All Side Hustle Ideas

Software and apps side hustle ideas

A web app, SaaS, mobile app, browser extension, bot or API that people pay for or that earns from ads.

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

12 ideas

  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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