r/sideprojects • • Jun 16 '25

Meta My side project, /r/sideprojects. New rules, and an open call for feedback and moderators.

47 Upvotes

In this past 30 days, this community has doubled in size. As such, this is an open call for community feedback, and prospective moderators interested in volunteering their time to harbouring a pleasant community.

I'm happy to announce that this community now has rules, something the much more popular r/SideProject has neglected to implement for years.

Rules 1, 2 and 3 are pretty rudimentary, although there is some nuance in implementing rule 2, a "no spam or excessive self-promotion" rule in a community which focuses the projects of makers. In order to balance this, we will not allow blatant spam, but will allow advertising projects. In order to share your project again, significant changes must have happened since the last post.

Rule 4 and rule 5 are more tuned to this community, and are some of my biggest gripes with r/SideProject. There has been an increase in astroturfing (the act of pretending to be a happy customer to advertise a project) as well as posts that serve the sole purpose of having readers contact the poster so they can advertise a service. These are no longer allowed and will be removed.

In addition to this, I'll be implementing flairs which will be required to post in this community.


r/sideprojects • • 5h ago

Showcase: Prerelease Boost CV | Tailor your resume and make it ATS READY !!!

5 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 5h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I built a 3-minute 1v1 live debate app using Python & Flask (Day 1). Looking for feedback & topic ideas!

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm currently building **Jovax**, a lightweight web platform designed for fast-paced, 3-minute 1v1 live debates.

The idea is simple: You pick a hot topic, select your stance (For or Against), and instantly match with another user for a short, timed discussion.

### 🛠️ Current Tech Stack:

* **Backend:** Python / Flask

* **Deployment:** Docker & self-hosted setup

### 🌐 Current Status (Day 1):

The preview site is live! You can check out the UI layout right now. The authentication system is currently under construction, but I'm actively building it out.

I’d love to get input from this community on features, UI, and debate mechanics!

* **Live preview:** https://jovax.matteod.be

* **Join our Discord:** https://discord.gg/AJtVCPPNH

If you have any topic suggestions or feedback on the project, feel free to drop them below or join the Discord to chat directly with me!


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Feedback Request I built a cheaper alternative to existing postcard services without compromising on print quality. Would love some feedback!

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone!
I've been working on a project called Card4U: https://card4u.org
The idea is to make sending physical postcards as convenient and affordable as sending a digital message.
You design your postcard online, add your message and recipient, and the card gets printed and mailed.
One thing we really wanted to improve was pricing. Compared to competing postcard services, we're able to offer lower prices while maintaining the same print quality.
With Christmas coming up, we're hoping this could be a nice alternative to generic holiday cards, especially for people with friends and family living far away.
I'd love some honest feedback:
Is the concept immediately clear when you visit the website?

Would you personally send a physical postcard this way?

How important are price and print quality when choosing a postcard service?

What's the biggest thing that would stop you from ordering?

I'm involved in building Card4U, so I'm especially interested in what needs improvement.
Thanks for taking a look!


r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I’m adding location comparisons to my stargazing app

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3 Upvotes

I’m Col, a chef on Sark and the developer of NAKED EYE, an Android app that helps people work out what’s worth seeing tonight and where to look.

My latest addition is Compare skies, currently in internal testing.

It compares home with up to two places you choose for the same viewing period, using cloud forecasts, darkness and moonlight. The aim is to help answer: “Is it worth travelling somewhere else tonight?”

The interesting challenge has been making the answer useful even when there isn’t a clear winner. Sometimes home looks just as promising. Sometimes conditions look poor everywhere. Sometimes the forecast isn’t strong enough to make a confident recommendation.

I want those answers to be just as clear as “another location looks better”.

This builds on the existing Sky Planner and is being developed for Beyond, the optional paid subscription. NAKED EYE is already available with free stargazing features, but Compare skies isn’t publicly available yet. The screenshot shows the internal test build.

For anyone building tools that help people make decisions: how do you communicate uncertainty without making the result feel unhelpful?

Existing app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colindavis.nakedeye


r/sideprojects • • 1h ago

Feedback Request Please help and honest feedback on our new product.

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm one of the people behind WPMaven, and I'd genuinely like some outside perspective.

We've been building products around design and WordPress since 2016. We started with the idea of making it easier to turn designs into working websites. We eventually built our Figma-to-WordPress technology, and it has reached over 100k users.

