clinical therapy and counseling from qualified practitioners.

If you’re not a licensed therapist, you can also become a remote mental health coach on Headspace, providing text-based support to clients.

Headspace is well-known for its meditation app, and its operations are above-board, although it’s also been the subject of controversy. In particular, many users on Trustpilot allege that the company uses deceptive practices to hit customers with unwanted subscription fees.

What you need to know about Headspace

• User reviews: As far as therapists and coaches on the platform go, there are limited reports on what it’s actually like working for Headspace. Some reports suggest that it can be somewhat draining (which arguably isn’t surprising from a talk therapy app, and probably goes for the others on this list, too).

8. Alma

Alma is an online therapy directory where licensed therapists solicit referrals to provide mental clinical therapy, either in person or virtually. Alma doesn’t directly employ you—instead, you sign up for a membership plan, and Alma connects you with clients whose insurance covers your services. Unfortunately, you’ll need to pay a membership fee of $125 per month to use Alma.

What you need to know about Alma

• Fees: There is a membership fee of $125 per month.
• User reviews: Reports from therapists on Alma are mixed but mostly positive. By and large, users seem to praise the platform, claiming it helps find them clients and stating that they were paid as promised.

9. HeyPeers

Unlike the therapy platforms previously mentioned, HeyPeers lets users receive mental health from remote “peer supporters” rather than therapists, meaning there are fewer barriers to entry. You don’t need to be a licensed clinical therapist to get paid to chat on this app.

As a peer supporter, you can offer one-on-one and group sessions over the phone, through messages, or by video call. You also get to set your own rates.

What you need to know about HeyPeers

• Fees: You’ll have to pay a subscription fee of $9 per month or $86 per year to use the site. You’ll also get charged transaction fees, including a Stripe transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 and a HeyPeers transaction fee of 12%.
• User reviews: While there aren’t many user reports on HeyPeers, the few available suggest it’s a legitimate platform and you have control over your prices and hours.

You can also get paid to have friendly conversations with people, talk through their problems, or act as virtual partners. We’ve listed five apps that facilitate this below. The rates they pay are highly variable and depend on what sort of chatting you’re willing to do, as well as how popular you become on the sites.

This practice is perfectly legal, although not everyone approves of it. It’s up to you to decide how you feel about it and whether it’s something you’re open to trying.

10. Premium.Chat

Premium.Chat will pay you to chat with people online. There’s a broad range of chat-based services you can offer, including:

• Coaching
• Counseling
• Consulting
• Tutoring
• Adult-themed conversations

As a “Seller” on the platform, you’ll communicate with customers, known as “Buyers,” through texts, phone calls, or video calls. Many of the jobs on the platform currently seem to involve adult-themed conversations. It isn’t overtly geared toward that sort of work, but that’s something to bear in mind.

What you need to know about Premium.Chat

• User reviews: There aren’t many user reports on Premium.Chat, and the few online reports available are mixed. Some reviews are also suspiciously positive and provide little concrete information about the platform, which suggests they may have been written by bots—a possible red flag.

11. RentaCyberFriend

With RentaCyberFriend, you’ll get paid to have friendly conversations and offer companionship to users, either through online chats or video calls.

You’ll create a profile on the platform and set your rates, after which you’ll get connected with people who share similar interests. All conversations pay per minute on RentaCyberFriend.

What you need to know about RentaCyberFriend

• Fees: RentaCyberFriend also charges a 20% fee every time you withdraw your earnings.
• User reviews: RentaCyberFriend is a legitimate site, and people who claim to have used it report that it’s usually a positive experience. The biggest complaint about it is that there simply isn’t enough work available.

12. RentAFriend

On RentAFriend, users hire “Friends” for companionship, either virtually or in person. You can keep the site’s users company in many different contexts, not all of which are remote. Some people even work as tour guides on the platform, taking people who are on vacation around local areas.

What you need to know about RentAFriend

• User reviews: RentAFriend is legit, but since many of the meetings it facilitates are in person, there’s a safety risk. We aren’t aware of any horror stories (or many credible reporters from workers at all, either positive or negative), but if you meet up with anybody from the site, take sensible precautions and keep your wits about you.

13. Talkroom

Talkroom is a platform where users can pay to chat or ask people questions. It’s mainly aimed at those with large social media followings, like influencers or celebrities.

However, even if you aren’t already famous, you can theoretically get paid to answer questions or chat in various contexts, including providing:

• Mental health support
• Expert advice
• Religious counsel

As with some of the other platforms in this list, there’s also demand on the platform for people who are willing to engage in adult conversations, although this isn’t the app’s sole focus.

What you need to know about Talkroom

• User reviews: There are relatively few reviews from people who’ve earned money on Talkroom, making it hard to establish how legitimate the platform is (or isn’t), or how well it pays. We have no reason to believe the platform isn’t above board, but proceed at your own risk.

14. Papa

Papa is a platform that connects users to senior citizens who need emotional support or assistance with day-to-day living.

