I’m Cloning a $600K/month Affirmations App

Very surprising numbers from those apps, to be honest. I am trying the same 'core codebase' strategy at the moment but on a very niche area.

I agree when it comes to building space where the idea is already validated.

very intresting

I don’t use such app, but surprised with the numbers. Great post!

This is quite a fascinating viewpoint. ~

It makes a lot of sense to treat the app as a “content container” and use the same core for various niches.

I have experimented with comparable concepts. The difficult part isn’t the code, it is understanding the structure behind what’s already happening. It's only obvious in hindsight, once you see the pattern.

It’s neat that you’re open-sourcing parts of it. Witnessing it in action adds a layer of concreteness that a mere discussion lacks. I'm intrigued to see how the first version turn out.

I tried something of a similar concept few years ago but not as an app....just as newsletter where they got plain affirmations via email. Got a good number of signups so the interest is there. Not sure how will work with an app but keep going, could be good.

I find the idea of an app-cloning repository really interesting. One thought I had is that the repository could also let you clone an app using AI and then customize it.

For example, I use an app from the Play Store or App Store, but I want to add a specific feature. Through this system, I could make the app more “mine” by adding things the original doesn’t have.

I’m not sure if something like this already exists or if someone has mentioned it before, but it feels like an interesting possibility.

Hi.

What platform you use for clonig apps successfully?

Loving this idea! A directory of validated apps with real MRR and strategy is insanely useful for founders looking to validate before building.

The insight about one codebase testing three different apps is the real gem here. Affirmations, motivational quotes, and bible verses are basically the same UX pattern — daily content delivery + push notifications + paywall. The differentiation is purely in positioning and content.

Curious about your monetization angle though. The $600K/month apps are making that money through subscriptions, which means retention is the game. Cloning the code is the easy part — do you have a plan for the content pipeline? That's usually where clones fall apart. The originals have years of curated content and user engagement data.

Also, open-sourcing the habit tracker was a smart distribution play for Clone The App itself. Giving away one app to drive traffic to the directory is basically the freemium model applied to a content business.

that's a great idea and i really like that you are building open source apps to help makers ship faster.

This is such an interesting angle- not just cloning apps, but cloning validated business models.

What stands out is the pattern recognition. It’s not about copying features. It’s about identifying a repeatable revenue structure and testing different positioning layers on top of the same core engine.

The affirmation-style example is a great case study in how distribution + positioning > pure product novelty.

I am building a startup around a similar belief: before building from scratch, validate what already works structurally. There’s huge leverage in studying proven systems instead of chasing originality for its own sake.

Curious to know how you differentiate beyond content: retention mechanics, monetization model, or distribution strategy might be where the real edge shows up?

cloning the code is easy. cloning distribution + habit loops is the real work.
these apps win on daily emotional triggers, not features ... content + framing is the product.

This is a great reminder that customer discovery is a sales channel. In 2026, where we’re flooded with automated outreach and AI-generated pitches, a 1-on-1 human conversation has massive scarcity value. It’s not just about the 'feedback'; it’s about the Trust Transfer. When a founder listens to a pain point in real-time and explains how their tool solves it, the friction of the 'first sale' almost vanishes. How many of these 'discovery' calls did you have to go through before you found the pattern that led to that $50K/mo scale?

很好

AI is giving superpowers to anyone today.

The cost of building software is collapsing.
So naturally, we’ll see an explosion of new apps.

But here’s the catch:

Usage won’t grow at the same speed.
Customer demand won’t multiply just because supply does.

We’re not increasing human problems.
We’re just increasing solutions.

Infinite supply.
Finite attention.
Finite budgets.

That’s the wall we’re heading toward.

If AI makes cloning 'insanely easy' for you, it does the same for everyone else. The barrier to entry has effectively evaporated.

The reason apps like I Am or Motivation make $700k/mo isn't the code (which is just text on a screen); it's the years of brand compounding and massive ad spend.

You're cloning the commodity (the app), not the asset (the distribution). What’s the plan when 500 other devs launch the exact same AI-generated clone next month?

This is brilliant. The insight that I Am, Motivation, and Bible Widgets are basically the same app with different content is gold. One codebase, three market tests—that's exactly the kind of leverage AI enables. I'm curious about your monetization approach. Are you planning to clone their pricing model too (likely freemium + subscription), or test something different? With apps like these, the content matters, but the onboarding and habit loop is what actually drives retention. Also, have you thought about the moat here? Since these apps are easy to clone, what stops someone from cloning your clone? Is it SEO, app store optimization, or just speed to market? Would love to follow the build-in-public journey. Good luck!

I believe building in a space with a proven and validated idea provides clarity, minimizes uncertainty, and allows entrepreneurs to focus more on execution and scaling strategies.

This is a really smart angle. What you’re describing feels less like “cloning” and more like building a reusable distribution-ready template for a category.

The part about one core codebase powering multiple variations is especially interesting — it turns experimentation into a much lower-risk game.

Curious: how are you thinking about validating each variation early? Are you planning to test positioning with landing pages or small paid experiments before fully building out each app?

Smart approach — cloning a proven model removes the biggest risk (market validation). Curious about your distribution strategy though. The app store is brutal for discovery. Have you thought about building an audience first, then launching? Seen a few indie hackers do it the other way around and struggle with downloads.

The core insight here is gold — same engine, different content, totally different revenue outcomes. Excited to see how you decide which audience to double down on first.

Building a 'core codebase' to test 3 different niches is a brilliant move. Most people spend months rebuilding from scratch instead of just pivoting the content.

I'm currently building a video-first hiring app (Bossr), and I've been thinking about a similar approach how the same 'swiping' logic can be applied to different networking niches.

How are you planning to handle the content for the Bible/Motivation versions? Are you using AI to generate the quotes or sourcing them manually?

This is extremly good. By copying something that is already working

All matters on perspective 😉

The one-codebase-three-apps insight is really underrated. We see a similar pattern in B2B SaaS — the same core infrastructure gets repackaged for different verticals with minimal code changes. The real moat isn't the code, it's understanding which content resonates with each audience. Curious if you're planning to A/B test positioning across niches before committing to one.

Sounds very interesting.

Affirmation apps are fascinating because the “value” isn’t measurable in the usual way.
Users aren’t solving a concrete problem — they’re buying a feeling or a daily ritual.
I’m curious how you’re thinking about onboarding and habit formation in the first 3–7 days, since that seems critical for this category.

How do you monitor uptime

Give a try to my Reddit Extension. It's a Chrome extension called Pulse of Reddit that basically acts like my own alert system for Reddit.

Anytime someone posts something with keywords I care about like 'looking for a designer' or 'best SEO tool' it pings me right away. It’s saved me so much time and helped me hop into threads while they’re still fresh.

If you’re tired of manual digging and want to catch those conversations early, I’d really recommend giving it a look.

It’s free to start and super simple to set up.

Website:

pulseofreddit.com

Nice! Curious how you plan to differentiate from the originals once the core codebase is cloned — retention & content usually make or break these apps.

Btw — if anyone here leads a small team and hates status meetings, check out Owlyn: async visibility into what’s shipping, what’s blocked, and what needs attention → https://www.owlyn.xyz/