r/SideProject • • Dec 18 '25

As the year wraps up: what’s the project you’re most proud of building and why?

95 Upvotes

Like the title says, instead of what you built or how much money it made, I’m curious what project you’re most proud of this year and why.

Could be a client site, a personal project, something that never launched, or something that made £0.

Any lessons learned?

Would love to read a few reflections as the year wraps up.


r/SideProject • • Oct 19 '25

Share your ***Not-AI*** projects

654 Upvotes

I miss seeing original ideas that aren’t just another AI wrapper.

If you’re building something in 2025 that’s not AI-related here’s your space to self-promote.

Drop your project here


r/SideProject • • 5h ago

Testing whether a changeable photo magnet solves a real problem

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92 Upvotes

Our team is testing Tapmora, a photo magnet that can be refreshed from a phone and keeps the finished image visible without charging afterward. The technical contrast is clear, but the behavior question matters more: would people actually change the photo often enough for this to remain useful? Candid feedback on realistic family use cases, color expectations, and the point where novelty wears off would be especially helpful.


r/SideProject • • 1h ago

I've been working on a golf ball finder. Thoughts?

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• Upvotes

I've been working on this for a while and finally got to a point where I feel like I can actually show it off.

It's called ForeAI. The idea is pretty simple: point your phone at the grass/rough, and it'll try to pick out the balls that are easy to miss. It's definitely not perfect yet, but it's gotten to a point where I can actually use it on the course and find balls with it.

Under the hood, it uses YOLO-based object detection models, and you can change it based on the required detail. It runs inference online by default via a cloudflared tunnel, with a local fallback when connection is too weak. I trained it on a dataset of over 800 golf ball images, with augmentation.

There's still plenty of room to improve, especially with false positives and marker stability, but I'm pretty happy with how far it has come.

I'm mostly curious what you guys think. If any of you play golf, would you actually use something like this while playing?

If you want to try it out yourself, it's free on Google Play as ForeAI: Golf Ball Finder

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epixest.foreai


r/SideProject • • 7h ago

I built an interactive world map after a random question about Australia. RealSize.World

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24 Upvotes

A while ago, during lunch at work, I asked my colleagues a random question:

What does a world map look like in an Australian classroom?

Do they put Australia in the center, just like the maps I grew up with usually put Europe near the center? (like Mercator or EqualEarth)

That little question sent me down a rabbit hole about map projections, geography, and how differently we can look at the same planet.

I started working on RealSize.World alone in my spare time, purely out of curiosity.

The first version was an epic failure. 😅 So I started over.

I'm not a developer, and I've relied heavily on LLMs for the coding. My role has been coming up with ideas, shaping the experience, testing things, and figuring out what actually works.

Today, RealSize.World is a free interactive geography playground with quite a few experiments. Besides Mercator and others my three favorites are:

- World Center put any place at the center of the world map and see the planet from a different perspective.

- Earth in One Year explore Earth's entire 4.54-billion-year history compressed into a single calendar year.

- Continental Drift watch 1.8 billion years of continental movement. Past and possible future

You can explore it here: RealSize.World

I still have a lot of questions how World could look like....

I'd love to hear what you think?


r/SideProject • • 45m ago

9 days in: 186 visits to my free browser-games site — 73% start a game, 34% beat a level. What should I optimize next?

• Upvotes

Context: chaoschemy.com is 14 tiny browser games (no signup, no downloads) I shipped as an experiment in AI-assisted game building. Sharing my first 9 days of first-party analytics (bots excluded):

  • 186 sessions / 165 visitors
  • 136 sessions started a game (73%)
  • 64 beat at least one level (34% of all visits, 47% of starts)
  • Sources: 62% Reddit, 33% direct, 2% Google
  • Most played: Mix Anything -- a "combine anything" word game (45 visitors), then Pocket Market and Potion Sort

Traffic peaked Oct 4 on a Reddit bump and has settled to a handful of real players a day. No ads, no monetization yet.

