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

307 ideas, page 6 of 7

  • Content and media
    Affiliate blogs optimized with a testing plugin
    Runs affiliate blogs and a WordPress plugin that tests which call to action gets the most clicks.
    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
    Browser strategy game with niche audience
    Created a web game that earns enough to live on while traveling.
    Online
    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
  • Digital products
    CSS animation templates on Envato
    Creates animated icons and page templates and sells them on a theme marketplace.
    Under $100Hands-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
  • Content and media
    Gadget and gift idea affiliate site
    Built a Rails site recommending gadgets and gifts and earning through affiliate links.
    Online
    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
  • Software and apps
    Live streaming platform for event organizers
    A platform for event organizers to host and live stream events.
    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
    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
  • Directories and marketplaces
    Marketplace for Flash website components
    Runs a marketplace and sells components on larger marketplaces, still earning from support and sales.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Membership club for premium WordPress plugins
    Launched a membership offering premium WordPress plugins with support.
    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
  • Teaching and coaching
    Online music school
    An online music education site that earns from sales and recurring subscriptions, built in evenings and weekends.
    Online
    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
    PHP ad server software
    Built and maintains an ad server script with a hosted SaaS version, sold to site owners.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Digital products
    PHP library sold to developers
    Wrote a PHP library and sells licenses to developers, getting a few sales a year.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Prank website hosted on GitHub Pages
    Runs a simple prank site hosted cheaply on GitHub Pages that brings in a modest monthly income.
    Under $100Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Press release distribution service for media
    Runs a web service for sending press releases to media, used by customers promoting books and events, with a free tier for anonymous whistleblowers.
    $1k to $10kOnline
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Software and apps
    Proposal software for designers
    Building a web service that helps designers create client proposals.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Random Amazon product generator
    A small site that shows random Amazon products, earning from affiliate links.
    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
  • 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
    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
  • Content and media
    Showcase gallery of sites built with Bootstrap
    Runs a showcase website for sites built with a popular front-end framework, with very low running costs and steady traffic.
    Online
    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
    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
    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
    WCF testing software products
    Built developer tools for testing WCF services, since expanded to several products and recommended by developers on Q&A sites.
    Online
    Hacker News, 2014
  • Content and media
    Kindle book browsing site with affiliate links
    Built a better way to browse Kindle books and earns affiliate fees when visitors buy.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011
  • 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
  • Services and freelancing
    Convert websites into WordPress themes
    Did site-to-WordPress theme conversions for clients, finding them through targeted AdWords ads.
    $100 to $1kPart-timeOnline
    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
  • Content and media
    Face-filtered image search site with ads
    An alternative interface to Google image search with the face filter on, which earned from ad clicks on an image-heavy site.
    Hands-offOnline
    Hacker News, 2011