How Vibe Coding with AI is Turning into Cash Machines in 2025

Imagine building a profitable product in days—or even hours—with no coding experience, just you and AI vibing together. That’s the magic of “vibe coding,” where indie developers leverage AI tools to crank out apps and games that rake in thousands monthly. From customer service bots to browser-based flight simulators, these four projects showcase how AI is rewriting the indie dev game in 2025. Let’s break down their stories and why they’re killing it.

ChatIQ: AI Customer Support That Pays ($2,000/Month)

• What It Does: ChatIQ is an AI chatbot and ticketing system that learns your business to deliver personalized customer support.

• The Numbers: As of May 2025, it’s earning $2,000 monthly recurring revenue (MRR), or $24,000 annually (ARR), via a SaaS subscription model with usage-based tiers.

• Who Built It? Sebastian Volkis, a Londoner who started with zero coding skills. He leaned on AI tools to go from newbie to full-stack developer, leaving us coders a bit red-faced.

• Tech Stack: Began with Bubble.io’s no-code platform, later upgraded to Next.js for the frontend and AWS Lambda for a serverless backend. AI tools: Claude Opus, GPT-4, and OpenAI embeddings.

• Vibe Coding Win: AI generated 80% of the code, guiding Sebastian from no-code to pro-level dev work.

• Journey: Launched an MVP in 2023 with Bubble.io. By early 2024, a rebuilt version hit $3,000 MRR in 30 days. By late 2024, it had over 11,000 users.

• Try It: ChatIQ

• Why It’s Hot: A non-coder built a cash-flowing SaaS with AI as his mentor. 80% AI code means insane efficiency—like brewing a perfect espresso with a push-button machine.

Fly: Browser-Based Dogfights Soaring High ($12,000/Month)

• What It Does: Fly is a free multiplayer flight simulator where you can dogfight in your browser. Built in hours with AI, it’s a testament to rapid creation.

• The Numbers: As of May 2025, it’s banking $12,000 MRR ($144,000 ARR) through in-game purchases (e.g., $29.99 F-16 jets) and ads.

• Who Built It? Pieter Levels, an indie dev icon and digital nomad. This was his first game dev project, and he crushed it.

• Tech Stack: HTML, JavaScript, and Three.js for 3D frontend; WebSockets and PeerJS for multiplayer backend. AI tools: Cursor AI, GPT-4, Grok 3, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet.

• Vibe Coding Win: A 3-hour prototype born from prompts like, “Make a 3D flight game for browsers.” 90% AI-generated code, with Pieter tweaking the rest. Elon Musk’s X shoutout (“Wow, this is cool”) sent it viral.

• Journey: Coding began in February 2025; the prototype dropped hours later. Post-Musk hype, users surged, and by March, Fly was monetizing.

• Try It: Fly

• Why It’s Hot: 3 hours, 90% AI code, and $12K a month? That’s a blockbuster origin story. Musk’s tweet was a golden ticket, but Pieter’s rep gave him a head start—don’t expect the same without serious hustle.

TrendFeed: Fueling Viral Content Creation ($10,000/Month)

• What It Does: TrendFeed uses AI to help creators (bloggers, YouTubers) spot trending topics with viral potential across industries.

• The Numbers: As of March 2025, it’s pulling $10,000 MRR ($120,000 ARR) via SaaS subscriptions with annual discounts.

• Who Built It? Sebastian Volkis (yep, ChatIQ’s founder). This guy’s on a roll, using AI to turn ideas into gold despite being self-taught.

• Tech Stack: Next.js and Tailwind CSS for the frontend; Node.js serverless backend. AI tools: GPT-4, Claude, and Replit.

• Vibe Coding Win: A 4-day prototype with 75% AI-generated code, polished by Sebastian for launch.

• Journey: Started in February 2025, launched in March, and hit $12,000 in revenue within four weeks.

• Try It: TrendFeed

• Why It’s Hot: Two AI-powered wins from one founder? Sebastian’s basically the indie dev whisperer. A 4-day build shows AI’s speed, but his hustle seals the deal.

Vibe Sail: Smooth Sailing in Your Browser ($8,000/Month)

• What It Does: Vibe Sail is a chill 3D multiplayer sailing simulator playable in browsers.

• The Numbers: As of April 2025, it’s earning $8,000 MRR ($96,000 ARR) via island ads, branded yachts, and sky banners.

• Who Built It? Nicola Manzini, a JavaScript dev inspired by Fly’s success to create his own AI-driven game.

• Tech Stack: Three.js for 3D frontend; WebSockets for multiplayer. AI tools: GPT-4 and GitHub Copilot, even for sailing physics.

• Vibe Coding Win: AI generated 85% of the code, with Nicola fine-tuning the sailing mechanics using Cursor and Three.js.

• Journey: Development kicked off February 26, 2025. By March, the domain and gameplay were live. By April, ads were cashing in.

• Try It: Vibe Sail

• Why It’s Hot: Another AI-fueled 3D game, 85% AI code, and nearly $10K monthly. Nicola rode Fly’s wave, proving inspiration plus AI is a winning combo.

These vibe coding stories aren’t just cool—they’re a blueprint for what’s possible with AI in 2025. Here’s what you need to know:

• AI is a Force Multiplier: With 75–90% of code AI-generated, it’s a productivity rocket. Prototypes that took months now take days (or hours!).

• No Coding Background? No Problem: From non-coders like Sebastian to game-dev newbies like Pieter, AI levels the playing field. Have an idea and some grit? You’re in the game.

• Speed is Your Superpower: Fly’s 3-hour build and TrendFeed’s 4-day sprint show AI’s knack for rapid MVPs. Test ideas fast, fail cheap, and iterate.

• Monetization Still Takes Work: SaaS, in-game items, and ads are proven models, but AI only builds the product—you need to nail user value and sales strategy.

• You’re Still the Captain: AI handles the heavy lifting, but founders polished code, researched markets, and hustled on ops. Vision and execution are on you.

AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a co-founder that frees you to focus on the big picture: crafting products users love and finding the right audience. So, got a side hustle idea? Stop scrolling and start vibing with AI.