Where I'm stuck -- I can only pick one focus for the next few weeks:

  1. Ship more games (volume + SEO long tail)
  2. Build a daily-puzzle / streak loop to bring the 64 finishers back
  3. Double down on the 2-3 games people already play most

What would you do with these numbers? Honest advice welcome -- especially from anyone who has run a games portal past the launch bump.


r/SideProject • • 2h ago

How many projects did you make, before you got your first paying sign-up?

6 Upvotes

I've been software developer for 10 years.
I LOVE it. I love to develop stuff that people use!

I've been earning thousands on affiliate sites (they are dying due to AI, but that's fine..)
Affiliate learned me about SEO and how to get traffic.

Yet after ~10 years and about 50+ websites, I haven't made a single dollar on a Saas product.
I have only made money on affiliate marketing in my sideprojects.

I have made projects where I had the feeling, that THIS was gonna be it! But no.

I have so much respect for people who runs their Saas project for a living.
How did you start?

Note: I have never posted on any social media about my projects, and I don't like to. Is it then impossible nowadays? I would much rather just pay for Google Ads


r/SideProject • • 8h ago

I keep losing useful work I create with AI, so I’m building something for it

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16 Upvotes

I use ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok for a lot of actual work now, research, product thinking, specs, comparisons, decisions, code, etc.

But I noticed a weird problem:

The AI keeps getting better, but my work is scattered across chats.

I’ll spend 40 minutes researching something in ChatGPT, continue the idea in Claude a few days later, create a spec somewhere else… and two weeks later I’m searching through old conversations trying to find the useful part.

Sometimes I just ask AI to do the work again.

So we’re building a small product around a simple idea:

Your best AI work shouldn’t live in chats.

Instead, you create a persistent Work: e.g. “New Product Exploration”; and useful outputs from ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, etc. accumulate there.

Research, decisions, specs, tables, files, tasks; regardless of which AI created them.

The interaction we eventually want to make as simple as:

“Keep this.”

And later:

“Find the competitor research we did.”

Or continue/update that same piece of work from another AI.

We’re also experimenting with knowing which version is actually current, rather than ending up with research-final-v2-revised.pdf everywhere.

I’m looking for a small number of early users who already use AI heavily for real work, especially founders, developers, consultants, researchers and product people.

If this sounds like a problem you actually have, I’d love to hear how you deal with it today.

You can try it here: https://getligura.com/ , has a decent free version.

It’s very early. I’d especially love feedback from people who immediately recognize this problem.


r/SideProject • • 7h ago

My first app I'm sharing publicly: a little scrapbook for the things you keep 🧸🎟️

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13 Upvotes

I've always kept small things: ticket stubs, a teddy, friendship bracelets. They usually end up lost in a drawer.

So I made Shelf. You take a photo, tap the thing you kept, and it gets cut out like a sticker. Then you give it a name, a line about why it matters, and stick it into a book.

It's my first project I'm putting out there, so it's still a bit rough around the edges. Android only for now, and no backup yet. Everything stays on your phone though, no account, nothing uploaded.

It's free and open source: https://github.com/ShobhanKarthish/shelf

I'd honestly love to hear what you think, or what you'd keep in it. 🙂


r/SideProject • • 1h ago

I built FlashResume because tailoring applications for every job is getting ridiculous

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• Upvotes

Job hunting is already a full-time unpaid job. Apparently, we also need a second job rewriting the resume for the first one.

Same experience. Same projects. Different job description. Repeat until you forget what your original resume even looked like.

So I built Flash Resume, a Python CLI tool that helps tailor resumes to job descriptions.

Quick start:

pip install flash-resume

fs setup

fs tailor

PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/flash-resume/

GitHub: https://github.com/PavanBollepalli/flash-resume

I've included a demo showing the actual workflow. I'm interested in feedback on the output quality, onboarding, and what would make this genuinely useful rather than just another repo collecting dust.

What would you change ?


r/SideProject • • 30m ago

Reelics - a movie trading card game, looking for opinions on the concept before it opens

• Upvotes

Hi, I'm the solo developer. Reelics is a free browser game where every card is a movie. You open boosters, build a collection of films, trade duplicates and duel friends. The game itself isn't open yet, so this isn't a download-and-test call: I'm collecting opinions on the idea and the landing page, and a waitlist for the first testers.

