Ghost
ghost.org
Open source publishing platform for blogs, newsletters and paid memberships, with a managed Ghost(Pro) hosting service.
~$11.1M ARR
diff ~/p/john-onolan ~/p/luca-restagno
John O'Nolan vs Luca Restagno
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
John O'Nolan vs Luca Restagno at a glance
Both John O'Nolan and Luca Restagno are bootstrapped and build in public. They overlap in SaaS Founders and Creators & Writers. John O'Nolan has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Luca Restagno's 6. Luca has sold 3 products. On revenue, John self-reports Ghost: ~$11.1M ARR (as of 2026) and Luca $2.5K/mo (BlackTwist) (as of 2026). On X, John has about 40K followers and Luca about 43K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- John O'Nolan: —
- Luca Restagno: —
- Started
- John O'Nolan: 2012 (14 yrs indie)
- Luca Restagno: —
- Revenue (self-reported)
- John O'Nolan: Ghost: ~$11.1M ARRself-reported, as of 2026 · source for John O'Nolan's revenue
- Luca Restagno: $2.5K/mo (BlackTwist)self-reported, as of 2026 · source for Luca Restagno's revenue
- Products listed
- John O'Nolan: 2
- Luca Restagno: 6
- Product status
- John O'Nolan: 2 active
- Luca Restagno: 3 active · 3 acquired
- X followers
- John O'Nolan: 40K
- Luca Restagno: 43K
- Categories
- John O'Nolan: Open Source MakersSaaS FoundersCreators & Writers
- Luca Restagno: SaaS FoundersBoilerplate & Starter Kit MakersCreators & Writers
- Style
- John O'Nolan: bootstrappedbuilds in public
- Luca Restagno: solobootstrappedbuilds in publicexitedserial maker
- Courses & resources
- John O'Nolan: 1
- Luca Restagno: 2
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Alcove
alcove.news
A calm RSS reader built in public as a personal side project.
BlackTwist
blacktwist.app
Scheduling, analytics and growth tool for Threads.
$2.5K/mo
Micro-SaaS sold at around $3k MRR.
$3K/mo at sale
Micro-SaaS sold at around $1k MRR.
$1K/mo at sale
Micro-SaaS sold at around $1k MRR.
$1K/mo at sale
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
Node.jsJavaScriptEmber.js
Next.jsReactTypeScript
How they build
- Structure the company so it stays true to users rather than investors.
- Fund free open source software with a premium managed service.
- Be transparent, including publishing live financials.
- Independent creators should own their platform and audience.
- If no one pays for it, it is not a business yet.
- Build small, sell when it makes sense, repeat.
- Share the numbers to attract customers and peers.
Learn from John and Luca
- [newsletter] John O'Nolan's blog
- [newsletter] Solopreneur on the road to freedom · Free
- [template] Shipped.club · Paid
John O'Nolan vs Luca Restagno FAQ
Who makes more money, John O'Nolan or Luca Restagno?
John O'Nolan self-reports Ghost: ~$11.1M ARR (as of 2026) and Luca Restagno self-reports $2.5K/mo (BlackTwist) (as of 2026). By these self-reported figures, John O'Nolan'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, John O'Nolan or Luca Restagno?
John O'Nolan has 2 products listed (Ghost and Alcove); Luca Restagno has 6 products listed (including BlackTwist, Hivoe and Inboxs).
What tech stack do John O'Nolan and Luca Restagno use?
John O'Nolan uses Node.js, JavaScript and Ember.js. Luca Restagno uses Next.js, React and TypeScript. They don't list any tools in common.
Who has been an indie maker longer, John O'Nolan or Luca Restagno?
John O'Nolan started in 2012 (14 years indie); Luca Restagno's start year isn't listed.
Are John O'Nolan and Luca Restagno bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on John O'Nolan's profile and Luca Restagno's profile.
John O'Nolan vs Takuya Matsuyama
John O'Nolan vs Nevo David
Luca Restagno vs Jonathan Wilke
Luca Restagno vs Marc Lou
Luca Restagno vs Jack Friks
Luca Restagno vs Jason Leow