Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell
Every year, Hacker News hosts its much-anticipated "Show and Tell" thread, inviting creators to reveal side projects earning at least $500 monthly. It's a goldmine of inspiration, showcasing everything from niche SaaS tools to physical products and unique services. The enduring popularity stems from its honest look at indie hacking success, offering tangible proof that one person (or a small team) can build something profitable outside of a traditional job.
The Lowdown
The Hacker News community once again delivered its annual tradition: the "Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects" thread. This popular recurring discussion serves as a vibrant marketplace of ideas, where indie hackers and entrepreneurs openly share their profitable ventures, detailing what they built and how they achieved their modest revenue goals. It's a perennial source of inspiration and practical insights into generating income from passion projects.
- Diverse Offerings: Projects span a wide array of domains, including specialized SaaS platforms (AI content generation, compliance tools, database clients), mobile apps (weightlifting, recipe management, public transport info), physical products (children's books, laser-cut maps, music instruments), content creation (newsletters, educational materials), and unique services (ethnic dinner clubs, online fax).
- Varied Monetization Models: Revenue models are equally diverse, encompassing one-time purchases, subscriptions, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, ad revenue, licensing, and even grants.
- AI Integration: Many newer projects leverage AI for core functionality, such as AI-assisted compliance, image generation, audio processing, and personalized coaching.
- Personal Motivation: A common thread is solving a personal pain point or building something that genuinely excites the creator, often leading to unexpected success.
- Community and Niche Focus: Success often comes from deeply understanding a niche audience and fostering a community around the product or service, demonstrating that even small markets can be highly lucrative.
- Growth and Longevity: Several contributors highlighted projects that have been running for years, steadily growing or providing passive income, while others shared rapid growth stories, sometimes exceeding the $500/month target significantly.
This year's thread continued to underline the entrepreneurial spirit within the HN community, demonstrating that dedication, clever problem-solving, and a willingness to share can translate into tangible financial success, even for projects initially conceived as mere hobbies. It remains a powerful reminder of the possibilities beyond traditional employment.
The Gossip
Titillating Tales of Triumph (and Transparency)
Many commenters were inspired by the diverse range of projects, from dinner clubs and fax services to AI-powered compliance tools. A key aspect of the discussion was the willingness of creators to share specific details about their revenue, business models, and challenges. For example, agotterer detailed the economics of their dinner club, including 20% margins on $126k revenue, while skwee357 expressed personal satisfaction reaching the $500/month milestone with a simple fax service after years of browsing similar threads. There was a strong appreciation for the candidness, offering a realistic view of indie hacker success.
Marketing & Monetization Musings
The thread sparked extensive discussion on how founders market their side projects and drive revenue. Laurentiurad, with multiple AI-powered SaaS products, shared his reliance on social media, UGC videos, n8n automation for posting, and even using dating apps for promotion, alongside SEO techniques. Piaz mentioned using SEO-friendly terms in the Anki plugin directory. Others discussed pricing strategies, such as skwee357's $5 one-time fax fee for desperate users and the potential for increased pricing, or the challenges of finding distribution channels for mobile apps. The discussion also covered whether AI would make it harder to monetize as it lowers the barrier to creating competing services.
The Perils and Promises of Niche Problems
Many successful projects highlighted focused on solving specific, often overlooked, pain points for a niche audience. Examples included DedupX for photographers, Humadroid for small teams needing SOC 2 compliance, and DB Pro for developers desiring a local-first database client. The discussions often delved into how these creators identified their niche, what differentiates their solution from larger, generic alternatives, and the practicalities of serving such specific user bases. Questions arose about the comparative advantage of Humadroid over Vanta/Drata, emphasizing customization and lower cost for smaller businesses versus box-ticking for auditors.
Hardware & Hobby-Turned-Profits
Beyond software, several participants shared inspiring stories of physical products and creative hobbies that became profitable side ventures. Crobertsbmw's "Computer Engineering for Babies" books garnered enthusiastic praise, with many commenters having purchased them as gifts. Trubalca shared their laser-cut decorative maps, while BeniBoy discussed designing a pocket music instrument and outsourcing manufacturing. These examples highlighted the potential for tangible products and creative endeavors to generate income, often stemming from personal passions and evolving into viable businesses through careful execution and community engagement.