Once
once.film
Private disposable-camera app for events where guests join by QR code and the shared album unlocks after the event.
$35K/mo
diff ~/p/brian-shin ~/p/karl-hughes
Brian Shin vs Karl Hughes
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Brian Shin vs Karl Hughes at a glance
Both Brian Shin and Karl Hughes are bootstrapped. They overlap in Acquirers & Indie Investors. Brian is based in New York, United States, Karl in Chicago, United States. Brian started in 2024 and Karl in 2020. Brian Shin has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Karl Hughes' 3. On revenue, Brian self-reports $35K/mo (as of 2026-05) and Karl $2.5M/yr (Draft.dev, 2022). On X, Brian has about 8.5K followers and Karl about 3.8K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Brian Shin: New York, United States
- Karl Hughes: Chicago, United States
- Started
- Brian Shin: 2024 (2 yrs indie)
- Karl Hughes: 2020 (6 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Brian Shin: $35K/moself-reported, as of 2026-05 · source for Brian Shin's revenue
- Karl Hughes: $2.5M/yr (Draft.dev, 2022)self-reported, as of 2022 · source for Karl Hughes's revenue
- Products listed
- Brian Shin: 2
- Karl Hughes: 3
- Product status
- Brian Shin: 2 active
- Karl Hughes: 3 active
- X followers
- Brian Shin: 8.5K
- Karl Hughes: 3.8K
- Categories
- Brian Shin: Mobile App MakersMac & Desktop App MakersAcquirers & Indie Investors
- Karl Hughes: Productized ServicesAcquirers & Indie InvestorsDeveloper Tools
- Style
- Brian Shin: bootstrappedbuilds in public
- Karl Hughes: bootstrappedserial maker
- Courses & resources
- Brian Shin: —
- Karl Hughes: 3
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Xnapper
xnapper.com
Mac app that turns plain screenshots into polished, shareable images; bought from Tony Dinh.
Draft.dev
draft.dev
Technical content agency that writes developer-focused articles for software and devtools companies.
$2.5M+ in 2022
The Podcast Consultant
thepodcastconsultant.com
Podcast editing and production service for financial and business podcasts, acquired in 2023.
Rise25
rise25.com
Done-for-you B2B podcast service that helps founders use podcasts for growth and networking.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
FigmaClaude CodeSupabaseVercel
No stack shared publicly.
How they build
- Validate demand with a scrappy version and real commitments before building the full product.
- Launch within a week, gather feedback, change one thing at a time and repeat.
- Talking to customers builds knowledge that competitors and AI cannot copy.
- Productized services can scale into substantial businesses without venture capital.
- Buying an existing service business gives you a running company on day one.
- Protect margins through disciplined service fulfillment.
- Build a business you can sustain to avoid founder burnout.
Learn from Brian and Karl
No courses, books or communities listed.
- [podcast] Retained Trust
- [newsletter] Karl Hughes newsletter
- [book] The Agency Valuation Handbook · Free
Brian Shin vs Karl Hughes FAQ
Who makes more money, Brian Shin or Karl Hughes?
Brian Shin self-reports $35K/mo (as of 2026-05) and Karl Hughes self-reports $2.5M/yr (Draft.dev, 2022). By these self-reported figures, Karl Hughes' reported monthly revenue is higher. Figures are unaudited and may cover different periods or businesses, so treat them as rough indicators.
Who has built more products, Brian Shin or Karl Hughes?
Brian Shin has 2 products listed (Once and Xnapper); Karl Hughes has 3 products listed (Draft.dev, The Podcast Consultant and Rise25).
What tech stack do Brian Shin and Karl Hughes use?
Brian Shin uses Figma, Claude Code, Supabase and Vercel. Karl Hughes hasn't shared a stack. They don't list any tools in common.
Where are Brian Shin and Karl Hughes based?
Brian Shin: New York, United States. Karl Hughes: Chicago, United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Brian Shin or Karl Hughes?
Brian Shin started in 2024 (2 years indie); Karl Hughes started in 2020 (6 years indie).
Are Brian Shin and Karl Hughes bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Brian Shin's profile and Karl Hughes's profile.
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