Pi nebenbei

A guide for beginners · last checked 26 July 2026

Your Raspberry Pi is running anyway.
Why not let it earn a little on the side?

Set up in about 15 minutes. You don't need to be an expert. A great way into the world of the tiny computer.

  • Setup takes about 15 minutes
  • Suitable for beginners
  • Can be switched off again at any time
Start for free Show me the numbers first
Done in 15 minutes

Four steps and it's running

No prior knowledge required. Every command is further down, ready to copy – you don't have to type anything out, and you don't have to understand anything you'd rather not.

  1. Prepare the Pi Update the system once. Two commands, three minutes. approx. 3 min
  2. Create an account Free, an email address is enough. One of the providers throws in a signup bonus. approx. 2 min
  3. Copy the command Paste one command into the terminal, press Enter, wait a moment. approx. 5 min
  4. Up and running The device appears in the dashboard. From here on there is nothing left to do. done
Briefly explained

What is actually going on here

Companies need internet access from real households – for price comparison, ad verification, or simply to see how their own website looks in different regions. From a data centre that doesn't work, because requests like these are recognised and blocked.

That is exactly what they pay for. The providers on this page buy a small share of your unused bandwidth and pass it on. Your Pi barely computes anything in the process, it only forwards – which is why an older model is plenty and your power consumption stays roughly where it already was.

That's the other side of the coin Traffic that isn't yours runs over your IP address. The providers state that they vet their customers and targets in advance. As a user you cannot check that – this residual risk is part of the decision, and I think you should read about it before you start, not afterwards.

Two things to sort out first First: not every internet plan allows third-party traffic to run over your connection. Reading your provider's terms of service takes five minutes. Second: on networks that aren't yours – a dorm, your employer, a shared flat with one common line – you need explicit permission.

Realistically speaking

What actually comes out of it

Earnings differ by country, internet connection, location and actual demand. For a typical residential line, users report somewhere around 1 to 5 US dollars per month per service. Some see less, a few see more. Since the Pi is running anyway, this comes on top of costs you already have.

Run the numbers with your own figures

Nothing is stored or transmitted – the calculation runs entirely in your browser.

Electricity per month–
What's left–
Over a year–
Hardware paid off in–

Where the defaults come from 4 watts is a common idle figure for a Pi 4 or 5 with no peripherals attached – ideally measure it yourself with a plug-in energy meter. The electricity price and the 6 dollars of credit are placeholders: the price varies enormously by country, and the credit assumes two services running in parallel in the mid range. That's an assumption, not a promise: providers can change their rates at any time, and nobody can tell you how much demand there is in your region.

Step 1 of 2

Start with EarnApp

Of all four services this is the easiest way in: one command, no Docker, native support for the Raspberry Pi. If you like it, step 2 comes on top. If you don't, you've spent ten minutes and you uninstall it again.

EarnApp

Operated by Bright Data

commands verified native, no Docker
Payout from
10 US dollars
Methods
PayPal, Wise, gift cards
Automation
auto-redeem available
Extras
offerwall, referrals

After installation EarnApp runs as a system service and starts again by itself after every reboot. There is nothing for you to look after. If you enable auto-redeem, payouts happen automatically from 10 US dollars – you don't even have to log in.

Important, and wrong in a lot of guides out there EarnApp's terms of service explicitly forbid running it in virtual machines, Docker containers and emulators. There are plenty of tinkering guides that stuff all four services into a single Docker stack – with EarnApp that risks getting your account suspended along with your balance. Use the native installation here, exactly as described below.

Check the requirement

EarnApp needs a 64-bit system. This command tells you what your Pi reports – you want to see aarch64:

pi@raspberrypi:~
uname -m

How to set it up

  1. Create a free account – that's what the button below is for.
  2. Run the command below on the Pi and accept the terms of service.
  3. At the end the script shows you a linking URL.
  4. Open that URL in your browser while you're logged in – that assigns the Pi to your account.
  5. Check in the dashboard whether the device shows up as “online”. Done.
Install EarnApp
wget -qO- https://brightdata.com/static/earnapp/install.sh > /tmp/earnapp.sh && sudo bash /tmp/earnapp.sh
How do I get rid of it again?

