Paperform
paperform.co
Online form builder for forms, payments, bookings, surveys and e-signatures with a doc-style editor.
$3.5M ARR
diff ~/p/dean-mcpherson ~/p/shri-vatz
Dean McPherson vs Shri Vatz
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Co-founder of Paperform and Stepper, a bootstrapped form and automation company
@dean_mcpherson Australia
Dean McPherson vs Shri Vatz at a glance
Both Dean McPherson and Shri Vatz are bootstrapped. They overlap in SaaS Founders and Productivity Tools. Dean is based in Sydney, Australia, Shri in Chennai, India. Dean started in 2016 and Shri in 2023. Dean McPherson has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Shri Vatz's 3. Shri has sold 2 products. On revenue, Dean self-reports $3.5M ARR (as of 2023) and Shri $5K MRR (as of 2026-10). On X, Dean has about 2.4K followers and Shri about 2.8K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Dean McPherson: Sydney, Australia
- Shri Vatz: Chennai, India
- Started
- Dean McPherson: 2016 (10 yrs indie)
- Shri Vatz: 2023 (3 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Dean McPherson: $3.5M ARRself-reported, as of 2023 · source for Dean McPherson's revenue
- Shri Vatz: $5K MRRself-reported, as of 2026-10 · source for Shri Vatz's revenue
- Products listed
- Dean McPherson: 2
- Shri Vatz: 3
- Product status
- Dean McPherson: 2 active
- Shri Vatz: 1 active · 2 acquired
- X followers
- Dean McPherson: 2.4K
- Shri Vatz: 2.8K
- Categories
- Dean McPherson: SaaS FoundersNo-Code MakersProductivity Tools
- Shri Vatz: SaaS FoundersProductivity ToolsBrowser Extension Makers
- Style
- Dean McPherson: duobootstrapped
- Shri Vatz: solobootstrappedbuilds in publicexited
- Courses & resources
- Dean McPherson: 2
- Shri Vatz: —
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
S
Stepper
stepper.io
AI-native workflow automation builder where you describe a workflow in plain language and it builds the steps.
Guidejar
guidejar.com
Create step-by-step guides, SOPs, interactive walkthroughs and product demos from a single recording.
$5K MRRTrustMRR ↗
Targeted cold outreach on Twitter to find new customers.
ChatGPT-powered support chatbot trained on your website.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
No stack shared publicly.
No stack shared publicly.
How they build
- Bootstrap and grow from customer revenue rather than investors.
- Use a lifetime deal to get early customers and feedback.
- Build the business around your family and life, not the other way round.
- Build in public and let customers follow the journey
- Small products can be sold; small exits fund the next bet
- Turn every repeated 'how do I do this?' into a reusable guide
Learn from Dean and Shri
- [newsletter] Dean McPherson on Substack
- [podcast] SaaS Club: How a developer bootstrapped Paperform
No courses, books or communities listed.
Dean McPherson vs Shri Vatz FAQ
Who makes more money, Dean McPherson or Shri Vatz?
Dean McPherson self-reports $3.5M ARR (as of 2023) and Shri Vatz self-reports $5K MRR (as of 2026-10). By these self-reported figures, Dean McPherson's 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, Dean McPherson or Shri Vatz?
Dean McPherson has 2 products listed (Paperform and Stepper); Shri Vatz has 3 products listed (Guidejar, Cold DM and Support Guy).
Where are Dean McPherson and Shri Vatz based?
Dean McPherson: Sydney, Australia. Shri Vatz: Chennai, India.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Dean McPherson or Shri Vatz?
Dean McPherson started in 2016 (10 years indie); Shri Vatz started in 2023 (3 years indie).
Are Dean McPherson and Shri Vatz bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Dean McPherson's profile and Shri Vatz's profile.
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