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

53 ideas, page 1 of 2

  • Software and apps
    Road trip visualization tool
    A website for visualizing road trips, earning sales through organic traffic with peaks around holidays.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Software and apps
    Minimal Android launcher with pro version
    A minimalist Android launcher distributed free, with a paid pro version.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Software and apps
    GIF meme maker with watermark removal sales
    A GIF meme site that earns from one-off sales of watermark removal.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Software and apps
    Screen annotation app for Mac
    Built a Mac app for drawing and highlighting on screen during calls and presentations, after needing it personally.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2022
  • Software and apps
    Safari tab refresh extension for Mac
    A paid Mac App Store app that grew out of a personal need for a Safari extension that refreshes tabs automatically.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2021
  • Software and apps
    Niche Mac App Store app
    Wrote a Mac app years ago that still makes steady daily sales through the app store without marketing.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2020
  • Software and apps
    Localized wedding registry platform
    An independent wedding registry site for a local market. Couples pay a one-time activation fee, and Google ads bring in traffic.
    $1k to $10kHands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Software and apps
    Mac app for browsing video collections
    Built a desktop app for managing video libraries and sells licenses. Donates the proceeds to charity.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Software and apps
    Buy, renovate and sell a foreclosed condo
    Bought a foreclosed condo, redid the kitchen and bathroom in spare time, and sold it for a profit later.
    Over $10kHands-offIn person
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Software and apps
    Published indie games with small ongoing sales
    A few games the owner published that continue to sell a little each year without any input.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2019
  • Software and apps
    Small iOS apps sold on the App Store
    Publishes a few small utility apps on the App Store and keeps improving them. Income comes from app sales.
    $100 to $1kOnline
    Hacker News, 2018
  • Software and apps
    Small portfolio of Android apps
    Publishes several Android apps on Google Play. One got an editor's pick, which boosted sales for a while.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2018
  • Software and apps
    Browser synth app with paid desktop version
    Built a web-based synth and drum machine that is free as a demo. Sells a downloadable desktop version without the restrictions.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Kanban task manager desktop app
    Sells a cross-platform desktop task manager with a Kanban-style board, through a trial-based license on Gumroad and the Mac App Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Image optimization app for Mac designers
    A desktop tool that shrinks images without visible quality loss. Offered as a free version with paid upgrades, plus plugins for design software.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Mac screen recorder app with GIF export
    A lossless screen recording app for macOS sold through the Mac App Store and its own site. Adds features like animated GIF export to keep sales coming in.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Paid smartwatch faces on Google Play
    Develops watch faces for Android Wear and sells them as paid apps on the Play Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Portfolio of native and HTML5 mobile games
    Publishes native apps and games along with HTML5 games, earning from app store sales. Income has declined as the stores have changed.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Test prep sites for medical school exams
    Built online prep resources for UK medical school entrance exams. Students pay for access, mostly in the months before the exams.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Text a photo, send a postcard service
    A service where customers text a photo and a physical postcard is mailed. Built with a web framework and an SMS API, and paid per postcard.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Watermarking tool and live productivity course
    Sells a watermarking tool, and also runs a multi-week video productivity course that is paid for each time a new class fills.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Simple paid and ad-supported mobile apps
    Builds small single-purpose mobile apps such as calculators and a flashlight. Some are sold for a fee and others earn from in-app ads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Older iPad game sold on the App Store
    Sells a game for iPad through the App Store, which sold with almost no ongoing effort until app updates were needed for new platform requirements.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Royalties from programming books
    Earns ongoing royalties from programming books written years ago, with little active work now.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Portfolio of paid iPhone apps
    Builds and sells many iPhone apps, with updates and freelance on the side.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Simple wine cataloging iOS app
    Built a minimalist wine catalog app for iPhone, sold as a paid app.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Disk cleaning app on the Mac App Store
    Sells a Mac utility for cleaning disk space on the Mac App Store, with little marketing.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Fitness tracker companion iPhone app
    An iPhone app that converts tracker activity to diet program points and offers calorie tracking, sold through the App Store.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    iPad port of a PC game
    Ported an older game to iPad, free to download with one in-app purchase unlocking the full version.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Kids glockenspiel app, free and paid
    Built a glockenspiel app for a friend's daughter, released a free version and a paid version with extra features.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Niche iOS apps for hobby communities
    Builds iPhone apps for groups like skydivers and beer fans, earning from sales and Apple affiliate links.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Pay-per-character message site using Bitcoin
    Built a website where people pay in Bitcoin per character to post a message.
    $100 to $1kHands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Personalized children's books app for iPad
    Sells personalized kids books through an iPad app and is splitting it into individual book apps.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Piano app for iPad
    Built an iPad piano app that stays in music charts and sells without marketing.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Printable bingo card software
    Sells software for creating bingo cards, needing little support.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Simple Mac App Store app
    Has a simple app in the Mac App Store that sells with no ongoing support.
    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
    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
    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
    Mac web development app
    A web development tool for Mac sold through the Mac App Store.
    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
    Trading simulator app for iOS
    Built and sells an iOS app that simulates trading.
    Online
    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