As a “Papa Pal,” the name Papa gives to its users, you’ll either speak virtually with seniors or meet them in person and keep them company. If you meet in person, you may also be called upon to assist them with tasks like light housekeeping, transportation, or setting up gadgets.

What you need to know about Papa

• User reviews: This is a legitimate site, although various reports suggest that work has dried up substantially on it in the past few years, and you probably can’t count on it for a reliable second income.

It’s also possible to get paid to chat with people in an educational context, namely, becoming a tutor or a teacher. In particular, there are several popular apps that will pay you to provide conversational practice for people learning a second language.

15. Cambly

Cambly is a popular platform for teaching English online. It’ll pay you to tutor and have conversations with English learners. In other words, you’ll be working as an ESL teacher on the platform.

One of the benefits of becoming a tutor on Cambly is that you can use their lesson resources to plan structured classes. Or, if you prefer, you can simply chat with students to help them practice their conversational skills.

What you need to know about Cambly

• User reviews: It may take you some time to establish a reputation on the app (which uses a rating system for tutors), and newer workers with few or no ratings often have to spend a long time waiting for calls from students. This will change once you’ve been using Cambly for a few weeks or months, provided your lessons go well and your students rate you positively.

16. Preply

Preply is one of the more well-known online tutoring platforms that recruits people to teach language classes and help its users practice their conversational skills. Once you create your profile and choose your teaching language, you can set your own rates and availability.

While this site does have a few costs, there’s potential for you to make a decent income down the line on Preply, but you won’t make much money while you’re getting set up with your first few students.

What you need to know about Preply

• Fees: Preply takes 100% of your earnings on your first lesson with a new student. Your next 20 hours of teaching will incur a 33% commission fee, which will gradually decrease the more hours you teach, eventually landing on 18%.
• User reviews: Preply is a legitimate company, but they’ve still been subject to criticism from their teachers. One frequent complaint concerns the free lesson you need to give to first-time students. There’s no guarantee those students will become regulars or take any paid classes at all.

17. italki

italki is another language-learning platform you can use to start a tutoring side hustle. It pays tutors to give one-on-one or group lessons to students across the world. You sign up as a “Community Teacher” (if you aren’t a certified teacher), or a “Professional Teacher” (if you are), and set your own rates and availability.

italki accepts teachers of various languages. You can check out italki’s list of active languages to see what you can currently apply to teach. At the time of writing, italki isn’t hiring English teachers.

This platform is generally quite well-known and popular, and some teachers report that you can make decent money on it, but you’ll need to keep your prices low when you’re just starting out to build a base of regular students.

What you need to know about italki

• User reviews: As is the case with working for other language platforms, the experience on italki varies a lot from teacher to teacher. It heavily depends on what students you get (and what language you sign up to teach).

19. JustAnswer

JustAnswer is substantially different from the other apps we just listed. It isn’t really a “teaching” platform at all, but it is a site where you can get paid to share your knowledge with curious users.

In a nutshell, on JustAnswer, people post questions and get answers from experts in various fields, such as vets, healthcare professionals, and mechanics. You get paid per question answered. Customers can also tip you. You just need to meet JustAnswer’s category credential requirements for your field.

What you need to know about JustAnswer

• User reviews: The reports on JustAnswer are fairly sparse. Some recent reviews from users suggest that while the site is legit, it can take a while to be approved to answer questions. Notably, some customers (i.e., people who ask questions instead of answering them) have claimed that the platform misled them into paying subscription fees. We haven’t tested this ourselves to confirm either way.

Chat moderators get paid to review interactions between other users on social media platforms, forums, and other message boards. They also sometimes join the conversations themselves, communicating directly with users, either to enforce the chat’s rules or just to be friendly and establish a positive tone.

Here are a couple of places where you can get chat moderation jobs:

• Meta: As long as you’re at least 18 years old, you can get paid to be a moderator on either Facebook or Instagram, reviewing flagged content and communicating with users to help resolve issues. The pay rates are relatively low, however—typically around $15 per hour. The actual work can also be draining, and you should be prepared to view fairly disturbing content.
• Twitch: This is a popular livestreaming platform where moderators sometimes get paid. It’s up to the streamer you work for whether you get compensated, and it’s worth bearing in mind that only a select few actually pay their mods. It’s not uncommon for fans to give gifts or donations to the channels they follow, but there’s no guarantee you’ll see any of that money.

Getting paid to chat moderate is a good side hustle option if you’re good at solving problems and don’t shy away from difficult or upsetting situations.

You’ll regularly chat with strangers in all of the gigs listed here. This means that—unfortunately—there’s a chance that someone will verbally harass you, act inappropriately, or do something else that makes you uncomfortable.

A lot of platforms have responded to these issues by adding extra security and safeguarding measures, but you should always be cautious when dealing with strangers online. If you have any issues, contact your chosen platform’s support staff and let them know immediately.