How a Full‑Time Developer Makes $10K/Month From 28 Tiny Apps

Most people think you need one big breakthrough app to win. Max, a full‑time iOS engineer, proves you can do it with a portfolio of simple, tiny apps instead.

In just 8 months, working only before and after his day job, he shipped 28 mobile apps. Today those apps pull in around $10,000 per month, with over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 to 5,000 daily users. The wild part is that he built some of these apps in just a few hours, including one that went from idea to App Store submission in 2 hours.

This breakdown walks through his full system so you can apply the same thinking to your own startup or side project: how he finds ideas, how he builds so fast, the exact 6‑step process he uses, and how he keeps costs tiny.

Max’s Journey: 28 Apps, $10K/Month, Full‑Time Job

Max is a father of two, a husband, and a full‑time iOS engineer. On paper, he does not have much free time. Yet in his off hours over 8 months, he built a small “app empire” that now earns more than many full‑time salaries.

Here are the key numbers:

• 28 simple mobile apps shipped in about 8 months
• Around $10,000 in monthly revenue
• 1,000+ active subscribers across the portfolio
• 4,000 to 5,000 daily active users

The revenue is not spread evenly. His results follow the classic 80/20 pattern:

• 4 top apps bring in about $1,500 per month each
• The other 24 apps make much smaller amounts

So most of the income comes from a handful of winners, but those winners only exist because he was willing to ship a lot of tiny bets.

“Once the app is live, just let it go and move on to the next project.”

This is a very different picture of what a startup can look like. Instead of one massive product and a big team, it is one person, a stack of small apps, and a repeatable system.

If you like this style of low‑stress, high‑margin building, you might also enjoy this step‑by‑step guide to shipping multiple niche apps, which shows how another indie founder used tiny, hyper‑niche apps to reach six‑figure yearly revenue.

From One Stalled Pet Project To A New Mindset

Max did not start out shipping an app every week. For years, he was stuck in the same pattern many developers fall into.

He has about 8 years of experience as an iOS developer. Like a lot of engineers, he had a “pet project” app that he believed in. He poured time and energy into it, tried different growth tricks, experimented with features, and kept polishing.

Nothing worked.

The app never took off. He kept trying to push the same big idea uphill.

The turning point

In February, Max watched a YouTube video from another indie developer, Adam. That video flipped his mental model of how to build apps.

His old mindset looked like this:

Old Way	New Way
Focus on one perfect project	Ship dozens of simple apps
Keep polishing for months or years	Build fast, ship in days or hours
Ego and emotion tied to one big idea	No attachment, move on quickly
Try to “save” a struggling product	Let data decide, double down only on winners

As Max put it:

“Create one app, one feature, ship it, forget about it, and jump onto another app.”

That small shift changed everything. Instead of fighting for one dream app, he treated each app like a tiny experiment. Some would sink, some would float, and a few would turn into serious income.

This is the same pattern you see in other indie success stories, like this AI fitness app that grew to $400K per month. The founder tried, tested, watched what worked, then pushed hard on the winners.

How Max Finds App Ideas That Actually Make Money

Max’s big unlock was not just “ship more”. It was “ship more, but only where there is money already flowing”.

He does that by treating the App Store like a search engine. Every good idea starts with a keyword.

Step 1: Start with ASO tools and real search data

Max’s main idea engine is Astro, an App Store Optimization (ASO) tool for keyword research. It helps him see what people actually type into the App Store search bar and how competitive each keyword is.

If you want to explore it yourself, you can check out the Astro ASO tool, which was built specifically for app developers who want better visibility.

Here is how he starts:

1. Open Astro.
2. Pick a category he likes, or an area he personally cares about.
3. Search for relevant keywords in that space.

For example, if he is interested in education, he might search for study‑related terms. From there, he looks for related keyword clusters. One cluster could be student apps:

• physics AI
• chemistry AI
• math AI

Each of these targets the same broad audience (students) but solves a slightly different problem. Once he ships one app for that group, he can quickly ship siblings for the other keywords.

If you want a deeper breakdown of this style of keyword research, there is a very clear full guide to App Store keywords that uses Astro as a core tool.

For more options, you can also skim this roundup of top ASO tools to see what fits your budget and workflow.

Step 2: Use simple rules for keyword quality

Max does not guess which keywords are good. He uses a small set of rules so he can move fast.

He looks at two main metrics inside Astro:

• Popularity: at least 20%
• Difficulty: around 60% to 70% is “good hard”, and anything lower is a bonus

High popularity with extremely high difficulty often means a brutal market with heavy competition. Very low popularity means not many people search for that term.

By staying around that 20%+ popularity and moderate difficulty band, he finds keywords where:

• Enough people search for the term
• Competition is not insane
• A small, focused app can stand out

Step 3: Validate money before writing code

Once a keyword looks good in Astro, Max checks whether there is real money behind it.

