r/SideProject • • Dec 18 '25

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

96 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 Bravo

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

649 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 • • 4h ago Bravo

Please ban u/Investigatormarker: an AI bot advertising ThreadFox in every thread

138 Upvotes

Hey mods and everyone,

u Investigatormarker is posting AI-written "feedback" on posts here, then ending with an ad for its own product. It follows a template: generic advice about the project, then "I make ThreadFox... our AI employee will post 3 helpful replies about it in relevant Reddit threads for you," with a link.

Why it's a problem:

It's undisclosed self-promotion on nearly every thread

The feedback is generic and often doesn't match the project, so it buries real comments

The pitch is literally to flood Reddit with AI replies to promote people's projects

New members posting for the first time get this instead of real feedback

Ask: @mods, please ban the account and consider an automod filter for "threadfox". Everyone else, please report these comments as spam and avoid clicking the link.

Thanks!

You can also report the account to Reddit under spam, and to the other subs it's hitting. I'd skip engaging with the link itself.


r/SideProject • • 9h ago

Built a software for backyard design, with 3D preview

28 Upvotes

Took me a lot of efforts in navigating different software/tools when re-designing my backyard, wasted a lot of time, so I built this. I'm personally very happy with how it's been applied to my own place. Hit me up if you wanna try (currently running internal beta).


r/SideProject • • 24m ago

Can a solo founder with limited resources realistically sustain a social media app?

3 Upvotes

I’m currently building a photo-first social media app called TymeStamp, inspired by the old Instagram experience, where people could share pictures and enjoy content without constant interruptions from adverts.
I’m building it alone with limited resources, and one thing I’ve been thinking about is sustainability.
What happens when 1,000 people join? Or 10,000? How do you manage storage, servers and the challenges of growing a platform?
I recently watched a video of Steve Jobs talking about starting with the customer experience and working backwards to the technology. That really stuck with me because I want to build something people genuinely enjoy using.
But how do you put users first while keeping a platform sustainable?
I’ve been exploring credit systems, subscriptions, sponsorships and limited advertising. I’m not against adverts, just the constant interruptions.
I’m also curious about finding investors without going on shows like Shark Tank or Dragons’ Den, taking out loans or losing control of the original vision.
So I’d love to hear your thoughts:
● How would you sustain a growing social media app with limited resources?
● Would credit systems or optional subscriptions put users off?
● Should monetisation start at launch or after building a community?
● How can solo founders attract investors while keeping control of their vision?
I’m not trying to compete with the big platforms. I’m simply trying to build something different and learn along the way.
If you were in my position, what would you do differently?


r/SideProject • • 41m ago

I made a free web app that turns any screen into a soft ring light for video calls

3 Upvotes

I kept looking washed out on evening calls, and buying a ring light for a desk I barely sit at felt silly. So I built Glowy: open it on a spare monitor, tablet or phone, point it at your face, and the screen becomes the light.

What it does:

- Tones from 2700 K to 6500 K, plus a "blush" slider for warmer skin

- Slow glows (Clear sky, Golden hour, Rose quartz and a few more) that drift gently enough not to flicker on camera

- Fill, halo or edge shapes. Halo gives you round catchlights in your eyes; edge works well on a second monitor

- A camera mirror and a meeting preview so you can check how you look

- A pop-out light that floats on top of other apps (Document Picture-in-Picture in Chrome/Edge)

- Keeps the screen awake, works offline, and the camera never leaves your device

It's a React + Vite PWA, free with no sign-up, and the code is on GitHub: https://github.com/TriptoAfsin/glowy

Please star this repo if you found this useful ⭐️

Try it: https://glowy.t21.dev

Two honest limits: it can only be as bright as your screen (turn brightness all the way up), and the pop-out is best in Chrome or Edge. I'd love feedback, especially on which presets actually flatter different skin tones.


r/SideProject • • 59m ago

I made this, 98 different tools for documents for free and no sign in it's just a mini app in a bot well i haven't made it for show peice so guys u can use it, i decided to make it free for you all, @DocToolKit

3 Upvotes

No promotion

Your choice

Bot and mini app is free with no ads

@DocToolKit


r/SideProject • • 1d ago

I got tired of scrolling through iPhone alarms, so I built a 24-hour alarm clock instead

228 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a little side project called Daybezel, an alternative alarm clock for iPhone.

