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

26 ideas

  • Content and media
    Practice website for learning Excel
    A simple website that helps people learn Excel through exercises. The founder built it with very little effort and grew it as a dead-simple, boring niche site.
    Hands-offOnline
    Starter Story, 2026
  • Software and apps
    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.
    Online
    Starter Story, 2026
  • Software and apps
    Online text case converter tool
    A free web tool for converting text case, built up over years.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Content and media
    Free sudoku sites supported by ads
    A group of free sudoku websites that earn steady income from minimal ads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2024
  • Software and apps
    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.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2022
  • Software and apps
    Online solitaire game platform
    A solitaire site that began as a Mac app, found by looking for popular apps with poor reviews, and now supports the owner.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2022
  • Content and media
    Tech blog with ads and Patreon
    A blog that earns from ads and Patreon support, covering hosting costs and a bit more.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2022
  • Directories and marketplaces
    Network of niche job boards and content sites
    Built job listing sites and blogs that run mostly automatically and cover expenses with ads and sponsorships.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2021
  • Software and apps
    Coupon site and tiny developer tools
    A coupon site for developers plus a set of single-purpose web tools such as encoders and HTML cleaners.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2021
  • Software and apps
    Average weather lookup tool for travelers
    Runs a site showing historical average weather by city and month. Income so far is from ad revenue, with plans to add more features.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Free online tools for converting delimited data
    Built a set of web tools for converting between data formats like CSV. Income comes mostly from Google ads plus an occasional affiliate link.
    A few hours a weekOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Software and apps
    Free online map chart maker funded by ads
    Runs a free tool that lets people make colored maps of countries and regions. Income comes from display ads and occasional donations.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2016
  • Content and media
    Maps in your own language site
    Built a site that forces Google Maps links into a chosen language. Ad revenue covers its hosting.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Host a nonprofit's forum for ad revenue
    Hosts a forum and website for a nonprofit, in exchange for placing ads that cover the hosting costs.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Logo gallery supported by ads
    A logo design gallery where designers submit work, earning from ads and ad network placements.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • 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
  • Content and media
    Language learning websites
    Runs a couple of sites for language learners that cover living expenses.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Local niche job board
    A jobs site that earns from affiliate links and AdSense, being rolled out as a network.
    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
    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
  • Content and media
    Rhyming dictionary website with ads
    Built a rhyming dictionary site where an ad unit covers the hosting costs.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Tax calculator website with ads and affiliates
    A site of tax and finance calculators that earns from AdSense and affiliate income, needing only occasional upkeep.
    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
  • Content and media
    Network of crowdsourced humor sites
    Runs several user-submitted humor sites and earns from them plus licensing for a paid iPhone app tied to one site.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Content and media
    Sudoku website with text-link advertising
    Built a Sudoku website that now earns from advertising, mostly sponsored text links, with free signups seeing no ads.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • Directories and marketplaces
    AI-built niche directory sites
    The operator uses scraping tools and an AI coding assistant to build a listing site for a niche, then monetizes through leads, ads, affiliate links or listings. One example was a luxury restroom trailer directory.
    Hands-offOnline
    The Koerner Office