He does this by:

1. Opening the App Store for that keyword.
2. Identifying the top competitors.
3. Using tools like Sensor Tower or similar services to estimate their monthly revenue.

His benchmark is simple:

• If top competitors make at least €100 to €200 per month, it passes.
• If they make less, he skips that idea.

That might sound low, but remember, this is the floor, not the goal. If an app can make hundreds per month without much effort, there is usually room to build something that earns far more.

He is not looking for blue‑sky ideas. He is looking for proven demand, even if the current apps are not great.

Step 4: Example keyword flow (like “tree identifier”)

When Max walked through Astro on camera, he used “tree identifier” as an example.

Here is his rough flow:

1. Create a temporary app entry inside Astro.
2. Add the keyword “tree identifier”.
3. Look at suggestions such as “wood identification” and other related terms.
4. Filter by:
   • Popularity at or above 20
   • Low to mid difficulty
5. Mark keywords that have a nice mix of volume and low competition.
6. Check competitors for those keywords in the App Store.
7. If their revenue looks healthy, lock the idea in and move on to the build phase.

He repeats this same process across lots of niches. Over time, he ends up with a backlog of data‑backed ideas he can plug into his build system.

If you want a structured way to come up with your own profitable startup ideas, tools like this idea finder for your next business can also help you start from markets with real demand.

Building Apps Lightning‑Fast With Reusable Parts And AI

Once Max has a keyword and proof that people spend money in that niche, he starts building. This is where his system really shines.

Most of his apps are built in Flutter, so they can run on both iOS and Android. The key is not the language, though, but the way he avoids starting from zero every time.

1. Study 2–3 competitors and strip down to the core

Max starts by picking two or three top competitors for the target keyword. He installs those apps and studies them, but he only cares about one thing:

What is the single main feature that solves the user’s problem for this keyword?

He ignores secondary features, complex menus, extra modes, and anything that is not tied tightly to the core search intent.

That single feature becomes the heart of his own app.

2. Use AI to plan the app before coding

Instead of jumping straight into Flutter, Max asks AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Cursor to create a detailed plan.

He usually prompts something like:

• What the app does (based on the keyword)
• Any UI or UX constraints he has
• Target platform and rough style

From there, AI gives him:

• A list of screens
• Core features and flows
• Rough architecture or implementation steps

He uses this as a checklist, not a final blueprint. This removes a lot of “blank page” stress and helps him see which parts he can reuse from older apps.

3. Drag‑and‑drop from his own library

Max has built up his own little “starter kit” over time. He reuses:

• Settings screens
• Onboarding flows
• Paywalls
• Common buttons and views

When he starts a new project, he:

1. Creates a fresh Flutter project.
2. Drags in existing UI components.
3. Copies over chunks of code from past apps.

For some apps, he says he reuses up to 90% of the code. That is how he can deliver a new app in a couple of hours when the idea is straightforward.

4. Figma for icons and screenshots

Once the app works, he moves to Figma:

• Copies screenshot templates from past projects.
• Reuses or tweaks app icon templates.
• Lays out App Store screenshots so they look polished and on‑brand.

This saves him from designing from scratch and keeps his store presence consistent.

5. Let AI write the listing

For the final mile, Max turns back to AI. He asks ChatGPT or a similar tool to write:

• The App Store description
• Short promotional text
• Keyword‑rich copy that matches the original keyword research

He then fills in metadata and submits the app.

Depending on complexity:

• Some apps take about a week.
• Many take a few hours.
• His record is 2 hours from idea appearing in his head to pressing “Submit for review”.

Once it is live, he tracks the early numbers and moves straight on to the next build.

If you want a structured environment to build this kind of shipping muscle, the Starter Story Build bootcamp teaches how to build and ship an AI‑powered app in weeks, not months.

Max’s 6‑Step Playbook To Go From Idea To Launch

In the interview, Max summed up his entire system into a clear six‑step playbook. It is simple on purpose so he can follow it again and again.

Step 1: Find strong keywords in markets that pay

• Use tools like Astro to find keywords with:
  • Popularity at 20% or more
  • Difficulty around 60–70%
• Check top apps for that keyword.
• Confirm they make at least €100 to €200 per month.

If nobody is making money, he skips it. He only builds where there is already proof that people pay.

Step 2: Study competitors and define one core feature

• Install the top apps for the keyword.
• Look at reviews and usage.
• Pick one core feature that solves the main user problem.

His goal is not to clone everything. He wants a focused app that does one thing well.

Step 3: Plan fast with AI

• Ask AI (Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) to:
  • List all screens.
  • Define feature breakdowns.
  • Map user flows.

He looks at this map and decides:

• Which screens he needs to build from scratch.
• Which ones he can copy from earlier apps.

