Tools that you can actually rent out and earn

RayanAugust 21, 2026 · 6 min read

The most profitable tools to rent out are the ones people need for a single project but don’t want to own outright: pressure washers, cordless power tools like drills and saws, ladders, concrete mixers, and generators. They share three things that make them good rental candidates. They cost enough that most homeowners balk at buying one for occasional use, they’re cheap enough that a single unit pays for itself within a handful of rentals, and demand for them never really disappears because home projects don’t stop. A $300 pressure washer renting for $60 a day, for example, can cover its own cost in about five rentals and then keep earning for years.

This guide walks through which tools actually rent well, what they typically go for, and where people list them once they’re ready to start.

What actually makes a tool profitable to rent out?

A tool is profitable to rent out when what it earns per use, multiplied by how often it actually goes out the door, covers its purchase price faster than it wears out or goes unused in your garage.

That’s why the tools at the top of this list aren’t the cheapest ones. A $20 hand tool might rent for a few dollars and barely move the needle, while a pressure washer or concrete mixer can bring in $50 to $200 per rental and pay for itself in weeks instead of years. The tradeoff is upkeep. Anything with an engine or motor needs occasional maintenance, and factoring that cost in before you buy is what separates a tool that’s genuinely profitable from one that just breaks even.

Are power tools like drills and saws worth renting out?

Yes, they’re some of the easiest tools to start with, since almost everyone already owns them and DIY demand for them never fully dries up. Cordless drills, circular saws, and sanders show up on nearly every list of what people ask to borrow or rent first, largely because they’re the tools a one-off project needs but a casual homeowner doesn’t want cluttering a garage. They won’t individually bring in as much per rental as a pressure washer, but they’re inexpensive to acquire, easy to store, and simple to hand off, which makes them a low-risk way to test whether renting out tools in your area actually has demand before buying anything bigger.

Is a pressure washer one of the best tools to rent out?

Yes, pressure washers consistently rank among the most profitable tools to rent out because they hit a sweet spot: expensive enough that most people won’t buy one for a single driveway or deck cleaning, but affordable enough that one unit can pay for itself quickly. Rental rates typically run $50 to $250 a day depending on whether it’s electric or gas-powered, with weekly rates often landing between $180 and $660. Demand also tends to cluster around spring and summer, when driveway, siding, and deck cleaning projects pick up, so a pressure washer that sits idle in January can easily become one of your best earners by May.

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Do ladders, generators, and concrete mixers rent well too?

Yes, these are the tools people search for when they already have a specific project in mind, which makes them dependable earners even though they move less often than smaller power tools. Concrete mixers typically rent for $50 to $200 a day, or $160 to $720 a week for longer jobs like a driveway or patio pour. Generators see demand spikes around storm season and power outages, which makes them less predictable but often more lucrative when demand hits. Ladders are a quieter earner: cheap to buy, cheap to store, and reliably requested by anyone tackling gutters, painting, or roof work without wanting to own an extension ladder that lives in the garage the other 360 days of the year.

What about seasonal and big-ticket items?

Seasonal lawn equipment like mowers, hedge trimmers, and leaf blowers, along with event gear like tents, tables, and bounce houses, can bring in more per rental than any single power tool, but they ask more of you in return. Lawn equipment only earns during its season, and event items need more storage space and usually more hands-on delivery or setup. They’re worth adding once you have a handle on demand in your area, but they’re rarely the right place to start, since the upfront cost and storage commitment are both higher than a drill or a pressure washer.

Where do you actually list your tools to rent out?

Peer-to-peer rental apps built specifically for tools and equipment, like GoEquipMe, ToolBevy, and RentMyTool, are the simplest way to start without building a website or storefront of your own. They handle the listing, and in most cases the booking, while you set your own price and availability. Local options matter too. Community Facebook groups, neighborhood marketplace listings, and word of mouth through a local hardware store or job site often produce your first few rentals faster than an app does, especially before you’ve built up reviews. Whichever route you use, it’s worth checking your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance before you start, since most standard policies don’t automatically cover tools while they’re in someone else’s hands.

How much can you actually make renting out tools?

Realistically, an individual tool pays for itself within a handful of rentals and then turns into close to pure profit from there, but total monthly income depends heavily on how many tools you have listed and how much demand exists locally. Most people who do this well start with two or three tools they already own or can buy cheaply, track how often each one actually goes out, and only reinvest in bigger equipment once they can see which categories are pulling real demand in their area.

Is renting out tools still worth it in 2026?

Yes. The broader equipment rental industry is valued at well over $55 billion in the United States, and a good share of that growth is coming from people who would rather rent for a weekend than buy and store something they’ll use once. That shift favors exactly the tools covered here: pressure washers, power tools, ladders, and mixers that solve a specific project without asking anyone to make a permanent purchase. If renting out a handful of tools starts to outgrow your garage, the same demand and payback logic scales up into full equipment categories like skid steers and aerial lifts, which is worth a look once you’re ready to move from a side hustle into an actual rental fleet.

See also

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