Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them

28 ideas

• 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
• Physical products

  Twitter bot with related merchandise

  A bot that posts a space-weather graph and built a following, which led to selling related t-shirts.

  Hands-offOnline

  Hacker News, 2019
• Services and freelancing

  Campus cookie delivery on rollerblades

  Delivered freshly baked cookies to dorms and homes near a university on rollerblades, paid per order, and built a delivery management site.

  Part-time

  Hacker News, 2019
• Physical products

  Staff paper notebooks for musicians

  Designs and sells music notebooks with generated staff lines, using scripts to produce the print-ready PDF. Sold online and the owner is working on getting stores to carry them.

  Hacker News, 2019
• Digital products

  Themes marketplace for static site generators

  A site selling themes for static site generators that has started making sales.

  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
• Digital products

  Pre-built cloud VMs for learning Ethereum

  Lists virtual machines on major cloud marketplaces that come set up for Ethereum development, with video tutorials. Revenue comes from VM sales.

  Hands-offOnline

  Hacker News, 2018
• Physical products

  Print-on-demand patent artwork store

  Turned public patent drawings into wall art images, cleaned up by a hired assistant and batch processed. An online store sends orders to a print and fulfillment service automatically.

  Hands-offOnline

  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
• Physical products

  Resell SSL certificates online

  Runs a site that resells SSL certificates. Margins are thin because support requests eat into profit, so the owner would rather sell an own product.

  Online

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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

  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

  Cribbage game for iOS

  Built and released a cribbage card game for iPhone and iPad.

  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
• Digital products

  Sell software on Envato marketplaces

  Sells scripts and plugins through a code marketplace and a beginner's book on making WordPress plugins.

  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
• 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
• Physical products

  Designed t-shirts printed on quality apparel

  Designed t-shirts and had them printed on higher quality apparel, selling them through a dedicated website.

  Online

  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