Idlen

Idlen targets developers and builders who work with AI tools in coding environments. It provides a way to earn income during AI wait times by displaying relevant ads in a non-intrusive sidebar.

Idlen operates by placing ads in a small sidebar panel during AI processing. The ads load in isolated webviews and disappear when AI responses complete, aiming to minimize impact on the editor workflow. The platform emphasizes privacy, stating that code never leaves the machine and only package.json is analyzed locally to determine relevant ads.

Users can earn passive income from ad views, with earnings described as €0.01-0.05 per ad view and €20-100/month with regular AI usage. The system supports multiple payout methods, including Stripe and PayPal, and offers configurable ad formats and triggers to align with different workflows.

Idlen states it is built for developers and supports multiple IDEs and tools, including VS Code, Chrome, Cursor, Windsurf, and more. It highlights privacy-first principles, local processing, and the option to pause earnings or blacklist ad categories. It also notes a shared earnings pool for teams and mentions a waitlist for its closed beta.

Use cases

• Developers can monetize AI usage by displaying relevant ads during AI wait times.
• Advertisers can reach developers with targeted tool ads during idle moments.
• AI app builders can integrate a chat SDK and publish a monetized AI product.