Watchdog
watchdog.chat
AI community moderation for Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp and more that blocks spam, scams and trolls.
$444/mo
diff ~/p/ben-katz ~/p/marc-kohlbrugge
Ben Katz vs Marc Köhlbrugge
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Ex-DoorDash staff engineer building Watchdog AI moderation and flightschools.fyi
@ben_makes_stuff United States
Serial maker behind BetaList, WIP and Startup Jobs, shipping online for 20+ years
@marckohlbrugge Portugal
Ben Katz vs Marc Köhlbrugge at a glance
Both Ben Katz and Marc Köhlbrugge are bootstrapped solo founders, build in public and are serial makers. They overlap in AI Builders, SaaS Founders, Directory Makers and Community Builders. Ben is based in New York, United States, Marc in Portugal. Ben Katz has 4 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Marc Köhlbrugge's 14. Marc has sold 3 products. Ben self-reports $444 MRR (as of 2025); Marc hasn't shared a revenue figure publicly. On X, Ben has about 829 followers and Marc about 89K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Ben Katz: New York, United States
- Marc Köhlbrugge: Portugal
- Started
- Ben Katz: —
- Marc Köhlbrugge: 2010 (16 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Ben Katz: $444 MRRself-reported, as of 2025 · source for Ben Katz's revenue
- Marc Köhlbrugge: Not public
- Products listed
- Ben Katz: 4
- Marc Köhlbrugge: 14
- Product status
- Ben Katz: 3 active · 1 shut down
- Marc Köhlbrugge: 11 active · 3 acquired
- X followers
- Ben Katz: 829
- Marc Köhlbrugge: 89K
- Categories
- Ben Katz: AI BuildersSaaS FoundersDirectory MakersCommunity Builders
- Marc Köhlbrugge: Directory MakersCommunity BuildersAI BuildersSaaS Founders
- Style
- Ben Katz: solobootstrappedbuilds in publicserial maker
- Marc Köhlbrugge: solobootstrappedbuilds in publicexitedserial maker
- Courses & resources
- Ben Katz: —
- Marc Köhlbrugge: 4
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
F
flightschools.fyi
flightschools.fyi
Free directory comparing US flight schools by price, fleet, instructors and quality score.
H
Hackayork
hackayork.com
Indie hacker meetup in New York City for building, demos and community.
Tool that helped websites stay off domain blacklists; shut down after a year.
BetaList
betalist.com
Startup discovery platform where early-stage startups get their first users and early adopters find new products.
WIP
wip.co
Social network and accountability community for makers who log daily progress and ship together.
Startup Jobs
startup.jobs
Job board for startup jobs.
Room AI
roomai.com
Generates interior design ideas for your rooms with AI.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
GoAstro
Ruby on RailsHotwireTailwind CSSPostgreSQLKamalDigitalOceanAmazon SES
How they build
- Bootstrap small, profitable software businesses.
- Shut down products that do not find customers and move on.
- Build alongside other makers in person.
- Ship often — many small launches teach you more than one big plan.
- Build in public and let a community keep you accountable.
- Great domain names are an underrated asset for small products.
- Keep a simple, boring default stack so you can focus on shipping.
- Help founders get their first users early, before launch day.
Learn from Ben and Marc
No courses, books or communities listed.
- [community] WIP
- [book] Domain Book
- [template] Tweet Photo got acquired
- [podcast] How BetaList is helping startups get their first users (Mixergy)
Ben Katz vs Marc Köhlbrugge FAQ
Who makes more money, Ben Katz or Marc Köhlbrugge?
Ben Katz self-reports $444 MRR (as of 2025). Marc Köhlbrugge's revenue is not public, so a direct comparison isn't possible.
Who has built more products, Ben Katz or Marc Köhlbrugge?
Ben Katz has 4 products listed (including Watchdog, flightschools.fyi and Hackayork); Marc Köhlbrugge has 14 products listed (including BetaList, WIP and Startup Jobs).
What tech stack do Ben Katz and Marc Köhlbrugge use?
Ben Katz uses Go and Astro. Marc Köhlbrugge uses Ruby on Rails, Hotwire, Tailwind CSS, PostgreSQL, Kamal and DigitalOcean. They don't list any tools in common.
Where are Ben Katz and Marc Köhlbrugge based?
Ben Katz: New York, United States. Marc Köhlbrugge: Portugal.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Ben Katz or Marc Köhlbrugge?
Ben Katz's start year isn't listed; Marc Köhlbrugge started in 2010 (16 years indie).
Are Ben Katz and Marc Köhlbrugge bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Ben Katz's profile and Marc Köhlbrugge's profile.
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