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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
Publications: 14
Categories: 8

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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

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About the data

176 ideas, page 4 of 4

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
Digital products
Technical book on Stripe payments with Rails
Wrote a book about payments with Stripe for Rails developers, backed by related blog posts and content.
Online
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
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
Find where to buy tracks from DJ sets
A site that tells you where to buy tracks heard in DJ tracklists, earning small affiliate commissions that cover its hosting.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Physical products
Hardware accessories such as tablet cases
Designed and sold iPad cases through a small online store.
Online
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Instant book search site with affiliate links
A search site for books that earns small amounts from affiliate sales.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Software and apps
International proxy for viewing foreign ads
A proxy service for advertisers who want to see international ads and geotargeted landing pages, sold at a flat monthly price after minimal promotion on forums.
Online
Hacker News, 2011
Software and apps
Licensing system for Android app developers
Built an anti-piracy licensing system for their own Android apps and then sold it to other developers as a subscription service.
Hands-offOnline
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
Services and freelancing
Messaging service helping startups explain what they do
Offers a service that helps startups write short, clear descriptions of their product for sites and their own pages.
Online
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Micro niche sites built for AdSense, then sold
Built many small niche websites on keyword-rich domains with SEO copy to earn AdSense revenue, then sold the whole set on Flippa.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
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
Niche sites earning from sold text links
Runs two small sites that earn mostly by selling text links through a link marketplace, plus some AdSense.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Physical products
Online store for a family-made grafting tool
Sells grafting tools made by a relative's family company through an online store, after testing demand on eBay.
A few hours a weekOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Personal electronics blog with AdSense
A technical blog documenting electronics projects, earning small ad income.
Online
Hacker News, 2011
Content and media
Pull-up bar video review with ad share
A YouTube review of a pull-up bar that ranked well in search and pays a periodic share of ad revenue.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Software and apps
Self-hosted social network software
Sold software that lets people build their own social network, later releasing the code for free.
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
Content and media
Wallpaper sites earning domain referral fees
Runs wallpaper websites that earn from domain registration commissions, plus ads on a related blog.
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
Content and media
Expired-domain niche site and job board
The operator buys an expired exact-match domain for a niche, rebuilds it as a site that earns from the niche audience, and adds a niche job board. Upkeep is minimal.
Hands-offOnline
The Koerner Office
Services and freelancing
Rank-and-rent local lead sites
The operator builds search-ranked sites for local trades such as junk removal and auto glass, then rents the resulting phone leads to contractors for a flat monthly fee. Costs per site are small.
Online
The Koerner Office
Services and freelancing
Website and reviews bundle for local contractors
A seller packages a website, review collection, Google profile and branding for local contractors and sells it by phone for a monthly fee. Leads come mostly from local Facebook groups.
Online
The Koerner Office
Services and freelancing
Done-with-you AI concierge retainer
The consultant joins a small number of clients on screen-share calls each month and helps them turn their own workflows into reusable AI skills, with light chat support between calls. Clients pay a monthly retainer, and the consultant caps how many clients to keep the work manageable.
Online
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Side hustle ideas from people who actually run them

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