8 Side Hustle Ideas for Developers That Actually Pay

If you can code, you have a superpower most people don’t. Here are 8 ways to turn that skill into extra income without burning out.

1. Micro-SaaS

Build a tiny software product that solves one specific problem. Think: a Slack bot that tracks standup responses, or a Chrome extension that blocks distracting websites.

Revenue potential: $500-$5,000/month Time investment: 2-4 weeks to build, a few hours/week to maintain

2. App Store Apps

Mobile apps still make money, especially utility apps with subscriptions. The key is solving a real pain point in a niche market.

Revenue potential: $100-$10,000/month Time investment: 4-8 weeks to build

3. Technical Writing

Dev blogs, documentation, and tutorials pay surprisingly well. Platforms like Draft.dev, LogRocket, and DigitalOcean pay $300-$500 per article.

Revenue potential: $1,000-$4,000/month Time investment: 5-10 hours per article

4. Course Creation

If you know something well, teach it. Platforms like Udemy bring the audience; self-hosting on Teachable or Gumroad gives you better margins.

Revenue potential: $500-$20,000/month (highly variable) Time investment: Heavy upfront, passive after

5. Website Templates & Themes

Sell Astro, Next.js, or Tailwind templates on ThemeForest, Gumroad, or your own site. Developers and businesses always need good-looking starter templates.

Revenue potential: $200-$3,000/month Time investment: 1-2 weeks per template

6. Freelance Automation

Businesses will pay you to automate their workflows — Zapier integrations, custom scripts, data pipelines. It’s not glamorous but it pays.

Revenue potential: $2,000-$10,000/month Time investment: Project-based

7. Open Source Sponsorships

Build useful open source tools, grow a following, and get sponsored via GitHub Sponsors. This is a long game but can be lucrative.

Revenue potential: $100-$5,000/month Time investment: Ongoing

8. AI-Powered Tools

Wrap an AI API in a nice UI for a specific use case: resume writer, recipe generator, study guide maker. The API does the heavy lifting; you provide the UX.

Revenue potential: $500-$10,000/month Time investment: 1-3 weeks to build

The Real Secret

Pick ONE. Build it. Ship it. Learn from it. Then decide if you want to scale it or try something else. The biggest mistake is researching side hustles instead of building them.

Which one are you starting with?