A Tiny Side Project That Just Crossed 100 Users — And Somehow Feels Even More Real Now
A couple of days ago I shared the early story of building a simple screen recorder Chrome extension… and how it unexpectedly grew from 19 to 59 users.
Since then, I’ve just kept doing what I always do:
Fix one tiny thing.
Polish a weird corner.
Clean up an animation no one else will ever notice.
Basically, the usual:
“just one more tweak before bed.”
I wasn’t expecting anything new.
But today I opened my dashboard and saw:
109 users.
Still small.
Still humble.
But… it hit differently.
✧ The Quiet Momentum of Small Numbers
There’s something special about crossing 100.
It’s not a big milestone in startup land — but as a solo dev, it’s the moment where things switch from:
“A few people randomly found it”
to
“There is actually a tiny little community forming here.”
And it’s happening without marketing.
Without launch campaigns.
Without pushing it anywhere except sharing the journey here on IH.
Just slow, quiet, organic growth.
𖡼 The Unexpected Part
What surprised me most this week wasn’t the number — it was how users behave.
I noticed something strange:
People who install it… actually use it.
Like, consistently.
They record tutorials, demos, bug reports, lessons — and I see the pattern:
If someone uses it once, they come back again.
For a tiny utility with zero friction, that feels like its own kind of validation.
If you’re curious, you can take a peek here ➙
𖣠 The Stuff I’ve Been Fixing in the Background
Since my last post, I focused on the things that look invisible but feel important:
- timing tweaks so the recorder feels smooth
- removing “techie” edges in the UI
- making the popup feel calmer and less interruptive
- cleaning up camera layouts
- fixing the small annoyances I’d personally hate
None of these make for big shiny announcements…
but they make the tool feel more honest.
The kind of thing you can use 20 times a week without thinking.
𖡎 What I’m Trying to Learn at This Stage
The big question on my mind now:
How do small, simple tools find their real audience?
I’m noticing little patterns:
- users tend to come from unexpected places
- the small details matter more than the big features
- people prefer “no account” more strongly than I expected
- growth comes from trust, not from promotion
I’m still figuring it out — but it’s fascinating to watch it unfold slowly.
✯ If You’re Building Something Small Right Now…
Don’t underestimate tiny progress.
Don’t underestimate the first 10 users.
And don’t underestimate the quiet growth that happens when you focus on quality instead of noise.
Your little project might be more alive than you realize.
100 users who actually come back is one of the most underrated milestones. It’s the moment you stop guessing and start seeing real behaviour.
Love how you’re leaning into polish and trust instead of hype — this is exactly how tiny tools turn into real products. Congrats!
Thanks! 😁 For me, it’s been all about small polish and trust rather than hype. Seeing people come back proves those tiny tweaks actually matter.
Congratulations! I have built a Chrome extension for cross-site try-on, but... We used Google Ads (Cross-Network) to acquire users. The money is gone—we only got 29 installs, 3 users, and 2 uninstalls. I hope one day we can be like you. Good luck!
Maybe Try On Outfits is not the right direction.
Thanks! 😊 And seriously, don’t stress it — growing an extension is hard, and paid ads almost never pay off early on. If anything, you just saved yourself from sinking way more money into the wrong direction.
I’d totally switch to small, organic experiments for now. Share demos, talk to people, tweak, try again.
Keep going — you’re building stuff, and that’s what actually moves things forward. 💪
Congrats on 100 users. What would you say has been most beneficial in unlocking the network effects?
Thanks! 🙌 I didn’t use any marketing strategies or growth hacks. First, I focused on making the extension stable, polishing the UX, and making it visually appealing — small touches that make it pleasant to use. I also spent some time polishing promo images for the Chrome Web Store so it would feel trustworthy and professional.
When it came to sharing it, I personally don’t like posts that feel like a sales pitch or aggressive marketing, so I kept it simple: I shared it on Reddit and Indie Hackers — just enough for a few people to discover it. That small step, combined with a polished product, seems to have triggered the early network effects. At least, I think so 😁
The point about "no account" preference really stood out. I've noticed the same building tools for accountants - the less friction you add, the more people actually trust you. Every signup form is a question you're asking someone to answer before they know if you're worth their time.
100 users who actually come back is worth more than 1000 signups who never use it twice. The retention pattern you're seeing is the real signal here.
The “no account” thing surprised me too — it wasn’t even a strategic decision at first, just me avoiding building auth 😅
But it ended up becoming one of the strongest trust signals.
People want to try the tool right now without committing or wondering how their data will be used. And once they see it works, the relationship becomes way more real than a forced signup ever would.
And yeah — I’d pick 100 returning users over 1,000 empty signups any day. Retention feels like the only metric that actually tells the truth.
Congrats! 🎉 As another solo dev, I really resonate with this. That moment when numbers switch from “random people” to “a tiny community forming” really hits differently. Loving the journey you’re sharing!
Ahh yes, exactly! 🙌 That shift is so real — suddenly it feels like there are actual humans on the other side. Thanks a lot for the kind words!
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wow! this is inspiring! I am at the very beginning of my journey and I am so happy for your progress. The "people who install it actually use it" realization is underrated. Retention > vanity metrics every time.
I just launched something similar in spirit — a tool that takes your GTM strategy and feeds you one task at a time so you stop stalling and start executing. Zero friction, no account required to try it.
Curious: how are you thinking about monetization for a utility that simple? Or is it too early to even worry about that?
Congrats on 100. The first 100 who actually use it beats 10,000 who don't.
Thanks! 😊 Right now I’m focused on keeping it simple and genuinely useful — seeing people actually use it is the best reward. Monetization can wait for niw. I want to see how people really interact with it first. Later on, small optional premium features for power users could make sense.
Keep building and experimenting, every little step counts, and the progress adds up faster than you think! 💪