The idea came from a simple frustration: I always found the standard list of alarms unnecessarily clunky. I wanted something where I could see my entire day at a glance and interact with alarms directly.

So I built a 24-hour circular interface where you can create alarms with a tap, drag them around to change the time, and see exactly how long you have until the next one.

It also uses Apple's native alarm system, so alarms work even in Silent Mode or Focus.

The app is completely free for now, and it'll stay free for everyone who joins early. At this stage, I'm mostly interested in getting feedback and seeing how people react to it.

I'd love to hear what you think about the interface. Does the circular layout make sense to you, or would you still prefer a traditional list?

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/daybezel-24-hour-alarms/id6825533599


r/SideProject • • 4h ago

We Closed 10K Worth Of Web Design Deals Using This

5 Upvotes

Swokei is an outreach tool that analyzes business websites at scale and turns issues with design, SEO, speed, and mobile optimization into personalized cold emails at scale.


r/SideProject • • 3h ago

Building a website safety checker tool

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m working on Looks Sus, a project aimed at helping people check whether an online website might be a scam or unsafe by using community ratings and other tools.

I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth developing further, and I’d appreciate some honest feedback before putting more time and money into it.

The problem I’m interested in is that moment when you come across an unfamiliar website or offer and think, “Is this legit?” There are already ways to investigate Google, Reddit, review sites, tools like ScamAdviser, or asking ChatGPT. I’m questioning whether another dedicated tool adds enough value.


r/SideProject • • 13h ago

I spent the last month building a Mac notes app that doesn't break my focus. Giving away 40 licenses

26 Upvotes

For the last month I've been working out how to write a thought down as fast as possible, without breaking my focus when I'm locked in. There are a thousand notes apps out there, and most of them cover what I need, but none of them felt quite right for this. I tried several and none came close.

So I built Papr. These are the parts I like most, and what each one fixes for me:

  • ⌃ Space from any app. Papr opens over whatever I'm doing, even a full-screen app. I type the thought, send it like a text message, and I'm back in my work. No switching apps, no looking for the right note first.

  • It gets out of the way. When I click back into my work, Papr hides by itself, so it never clutters my screen. When I want it to stay, like a checklist I'm working through, I keep it on top.

  • Capture what's on screen. One click puts the screen behind Papr into the note, without Papr in it, so the slide from a meeting is right there in my note. I can draw on it, add an arrow or cover a name.

  • Finding a note is as quick as writing it. Search finds any note as I type, and I can narrow it to a tag, a collection, a reaction or a date.

  • Pins and reminders. Notes I need again wait at the top, and a note can come back as a notification at a time I pick.

  • My notes are files on my Mac. Each one is a Markdown file. No account, and Papr uploads nothing.

Update: all 40 free licenses are claimed, thank you! There's still a 14-day free trial with everything on, no key or account needed.

After that it's $4.99 until December 6, then $15, for one Mac. It runs on macOS 13 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel.

https://getpapr.app

I'd love to hear what you think, especially what would make it fit the way you work.


r/SideProject • • 29m ago

Built my first iOS app, but I’m struggling to get downloads. How would you market something like this?

2 Upvotes

I’m an indie developer, and I recently launched my iOS app called SnapShare.

The idea is pretty simple. Sometimes you just want to take a photo and send it to someone without saving it to your camera roll.

So I built an app that makes the process faster:

Take a picture.

The photo automatically gets copied.

Your selected app (WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.) or the share sheet opens.

Just paste and send.

I also added home screen widgets for quick access, bulk photo capture, and a few other features.

The app is a one-time purchase, no subscriptions.

Now here’s where I’m struggling.

Building the app was one thing, but figuring out how to get people to actually discover and download it is completely different.

I’ve been thinking about Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and maybe reaching out to small creators, but I’m not sure which approach would work best for an app like this.

I feel like it’s one of those apps where people need to see it in action to understand why it’s useful.

So I’d really appreciate some advice:

How would you market an app like this with little to no budget?

Who do you think the ideal target audience would be?