This planning phase might take an hour, but it saves days of indecision later.

Step 4: Build a lean MVP and ship fast

• Build only the features required to deliver clear value.
• Avoid side features and “nice to haves”.
• Make sure it feels stable and not buggy.

He is strict about not adding extra “killer” features before launch. The app must be useful, not overloaded.

Step 5: Release, watch the data, and move on

Once the app goes live:

• It usually gets a small App Store boost.
• After that, he watches whether:
  • The app slowly sinks.
  • It stabilizes at a steady level.
  • Or it keeps growing.

If it sinks, he accepts it and moves on. If it stabilizes or grows, it goes on his list to revisit.

Data, not emotion, decides what happens next.

Step 6: Return to winners and scale them

After a while, he comes back to apps that:

• Show solid organic installs.
• Hold users over time.
• Have good conversions to paid.

For those “floaters”, he:

• Polishes the UI.
• Fixes bugs.
• Improves onboarding and paywalls.
• Adds ads where it makes sense to increase revenue.

This is where most of the $10K/month comes from. The small group of winners gets real attention; the rest stay as cheap experiments.

If you like this type of repeatable system, you will probably enjoy this playbook for building profitable side‑hustle health apps, which follows a similar pattern of stacking small wins.

My Personal Experience With Shipping Lots Of Small Projects

I tried a “many small bets” approach long before I heard about Max, and his story lines up with what I felt on a smaller scale.

For years I treated each side project like a startup that had to change my life. I overbuilt, obsessed over tiny UX details, and refused to ship until everything felt perfect. Most of those projects never saw real users.

Things shifted when I gave myself a simple rule: ship in a week or drop it.

I started launching small tools: little scripts, landing pages, simple web apps. A few flopped quietly. One or two picked up steady traffic with almost no effort. That mix of “lots of tiny tries, a couple of quiet hits” felt far healthier than betting everything on one idea.

What stood out to me, and what I also see in Max’s system, is:

• The more I shipped, the easier shipping became.
• It was much simpler to improve something that already had users.
• Emotionally, it was lighter. If one project failed, there was always another coming.

If you are stuck on a big idea that will not move, try shrinking your next project until you can finish it in days. You might surprise yourself with how much more “startup energy” you get back once shipping becomes normal instead of rare.

Tech Stack And Super‑Lean Monthly Costs

Max keeps his tool stack simple and his expenses low. For a portfolio that makes around $10K per month, his monthly software costs are surprisingly small.

Core tools he uses

• Flutter for app development, so he can ship to iOS and Android with one codebase.
• Fastlane to automate building and submitting apps to the stores.
• Cursor as an AI‑powered coding editor, roughly $20/month.
• Firebase as his backend:
  • Authentication
  • Database
  • Website hosting
    He usually stays under the free tier, so it costs about $5–10/month.
• OpenAI for AI work like image recognition, roughly $200/month.
• Gemini for additional AI features, around $50/month.
• Mixpanel for analytics, currently on the free plan.
• Astro for iOS ASO research, about $10/month.
• FoxData for extra store analytics, on the free plan.

Here is a rough monthly breakdown:

Tool / Category	Approx. Monthly Cost
Cursor	$20
Fastlane	$0
OpenAI	$200
Gemini	$50
Firebase	$5–10
Astro	$10
Mixpanel, FoxData	$0
Total (rough)	$285–290

For about $300 in monthly tools, he runs a portfolio that makes around $10,000 per month. That is the kind of margin many startup founders dream about.

If you want to see how other indie founders use similar stacks to build big revenue, this blueprint for scaling an AI‑powered workout app is a good companion read.

Max’s Best Advice: Ship Without Fear

Max ended the conversation with one core piece of advice that applies to almost every builder:

“Don’t be afraid of shipping. Don’t waste your time on polishing it, thinking about adding one more killer feature that would definitely get you a ton of users. Get it ready bug‑free, just one single feature, ship it, and let users tell you what they think while you’re building another app.”

That mindset is the thread running through his entire story:

• Ship small.
• Ship fast.
• Let users, data, and revenue tell you what deserves more work.

You can follow what he is doing and see new projects as they ship by following Max on X.

Final Thoughts: Tiny Apps, Big Results

Max’s story is a clean example of what is possible when you treat app building like a repeatable system, not a one‑time bet.

You do not need a huge team, big funding, or a giant all‑in‑one product. You need:

• A way to find keywords with real demand and revenue
• A simple process to ship lean apps quickly
• The discipline to ignore ego and follow the data

If you are serious about building a profitable startup or side hustle, the real skill is not coming up with a perfect idea. The real skill is building a strong shipping habit, just like Max.

Thank you for reading. If this sparked ideas, pick one small, clear problem and ship something for it this week. Your future self, and maybe your future income, will be glad you did.