How to Get Paid to be a Virtual Friend

Friends are important. As humans, we’re wired to be social and share experiences with others.

As you get older, it’s common to experience challenges with making new friends and establishing those relationships.

One out-of-the-box solution that some people are considering is meeting virtual friends online.

In fact, you can actually get paid to be a virtual friend and connect with others online.

It seems like the easiest job, and that’s perfect for anyone looking for a flexible and low-stress way to make money.

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, when you make a purchase. Please, read our affiliate disclaimer or privacy policy for more information.

What is a Virtual Friend?

If this is your first time hearing about virtual friend jobs, you’re not alone. A virtual friend is basically someone you can talk to online and maintain a strictly platonic relationship with.

Think about a friendship where both people live far from each other and resort to sending emails, letters, instant messages, and so on to communicate.

Some people who are in search of a virtual friend are lonely and just need someone to talk to who shares some of their interests.

In other cases, someone may be new to a city and looking for someone to show them around. 

With more and more communication moving online these days, virtual friend opportunities are becoming more popular.

In a way, social media is not always the best source to establish true friendships. Social media doesn’t always promote socialization and true connection outside of reacting to someone’s post or simply scrolling through your feed’s updates. 

Like any other friendship, virtual friendships need boundaries and take time to develop in a healthy way. 

6 Sites to Get Paid for Online Companionship as a Virtual Friend

There are sites geared toward helping people find virtual friends and many of these sites pay real money.

For the most part, you can get paid to establish a platonic friendship with someone without leaving your home.

While personal meetups can be an option, they aren’t required to get started on these sites below and get paid.

Below are some of the best options if you’re looking for virtual friend jobs. 

1. Rent a Cyber Friend

Rent a Cyber Friend helps real people get paid to establish friendships and platonic connections with others in a virtual setting. The type of communication you can expect includes video calls and messaging. Conversations are private and secure with end-to-end encryption.

To get started, you just need to be 18 years old, have a good internet connection and web cam, and be friendly. You can sign up on the website for free and create your profile including your demographics and interests.

If your account is approved, your profile will go up on the site and users can send call request to you.

Users pay per minute for each call and virtual friends tend to earn $15 to $25 per hour with Rent a Cyber Friend.

Another cool feature of this site is that users can follow profiles they like and connect when cyber friends are online. This means you have 100% control of your schedule including when you take calls and interact with friends through the platform.

2. Rent a Friend

Rent a Friend has been around for some time now and it’s one of the most credible virtual friend sites around. The site was originally established as a way to find friends to hang out with locally whether it was going to a movie or restaurant or other activities.

Now, the site allows you to FaceTime, Zoom, text, or even write letters to friends that hire you on the site.

Rent a Friend is available all over so users can search their location on the site to find friends. To get started as a friend for hire, you’ll need to go to the website and click the ‘Join Now’ button.

Then create your profile and include key information like you age, occupation, interest, and more. This will help those in search of friends find your profile and actually hire you.

You’ll also need to upload a photo of yourself and list out different activities you’d be willing to try whether it’s phone calls, text messaging, going to dinner, bowling, etc.

Users will then search for local friends and can choose you if they like your profile. With Rent a Friend, you get to keep 100% of what you earn and it’s free to sign up.

According to the website, rates start at $10 per hour and top earners are making $2,000 per week full time, others are $300 to $500 per week for part-time work. 

3. FriendPC

FriendPC allows people to book a virtual friend for emotional support, to play online games with, boost self esteem, or just have casual conversations.

You can create a profile to get people to book your friendship services. If you’re a life coach, life coaching services can also be offered on this platform. 

Similar to the other sites on this list, users are able to browse through profiles for virtual friends to see if anyone matches their interests.

Users can also post in the forum to announce what type of friend they are seeking to hire. Some say PC Friend pays very well, around $100 per hour.

You can typically set your own rates so life coaches may charge $50 to $100 per hour while virtual friends typically charge $20 to $30 per hour.  

4. Rent a Local Friend

Rent a Local Friend allows you to make money from two different opportunities. One is by becoming a local friend who shares local knowledge with the website’s commercial partners network.

You can share common interests with locals and visitors to help them find attractions, restaurants, ideas for outings and more.

Another option is to become a virtual friend who hosts classes, talks and experiences to connect with others online. 

Rent a Local Friend is available in more than 325 cities and there are 1,568 local friends using the platform. Rent a Local Friend pays anywhere between $10 to $50 per hour. 

