I built a bookmark manager app solo, shipped in 2 weeks, got paying users in week one with zero marketing budget
Six months ago I had a simple problem.
I was saving links everywhere — Instagram, YouTube,
WhatsApp, browser bookmarks. Finding any of them
later was impossible. Twenty minutes of scrolling
across four apps just to find one link I saved
last month.
I asked people around me if they felt the same.
Every single person said yes immediately.
So I built Stashly.
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THE PRODUCT
Save any link from any app in 2 taps via
native share sheet. Tag it, collect it,
find it in 2 seconds using plain English search.
Works with Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn,
Reddit, Threads and anywhere with a share button.
Import existing saves from Pocket, browser
bookmarks, CSV, YouTube Watch Later, Reddit
and now Instagram saved collections.
---
THE JOURNEY
10 weeks to build solo
React Native + Expo + Supabase + Next.js
Shipped on App Store and Play Store simultaneously
Zero co-founder, zero funding, zero marketing budget
Week 1 after launch — first paying users
Week 3 — user asked about importing 300+
Instagram saved reels
Week 4 — shipped Instagram import in 7 days
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THE NUMBERS SO FAR
47 downloads
13 Play Store reviews
3 App Store reviews
2 paying users
7.6% conversion rate on free to paid
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THE HONEST PART
I had one month of runway when I launched.
Still do. This is real pressure building.
But a 7.6% conversion rate on a brand new
app with almost no marketing tells me the
problem is real and the product works.
Now the only job is distribution.
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WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR
Honest feedback from people who have
been here before.
What moved the needle for you in the
first 500 downloads?
What would you do differently with
one month of runway?
App Store → https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stashly-save-search-share/id6771729320
Play Store → https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pro.stashly.mobile
Website → stashly.pro
Happy to answer everything openly.
This community deserves honesty not a pitch.
Congrats on getting paying users so quickly. I like how specific the original problem was: links saved across Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and browser bookmarks is very relatable.
Curious how you found your first paying users in week one. Was it mainly people from your existing network, posting in communities, or reaching out to users who already had the problem?
The 7.6% conversion is the important part here.
With one month of runway, I would not treat this like a generic “get more downloads” problem. The risk is spending the month chasing broad productivity users when the first paid segment is probably much narrower.
The question is: who feels link chaos badly enough to pay now?
Could be creators saving content ideas, students saving research, job seekers saving applications, founders saving market examples, or people with huge Instagram/TikTok save folders. But you need one wedge first, not five channels at once.
Small hint: I’d build the next 30 days around one painful use case, one acquisition room, and one paid conversion loop.
Drop your email and I’ll send over a tighter first-500-downloads path.
Thanks for the advice, I'm still figuring out how I can reach to my first 500 app download, It would be really helpful, my email address is nitin.madelyn @ gmail com
Sent it over, Nitin.
Kept it focused on avoiding the wrong 30-day download push before your runway is gone.