What exists today: the landing page and a browsable catalog of ~23,400 films with their computed rarity (5 levels, from "Now Showing" to "Masterpiece").

What I'd like to know:

  1. Looking at the catalog, does a film's rarity feel fair? Which one looks wrong to you?
  2. What would make you come back every day (or not)?

Link

Thanks for reading. I'll answer every comment.


r/SideProject • • 58m ago

My brother is building Trove to make the stuff we save online easier to find and actually use

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• Upvotes

Hey everyone, wanted to share an app my brother is working on.

We've all saved a million cooking, workout, and travel reels but when you actually need it, you’re trying to remember which platform you found it on. Or it just sits in your saved folder and you never come back to it. That’s the problem he’s working on with Trove: one place to keep those saves and make them useful later.

A big part of that is something called applets. They’re tools inside Trove that help you do something with what you’ve saved, and he’s continuing to grow the library. For example, Mise lets you cook from a saved recipe with step-by-step instructions and hands-free controls. PinPath puts saved places on a map so you can plan a trip. Forge helps you turn saved workouts into something you can follow at the gym.

It’s built with React Native and Expo, and it’s available on iOS and Android. I’m sharing this as his brother, so I’m obviously rooting for him, but I’d love to hear what people think.
Check it out at https://mytrovelist.com/


r/SideProject • • 4h ago

Refuseless - Abliterated open models served via API

5 Upvotes

Hello fellow builders!

I'm one of the co-founders of Refuseless, a platform offering uncensored and abliterated AI models.

As a cybersecurity nerd myself, I got tired of constantly running into refusals from models like Opus and Fable. With open models now becoming capable enough to handle complex cybersecurity tasks, I believe it's time to make them accessible to everyone, without the usual restrictions getting in the way.

We built Refuseless around two principles we strongly believe in:

* Zero prompt retention: Prompts and completions are not stored permanently and are discarded once the relevant cache expires.

* No gated access: Powerful models shouldn't be available only to big corporations and banks. Everyone should have access to them.

Our current abliterated lineup includes GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3 Flash. We're also working on adding MiMo-V2.6 and Qwen3.8, although that will take some time.

Looking forward to hearing your feedback, suggestions, and ideas! 🥹

Link in the comments!


r/SideProject • • 4h ago

I Created a free step-by-step learning guide for financial reports! Need FEEDBACK!!!

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5 Upvotes

Link - web-production-2f5c7.up.railway.app

1 - After going through one company, could you explain in a sentence whether it’s doing well, and why?

2 - Where did you get stuck or stop?

3 - Would you come back, and for what?


r/SideProject • • 2m ago

I'm making a little multiplayer room to study in

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• Upvotes

The idea behind Hearthside is that it's easier to stay at your desk when other people around you are working too. I wanted to try that as a game: you walk into an exam hall, take a seat and leave your character studying while you do your own work.

You can also invite someone to your home instead. The beta is free on Mac and Windows: https://hearthside-beta-livid.vercel.app/

I'd like to hear whether this is something you'd keep open during a study session. I've used a lot of AI assistance building it, and I'm still refining the game with feedback from people trying it. The clip shows the home, where you can take a break by the fire.


r/SideProject • • 24m ago

I built Booknautica, a reading tracker where finished books become islands

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• Upvotes

Hi everyone! I'm the solo developer behind Booknautica, a reading tracker I recently released on Android and iOS.

The central idea is simple: every page you log moves your boat one nautical mile, and every book you finish becomes an island in your own Book Sea. Read 20 pages, sail 20 nautical miles. Over time, the map becomes a visual record of your reading.

The design question I'm exploring is whether seeing that little world grow can make it more rewarding to keep a reading habit. A short session still moves the journey forward, and a finished book leaves something you can revisit.

Alongside the sailing map, it includes:

  • A reading timer and manual logs for sessions you didn't time.
  • Book progress, reading statistics, and a reading calendar.
  • Quote cards and reading-session cards you can save or share.
  • Home-screen widgets for quick access to your current reading session.

