Passive Income for Developers: 5 AI-Powered Ways to Build & Earn in 2026
Building on those AI-first platforms like MTKits (which simplifies micro-SaaS deployment) and Gemini Studio (for building AI-driven workflows), the game for developers in 2025 has shifted toward Agentic architecture and Data-as-a-Service . Here are five of the "easiest" paths for a developer to generate passive income using current AI trends: 1. Build and Sell "Custom GPTs" or AI Agents Since the launch of the GPT Store and similar marketplaces like Poe , you can create specialized AI agents without building a full frontend. The Play: Create a "Senior DevOps Architect" GPT that audits Dockerfiles or a "Niche Legal Assistant" for freelance contracts. Passive Element: Once published, these platforms handle the hosting and user discovery. If they are useful, they grow through the platform's internal search. 2. The "Wrapper" Micro-SaaS Platforms like Vercel and Supabase make it incredibly easy to deploy "wrappers"—app...