Via the bundled uninstall script. Afterwards nothing is left on the Pi, and you delete the account separately in the dashboard.

Remove EarnApp
sudo /usr/bin/earnapp uninstall

The exact path may differ between versions. [VERIFY_EARNAPP_UNINSTALL]

Start with EarnApp for free Referral link · free for you, I receive a commission
Step 2 of 2

EarnApp running? Then add Honeygain

Two services in parallel on the same Pi are no problem technically – the system load stays tiny. Honeygain runs in Docker and gives you 5 US dollars of starting credit via a referral link, which noticeably shortens the way to your first payout.

Honeygain

Container, restarts by itself after a reboot

5 US dollars starting credit Docker required
Payout from
20 US dollars
Starting credit
5 US dollars via referral
Devices
max. 10 per account, 1 per IP
Methods
PayPal or JumpToken

The 20 US dollar payout threshold is the highest of all four services – but with the starting credit you're only 15 away. If you don't want to wait, you can switch to JumpTask mode: there the threshold largely disappears, but you get paid in a cryptocurrency instead of via PayPal.

Docker first If you haven't already, you'll need Docker. It's a tool that packs an application together with everything it needs into a sealed-off bundle. The practical upside for you: later on you can remove the service completely with a single command.

1 · Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

What curl … | sh actually does It downloads someone else's script and immediately runs it with your privileges. In the case of get.docker.com this is the route the vendor recommends itself. With unknown sources you should download the script and read it before you run it – that goes for every guide on the internet, including this one.

Now comes the part most guides stay silent about: the official Honeygain image is built for amd64, your Pi is arm64. Without an intermediate step the container starts with the error exec format error. The translation layer for that is called binfmt and it's a one-liner:

2 · Set up the translation layer
docker run --privileged --rm tonistiigi/binfmt --install all
3 · Start Honeygain
docker run -d \
  --name honeygain \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --platform linux/amd64 \
  honeygain/honeygain -tou-accept \
  -email [YOUR_HONEYGAIN_EMAIL] \
  -pass [YOUR_HONEYGAIN_PASSWORD] \
  -device [NAME_FOR_THE_PI]

About the password It sits inside the container and can be read out later with docker inspect honeygain. So use a separate, long password that you don't use anywhere else. If you share the Pi with other people, keep that in mind.

You can tell it's working from the log lines:

4 · Check
docker logs honeygain
How do I get rid of it again?

One command, and the container is gone along with everything inside it.

Remove Honeygain
docker rm -f honeygain
Create an account and claim 5 US dollars Referral link · the starting credit is paid by Honeygain, not by you
Optional

Want to get more out of it?

Only worth a look once the first two are running. Two more providers, same principle – but read the box underneath first, otherwise you'll be puzzled by the earnings that never arrive.

Pawns.app

Lowest payout threshold

Payout from
5 US dollars
Devices
1 per network
Extras
paid surveys

The 5-dollar threshold is the lowest in the field – this is where you'll see fastest whether anything is coming in at all. On top of that there are surveys you can fill in on your computer.

Start Pawns.app
docker run -d --name pawns \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  iproyal/pawns-cli:latest \
  -email=[YOUR_PAWNS_EMAIL] \
  -password=[YOUR_PAWNS_PASSWORD] \
  -device-name=[NAME_FOR_THE_PI] \
  -accept-tos
Go to Pawns.app Referral link

TraffMonetizer

Sign-in via token

Payout from
10 US dollars
Devices
several possible
Extras
real arm64 image

Nicely solved: instead of an email address and password you store a token from your dashboard. That way no account password ends up on the Pi – the cleanest sign-in of all four.

Start TraffMonetizer
docker run -d --name tm \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  traffmonetizer/cli_v2:arm64v8 \
  start accept \
  --token [YOUR_TRAFFMONETIZER_TOKEN] \
  --device-name [NAME_FOR_THE_PI]

You'll find the token after signing up in the dashboard under “Your application token”. Just copy it and paste it above.

Go to TraffMonetizer Referral link

Why a second Pi on the same Wi-Fi barely helps Honeygain and Pawns.app only allow one device per IP address; with Honeygain you otherwise get the message “Network overused”. EarnApp caps earnings per IP as well. The reason is obvious: what's being sold isn't bandwidth, it's access from a real household – and that stays one household, no matter how many devices you plug in.