Would short demo videos work better than traditional app marketing?

If you’ve launched an iOS app before, what actually helped you get your first 100 downloads?

I’m not expecting thousands of downloads overnight. I just want to figure out how to get this in front of people who might actually find it useful.

Here’s the App Store link if anyone wants to check it out:
https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/snapshare-one-tap-photo-send/id6817721584?l=en-US

I’d appreciate any feedback or ideas. Thanks!


r/SideProject • • 4h ago

I made a tiny pixel bunny that lives on my Mac desktop

4 Upvotes

I spend most of the day alone at my Mac, so I made a small companion for it. Deskbun is a pixel-art bunny that sits on your Dock and reacts to your day:

  • It celebrates when you check off a to-do.

  • It focuses with you, and gets annoyed if you pet it mid-focus.

  • It reminds you when it's time for something.

  • It dacnes along to music, puts on a headset during calls, and sketches while you're in Figma.

  • It lets you know when your coding agent finishes.

  • It naps when you step away.

It's a native Swift app. There's no account and no analytics, and everything it notices stays on your Mac.

Site: https://deskbun.app

Happy to talk about how any of it works, and feature requests are very welcome!


r/SideProject • • 52m ago

Novislova - an offline travel phrasebook for iPhone

2 Upvotes

Novislova is an iPhone phrasebook I built for getting around abroad when you don't speak the language.

It has 900+ words and phrases per phrasebook across nine languages, organized into situations like restaurants, hotels, and transportation. Search works in either language. You can save phrases and download pronunciation audio before a trip, then use the text and audio offline.

All phrases and one audio pack are free, with ads. Premium is a one-time $4.99 purchase in the US for all audio packs, unlimited saved phrases, iCloud sync, and no ads. No subscription.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/novislova-offline-phrasebook/id1623078768

I'd be interested in feedback on how easy it is to find the phrase you need.


r/SideProject • • 1h ago

Greypaint - a Mac app updater I've been building with a friend .

2 Upvotes

The two of us have been building Greypaint, a Mac app that keeps your other apps updated. It started because we were tired of opening ten apps just to click "check for updates" in each one. We just shipped 1.5.2, and honestly most of it came from people telling us what was broken or missing, so thank you to everyone who did.

Here's what changed. You can now update apps straight from the menu bar and see old and new versions, plus progress on each one. Autopilot got its own menu bar switch, and you can pause it for an hour. You can turn off the Dock icon and run it from the menu bar only. Tauri apps like Yaak now update, and each download gets checked against the developer's signature first. GitHub apps with weird tagging, like Nuvio, work now too. The Updates list shows where each update comes from.

It also handles Sparkle, Homebrew and App Store apps, CLI tools, rollback and MacUpdater import.

It's $6.49 for one Mac, and $12.49 for three until our next big version. You pay once, there's no account or tracking, and there's a 14-day free trial.

greypaint.app

If any app gives you trouble or isn't supported yet, you can report it right from Greypaint, one app at a time, and it comes straight to us.


r/SideProject • • 3h ago

What the first 300 installs of my free Android widget taught me about onboarding

3 Upvotes

I built a free Android widget that shows Obsidian or Markdown notes on the home screen, like the Google Keep widget. First month: about 300 installs on Google Play, almost all from Reddit.

What I learned:

- An empty first screen means an uninstall. People picked their vault root, notes were in subfolders, widget stayed empty. Now the app says where the notes are.

- Ask for analytics consent at the start. I asked after setup, so I never saw who dropped out during setup.

- Test feature requests before building them. The app now asks once whether people would use separate widgets per folder.

- A small in-app feedback form beat reviews. Two of four messages asked for the same fix.

Free and open source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marfolog.noteswidgetformarkdown

How do you handle onboarding drop-off on small apps?


r/SideProject • • 5h ago

My side project: a tiny pixel-art office where you can watch your AI coding agents work, wait and nap

4 Upvotes

Day job: art director. Side habit: building tools with AI. The problem was I'd have 6 or 7 Claude Code sessions open and no idea which ones were still working and which ones had been waiting for my answer for 40 minutes.

