Alpicode

growing my Crossfit/Hyrox/fitness App to 1k ARR

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@adbidaguy I didn't understand your question.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

Build in public – Day 15

243 users (↑6)
8 trial users (↑1 ↓1)
4 paying users $107 ARR (↑$19) : I don't the person just forgot about his trial because he hasn't open the app for 12 days. So it doesn't really count

Yesterday, I did a quick competitor analysis of the apps in my niche, and honestly, it’s a bit scary. Since AI blew up, there are so many new apps popping up every day.

You can easily spot them because they all use the exact same style of icon, but in the end, it really comes down to whoever builds the biggest community.

I tested a few, and some actually have really interesting features. It’s tempting to rebuild those parts in my own app, but I know that's a trap.

The goal is to get inspired without copying, so you can still stand out.

Standing out is tough, though. Having solid reviews and an optimized title is huge, but getting people to actually leave a review is another story.

What’s your strategy to get users to rate your app?

Right now, I trigger the review prompt right after someone finishes a workout or syncs their watch data, but it’s not working. People just close the dialog.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@KomoriGenjiro it's a web app? I don't know, that's the hard part. X maybe if you target the right audience

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@KomoriGenjiro nice I will follow your progress and learning. What's your status currently?

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@KomoriGenjiro good luck with your saas, when you say day1, you mean you will start building it, or first day out?

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@federicomolinac no my phrasing is wrong. the try out for free is an option inside the paywall.

but the issue is having a lot of locked feature even if you clicked on try out for free.

but my goal is to push people to signup for the trial.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

Build in public – Day 14

237 users (↑10)
8 trial users (↑1)
3 paying users $88 ARR (=)

Yesterday, I ran an experiment with my wife that I should have done much earlier. I gave her the app and asked her to walk through the onboarding. Watching over her shoulder, I noticed three major blockers:

- Logging a custom workout is a lot more complex than I thought, even though it's the core action you're prompted to do.

- Logging a 1RM requires 3 to 5 clicks.

- After finishing onboarding, tapping "Try the app for free" leads right into a screen full of premium paywalls and lock icons. Not great UX.

I checked PostHog to see if the analytics matched her experience, and the numbers confirmed it:

- 45% of users churn within 1 minute, unable to complete that first action.

- 50% of the remaining users who try harder drop off when they can't log a personal record.

- 20% of the rest leave right after viewing the profile tab and seeing all the locked features.

In the end, only 1 out of 6 users ever opens the app a second time. 😵‍💫

I reworked the onboarding flow overnight—let's see if user retention improves over the coming days.

Testing your app through fresh eyes from time to time is an eye-opening exercise.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

What I find very frustrating when developing mobile apps is the App Store review time.

Coming from the web, I'm used to almost immediate releases.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@abdul_shajeed_ that's what I'm already doing, thanks. I will see if this convert better

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@abdul_shajeed_ yes but I also want the user to sign up for a trial to test the application, so I don't know how to find a middle ground. for now users can unlock a premium feature 3 times as a free user

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@aksenHQ not during the onboarding but when navigating in the app. the first action is to log a workout but you can only choose in a predefined list and creating your own workout is kind of hidden

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@abdul_shajeed_ no it's not what I mean. you have the paywall with a try for free button and then you have many section behind a locker only accessible for premium members but it feels like you have to take the membership which is what I want but I need to do it a bit later

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@_Nanyant_ I did a test first with my wife and then I realized I have all the data in posthog.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@Phinneas_me That's a very good advice. I haven't think of it. Thanks

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@Mr_Indie_Hacker yes you are right, but my first focus is to ease the first workout log. I'll improve the main workflow later.

That's 65%-70% user drop after 1min is scary

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@sniffingtonHQ finding those people is not that easy. you need to read a lot of posts comments

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

Building YOUR app is so fun—a lot more than working for a client.

But it's a lot more exhausting, even more so when you have a day job and children. You only have time during the evening and at night.

My goal is not to become a millionaire; it's only to see people using it and enjoying using it.

I have so much to learn about how to market the app and what features to build, but more importantly, how to get user feedback. B2C is hard.

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

One thing I'm doing is testing if the logo can attract people better on the store.

I redesigned my boring logo to use my app's mascot. The new logo is a lot more fun and engaging.

Let's see if the store page converts better.

WDYT?

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@Pushpit07 I implemented it already but not in prod yet. apple is so slow for reviewing app

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

Build in public – Day 13

227 users (↑7)
7 trial users (=)
3 paying users $88 ARR (=)

My goal is to understand and lead people to sign up for the trial.

My application is freemium; you have a limited number of premium actions before being blocked. So you can use the app for 1 or 2 days, and then you need to move to the trial.

My trial is currently a 14-day trial, and you need to enter your credit card.

At the start, free members couldn't do anything, but it was worse. People were just quitting the app immediately. Now I have a small percentage of people signing up for the trial, but it's still 1 out of 10 to 15 signups.

But the hardest part is not knowing why they downloaded the app and quit immediately 🤔

[Alpicode @Alpicode]

@aksenHQ I don't know. my sample is very low but I think if user use all your free credit, it means the app is interesting to them and they will use the trial. but that's only my thinking