12 Passive Income Ideas For Computer Engineers [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a computer engineer in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a computer engineer today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a computer engineer.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)
As a computer engineer, developing a mobile app could be a great way to generate passive income by leveraging your coding skills. Whether you want to create a productivity tool or a fun game, you could design and build an app that could attract a wide audience. Your technical background provides a solid foundation to tackle user experience, interface design, and functionality testing effectively.
Starting a mobile app business doesn't require a massive initial investment; a clear vision and some basic coding knowledge are excellent starting points. Alternatively, you could hire a skilled developer to help bring your idea to life. With the right marketing strategy, your app could reach a large user base, leading to significant downloads and revenue.
Given the ubiquity of smartphones, a successful app could offer substantial financial rewards. If you can identify a common problem or create an entertaining experience that people will love, the possibilities in app development are extensive. Dive in with dedication and creativity, and you might find your app generating passive income before you know it.
How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.
2. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)
Starting an AI-based business solution could be a great way for computer engineers to supplement their income. By leveraging artificial intelligence, you could help companies streamline operations, improve customer service, or enhance inventory management. With AI tools, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, get valuable insights, and predict market trends, making them more efficient and cost-effective.
Given your background in technology, you could easily grasp the intricacies and implementation of AI platforms. You don’t need to start from scratch—many providers offer user-friendly platforms with robust support systems to get you started. As demand for AI solutions grows, your expertise could place you in a strong position to offer valuable services to a wide range of companies.
Additionally, your ability to understand and solve complex problems makes you well-suited to identify high-impact areas where AI can be particularly beneficial. By focusing on these areas, you could tap into a rapidly expanding market and potentially create a meaningful stream of passive income. It’s an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to innovate and enhance business performance.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.
3. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
As a computer engineer, delving into the creation of an AI writing tool might be a savvy way to supplement your income and embark on an entrepreneurial journey. This venture leverages your technical skills to develop a tool that uses artificial intelligence to produce high-quality, error-free content efficiently. The demand for such tools is growing rapidly across various sectors, including businesses, blogging, and academia, making it a promising area to explore.
You could develop a tool that saves users significant time and effort, while also ensuring their content is engaging and accurate. By automating the writing process, your AI tool could become a go-to resource for writers globally, enhancing productivity and streamlining content creation. This potential to transform the writing process aligns perfectly with the innovative and problem-solving mindset of a computer engineer.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
4. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($235K/month)
As a computer engineer, you could leverage your technical skills to develop an email marketing tool, helping entrepreneurs and startups manage their outreach efforts. With email marketing being a highly effective channel for generating leads and increasing sales, creating a software application that automates these tasks would be in high demand. Given the projected growth of the email marketing tool industry to $2.53 billion by 2028, this is an excellent opportunity to tap into a booming market.
Starting an email marketing tool business involves setting up a domain and hosting account, but with your background in computer engineering, you could go beyond the basics to build a robust and innovative platform. Imagine creating features that not only send bulk emails but also integrate advanced analytics, customizable templates, and seamless CRM integrations. The possibilities are endless, from helping small businesses expand their reach to aiding real estate agents in maintaining client relationships.
How much you can make: $120 — $2,083,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 170 days (?)
H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.
5. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($148K/month)
As a computer engineer, starting a social media automation business could leverage your technical skills to create software that schedules posts, automates interactions, and analyzes data across various social media platforms. You could develop or integrate tools that help businesses and influencers efficiently manage their social media presence, thus saving them time and effort.
With the growing need for consistent and strategic social media engagement, there's a substantial demand for automation solutions. By staying updated on social media trends and building client relationships, you could provide tailored services that enhance their online presence, driving engagement and growth seamlessly. For those who love technology and have an interest in marketing, this venture could be both profitable and satisfying.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
6. Make passive income with a nurse health coach
If you're a computer engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit, becoming a nurse health coach could be an intriguing way to diversify your skills and supplement your income. By developing a health coaching business, you could leverage your analytical skills to offer personalized wellness plans, helping clients improve their lifestyle through better nutrition, exercise, and stress management.
