I notice that most of the websites that are included in the list specialize in a specific niche, so you also need to have special knowledge as a writer of a specific subject to be able to write for them and your article be accepted.

Apart from websites offering upfront payments to writers, there is also the revenue sharing model, although less and less websites follow this model nowadays, with Hubpages being one of the most popular.

It is true that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but there are writing platforms where articles can make more money in the long run than getting an upfront payment.