What actually counts are different connections. That's why it's worth installing the apps on your smartphone as well and letting them run over the mobile network there – that's a different IP. All four providers have apps for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.

At a glance

The four providers side by side

As of 26 July 2026. Providers change their terms without notice – when in doubt, what's on their own site applies.

ProviderPayout fromStarting creditDevices per IPOn the Pi
EarnApp10 USD–several, earnings cappednative, Docker forbidden
Honeygain20 USD5 USD1Docker with binfmt
Pawns.app5 USD–1Docker, arm64
TraffMonetizer10 USDdepends on promotionseveral, traffic is sharedDocker, arm64
Free download

The Raspberry Pi cheat sheet

Every command that matters on two pages: system, Docker, screen, temperature, storage, network. Meant to be printed and left next to the Pi – or kept open on a tablet while you type.

  • Every command with a description, an explanation and a note
  • Cleanly typeset code blocks to copy or type out
  • A4, print-optimised, no wasted colour
  • No email address required – just download it
Download the cheat sheet (PDF)
For the curious

Monero mining: fascinating, but not a business

With mining the Pi does the computing itself instead of just forwarding data. Honestly assessed: the processing power of a Pi is tiny compared to normal mining hardware, and power consumption rises considerably. Treat it as a learning project – technically it's the most interesting thing on this page.

XMRig via MoneroOcean

Build the client yourself, connect to a pool

cooling requiredmind the power

First: create a wallet

Before you install anything you need an address for the payouts to go to. Without one you can't even start the miner. A Monero wallet is essentially a keyring: you hand out the public address, and you keep the secret 25-word recovery seed to yourself.

  1. Download the official wallet software from getmonero.org – to begin with, the lightweight variant without the full blockchain is enough.
  2. Create a new wallet and set a password.
  3. Write down the 25-word recovery seed on paper. Don't photograph it, don't type it into a notes app.
  4. Copy the public address – it starts with a 4 and is fairly long.

The recovery seed is the money Whoever has it has access. Whoever loses it loses everything – there is no hotline that resets this. And: never type the receiving address out by hand later on, always copy it. A single transposed character means payouts vanish into nothing.

Then: build XMRig

You compile the miner yourself, once. Depending on the Pi model this takes a few minutes.

1 · Dependencies and build
sudo apt install git build-essential cmake libuv1-dev libssl-dev libhwloc-dev -y
git clone https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig.git
cd xmrig && mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. && make

Why screen shows up here – and only here XMRig runs in the foreground. Close the SSH window and the miner is gone. screen creates a session that keeps running independently of your connection. With the Docker services further up you don't need this – there, --restart unless-stopped does exactly this job.

2 · Start it inside a screen session
sudo apt install screen -y
screen -S miner
./xmrig -o gulf.moneroocean.stream:80 -u [YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS] -p [NAME_FOR_THE_PI]
# Detach: Ctrl+A, then D   ·   Back: screen -r miner   ·   Overview: screen -ls

What the parameters mean

  • -o — address and port of the mining pool
  • -u — your wallet address from the step above
  • -p — a device name you can choose freely

Where it falls down

  • Constant load heats the Pi up – without a heatsink it throttles
  • Consumption rises well above the idle figure
  • A screen session does not survive a reboot
In case you don't have one yet

My setup – and what I actually need from it

You don't need all of this. The first four items are essential, the rest is comfort. I've written down why each part is sitting on my desk – and where you can safely save your money.

Essential

Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB)

For bandwidth sharing alone a used Pi 4 or a Zero 2 W would be perfectly adequate – the load is minimal. I have the 5 because it does other things on the side. All that really matters: it has to be 64-bit capable.

View at the retailer
Essential

Original power supply

The most common reason for a Pi that crashes for no apparent reason or hangs while booting is an underpowered PSU. Saving money here costs you nerves, not money – get the official one.

View at the retailer
Essential

MicroSD card, 32 GB

Get one with an A2 rating. Cheap cards die after a few months of continuous operation – that's not theory, it happened to me twice. 32 GB is plenty.