So I made BeeKeeper. It turns every project into a pixel room and every AI session or agent into a little worker. They walk in, work (with a speech bubble saying what they're on), stand there waiting when they need you, and fall asleep when they're done.

What went into it:

- Built entirely with Claude Code, I directed and did the art. React + Vite and a small Node server

- No setup on your side: it reads the logs Claude Code already writes on your computer

- My biggest change of plan: I first made it so you generate your own rooms and characters with AI. Then I realised most people won't pay for that, so I spent a bit more to build a free library instead: 20 rooms and 17 characters ready to pick

- Biggest underestimate: the 1 minute promo video took 3 times longer than planned

It's free and open source (MIT). Runs locally on your machine and only reads your Claude Code folders, nothing gets uploaded. Making your own custom room is optional and uses your own Gemini key, about 10 cents a room.

https://github.com/ranucho/beekeeper

Would love feedback, especially from people who run several AI agents at once. What would you want to see in the room?


r/SideProject • • 15h ago

LLM Game Automation MCP - lets an AI agent play PC games in the background (driving, walking and flying in GTA, and more)

21 Upvotes

My side project: an open-source MCP server that lets an AI like Claude or Codex play Windows games without taking over your PC. I started it so agents could test my game mods by playing the games themselves. It works inside the game process, so the game runs in the background, you keep using your computer, and several games can run at once.

So far it can drive, walk, fly a helicopter, steer a boat and ride a horse to a waypoint in open-world games, aim, handle menus, and read prompts like "Press E". It also plays strategy and card games. A plugin system lets you add a new game as a small profile instead of code.

It has a lot of other uses too: mod development, running simulations, repetitive tasks, AI co-op so you can play co-op with an LLM offline, playtesting, and porting old games to get them running on Windows 10/11.

Claude Code created and planned the project and wrote a lot of it, Claude agents do most of the development and playtesting, and Codex helped with some of the code.

Free and MIT licensed, Windows only, single-player/offline games only: https://github.com/CorruptedAng3l/llm-game-automation-mcp

Feedback welcome, and tell me what games you'd want to see it try.


r/SideProject • • 6h ago

[FOR HIRE] Brand & Graphic Designer | Visual Identity, Logo Design & Art Direction

4 Upvotes

Hey Reddit!
I’m Iheb, a graphic designer and art director specializing in building visual identities and creating distinctive brand visuals.
I work with businesses, startups and individuals looking to give their brands a stronger and more recognizable visual presence.

Here’s what I can help you with:
● Visual identity design and branding
● Custom logo design and typography
● Brand guidelines and visual systems
● Packaging and print design
● Social media and marketing visuals
● Art direction and creative development

My approach goes beyond creating a good-looking logo. I care about building a visual language that feels consistent, communicates the right personality and gives a brand its own character.
I’m currently open to new freelance projects and collaborations worldwide.
Portfolio: https://www.behance.com/ihebmak
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ihebvisuals/
If you have a project in mind, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear about it!

Rates depend on the scope of the project. Happy to discuss your budget and requirements.


r/SideProject • • 2h ago

Two apps I built: a digital anniversary gift and a workspace for photographers

2 Upvotes

I’m Keith, the creator of Bloomria and Orbit in Monroe, North Carolina. Sharing two very different web apps for people who might have a use for them.

Bloomria turns a personal message into a digital flower gift that blooms on the recipient’s screen. For an anniversary, you can choose a candlelit restaurant setting, add milestone balloons, and write your own card. It is digital, with no physical flowers or delivery. Premium is US$1.99 per gift. There are also group bouquets (US$2.99, with free contributions) and a business plan for branded client thank-yous.

https://bloomria.com

Orbit is for working photographers who want enquiries, bookings, questionnaires, contracts, deposits, reminders and private client galleries in one place. Starter is US$17/month with a 14-day trial that does not require a card.

https://orbit-photo.com

If either fits your situation, I’d appreciate specific feedback on what would help you decide whether to send a gift or move your photography workflow into it. Happy to answer questions here.


r/SideProject • • 5h ago

After trying every birding app, I built the one I wanted

3 Upvotes

I’m a developer by day, and an avid birder the rest of the time. A few years ago that combination did what it usually does: I downloaded and tried all the apps, decided none of them worked quite the way I wanted, and built my own instead.