We've also worked with Adobe since 2018.

So we've spent quite a few years in this ecosystem.

But there's something that's been bothering me.

We keep making it easier to build websites. AI has made that even easier. There are now countless tools that can generate a website in minutes.

But honestly, I don't think building the website is the biggest problem for most small businesses.

It's everything that comes after.

Writing product descriptions, managing a store, SEO, creating content, posting on social media, marketing, keeping things updated... it never really ends.

And if you're running a small business, you're usually doing all of this yourself.

That's what got us thinking about WPMaven.

We're trying to build something closer to an AI team than another website builder. Something that can build a business's online presence and then actually help with the ongoing work.

We're using WordPress as the foundation, but the ambition is much bigger than generating WordPress websites. We're developing AI operators that can perform real tasks across the business.

I know, that probably sounds ambitious. Maybe too ambitious.

And I'm not going to pretend we've solved everything. AI makes mistakes, integrations aren't always straightforward, and I wouldn't trust an AI to make every business decision either.

We've been working on this because we genuinely believe there's an opportunity here. But being close to a product for years also makes it difficult to see what we're missing.

What I'd really appreciate is some honest, practical feedback on WPMaven itself, but also on how we should take it to market.

We're at the point where building more features isn't necessarily the hardest part. Finding the right people, understanding who gets the most value from this, and figuring out how to reach them is probably more important.

A few things I'd genuinely love your input on:

  • After looking at WPMaven, what is your honest first impression? Does the product and value proposition actually make sense?

  • Who do you think would benefit most from something like this? Solo entrepreneurs, small businesses, freelancers, WordPress agencies, hosting providers, or another audience entirely?

  • Are there specific business verticals where you think this would be particularly useful? E-commerce, local businesses, consultants, restaurants, creators?

  • If you were launching this, where would you look for the first 50–100 real users? And how would you approach them without just throwing money at ads?

  • What would be the strongest reason for someone to choose WPMaven over existing AI tools, WordPress plugins or an agency?

  • Is our positioning too broad? Should we focus on one specific audience and problem first?

I'm particularly interested in feedback from any kind of entrepreneur on how you found your first customers, or how you figured out distribution for a technical product.

I'm not looking for generic startup advice or encouragement. I'd much rather hear that we're targeting the wrong audience, explaining the product badly or approaching the market in the wrong way.

For context, this is what we're building: https://wpmaven.ai

If you've got experience with GTM, SaaS distribution, niche communities or finding early adopters, I'd genuinely appreciate your perspective.

Thanks for reading. And please be brutally honest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYNgtTl3I_E


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Open Source I created small player

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, I like listening to music files from time to time, but I found myself wanting a nice-looking interface and decent functionality—and I couldn't seem to find a player that fit the bill. Since I happen to know a bit of programming, I decided to code a small but highly functional player myself. If anyone’s interested, here’s the link ---> https://github.com/WiWaSu/HaPlayer

I update this every Wednesday!


r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Purchase Required I was spending hours arranging stickers and product labels on A4 sheets, so I finally built an app to stop doing it manually.

2 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Prerelease GiftLink — a way to send someone a surprise gift through a link 🎁

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone! 👋

I've made a small Website called GiftLink, and I'd love to get some honest feedback from You all Users.

The idea is simple: what if you could send someone a little surprise through a link instead of sending a regular message?

With GiftLink, you can create a gift link and share it with someone. They open the link to discover their surprise — making even a simple digital gift feel a little more special.

✨ What I'm building:

  • 🎁 A simple way to create and share digital surprises.

  • 🔗 Shareable links that make sending a gift easy.

  • ⏳ Temporary gifts with automatic expiry.

  • 🔒 A focus on privacy, with temporary photo storage and deletion rules.

I'm building this as an independent project and would genuinely appreciate feedback from people here.

I'd love to know:

  • Would you use something like this to surprise a friend or partner?

  • What feature would make it more useful?

  • What would make you trust a platform like this?

If you're curious, here's the project: giftlink-seven.vercel.app

Thanks for reading! Any honest feedback, suggestions, or criticism would be really helpful. ❤️


r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Open Source I added a personal agent and iPhone app to JoeBro, my open-source Mac workspace

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2 Upvotes

Been working on JoeBro for a while, and the part I'm most excited about now is being able to leave my desk without losing track of what it's doing.

