Ask HN: How are you making money on the side?

Posted by arkensaw 7/8/2025

Just wondering what are y'all doing for side gigs these days?

22 points | 45 comments

DamnInteresting 7/8/2025|

It's far from a fortune, and its future is uncertain, but I've been earning a bit via donations with my writing/podcasting for almost 20 years now: https://www.damninteresting.com

I'm also working on diversifying, starting with a free daily word game that I hope gets a little traction on Patreon: https://omiword.com

I have a few other projects-in-progress, if I'm lucky, one will earn a dollar or two.

burnt-resistor 7/9/2025||

Hey DI! I haven't seen that site in years! I remember the audio podcast versions of excellent stories. Very neat, odd stories that aren't taught in history books.

Perhaps post on various podcast-like platforms and do the merch thing? Keith Olbermann posts audio-only episodes to Youtube. Thom Hartmann does Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, SoundCloud and so on.

Ginguin 7/9/2025||

I know it's not always noticed, but the little touches (like the menu, when clicked, spinning to become the x to close the menu) make this absolutely delightful. I hadn't heard about omiword and will be giving it a go.

NoTranslationL 7/8/2025||

I make Reflect with my partner. I do it on the side, they do it fully. It’s a private, local-first app to track and analyze your own personal data and run N=1 experiments.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reflect-track-anything/id64638...

owebmaster 7/8/2025||

A couple months ago I made a partnership with a kiosk bar in Copacabana beach/Rio and brought a group of expats there for a party, me and a friend got 10% of the bar consumption.

Some 300 people showed up so it was a good money for a side gig, planning on continuing doing these meetups.

mv4 7/8/2025|

I like.

hey_im_Syn 7/8/2025||

I made a lil web game over the course of 5 years - https://syns.studio/more-ore.

Made around $3X,XXX so the returns aren't too good but it's something i'm passionate in.

owebmaster 7/9/2025|

hey!Found it here and been playing your game since yesterday, quite entertaining! I hope you succeed in growing the fanbase!

I'm actually quite tempted to create a similar game based in my hometown that is related to mining. But 5 years I guess I don't have the capacity for that haha.

abadar 7/8/2025||

I spun off geek-themed speed dating to geek themed singles mixers. They have party games, couch co-op and vs games, karaoke, and get-to-know-you games to encourage strangers to talk to each other. A drink is included with the ticket.

wmeredith 7/8/2025||

I run an audiophile music recommendation newsletter. It pays peanuts, but it's just past breakeven less than a year in and it's fun.

For the curious: https://SeekHiFi.com

szszrk 7/8/2025||

> A personal one-on-one Zoom call with me to talk hi-fi and music stuff, 60 minute max, once annually after 3rd month of membership, I will not be drawn into an argument about speaker wire

That last part... legend :)

constantinum 7/9/2025|||

This is great! Subscribed. This is the internet I miss. This is also why I love HN

ambivalents 7/8/2025||

Neat! Subscribed.

Jeremy1026 7/8/2025||

I sell 3D printed paintball bunkers, useful for game planning before/during a tournament, https://pbminimaps.com.

sejje 7/8/2025||

Why are these called bunkers?

Jeremy1026 7/8/2025||

Probably because of this definition from Dictionary.com:

n. a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired.

While they aren't below ground or provide overhead protection. They are made to protect players from getting shot by other players.

swah 7/11/2025||

There's always more niches than one thinks.

senko 7/9/2025||

Independent consulting (as in, I tell you what to do, not you tell me what to do) for AI integrations (whether and how to add AI to your product/systems, and how to effectively use AI for coding).

There's so much BS in AI that there's value in someone you trust telling you what does and doesn't work. Of course, there's no shortage of people doing exactly that, so the clients come through extended network (word of mouth, purely inbound).

kjok 7/8/2025||

I run a SaaS to help open-source devs monetize their GPL-licensed SDKs/libs. Going good so far.

ChrisGermano 7/9/2025|

Previously I developed crypto-centric web apps and games for clients, which eventually pivoted to security testing and bug bounties (several apps were in a legal grey area and willing to pay higher than average).

These days not doing anything actively making money but slowly working on a Discord trading card game platform that is free and open source but will have a premium version with hosting, additional features, etc.

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