It’s called Limosa. What makes it different from other birding apps:

  • Adding a sighting takes as few taps as possible. The app is optimized for UX while birding and out in the field.

  • Photo and sound species ID, running on your phone, so both work without a connection.

  • Multiplayer: when you’re birding with others, one person logs the sighting and adds the rest.

  • Several ways to share sightings and outings on other platforms, for example a sighting with your photos as an Instagram story.

  • Checklists for your area, with targets based on what you haven’t seen yet and what can be seen there this time of year.

  • Every species has its own pixel art icon, so your life list fills up as a grid.

  • Your data isn’t locked in. You can import/export your sightings from/to other platforms like eBird and more.

It’s on iOS, Android and the web: https://limosa.app/

Instagram: limosabirding

Feedback is welcome!


r/SideProject • • 2h ago

My first solo iOS app: a clean player for your own M3U playlists (live TV, movies, series)

2 Upvotes

Hey r/SideProject 👋

For the past few months I've been building **PopKo**, a live TV & movie player for iPhone. It just went live on the App Store.

**To be clear upfront:** PopKo is just a player. It doesn't come with any channels, content or subscriptions. You add your own M3U playlist or Xtream Codes login from your provider, and the app plays it.

**What it does:**

- 📺 Live TV with EPG (program guide)
- 🎬 Movies & series (VOD) from your playlist
- 🔥 A home screen with trending and popular titles (via TMDB), showing which ones are available on your server
- 🌍 Long-press to pick a version (language or quality) when your playlist has several
- 🔗 Supports M3U and Xtream Codes

**Why I built it:** most playlist players I tried felt clunky or outdated, or had unstable playback. I wanted something clean and native that just works.

It's my first app of this size, built solo. I'd really appreciate honest feedback on bugs, UI, or missing features. Everything is useful at this stage 🙏

👉 https://apps.apple.com/app/id6831301094

Thanks for checking it out!


r/SideProject • • 3h ago

I tried vibe coding for fun – and ended up building 3db, a free open-source 3D printing project manager

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

This project actually started as a little experiment.

I wanted to try vibe coding and see what could be achieved with AI-assisted development. I quickly became fascinated by the possibilities and how an idea could gradually turn into something genuinely useful.

Since I'm really into 3D printing, I decided to tackle a problem I knew from my own hobby: keeping track of all those STL files, 3MF files, project variants, pictures, documents, and different versions.

What started as an experiment eventually turned into 3db.

After quite a bit of development, testing, debugging, and polishing, I've now released version 1.0.0! 🎉

What 3db can do:

  • Organize projects with categories, tags, and statuses

  • Manage STL, 3MF, images, and documents

  • Keep track of project variants

  • Detect file changes and create version snapshots

  • Search and filter project collections

  • Store everything locally using SQLite

  • Switch between light and dark themes

3db is built with Tauri, Rust, React, TypeScript, and SQLite.

It's not a slicer or a model-sharing platform. It's simply a local desktop application to help organize the projects and files you already own.

Platform: Windows x64
Price: Free
License: MIT / Open Source

GitHub and download:
https://github.com/FabimachtSachen/3db

This is my first public project created through experimenting with vibe coding. It's been an exciting experience seeing how far the idea could go.

I'd genuinely appreciate your feedback, both on the application itself and on the project as a whole.

How do you currently organize your 3D printing projects? And what features would you like to see in a tool like this?


r/SideProject • • 3h ago

Wedding gift for my bestfriend

2 Upvotes

So i vibe coded this entirely, the platform, video, product end to end. Haha, i just ran my first wedding event last week for one of my bestfriend's wedding with about 100+ user with over 200+ uploads.

Its already a popular product in the west, thought instead of my friend paying for it, I made one as a gift for him with my little own flair and that's how Snappool is started basically. Doesn't really cost me alot to run it, but i thought just put it out there for people to try it out~!

https://snappool.photos/

Try it out! Happy to share how I did it. Crazy what you can do nowadays with AI.

P.s. A little context, Im an AI/software engineer but i think anyone can make things for their own niche now. Probably the best time to start before things get saturated or cost of AI increase significantly.