Behind the Scenes2026-08-16•8 min read

Bootstrapping Developer Tools: Our Journey to Profitability

We started aiyaiyai with a simple thesis: developer tools don't need to be expensive, and you don't need VC funding to build them.

The Indie Approach

Here's what bootstrapping looks like for us:

  • Build what we need — Every product solves a problem we've faced
  • Keep costs near zero — Supabase free tier, Vercel free tier, no office
  • Charge from day one — No "freemium forever" strategy
  • Move fast — Ship MVPs in days, not months

    • Our Stack

    We've standardized on a stack that's both powerful and cheap to run:

  • Next.js 14 — React with server components
  • Supabase — Postgres + Auth + Storage (free tier is generous)
  • Stripe — Payments (only pay when you make money)
  • Vercel — Hosting (free for hobby, cheap for pro)
  • Resend — Email (3,000 free/month)

    • Total monthly cost for four products: under €50.

    Lessons Learned

    1. Small is a superpower

    No meetings. No stakeholders. No roadmap reviews. We ship when it's ready.

    2. Pricing is hard

    We underpriced everything initially. Don't be afraid to charge what your tool is worth.

    3. Support is marketing

    Every support email is a chance to turn a frustrated user into a fan.

    4. SEO takes time

    We're investing in content now because organic traffic compounds over time.

    What's Next

    We're not trying to build a unicorn. We want four profitable products that help developers and give us freedom.

    Current focus:

  • Growing PingStatus to €1k MRR
  • Launching LaunchFast on Product Hunt
  • Building an audience through content

    • Follow Along

    We'll share more about our journey here on the blog. If you're building indie products, we'd love to hear from you.

    Contact us →

    *aiyaiyai is an indie developer studio based in Germany. We build PingStatus, LaunchFast, OGImage, and ConvertJSON.*

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