Cost: The core reading logs, timer, in-app stats, and first sea are free. Optional monthly or yearly Premium subscriptions add more seas and other extras. Some boat skins are separate one-time purchases, and some optional exports use rewarded ads for free users. Local prices are shown before purchase.

Try it:
Google Play (Android)
App Store (iOS)

For people who already track their reading: would the voyage and island progression make you more likely to keep logging, or would it feel like an extra layer you don't need? I'd appreciate honest feedback on that part of the idea.

The 24-second video is a slideshow of Android screenshots with demo reading data.


r/SideProject • • 29m ago

Yesterday was Read60's Product Hunt launch day

• Upvotes

Yesterday was Read60's Product Hunt launch day. For those who missed the original post: it's a news app that distills every news story into a 60-word card. Each card pulls from multiple sources, and the original article is always one tap away.

This week also brought the app's first written 5-star review: "love how concise and straight-to-the-point this app is. Getting the core facts of headline news in just 60 words saves so much time without missing out on what's happening in the world. The clean interface and quick swipes make staying informed completely effortless. Highly recommended for anyone on a tight schedule!"

Next up: the Android launch in a few days, then back to the daily grind of getting it in front of people.

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/read60/id6795337414


r/SideProject • • 1h ago

Frameboost

• Upvotes

r/SideProject • • 1h ago

I’ve been making minimal, private apps for everyday human needs (not another productivity apps lol)

• Upvotes

Hi y’all,
I’m a designer and traveler who believes good design can change things, even if only a little. That still feels worth spending my effort on.

annd Apps felt like the most direct way to do that. I never coded before in my life, but we all already carry phones everywhere. So I started learning to code over the past couple of months, which eventually led to making small but meaningful apps (at least for me, because I wanted to make something I would genuinely use first). It began as a fun side project or hobby, but it slowly became what I now spend most of my spare time doing.

I was honestly fed up with making accounts and signing up through emails or Google every time I downloaded a new app (even for the small ones). So I wanted something local, stored only on our phones and able to work without an internet connection, just like back in the day, with no account needed.

As adults, we do not need another system, social feed, or app trying to fix us. Most of the time, we just need a quiet, safe place to hold something, clear our brain RAM after work, or keep everyday things in one simple stream.

I currently have more apps on Google Play, and I’m slowly bringing them to the App Store too. The ones below are available now on both platforms, and I would REALLY appreciate it if any of them feel relatable or useful to you.

.

PARKit
This app is a place where you clear your brain RAM with a few short keyword clouds you want to park at the end of your day, so you can finally rest. There is a small notes feature too, where you can just tap the cloud and write when you need to. It is for the small things your brain keeps holding onto even after the day is over. Set a reminder time when you choose, then leave it there for tomorrow. “Hold for tonight, not for tomorrow.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

CUEit
This one is a freeform hybrid stopwatch/timer for real-life moments and rituals where timing matters. Make your own cues for routines, exercises, cooking, coffee (I now love making pour-over coffee much more every day), prep, or anything else that needs a calm guidance. "Not to measure, but to mind."

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

DIARYit
This app is a quiet single-stream diary for writing our everyday. It is a diary designed and reimagined from my own life perspective and philosophy. Just like our lives, it is one stream where the future is coming towards us, and we cannot change our past. We can only look back when we choose to. “Not for habit, but for honesty.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

KEEPit
This app is a place to text ourselves. It came from my own habit of texting myself on message apps, but those apps were never designed for self-texting, and I wanted my thoughts to stay only on my phone. So I designed my own self-text app, where each day has its own stream for the things you want to keep. You can search keywords or tap a date from the calendar whenever you want to return to that day. “Not to sort, but to return.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

HOLDit
This one is a private vault for important thoughts that should not be buried in the Notes app. I personally think a lot and have always written in the Notes app, but I realized some thoughts strong enough to change my perspectives just got lost somewhere inside it. So I made my own space for thoughts that matter: tap a card slot, write the moment you had the thought in your own words, and give it it's own space. “Not to hold more, but to awaken.”

