All Side Hustle Ideas
Every idea links to its source

Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them

Real side businesses, described by their owners. Filter by cost, time and how they earn.

Ideas
651
ideas
Publications
14
publications and shows
Categories
8
categories

Browse by category

  • Digital products67
    Files sold online: templates, printables, ebooks, stock photos, fonts, presets, plugins, recorded courses
  • Software and apps205
    A web app, SaaS, mobile app, browser extension, bot or API that people pay for or that earns from ads
  • Content and media105
    A blog, niche website, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast or social account that earns from ads, affiliate links or sponsors
  • Physical products105
    Making, printing or reselling physical goods, online or in person
  • Services and freelancing103
    Doing work for clients for a fee: freelance, consulting, done-for-you services, repairs, local services
  • Rentals and assets36
    Earning from something you own: renting property, rooms, equipment, vehicles, parking, vending machines, domains
  • Directories and marketplaces11
    A job board, listings site, directory or marketplace that connects buyers and sellers
  • Teaching and coaching19
    Live tutoring, lessons, workshops, coaching or cohort classes

Matching ideas

About the data

Startup cost
Under $100$100 to $1k$1k to $10kOver $10k
Time
Hands-offA few hours a weekPart-timeNear full-time
Where
OnlineIn personOnline and in person
Earns from
AdsAffiliateSubscriptionsOne-time salesService feesRentMarketplace cutSponsors and donations
Coding
No coding neededNeeds coding

128 ideas, page 3 of 3

  • Software and apps
    Phone GPS tracker with ad revenue
    A web tool that tracks phones periodically and shows locations on a map, earning from site and YouTube ads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Puzzle game for iOS
    Built a puzzle game for iPhone that earns a tiny amount from sales.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Small Android apps portfolio
    Publishes several small Android apps that earn modestly without ongoing work.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Android app to fix a router modem
    Built an Android app that roots and fixes problems on an ISP-supplied modem, selling it through the Play Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Android app with ads and in-app purchases
    Made a free Android app with a paid version, earning from ads, in-app purchases and paid downloads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Android apps funded by ads
    Makes Android apps earning from ads, with a soundboard app as the main earner.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Android notepad app earning ad revenue
    A simple Android app built to learn the platform that now earns from in-app ads.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Audio analysis apps for iPhone
    Built iPhone apps like an oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer, used by sound engineers and teachers.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Buy and redesign an existing iOS app
    Bought an iOS sleep calculator app from its owner and redesigned the interface.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Cribbage game for iOS
    Built and released a cribbage card game for iPhone and iPad.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Educational 3D and 4D geometry iPhone app
    Built an iOS app that teaches what a tesseract is and lets users manipulate it. People keep buying it in a small niche.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Free web solitaire game with ads
    A browser solitaire game that earns from ad revenue, built as a weekend project.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Mac web development app
    A web development tool for Mac sold through the Mac App Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Marketing attribution software with affiliates
    A subscription analytics product largely automated in onboarding and billing, with an affiliate program and agency customers that expand usage.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Music notation training web app
    Built a site for practicing reading music notation while learning piano. It earns on its own without promotion.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Old Android app earning small ad income
    Wrote an Android app to learn the platform, updates it lightly, and earns a little from ads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Online PC building tool with ads
    Runs a tool for assembling a PC online and earns from ads and affiliate programs.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Paid iOS utility and study apps
    Sells a clipboard manager app and a study summaries app for students with in-app purchases.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Paid physics puzzles Android app
    A paid Android app with a list of physics puzzles, built as a learning project and earning small steady income.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Shopify store admin app for Android
    An Android app for managing a Shopify store, sold on Google Play without marketing.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    UK bank account validation web app and API
    Offers a tool and API to validate UK bank account details, and sells a data file of sort codes.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Unicode text effects tool
    A free site for playing with Unicode text and ASCII art, earning small ad income.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Call filtering app for phones
    An app that filters unimportant calls and lets urgent ones from chosen contacts through. Sold as a paid app.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Captcha recognition service paid per solve
    Built a machine learning system that solves captchas, paid per captcha, so income continues after the build.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Cheap bulk SMS sending service
    Runs a text messaging service with low per-message pricing. Earns from message volume.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    License trading models and financial tools
    Builds trading models and financial tools and licenses them to others.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Licensing system for Android app developers
    Built an anti-piracy licensing system for their own Android apps and then sold it to other developers as a subscription service.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Logic puzzle game on the iOS App Store
    Built a puzzle game for iPhone sold on the App Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Machinima tool sold inside Second Life
    An application sold within Second Life that helps users make machinima, earning small sales long after launch.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Paid card game for iOS
    Wrote a card game for iPhone that sells steadily with almost no maintenance.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Self-hosted social network software
    Sold software that lets people build their own social network, later releasing the code for free.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Software and apps
    Windows Phone to-do app sold in the app store
    Built a to-do app for Windows Phone in evenings and sold it through the app store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011