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
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- Files sold online: templates, printables, ebooks, stock photos, fonts, presets, plugins, recorded courses
- A web app, SaaS, mobile app, browser extension, bot or API that people pay for or that earns from ads
- A blog, niche website, newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast or social account that earns from ads, affiliate links or sponsors
- Making, printing or reselling physical goods, online or in person
- Doing work for clients for a fee: freelance, consulting, done-for-you services, repairs, local services
- Earning from something you own: renting property, rooms, equipment, vehicles, parking, vending machines, domains
- A job board, listings site, directory or marketplace that connects buyers and sellers
- Live tutoring, lessons, workshops, coaching or cohort classes
Matching ideas
About the data307 ideas, page 3 of 7
- Software and appsBuilt a service with an API that lets businesses send cookies to customers and partners across Europe and the US.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingBuilds and schedules automations for small businesses, using knowledge gained in a day job about common business pain points.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsAn open source API that generates embeddable chart images and QR codes. Monetized as a hosted service.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsRuns a subscription service that lets sites display announcement banners.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Digital productsBuilt a level design package and sells it on the Unity Asset Store, relying on organic discovery.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsAn independent wedding registry site for a local market. Couples pay a one-time activation fee, and Google ads bring in traffic.$1k to $10kHands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsBuilt a desktop app for managing video libraries and sells licenses. Donates the proceeds to charity.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA web tool that lets esports teams create mascot style gaming logos, currently in private beta.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsCollects small monthly support on Patreon for a niche open source game.Under $100OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsAn outgoing text message API with flat pricing, small packages for hobbyists, and a free daily message. Has an open source version.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsBuilt a portfolio management tool for cryptocurrency investors and reached subscription revenue quickly with a basic version, while keeping a day job.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Digital productsSells a boutique Jekyll theme aimed at software people and academics, with a free base version and a paid version.Under $100Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA team calendar software product that earns recurring revenue and could grow with more marketing.$1k to $10kOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Content and mediaStarted a price comparison website for college textbooks that earns affiliate commissions, mostly from search traffic.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsA bot that posts a space-weather graph and built a following, which led to selling related t-shirts.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsSells a web service that randomly sends text reminders for kids to call their parents or for adults to call theirs.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA service for WordPress plugin and theme developers covering updates, git deployment, analytics and load testing, paid by subscription.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDelivered freshly baked cookies to dorms and homes near a university on rollerblades, paid per order, and built a delivery management site.Part-timeHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsStarted a company offering marketing automation to fitness businesses, with recurring revenue and a partnership with a martial arts actor's affiliates.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDesigned hardware and an iPhone app that remotely control arrays of cameras. Sold mainly to photo booth operators.Hacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingSells payment processing services, runs a white-label payment gateway, and builds custom apps for payment terminals, alongside a do-it-yourself website builder.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Digital productsWrites and sells books about programming, currently covering Angular and related tools, with little promotion.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsSells custom signs to businesses, with an online sign creator for simple designs and help with more complex ones. A supplier makes and ships the signs.Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsA website where customers tailor a writing pad to their handwriting style, sold as a physical product.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Teaching and coachingMakes screencasts that teach the Elixir language and sells access to them.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingDoes software consulting for a previous workplace after leaving it, adjusting the rate each year for inflation.Under $100Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Services and freelancingCleans messy Excel data for companies and sometimes builds simple web apps to replace the spreadsheets. Bills per row, flat fee or hourly depending on the project.Under $100Part-timeOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Physical productsDesigns 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
- Services and freelancingBuilt web pages for local wineries and was paid in goods such as wine rather than cash.Under $100Hacker News, 2019
- Digital productsA site selling themes for static site generators that has started making sales.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA platform for learning to write alongside others, built around habits and streaks.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsA few games the owner published that continue to sell a little each year without any input.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsPublishes in-depth long-term stock analyses for German-speaking investors. Revenue comes from monthly subscriptions.OnlineHacker News, 2019
- Software and appsPublishes a few small utility apps on the App Store and keeps improving them. Income comes from app sales.$100 to $1kOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsBuilt a stock trading model for personal use, then published it on a platform where subscribers pay to follow it. Subscribers take responsibility for any trades.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsBuilt a service that keeps software dependencies up to date and supports multiple programming languages. It started as a passive project and became a full-time company.OnlineHacker News, 2018
- Content and mediaRuns a curated list of Hacker News recommendations and products. Earns small amounts from affiliate links.A few hours a weekOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsBuilt a documentation product that earned its first revenue with little maintenance, and is planning a second version.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsProduces long, project-based video lessons on the Elixir language, with free videos on YouTube and premium content for paying subscribers.OnlineHacker News, 2018
- Digital productsLists virtual machines on major cloud marketplaces that come set up for Ethereum development, with video tutorials. Revenue comes from VM sales.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Software and appsPublishes several Android apps on Google Play. One got an editor's pick, which boosted sales for a while.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2018
- Physical productsTurned 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-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsBuilt a web-based synth and drum machine that is free as a demo. Sells a downloadable desktop version without the restrictions.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsSells a cross-platform desktop task manager with a Kanban-style board, through a trial-based license on Gumroad and the Mac App Store.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsRuns a site showing historical average weather by city and month. Income so far is from ad revenue, with plans to add more features.OnlineHacker News, 2016
- Content and mediaBuilt a search tool that ranks Amazon products by ratings and review volume, grouped by price range. Money comes from affiliate links.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsA competitor monitoring product that began as a side project and grew into a systemised business with a team, so the owner now acts more like an investor.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016
- Software and appsBuilt a simple CMS and CRM for a freelance client and set up automated billing per user. Income grows as the client's user base grows.Hands-offOnlineHacker News, 2016