Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them

205 ideas, page 1 of 5

• Language learning app that teaches through songs

  A consumer app that teaches languages through music and singing. The founder tested the idea with viral content before building a simple first version and runs it solo.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Health and fitness app grown with paid ads

  An indie health and fitness app. The founder credits a repeatable marketing playbook built on paid ads, rather than the specific app, for its growth.

  Software and apps$1k to $10k

  Starter Story, 2026
• Gym fitness app built by a first-time coder

  An iOS fitness app built to solve the founder's own problem at the gym. The founder had never shipped code before and grew it with content and a personal brand.

  Software and apps$100 to $1k

  Starter Story, 2026
• Solo-built mobile game

  A mobile game built by a former big tech employee after leaving a full-time job. It grew with no paid marketing.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Gym app built through constant testing

  A gym app whose founder treats product development like a science experiment, using A/B tests and feature validation to decide what to build.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• AI rendering tool for architects and designers

  An AI tool that lets architects and designers generate realistic home renders in seconds. Revenue stayed flat for years until a single product pivot changed the business.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Marketing software for indie app developers

  A marketing SaaS for indie developers. The founder shaped the product through a very large number of customer calls with the ideal customer.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Searchable database product sites

  The operator runs a few near-identical sites that each sell access to a niche database, such as investors, angels or journalists. The revenue model is not stated in the source and is likely paid access.

  Starter Story, 2026
• Golf app built alongside a tech job

  A golf app the founder built as a side project while working full time at a big tech company, before deciding whether to go all in on it.

  Software and appsPart-time

  Starter Story, 2026
• AI track and field app

  An AI app for track and field, built by college students who did not know how to code.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Data analysis software for agencies and online stores

  A micro-SaaS that replaces messy spreadsheets for agencies and e-commerce brands trying to make sense of their data. The founder spotted the problem while consulting for these businesses and built the app with Claude.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Analytics software sold to agencies

  An analytics SaaS built specifically for agencies as the customer, a niche most builders overlook.

  Software and apps

  Starter Story, 2026
• Directory tool with a lead generation focus

  After leaving an agency, the operator built a directory-related software tool that earns recurring revenue and is adding a lead-gen angle.

  Niche Pursuits Podcast, 2026
• Paid online community for a niche audience

  A members-only group charges a recurring or lifetime fee for access to a niche audience and its resources. The host promotes it from an existing audience.

  The Koerner Office, 2025
• Road trip visualization tool

  A website for visualizing road trips, earning sales through organic traffic with peaks around holidays.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2024
• GraphQL middleware for Airtable and Sheets

  Sells middleware that lets developers access Airtable and Google Sheets data through GraphQL.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• AI tool for turning ideas into diagrams

  Built a tool for brainstorming and converting ideas into diagrams, now earning revenue and working on search traffic.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Browser extensions named for popular searches

  Builds browser extensions that fix common site annoyances. Revenue comes from them, helped by search-friendly names and store reviews.

  Software and appsUnder $100Hands-off

  Hacker News, 2024
• Minimal Android launcher with pro version

  A minimalist Android launcher distributed free, with a paid pro version.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Mobile order-taking app for field sales

  Built an app for creating orders and invoices on the road, syncing with local accounting software. A partner handles sales.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Online text case converter tool

  A free web tool for converting text case, built up over years.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Open source UI library funded by sponsors

  Maintains a UI library for a programming language and gets income through GitHub sponsorships.

  Software and appsUnder $100

  Hacker News, 2024
• AI conversation partner for language practice

  Built a web app to practice speaking languages with an AI, with a free tier and a paid tier.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Checklist web app for repeated routines

  A checklist app built for the owner's own routines that now earns recurring income.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2024
• Chrome extension collecting casino login bonuses

  A browser extension that automatically claims daily login bonuses at online casinos for a monthly subscription.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Cloud true random number generator

  A random number service sold through a website and a cloud marketplace listing, left running with little attention.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2024
• CMS publishing static sites to Cloudflare

  A content management system that publishes static sites to Cloudflare, earning recurring hosting fees.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Continuous web app security scanning service

  Offers automated recurring security scans of web apps with reports sent to team tools like Slack.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• GIF meme maker with watermark removal sales

  A GIF meme site that earns from one-off sales of watermark removal.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2024
• Japanese reading app with vocab tracking

  An app for learning Japanese by reading web articles, tracking known vocabulary and kanji, and syncing with flashcards.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Kubernetes GUI app for multiple clusters

  A desktop app for managing several Kubernetes clusters at once, built for the owner's own use and then sold as a subscription.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Open source app analytics tool

  A privacy-friendly open source analytics tool for apps.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• PDF bank statement to CSV converter

  Runs a subscription tool that converts PDF bank statements into CSV, used mostly by individuals, bookkeepers and small business owners.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Record-keeping software for horse owners

  Built software for tracking all records about horses, and partners with racing associations to offer it to new owners of retired racehorses.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Shipping data model for options trading

  Built an algorithm using maritime trade data to trade options on shipping firms, also selling subscriptions to friends.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Turn Google Drive folders into searchable wikis

  A tool that converts shared Drive folders into hosted searchable wikis, sold by subscription.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Web scraping API as a service

  Runs an API service that handles web scraping for developers.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2024
• Room booking system for workplaces

  Built a booking system after seeing colleagues reserve rooms in a paper book, and sells it as a product.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Spreadsheet timetable to Google Calendar export

  A product that exports timetable data kept in spreadsheets into Google Calendar.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Online multiplayer domino game with donations

  Built an online multiplayer version of a domino-based game, funded by donations after ads did poorly.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Screen annotation app for Mac

  Built a Mac app for drawing and highlighting on screen during calls and presentations, after needing it personally.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Backtesting service for options traders

  Runs a simulation service that lets traders backtest advanced options strategies, built from a background in processor simulation.

  Software and appsOver $10k

  Hacker News, 2022
• Chess variant mobile game funded by donations

  Built a single-player chess variant app without ads or in-app purchases, supported mostly by donations.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2022
• Email marketing tool for creators

  Grew from blogging and a self-published book into building an email marketing tool for bloggers and creators.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Email newsletter tool for developers

  A newsletter platform built as a better alternative to a tool the owner used, with Markdown support and an API aimed at developers. Started as a side project.

  Software and apps

  Hacker News, 2022
• Game server and compute hosting

  Began hosting game servers for friends, grew into renting servers including scientific computing to universities.

  Over $10kHands-off

  Hacker News, 2022
• License data compression to software publishers

  Built a compression tool that was slow to compress but fast to decompress and licensed it to big software vendors who shipped floppy disks.

  Hands-off

  Hacker News, 2022
• Meme maker with animated text tracking

  Created a web tool for making GIF memes with text that follows motion, after finding it hard to do elsewhere.

  Software and appsHands-off

  Hacker News, 2022