With the rising focus on preventive healthcare, people are increasingly seeking professional guidance to stay healthy and avoid future medical problems. Starting this side business could not only provide a rewarding way to share valuable health information but also position you in a growing market focused on well-being. Combining your technical expertise with a nurse health coaching certification could make you a unique asset in promoting healthier living choices to a broader audience.
7. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)
As a computer engineer, you could build a lead generation tool that helps businesses identify and capture potential customer leads. This means creating software to automate the process of collecting valuable data like email addresses, phone numbers, and interests from various digital touchpoints. By integrating your tool with websites and social media channels, you could streamline the often time-consuming task of finding new clients for companies.
Developing a lead generation tool taps into a high-demand market, as businesses of all sizes seek efficient ways to grow their customer base. Your tech skills and understanding of digital systems would allow you to create a tool that is both effective and user-friendly. This could become a profitable side venture, helping you supplement your income by offering a solution that saves other businesses time and increases their marketing efficiency.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
8. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)
As a computer engineer, you could leverage your coding expertise to develop WordPress plugins that address specific needs or fix common issues. Many WordPress sites rely heavily on plugins, and because of this, there's always a demand for innovative and reliable tools that improve website functionality. By creating a plugin that offers a unique solution, you could reach a wide audience and generate passive income.
You could sell your plugins on popular platforms like CodeCanyon, or even on your own blog or dedicated website. The initial effort in developing the plugin could turn into a steady income stream as WordPress users purchase and use your product. This side hustle aligns well with your technical skills and can be a rewarding way to turn your problem-solving abilities into profit.
How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.
9. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
If you're a computer engineer looking for a way to supplement your income, consider starting a niche website. You could choose a specialized topic you are passionate about and knowledgeable in, and create targeted content that serves a dedicated audience. This venture allows you to use your technical skills to design and optimize the site, while also exploring your creative side through content creation.
To get started, you'll need to invest time in researching your chosen niche, creating compelling articles or videos, and driving traffic to your site through search engine optimization (SEO). Monetization methods such as affiliate marketing, ad placements, and selling digital products could provide steady income once your site gains traction. With dedication and effort, your niche website could turn into a reliable source of passive income, rewarding both your technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
10. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)
As a computer engineer, your expertise in coding, software development, or systems architecture makes you uniquely suited to create and sell online courses. You could capitalize on your knowledge by developing courses tailored to beginners or intermediate learners, covering topics such as programming languages, web development, or even specialized areas like machine learning. By sharing your skills, you could reach a global audience, all while earning passive income.
Launching online classes is straightforward. You would need to identify your target audience, create engaging course content, and choose an online learning platform to host and sell your courses. With the e-learning market expected to be worth over $645 billion soon, there's significant potential to generate passive income by tapping into this growing industry.
How much you can make: $100 — $300,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.
11. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)
If you're a computer engineer looking for a side hustle to supplement your income, starting an affiliate marketing business could be a viable option. In affiliate marketing, you could earn money by promoting other companies' products and services and receiving a commission for each sale generated through your referral.
You could leverage your technical skills to create a blog, website, or social media presence that draws an audience interested in tech products or services. By choosing to partner with specific eCommerce stores or manufacturers, you could market products that align with your expertise and interests, making it easier to create relevant and engaging content. Over time, this could turn into a rewarding source of passive income.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
12. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)
As a computer engineer, starting a niche blog could be an excellent way to use your skills to create a passive income stream. By focusing on a specific topic that you're passionate about and knowledgeable in, whether it's software development, tech reviews, open-source projects, or emerging technologies, you could quickly build a dedicated audience.
First, identify a profitable and underserved niche within the tech field. Once you've chosen your niche, create unique and engaging content such as how-to guides, product reviews, and industry news. Regularly updating your blog and interacting with your followers will help you grow a loyal community.
Monetization could come from affiliate links, YouTube channel integrations, brand collaborations, and possibly speaking engagements. The key is to consistently deliver valuable content that resonates with your audience, thereby increasing your visibility and potential income.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