View at the retailer
Essential

Ethernet cable

Sounds trivial, makes all the difference. Over Wi-Fi the connection drops now and then, and every interruption is time in which nothing is running. A cable is the cheapest reliability upgrade there is.

View at the retailer
Recommended

Case with heatsink

For bandwidth sharing alone the Pi barely gets warm. But as soon as you start experimenting with the mining section above, it throttles without cooling. A passive aluminium case is enough and stays silent.

View at the retailer
Optional

SSD instead of an SD card

Only worth it if the Pi has other jobs too. For bandwidth sharing it gains you nothing – the services barely write anything. I have one because I also run a media server.

View at the retailer
Nice to have

Plug-in energy meter

The thing I used to verify the figures in the calculator above. It costs very little, and afterwards you no longer have to guess what your Pi actually draws.

View at the retailer

About these links These are affiliate links. If you buy through them I receive a small commission, and the price stays the same for you. I only link to things that are actually sitting here – and I explicitly say so when you don't need one of them. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

A word about this site

Why this page exists

For years I had a Raspberry Pi sitting on a shelf blocking ads. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for roughly a dollar of electricity a month. At some point the obvious question came up: if the thing is running anyway and the line is there anyway – couldn't it be doing something else on the side?

Looking into it was sobering. Almost everything you find on the subject falls into one of two boxes: sensationalist videos with made-up numbers and payout screenshots, or forum posts where someone drops a Docker command without any explanation that stopped working two years ago. In between: not much. I had no idea about terminal commands and command lines myself.

This page is an attempt to fill that gap. Every command here is one I have run myself. Where I'm not sure, it says so explicitly – those spots are marked in colour, rather than me writing down something plausible and hoping for the best.

What you won't find here: screenshots of my payouts, countdown timers, success stories. Not because I'm holding back, but because numbers like that tell you nothing. How much comes out at your end depends on your connection, your region and demand – not on what arrived at mine. Instead of proof screenshots there's the calculator above, where you enter your own figures.

This is financed through the referral links. If you sign up through one of them, I receive a commission – it costs you nothing, and in some cases you get starting credit yourself. That's the whole deal. It doesn't change the fact that the downsides of every service are laid out here just as thoroughly as the upsides.

Frequently asked

The questions that come up most

How much can you realistically earn?

That depends on the country your IP address is in, on your connection and on actual demand – not on the performance of the Pi. For a typical residential line, users report somewhere around 1 to 5 US dollars per month per service. Some see less, a few see more. The calculator above shows you what's left after electricity.

Is this legal?

The services themselves can be used legally in most countries. What matters is your internet contract: some providers prohibit routing third-party traffic in their terms of service. On networks that aren't yours – a dorm, your employer, a shared flat – you need explicit permission. This page is a technical guide, not legal advice.

Do I have to pay tax on the earnings?

Income from services like these can be taxable, even when the amounts are small. Most countries have allowances for miscellaneous income, but whether they apply depends on your individual situation and jurisdiction. I'm not a tax adviser and can't answer this for you – when in doubt, ask someone qualified.

Will this slow down my internet?

In everyday use you generally won't notice a thing – it's about unused capacity, and the data volumes are small measured against a normal connection. It does become relevant on a metered plan: in that case stay away from it or set a limit. On an unlimited plan it's uncritical.

Does a second Pi bring in twice as much?

Not on the same home network. Honeygain and Pawns.app only allow one device per IP address, EarnApp caps earnings per IP. What's being sold is access from a real household – and that stays one household. What counts are different connections: for example the app on your smartphone on the mobile network as well.

How safe are my credentials on the Pi?

With the Docker services, the email address and password sit in the container configuration and can be read via docker inspect. So use a separate, long password for each service that you don't use anywhere else. TraffMonetizer solves this most elegantly: there you only store a token, no account password.

How do I remove all of it again?

Docker services with docker rm -f name – after that the container and its contents are gone. EarnApp is removed via its uninstall script. You delete the accounts separately in each provider's dashboard. Nothing is left behind that you couldn't remove yourself.

Can my account be suspended?

Yes, and that's the single most important reason to read the terms of service. Common reasons for suspension are VPNs, proxies, data centre IPs and – with EarnApp – running it in virtual machines or Docker containers. If you're suspended, the balance you've built up is usually gone too.