
The laziest way to get users ($10K/month app ideas)
By Starter Story Build
Building a product and expecting users to magically appear is a common misconception. The truth is, building is the easy part, but getting users and marketing your app is ten times harder. What if you could skip all that and go straight to making money?
In this article, we'll explore apps you can build that require no marketing budget, minimal validation, and have thousands of customers ready to pay you. The secret? Building on top of large platforms.
We'll dive into three real-world app ideas making over $20,000 a month, the platforms they were built on, and how you can potentially do the same.
Build Your Own $10K/Month App with AI
If you’re ready to build your own app, check out Starter Story Build, a program designed to help you come up with an idea and build it in just 12 days using AI coding tools.
You can also access the 100K Plugins Database for more app ideas built on popular platforms.
1. Data Fetcher: Airtable Plugin Making $23K/Month
Overview
- Monthly revenue: $23,000
- Startup cost: $100
- Founder: One solopreneur, zero employees
- Annual revenue: $270,000
Data Fetcher is an Airtable plugin that allows users to connect any API to Airtable without code. If you’re familiar with Airtable (a powerful spreadsheet/database hybrid), you know that connecting it to other platforms like OpenAI or Notion can be tricky. Data Fetcher simplifies this by enabling direct API connections inside Airtable.
Why It Works
- Built on Airtable: A platform used by over 450,000 companies worldwide with 166,000 paying customers and 300,000 active users (as of 2025).
- Marketplace exposure: Data Fetcher is listed in the Airtable marketplace, where thousands of users search for API connection tools.
- Zero marketing spend: The app gains customers organically through the Airtable app store.
Important Considerations
- Timing was crucial. Data Fetcher launched when Airtable just opened its app marketplace to third-party developers, making it easier to stand out.
- Today, the marketplace is more crowded, so success depends on finding new or recently opened platforms.
- Some platforms to watch:
- GoHighLevel (marketplace launched ~2023)
- Monday.com (marketplace launched 2020)
- Framer (marketplace launched 2024)
Learn More
We interviewed Andy, the founder of Data Fetcher, on the Starter Story main channel. Check out that video to hear his story and insights.
2. Superlemon: WhatsApp Plugin for Shopify Making $29K/Month
Overview
- Monthly revenue: $29,000
- Startup cost: $0
- Build time: 30 days
Superlemon developed a WhatsApp plugin for Shopify stores that helps increase engagement and improve conversions via WhatsApp messaging.
Why It Works
- Built on two massive platforms:
- Shopify: Over 4.82 million active stores worldwide (2025)
- WhatsApp: Nearly 3 billion monthly active users (2025)
- The crossover of users between these platforms creates a large potential customer base needing integration tools.
Challenges & Risks
- The Superlemon app was removed from the Shopify app store due to changes after the founders sold the business.
- This highlights the platform risk: platforms can remove your app overnight or build your features natively, making your app obsolete.
The Pivot: Delight Chat
- The original founders sold Superlemon and later built Delight Chat, a similar app still active on the Shopify app store.
- Delight Chat currently makes around $30,000 MRR and has hundreds of five-star reviews.
- Reviews are critical on marketplaces like Shopify because:
- They build customer trust.
- Shopify’s app store algorithm favors apps with better ratings.
Key Takeaway
- Focus on building a great product with excellent reviews to succeed on platform marketplaces.
- Competition exists, but with strong reviews and customer satisfaction, you can still thrive.
3. Groundhog: WordPress CRM Making $25K/Month
Overview
- Monthly revenue: $25,000
- Annual recurring revenue: $300,000
- Founder: 21-year-old solopreneur
- Product: Affordable, self-hosted CRM plugin for WordPress
Groundhog is a CRM plugin for WordPress users that aims to alleviate the financial burden and data dependency of traditional SaaS CRM and marketing automation tools.
Why It Works
- Built on WordPress: Powers 43-44% of all websites globally, approximately 472 million websites (2025).
- Pricing model: Flat $50/month regardless of the number of contacts, avoiding the "success tax" where CRM prices increase as businesses grow.
- User-friendly branding: The website uses friendly, cartoonish design to appeal to users tired of complex CRM tools.
Growth Strategy
- WordPress does not have a traditional app store with strong app store optimization (ASO).
- Growth came from:
- Podcasts related to WordPress development.
- Industry Facebook groups, forums, WhatsApp groups, Twitter, Reddit - niche communities where WordPress users gather.
- These channels helped Groundhog gain early traction and customers.
Additional Resources
- Explore more app ideas built on platforms like Microsoft Excel, OpenAI, and others in the 100K Plugins Database.
- Ready to build your own app? Join the Starter Story Build AI App Bootcamp to learn how to create and launch an app in 12 days using AI tools.
Final Thoughts
Building on large platforms gives you access to millions of potential customers without heavy marketing spend. However, be mindful of platform risks like app removal or feature duplication.
If you want to see more real business case studies and learn how to build your own, follow Starter Story on:
- 𝕏: https://x.com/starter_story
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starter_story/
- Subscribe: @StarterStoryBuild
- Main Channel: @starterstory
Let us know what types of businesses you want covered next in the comments!
Video Source: The laziest way to get users ($10K/month app ideas) - Starter Story Build
Video Description Links:
- Build your own $10K/month app with AI → https://build.starterstory.com/build/ai-build-accelerator?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=SSBzeromarketing
- Access the database → https://www.starterstory.com/100k-plugins?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=SSBzeromarketing
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