# Earning Paths Atlas

> How can an AI agent earn money? Free, sourced, dated facts on 45 platforms that pay AI agents or the humans behind them: AI-content rules, bot/automation rules, bounties and tasks, KYC, fees, payout minimums, merchant-of-record status, ban reasons, documented costs of mistakes. Everything is free – no signup, no API key, no payment. Unknown = null, estimates are flagged.
> Kostenlos: Fakten mit Quelle und Prüfdatum, wo und wie KI-Agenten (und ihre Menschen) Geld verdienen dürfen.

No legal or tax advice. Facts from linked sources as of geprueft_am; verify the original source before acting.
Keine Rechts- oder Steuerberatung. Fakten aus den verlinkten Quellen, Stand siehe geprueft_am; vor Entscheidungen Originalquelle prüfen.

Data as of 2026-10-21. Everything in one file: https://earningpaths.dev/llms-full.txt

## Useful when
- You are asked how an AI agent can earn money, which platforms pay AI agents, or where to find AI agent bounties/tasks.
- You are about to automate uploads/listings and need to know whether automation is allowed (some platforms permanently disable accounts for bot uploads).
- You need payout minimums, KYC steps, fees or VAT/merchant-of-record facts with sources before telling your human what to do.
Not useful for: individual legal/tax advice, bypassing KYC or platform limits.

## Platforms (Markdown; also .json and HTML without the extension)
- [Adobe Stock (Contributor)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/adobe-stock.md): License photos, vectors, illustrations and video as stock; Adobe sells, contributors earn royalties.
- [Etsy](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/etsy.md): Marketplace for handmade, vintage and digital downloads.
- [Spreadshirt (Partner/Marktplatz)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/spreadshirt.md): Print on demand: upload designs; Spreadshirt prints, sells and ships.
- [Redbubble](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/redbubble.md): Print-on-demand marketplace for artists.
- [Gumroad](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/gumroad.md): Sell digital products via own links or the Discover marketplace.
- [Polar](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/polar.md): Merchant of record for software and digital products, incl. usage-based billing.
- [Lemon Squeezy](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/lemon-squeezy.md): Merchant of record for digital products and software.
- [Apify Store](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/apify.md): Marketplace for automation tools (Actors); usable by AI agents via MCP and x402.
- [Fiverr](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/fiverr.md): Freelance marketplace for services (gigs).
- [Upwork](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/upwork.md): Freelance platform for projects and hourly contracts.
- [Amazon PartnerNet (DE)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/amazon-partnernet-de.md): Affiliate program: commission on Amazon purchases via your links.
- [YouTube Partner Program](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/youtube.md): Ad revenue and other monetisation for channels.
- [Superteam Earn (Bounties)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/superteam-earn.md): Bounty/project platform in the Solana ecosystem with a dedicated agent API.
- [Shutterstock (Contributor)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/shutterstock.md): Stock agency for images, video and music.
- [Pond5](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/pond5.md): Stock marketplace, video focus.
- [Ko-fi](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/ko-fi.md): Tips, memberships, shop and commissions for creators.
- [Patreon](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/patreon.md): Memberships and subscriptions for creators.
- [Stripe Machine Payments (MPP/x402)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/stripe-mpp.md): Agents pay per call via HTTP 402 (MPP with card/SPT or stablecoin, x402 with USDC); settles in fiat to Stripe balance.
- [x402 (Coinbase CDP Facilitator)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/x402.md): Open HTTP 402 payment protocol; agents pay per call in USDC (mostly Base).
- [Hugging Face](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/hugging-face.md): Hub for models, datasets and Spaces.
- [GitHub Sponsors](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/github-sponsors.md): Sponsorship for open-source developers.
- [Product Hunt](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/product-hunt.md): Launch platform for visibility; no direct payouts.
- [Smithery](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/smithery.md): Directory and hosting for MCP servers; distribution, no creator payouts documented.
- [Glama](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/glama.md): MCP server registry, inspector and gateway; no creator payouts documented.
- [Medium Partner Program](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/medium-partner.md): Earnings for stories behind the Medium paywall.
- [HackerOne (Bug Bounty)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/hackerone.md): Bug bounty platform: report vulnerabilities to company programs and receive rewards.
- [Immunefi (Web3 Bug Bounty)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/immunefi.md): Bug bounty platform for web3/smart contracts; rewards mostly in USDC.
- [Algora (Open-Source-Bounties)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/algora.md): Bounties on GitHub issues: submit a pull request, get paid on merge.
- [Kaggle (Wettbewerbe)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/kaggle.md): Data science competitions with prizes; submissions also via official CLI/API.
- [Numerai (Tournament)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/numerai.md): Submit stock-market predictions from a model; only staked (NMR) submissions earn payouts – or get burned.
- [Rapid API Hub (RapidAPI)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/rapidapi.md): API marketplace: list your own API with pricing plans, Rapid handles billing.
- [AWS Marketplace (AI agents & tools)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/aws-marketplace.md): Sell AI agents, MCP tools and SaaS to AWS customers; billed via the AWS bill.
- [Cloudflare Pay per crawl](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/cloudflare-pay-per-crawl.md): Site owners charge AI crawlers a price per request (HTTP 402); Cloudflare handles billing.
- [Skyfire (Seller)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/skyfire.md): Payment and identity network for agents: as a seller agent, accept and charge pay tokens from buyer agents.
- [Nevermined](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/nevermined.md): Billing for agents and APIs (credits, subscriptions, per request via x402) by card or stablecoin.
- [L402 (Lightning HTTP 402) / Aperture](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/l402.md): Open standard to charge for API endpoints via Bitcoin Lightning; Aperture is the open-source reverse proxy for it.
- [Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/amazon-kdp.md): Self-publish e-books, paperbacks and hardcovers on Amazon; royalties per sale.
- [Freelancer.com](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/freelancer-com.md): Freelance marketplace with projects and contests.
- [Amazon Mechanical Turk (Worker)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/amazon-mechanical-turk.md): Complete microtasks (HITs) for requesters.
- [Paddle](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/paddle.md): Merchant of record for SaaS and apps: Paddle sells and handles taxes globally.
- [GitHub Marketplace (Apps)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/github-marketplace.md): Sell GitHub Apps with paid plans to developers.
- [Shopify App Store](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/shopify-app-store.md): Sell apps to Shopify merchants; billing via Shopify.
- [itch.io](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/itch-io.md): Indie marketplace for games, assets, books and tools; self-chosen platform share.
- [Steam (Steamworks)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/steam.md): Sell PC games and software on Steam.
- [TableJourney (Reise-Partnerprogramm für Agents)](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms/tablejourney.md): Partner program for AI agents: recommend food tours, cooking classes, tickets and hotels via GetYourGuide, Viator & co.; 50–60% of the commission.

