97 Upvotes, 45 Downloads, 1 Paid User: 3 weeks after launching a native Mac app
I’m 3 weeks out from launching mirowl.com (native Mac asset manager) on Product Hunt. Here is the raw breakdown of what happened once the "launch day" noise died down.
The Stats:
PH Rank: #18 (Tuesday launch)
Upvotes: 97
Total Downloads: 45
Paid Users: 1 "in the wild" (+1 pre-launch)
Cross-platform requests: 7 for Windows, 3 for Linux
Lesson 1: Upvotes are a vanity metric.
A Top 20 finish feels good for the ego, but 45 downloads from 97 upvotes shows the "friction gap." For a local-first tool that requires a download and Mac permissions, the drop-off is steep. However, 1 paid user from 45 downloads is a signal that the core value (intelligent visual memory) is hitting the mark for the right person.
Lesson 2: The cross-platform pull.
I built this natively for Mac (Rust/Tauri) because I value performance and local-first privacy. I didn't expect 10 requests for Windows/Linux this early. It’s a classic solo founder dilemma: do I go deep on the Mac experience or wide on platforms?
The v1.2 Roadmap Question:
I’m currently debating a "Privacy Masking" feature - the ability to manually blur or black out sensitive data on an image before sharing it.
My "Frictionless" philosophy says stay minimal and avoid adding a complex editor. My "Technical Authority" side says that if a user has to leave the app to hide PII (Personally Identifiable Information), the tool has failed them on privacy.
I'd love some perspective from other builders:
For a utility tool, is manual privacy masking a "power user" feature or a day-one necessity?
If you were seeing a 2% conversion rate from download to paid, would you focus on adding features to retain those users, or porting to Windows to increase the top of the funnel?
I'll be in the comments.
2% is brutal but the real leak is download friction not features. a web version would probably 3x your funnel. skip the privacy mask, ship windows - those 10 requests are your actual signal
A web version would definitely solve the top-of-funnel leak, but it breaks the core promise of Mirowl: 100% local-first privacy. If I move the visual memory to a browser/cloud, I'm just another SaaS tool competing on price.
I’d rather keep the friction high at the download stage to protect the technical moat. But you’re right about the signal - if the download is the hurdle, the 'value' on the landing page has to be 10x higher to justify it. Appreciate the push on the Windows port, it's definitely the loudest signal right now.
This is a really clear-eyed breakdown, the friction gap point especially. 97 to 45 is actually a reasonable conversion for something that requires a download and Mac permissions, people don't realize how much that step alone filters out anyone who wasn't already fairly serious.
On the privacy masking question, I'd lean toward day one necessity over power user feature, but only because of how you framed it yourself. If someone has to leave your app to protect their own data, that's not really a usability gap, it's a trust gap. For a tool that's positioning itself on local first privacy, shipping without that feels like it undercuts your own pitch. Power user features are things that make the tool better for people who already trust it. This sounds more like a baseline expectation for the category you're in.
On Windows versus retention, I'd actually go the other way from what most people will probably tell you. Porting to Windows multiplies your top of funnel, but you still only have 1 paid user out of 45 downloads on the platform you've already built for. Until you understand why that number isn't higher (pricing, onboarding, the gap between "downloaded" and "saw the value"), more top of funnel just means more people falling into the same hole.
I'd want at least a few user interviews with people who downloaded but didn't pay before deciding platform expansion is the lever to pull.
Following along, curious what you land on.
You’re exactly right about the 'trust gap.' If my pitch is privacy, but I force a user to export a sensitive screenshot to another app just to blur a password, I’ve broken the 'Frictionless' promise. Privacy masking is a baseline expectation for this niche.
Also, the 'leaky bucket' point on Windows is my biggest fear. Multiplying the top of the funnel by 10x won't matter if I haven't narrowed the gap between 'downloaded' and 'saw the value' on Mac. I'm going to take your advice and focus on a few user interviews to find that 'Aha!' moment before I touch the Windows codebase.
What stood out to me is that the post seems to contain several different lessons that could all end up competing for influence.
The paid user.
The download friction.
The cross-platform requests.
The privacy feature debate.
Each one feels capable of justifying a different next move.
That's usually where things get interesting.
It really is a crossroads. My tie-breaker for these competing signals is my core philosophy: Frictionless.
Windows port: Reduces friction for discovery, but increases friction for me (maintenance/dev time).
Privacy Masking: Reduces friction for the user's workflow.
I’ve decided to follow the user workflow signal first. I’d rather have 45 users who find the tool indispensable because it handles the 'full loop' (Capture -> Mask -> Find) than 1,000 users who find it half-baked. That’s where the 'interesting' path usually leads.
That's the part I'd be most curious about.
A principle makes a great tie-breaker right up until two competing options can both claim to serve it.
From the outside, I can't immediately tell whether "frictionless" is helping you choose between the signals or helping them all sound aligned.
I've got a few thoughts on that, but it's probably more than I'd try to unpack properly in a thread.
What's the best email to reach you on?
I’d treat privacy masking as part of activation, not just a feature. If local-first privacy is the promise, the key metric is probably not downloads to paid yet, it is how many people reach the first “I can safely use this in my real workflow” moment before you widen to Windows.