From Side Project to Style Leaderboard: Building AnimeMyPic One Feature at a Time

Hey Indie Hackers 👋

A few weeks ago, I launched AnimeMyPic — a tool that lets you turn real-life photos into anime-style or cartoon portraits using AI.
Think Studio Ghibli, Naruto, One Piece, or even retro cartoon vibes 🎨

It started as a fun project… now it’s slowly growing into a real product — and I’ve been learning a ton along the way.

🆕 What I’ve Added Recently:

• ❤️ Like your favorite styles

• 📊 See which styles are trending

• 📝 Leave reviews after using

• 🎨 New classic cartoon styles

• 📷 Improved UI + image preview flow

🏆 Coming Soon: Leaderboards!

I’m currently building:

• A Style Leaderboard — to show which styles are most used and loved

• A User Creations Leaderboard — to highlight the best/fan-favorite transformations (with permission)

The goal is to make it more interactive, visual, and community-driven.
Would you share your result to get featured?

📈 Where traffic is really coming from:

Despite posting on Instagram, Threads, and X, Indie Hackers and Product Hunt have brought the most engaged users so far — the ones who actually visit, explore, and give feedback.

🙏 Would love your advice on:

• What’s helped you convert curious users into paying ones?

• Would a free preview (with watermark) help or hurt in your opinion?

• What other features would you expect from a visual/creative tool like this?

Check it out if you're curious:
🌐 https://animemypic.com
🚀 Live on Product Hunt too: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/animemypic-2

Thanks as always for the support 💛