Niche calculator and ID app portfolio: $205/mo MRR claim

Partially verified

Week-8 public ledger shows $205 MRR with honest corrections; latest public ledger: $282.

Revenue proven: Partial Product live: Partial Repeatable solo: Yes

Last checked 2026-10-08 · Report a correction

The claim

"42 active subscriptions, 10 active trials, $205 MRR, $595 revenue in the last 28 days… Three people bought a year of Manual J at $39.99"

@vovalukashov · Posted 2026-09-18 · Original post

Headline figure: $205/mo MRR claim (@vovalukashov, founder post, Sep 18, 2026)

Week-8 ledger at the original post showed $205 MRR; week-10 update (2026-10-02) showed $282 MRR.

Founder-reported

Ship many single-purpose paid micro-tools (HVAC Manual J, roof pitch, tick ID) on iOS and web via subscription or annual plans.

Original post review (week 8 ledger)
42 subscriptions, $205 MRR, $595 revenue in the last 28 days (week-8 build-in-public ledger).

2026-10-08 · Source
Multi-currency total correction (week 8)
In the same week-8 thread the author admitted summing multi-currency totals incorrectly and recalculated the portfolio total from $822 down to $771.

2026-10-08 · Source
Ledger consistency (week 10)
2026-10-02: 54 subscriptions, $282 MRR, $756 in the last 28 days—trend consistent with week 8.

2026-10-08 · Source
Author credibility
@vovalukashov registered 2018-04, bio Sr SWE @manychathq, ~1,173 followers; no course or paid list funnel.

2026-10-08 · Source
Product live: App Store search
Manual J calculator search found apps from other developers only; did not locate the author’s developer page.

2026-10-08 · Source
TrustMRR listing
No TrustMRR listing found (author did not claim one).

2026-10-08 · Source

Small revenue

Startup cost (Low) Apple Developer Program $99/year plus build time.

Skills (Medium) iOS/web development and domain formulas (HVAC, etc.).

Acquisition App Store search · long-tail SEO

Payments Apple App Store. App Store payouts for iOS; web subscriptions need Stripe or a merchant of record outside supported regions.

Solo fit (Good fit) Small but real numbers; good low-risk test; pro calculators (HVAC, construction) can command higher prices.

How we scored (credibility 76, feasibility 75)

Revenue evidence 4/5

Author published weekly ledgers for 10 weeks with consistent numbers ($205→$282 MRR) and corrected a currency mistake; no API verification.
Product live 3/5

Apps named (Manual J, roof pitch, tick ID) but author’s App Store developer page not located.
Demand signal 3/5

Several Manual J HVAC calculators in the App Store.
Author credibility 4/5

Since 2018, senior engineer at ManyChat, build-in-public, no course funnel.
Replicability 4/5

Cheap to start ($99/yr dev account) but revenue ceiling is small.
Solo feasibility 5/5

App Store billing is self-serve globally; niche formula knowledge is the main extra skill.
Timing & competition 3/5

Many niches still open in pro calculators.

We built these. No one paid for placement.