Related: 21 of the Best Online Jobs Paying $20/hour or More

5. Fiverr

Fiverr is a website that pays you to complete short tasks also known as gigs for money. Some people offer professional services on Fiverr like writing, editing podcasts and videos, and graphic design projects.

There are also other types of tasks and services you can offer whether it’s creating a song, life coaching, or even your friendship. 

There are a quite of people already offering virtual friend services for cash. The great thing about Fiverr is that you can set your own rates and decide what you want your service to include.

For example, you can offer a different prices for longer phone calls or virtual games. Fiverr takes out a small fee from your earnings to help support the platform, but you get the keep the majority of your payment. 

Related: How to Sell Feet Pics For Extra Money

6. Freelancer

Freelancer is a platform that hires contractors from all over the world to complete a variety of jobs. People post jobs to the platform and freelancers can pitch or apply to complete them.

Payments are submitted securely through the platform. Most of the services are things you can do online like coding, graphic design, and other projects.

However, there are some unique services offered on the platform and virtual friendship is one of them. You can set your own prices and diversify your reach for offering this service.

Or, offer a unique service that will help you establish local friendships whether it’s photography, creating party decorations or something else that’s fun and allows you to interact with others. 

Related: How to Make $100 a Day Online and In Person

4 Tips to Get Selected as a Virtual Companion

While there are plenty of ways to get paid for online companionship, you’ll have to make sure you actually get picked by someone in order to start getting paid. Here are some key tips to help you get paid for companionship. 

1. Use High-Quality Photos

Most websites that allow people to rent a virtual friend will require that you upload a photo of yourself. Try to use an updated picture that is clear and serves almost as a more casual headshot.

You’ll want your picture to show that you’re friendly and inviting so make sure you’re smiling in the photo. You can even get creative and use an image that shows you doing a fun hobby since people might resonate with it if you share the same interests.

Some sites allow you to upload more than one image and this can be a great way to tell a story with your profile. Consider adding multiple photos so you can show yourself in different settings as well as different aspects of your personality. 

 2. Fill Out Your Profile Completely

Filling your profile out completely is one of the most important ways to improve your chances of getting hired as a friend. Try not to skip any sections even if they aren’t required.

Also, you can start out by viewing other people’s profiles to get some ideas. Make a mental note of what you like and don’t like about the profiles you see.

Be sure to list your interests, skills, hobbies, and any fun facts. 

• What do you like to do for fun? 
• What’s your favorite food/color?
• Do you have pets?

The more you share, the more people will get an idea of what you’d be like as a friend and what they can expect. Most people just want a friend that is kind, encouraging, positive, helpful, and knows how to have a good time.

Odds are you have a few unique qualities that set yourself a part from others. Mention these and you’ll definitely attract some friends on the platform. 

3. Make Sure Your Information Reflects Your Personality

Don’t go overboard when entering your profile details. It’s important to still be realistic and make sure the information you share reflects your actually personality.

If you don’t like writing letters and prefer to text or video call, don’t put in your profile that you’d like to be a Penpal.

Also, if you don’t like a certain food or hate bowling, don’t add these things to your profile and give a false impression. 

Trying to talk yourself up too much can make you seem dishonest especially if you are chatting with a friend and they find out that something you said wasn’t true.

Some sites allow people to rate you and follow your profile so it’s key to always give an honest first impression when working on your profile. 

4. Do Your Research

Always do your own research. This article includes a great list of places to start with if you’re looking for rent a cyber friend websites that pay.

But be sure to do your own research and verify everything. If you come across a platform, check reviews and the legitimacy of the site.

Make sure the purpose of the platform is for platonic friendships and nothing more so you set clear expectations. 

Also, do some research before accepting someone’s request for friendship or a phone call. The platform you’re using should allow you to see the other person’s profile and some background information on them.

While you may be excited that someone is considering hiring you, it’s up to you to ensure it’s a good fit. If you do this consistently, you’ll set yourself up for more success over time. 

Always Put Safety First When You Become a Virtual Friend 

Becoming a virtual friend and getting paid is fun and easy. Just make sure you’re putting safety first and carefully vetting opportunities.

Some people may be interested in a local friend who can go on outings. If you’re only comfortable with talking online and by phone, you can still find ways to get paid to be a virtual friend.

Start checking out some of the platforms on this list to get started. Who knows, you just might establish a fun and rewarding side hustle.