SOLO APP DEV
Practical strategies for building and monetizing apps as a solo developer.
16 articles
You built an app but it doesn't sell. The problem isn't your technical skills—it's the design decisions you skipped before development. From revenue models to target audiences to acquisition funnels, here are 5 critical decisions to make before writing a single line of code, based on real experience.
Having no ideas isn't a creativity problem — it's a clarity problem. Define your purpose first, then let constraints narrow your options. Here's a practical framework from someone who's built over 40 projects.
After building 40+ products and watching most of them go unnoticed, here's the promotion framework that actually works for solo developers with zero ad budget.
Security in solo app development starts with narrowing your scope. Delegate payments and auth to specialized services, avoid AI-code pitfalls, and build a defense line you can actually maintain alone.
After building over 40 products and failing more than 30 times, here are the monetization patterns that only successful projects had in common — broken down by acquisition, pricing, and solo-operation structure.
The reason most indie projects stall isn't a lack of willpower — it's a lack of structure. Learn how to build systems that keep you shipping without relying on motivation.
An analysis of what makes indie games succeed, covering concept design, zero-budget marketing, revenue models, and the power of continuous releases.
Monthly revenue alone won't tell you if your indie project is viable. This guide breaks down fixed costs, variable costs, gross profit, and the real decisions you face after launch.
Can you really sell an app or web service you built yourself? Based on multiple sale experiences, this guide covers the conditions buyers look for, how to think about pricing, sales channels, and the practicalities of closing a deal—a realistic exit strategy for indie developers.
Can you really run a web app on zero infrastructure cost? A practical breakdown of free-tier limits, real stack configurations, and when to start paying — based on experience shipping over 40 products.
Based on my experience building over 40 services, I've organized the decision criteria for choosing a tech stack that minimizes wasted time. From narrowing down your initial setup to selection criteria for the AI era, here's how to build a configuration you can manage on your own.
The key to finishing indie projects isn't deciding what to build—it's deciding what to cut. Based on experience shipping over 40 products, here's how to strip requirements down to a minimum viable set and actually launch.
Terms of service are easy to skip when you're building solo. Learn which clauses actually matter, when templates fall short, and how to protect yourself before your first paying user arrives.
Will localizing your indie product into English actually increase revenue? When should you pull back? This article lays out the decision framework for going global and the realistic operational limits of a solo developer.
Building a side project isn't enough to stand out in job interviews. Learn the 3 criteria hiring managers actually evaluate, the difference between projects that impress and those that get ignored, and how to present your work effectively.
Legal obligations kick in the moment you add payments to your indie project. Here's a practical checklist covering terms of service, privacy policies, commercial transaction disclosures, store policies, and API terms — prioritized by development phase.
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Adjacent topics help you see the operating model more clearly.
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Auth, payments, DB — scaffold your web service in 30 minutes. A concrete next step for taking solo products from building into launch, iteration, and operation.
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