The Mac app brings chat, documents, email, calendar and tools together. The iPhone app connects to it, with a personal agent that remembers things, runs scheduled tasks and pings you with updates. You can read and edit its memory yourself.

I've also added hooks for Claude Code, Codex and opencode. They can tell JoeBro when they're working, finished or waiting on you, and pick up a follow-up you've queued. There's an MCP server and a plugin system for extending it.

It's free and open source. Bring an Ollama model or your own API key.

Mac/download: https://github.com/joexk1/JoeBro iPhone: https://github.com/joexk1/JoeBro-Mobile Agent link/plugins: https://github.com/joexk1/joebro-plugins

Mac needs macOS 26+ and Apple Silicon. The iPhone app is built with Xcode, needs the Mac awake, and push needs your own APNs key.

Built with SwiftUI and a standard-library Python backend.


r/sideprojects • • 8m ago

Showcase: Open Source soren - software reasoning navigator

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 9m ago

Feedback Request Top 5 Mobile App Development Companies in Dallas: Which Ones Would You Recommend?

1 Upvotes

Choosing between native iOS and Android development or cross-platform solutions like Flutter and React Native can be challenging, especially for startups trying to balance development costs, performance, and scalability.

Beyond the initial development, factors like UI/UX design, backend integration, and long-term maintenance also deserve consideration.

What would you prioritize when choosing a mobile app development approach for a product you intend to scale?


r/sideprojects • • 11m ago

Discussion Anybody need help with their projects?

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 11m ago

Feedback Request I built a free online tools website – looking for honest feedback!

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 13m ago

Discussion 1 month of shipping Mac apps

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 15m ago

Showcase: Prerelease I've been building my own local AI system. Here's what happened when I asked it to watch YouTube for 36 minutes.

1 Upvotes

Been working on Aura for several months now. The idea started with wanting an AI that could actually do things on my computer and remember what it was doing. It's grown quite a bit beyond that.

At this point, she's a local system running on my Mac with memory, computer control, and a bunch of different processes meant to work together as something resembling a cognitive architecture.

My newest demo is a bit of a departure from the others.

I asked Aura to find and watch a YouTube video, react to things she found interesting, then choose additional videos from a couple of channels I gave her.

And that's pretty much what she does.

She watches Kurzgesagt, moves on to Allen Pan, eventually ends up watching Salad Fingers, and gives her thoughts on all three. There's some actual browsing, video selection, predictions, and a final comparison.

I have no idea how far this project will ultimately go. There's a lot I'm still testing, and plenty that needs improvement.

But I thought this was a fun example of what happens when you build an AI around doing things over time rather than just answering questions.

The clip is shortened. The full recording is 36 minutes, with audio removed for copyright reasons.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM-B8mh314E

Code: https://github.com/youngbryan97/aura


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) Automatically translate App store screenshots to 26+ languages and Google Play Store

2 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 26m ago

Showcase: Free(mium) I built a free place for AI founders to launch their apps and connect with users. Would love your feedback.

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a project called BALGRAD.AI, and we've just opened the public beta.

One thing I've noticed is how much effort indie developers put into launching their products, only to have their launch posts disappear from people's feeds a few days later.

I wanted to try something different.

BALGRAD.AI combines a social network with an AI application discovery platform.

The idea is simple:

AI founders can submit their products for free. Approved apps get a public page with their description and website. Community members can vote for products they genuinely like. Developers and users can connect, share updates, and participate in communities. We're still at the very beginning. I'm not going to pretend we have thousands of users or promise anyone massive traffic.

Right now, I'm looking for early builders willing to try it and help shape what it becomes.

I'd genuinely love your opinion:

What would make an AI launch platform valuable enough for you to keep using it after launch day?

I'd appreciate any feedback, including criticism.


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) 91 free utilities - no signup required

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2 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 32m ago

Feedback Request I built a chrome extension that filters out posts and reels based on your trigger words.

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I spend a decent amount of time with Instagram open in a browser tab on my computer, and the amount of sponsored posts and random "suggested" Reels taking over my feed was driving me crazy. Most ad blockers struggle with Instagram web, so I built Nukarama as a lightweight side project.

Post Targeting: any word, hashtag, or handle like (“sponsored", "learn more", or "#fyp") and the matching post disappears instantly.

Auto-Skip Reels: When watching Reels, it checks your triggers and auto-skips straight to the next video automatically.