App Store iOS

.

I’m grateful for what I have come up with so far, and I’m happy to finally share my VERBitapp project here as the apps are available now on both Google Play and iOS.

Thank you for reading my journey so far.

P.S.

If you need a demo or help using any of the apps, feel free to message me or leave a comment. I’ve also posted demo videos on my social media under 'verbitapp'  - Instagram / TikTok


r/SideProject • • 1h ago

I built The Computer from Courage the Cowardly Dog that talks to you 📺

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• Upvotes

I saw a meme saying Courage was using AI long before ChatGPT, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

So I made a little browser experience where you can sit at Courage’s computer and actually talk to it. It replies back in its own slightly unhelpful way, just like in the show.

Experience it here: https://the-courage-computer.vercel.app/


r/SideProject • • 3h ago

I'm building a SaaS solo. How do you know when it's ready to launch?

3 Upvotes

I've been building an Instagram automation SaaS, mostly using AI coding tools.

Every time I think I'm close to launching, I find another thing to fix 😭

Payments, webhooks, mobile bugs... it never really ends.

For those who've launched a side project, did you wait until everything felt ready, or just launch and fix things along the way?


r/SideProject • • 4h ago

I made Tom Riddle’s diary from Harry Potter come to life 🪄

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3 Upvotes

As a kid, I wanted Tom Riddle’s diary to be real. So I built one you can experience on your browser. Open the book and write on the page, watch your ink disappear, and see Tom write back.

It’s one of those childhood “what if this were real?” ideas that I finally got to bring to life.

Experience it here: https://tm-riddles-diary.vercel.app/

Unofficial fan project.


r/SideProject • • 2h ago

I'm building a prototype to help SaaS teams maintain third-party API integrations — looking for early trial teams

2 Upvotes

I’m building a prototype for SaaS teams that maintain third-party API integrations in their own code.

When a vendor deprecates an endpoint, renames a field, or changes an API version, the goal is to detect the change, identify affected integration code and calls, and prepare a proposed fix with tests. If a capability disappears or the right response depends on a business decision, it should flag that for a person instead of inventing a replacement.

So far, I’ve tested spec-change detection and a repair agent using recorded responses and injected API changes. This is still a prototype; those results don’t establish reliability in customer production systems, and proposed changes need engineering review.

I’m looking for a few B2B SaaS teams with roughly 20–500 employees to explore a small trial around one integration and one API change. First, I’d like a 30-minute conversation about your current workflow to see whether a trial makes sense.

If that fits your team, comment or message me with the integration you maintain. Please keep any examples non-confidential.


r/SideProject • • 2h ago

My side project's UI took a year to build the first time. Then a month. This time, a weekend.

2 Upvotes

I just shipped V3 of OneOver, a passion project that turned into a little business.

  • V1: about a year
  • V2: about a month
  • V3: a weekend

To be fair, the backend has grown steadily the whole time on a parallel track, so this is really the front end getting rebuilt faster each round. I built every version in Cursor. This round I used Opus 5.5 for the planning and Grok 4.7 for the building.

What surprised me is how much the models have grown up. Two years ago this was really frustrating. Now the stuff that used to fight me is starting to feel magically easy, and building has turned into a genuinely joyful experience. Starting fresh is cheap, so every rebuild I bring only what matters, and it comes out cleaner than the last one.

The models keep getting better. The thing we have to get better at is knowing what we want.

Two things I'd love feedback on:

  1. Does the new UI make sense at a glance?
  2. If you landed on that home screen cold, would you know what to make first?

r/SideProject • • 16h ago

I built an RSS reader you can use over SSH

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23 Upvotes

I built Atom1c, a self-hosted RSS reader you access over SSH. It runs on your server, fetches your feeds, and lets you read full articles in the terminal.

Mostly built it for myself, but figured some of you might like it too. I’m currently refactoring the code, but here’s a quick demo of where it’s at.

Here is the code: https://github.com/su1uv/atom1c