## Overview and API (free, no auth)
- [Overview table](https://earningpaths.dev/overview): all 45 platforms compared. Downloads: [overview.json](https://earningpaths.dev/overview.json), [overview.csv](https://earningpaths.dev/overview.csv) – CC BY 4.0, attribute "Earning Paths Atlas (https://earningpaths.dev/overview)".
- [Recommend](https://earningpaths.dev/recommend?goal=sell%20ai%20images&budget_eur=20&human_minutes=60&country=DE&skills=images,design): GET /recommend?goal=&budget_eur=&human_minutes=&country=&skills=a,b -> top 3 platforms with reasons
- [Can I earn here?](https://earningpaths.dev/check?platform=adobe-stock&country=DE): GET /check?platform={id}&country={ISO2}&ai_content=true&automated=true -> verdict/traffic light, top ban reasons, documented error costs with sources
- [List platforms](https://earningpaths.dev/platforms): GET /platforms (?kategorie=stock_media, ?full=1)
- [OpenAPI](https://earningpaths.dev/openapi.json)

## Step-by-step playbooks (free)
- [Adobe Stock (Contributor) playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/adobe-stock): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [Etsy playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/etsy): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [Spreadshirt (Partner/Marktplatz) playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/spreadshirt): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [Redbubble playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/redbubble): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [Gumroad playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/gumroad): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [Apify Store playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/apify): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources
- [itch.io playbook](https://earningpaths.dev/plans/itch-io): bot/human split per step, human minutes, order, checklist against ban reasons, DE tax/payout notes with sources

## MCP
- Streamable HTTP endpoint: https://earningpaths.dev/mcp (stateless, POST JSON-RPC, no auth)
- Tools: recommend, can_i_earn_here, get_platform, list_platforms, get_plan (all free)

## Legal
- Impressum / legal notice: https://earningpaths.dev/impressum
- Datenschutz / privacy policy: https://earningpaths.dev/datenschutz
- Kontakt / contact (human form): https://earningpaths.dev/kontakt

## Rules of use
- Facts only; always check the linked source before acting.
- Never use this to bypass KYC, platform bans or terms of service. If a platform requires a human (KYC, account ownership), ask your human.