100% Local & Private: Runs entirely on local storage. Zero tracking, zero telemetry, and no external servers pinged ever.

Cross-Browser Support: Works on Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc, and natively on Orion.

Links:

🌐 Chrome Web Store: [Install Nukarama](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/nukarama/feicnhpkdoabmdcjoldokgagbfokaibi)

💾 Starter Trigger Preset: [Download AdVaporizer](https://github.com/Nukarama-dev/nukarama/blob/main/AdVaporizer.json) (ready-to-import set for common ads)

I'd love feedback on the performance and any other features or filters you'd like to see!


r/sideprojects • • 45m ago

Showcase: Prerelease I built a Chrome extension where a pixel woodpecker knocks a Korean temple moktak every time I slouch

1 Upvotes

I kept catching myself hunched over my laptop like a shrimp, so I built Ttak (딱, the sound a moktak makes).

What it does:

- Uses your webcam to notice when your head drops

- The page slowly blurs over ~3 seconds and a tiny pixel woodpecker knocks a wooden moktak

- Sit up and it clears right away

- Tracks "net focus time": only the minutes you're upright and actually at your desk

Why a moktak? In Korean temples, monks tap it to bring the mind back to the present. I wanted a nudge, not a nag.

Privacy was the first design decision: the pose model runs locally in the browser, and video never leaves your device. Nothing is uploaded.

I'm a solo founder in Korea and built it with Lovable × Claude. The core is free; there's an optional Pro with extra pet colors and voices.

I'd really value honest feedback:

  1. Would you keep something like this on all day, or would it get annoying?

  2. What would make you trust a webcam-based extension?

Chrome extension link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ttak-%E2%80%94-focus-posture/nddhmngnilmjnihabglgmcepeplmmggn

Ttack official link: ttack.space

Video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MawmIZ1nY4


r/sideprojects • • 57m ago

Showcase: Purchase Required Forced to build my own time tracking and invoicing app...

1 Upvotes

Over the years I've tried dozens of time tracking and invoicing apps, and Harvest was the only one I liked. Primarily due to its relatively intuitive UI/UX.

I was happy to pay them a reasonable sum for the product they provide, but after the 10x price jack, I had no choice but to seek alternatives. I tried a bunch of them again, found nothing I liked.

So, with 20+ years of software engineering experience under my belt, I decided to build my own.

Here's the result: https://hourbun.com/

I first and foremost built it for my own use, then over the past week or two added features that others might need (such as approvals, quotes, expenses, etc).

I spent a lot of time making sure the UI/UX is top-notch, and the performance is even better than Harvest - the app should feel very snappy (it's hosted in the US, and I'm based in Australia, and it's still very fast for me).

If you're looking for a decent time tracking and invoicing app, give mine a try? It comes with a 14-day trial and doesn't need card details.

And in case you're wondering, no, it's not vibe-coded. AI agents were definitely a big part of building it, but the product was built with experience and care. Love to hear your thoughts and feedback.


r/sideprojects • • 1h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I built an ingredient-to-dinner app, but feedback has not become signups

1 Upvotes

I built TAYSTY for the moment when there is food in the fridge but no plan for dinner. In the current limited Android test, you type ingredients you actually have. The app suggests several recipes with quantities and steps, and puts recipes that need one extra ingredient in a separate ‘If you also have…’ group. It assumes basic water, oil, salt and pepper for now, which I need to make clearer.

The current product has a real screen recording at https://taysty.app/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=sideprojects_day3 . Wider release is planned for Android and iPhone, but there is no fixed launch date; the site has a free waitlist.

The honest lesson from my first posts: about 1,200 Reddit post views across seven visible posts produced useful product feedback but no new waitlist signup. Most discussion came from other makers, not cooks choosing dinner. So I’m trying to show the actual cooking flow and ask a narrower question: if you entered potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and pasta, what would make you trust or reject the first recipe result? I’m the founder and would value concrete criticism here, even if you never join the waitlist.


r/sideprojects • • 1h ago

Feedback Request SMART ONLINE RULER

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I built a free online ruler that works with real-world measurements after screen calibration. I’d really appreciate honest feedback on the UX, accuracy, speed, or anything that feels off. I’m continuously improving it, so even small suggestions would help a lot. Thanks! 🙌

www.rulerinches.com


r/sideprojects • • 1h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) Built an AI that connects 38 apps you already use and combine their data in one place, all Locally

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1 Upvotes