In our last issue we shared some "Vibe Coding" concepts and hands-on techniques, and we quickly got a wave of replies from readers saying they were really interested. At the same time, some of you wondered whether today's Vibe Coding tech is really powerful enough to generate a complete product.
We believe the best way to find out is to test it yourself! So last weekend, Morning spent 2 days using v0 to run a real experiment: "From 0 to 1, clone the prototype of a mobile app earning over US$200,000, and see exactly how far Vibe Code can go."
Let's share the result first: within a single weekend, Morning finished the experiment and built this app called "ColorAI." It turns any photo into a coloring page with one click — feel free to give it a try~ 🎨
Stick with us — we'll walk through the whole thing:
1) Why we wanted to build this app in the first place
2) How to analyze its profit potential
3) How to turn the idea into the very app you just opened — without writing a single line of hard-core code.
We'll also tell you which noteworthy new AI tools and resources are worth your attention this week. Let's dive into this issue of Slash Weekly!
🚀 AI Side-Hustle Experiment: Can AI Image Generation Actually Make Money? A Full Teardown of a Hit App
AI image generation has long been one of the hottest side-hustle categories. The tech can be applied to different scenarios and audiences, producing a wide range of business models and products. Here are a few common examples:
Of these, coloring pages are the one we know best and find most interesting (we've sold similar products on Etsy before 😉). Then we found a mobile app called Colorify. Its core feature is dead simple: users take an everyday photo, and the AI turns it into a printable black-and-white coloring page with one tap.
Digging in, we found its business model is seriously impressive. Less than a year since launch, its monthly revenue has already reached US$200k!
Our thinking: the coloring-page market is competitive, and this app's features look pretty simple — yet it's pulling in numbers this high, which is indirect proof that the product has real market demand. So we decided to use it to test Vibe Coding's ability to clone a product.
Our goal was to test whether Vibe Coding can actually produce a real product. We weren't trying to build a side hustle in one weekend that's better and more profitable than Colorify, so this early version definitely won't be perfect — but the core features shouldn't be far off from Colorify.
🧪 Morning's Vibe Code Lab
Step 1: Use Gemini to analyze the core features
First, I had Gemini help analyze and lay out Colorify's most core features and business value — and, if I wanted to build an initial version of something similar, where I should focus.
Here's the prompt I gave Gemini:
Step 2: Build the core features with v0
I handed this prompt to v0, then modified and tested the features step by step:
Here's the very first version:
Step 3: Polish the visual design
To make the product look more professional, I found some reference designs on Aura.build and 21st and fed them to v0, letting the AI learn the style and apply it to the new interface.
Revising step by step, it became the current version:
After a few rounds of fine-tuning conversation, my first version was born smoothly — it's the link you opened at the top of this email. Haven't seen it yet? Check it out here! I'll also keep tweaking it and then officially launch it, to see whether this product can really become a genuine side hustle.
After reading this example, are you interested in learning how to do "Vibe Coding" too? Or do you already have a great app idea in your head but don't know how to start? Feel free to reply and tell me your idea — we can chat about it, or I can give you some practical advice to help you launch your side hustle with Vibe Code!
One last note: if you want to try Vibe Coding yourself right away, I recommend v0 — it's probably one of the easiest-to-use and most versatile Vibe Code tools out there. It has a free trial, plus US$2 of free credits every day~