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/takuya-matsuyama
John O'Nolan vs Takuya Matsuyama
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
John O'Nolan vs Takuya Matsuyama at a glance
Both John O'Nolan and Takuya Matsuyama are bootstrapped and build in public. They overlap in SaaS Founders and Creators & Writers. Both started building independently in 2012. John O'Nolan has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Takuya Matsuyama's 1. On revenue, John self-reports Ghost: ~$11.1M ARR (as of 2026) and Takuya $10K+ MRR (as of 2022). They share 2 tools in their stacks: Node.js and JavaScript. On X, John has about 40K followers and Takuya about 19K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- John O'Nolan: —
- Takuya Matsuyama: Osaka, Japan
- Started
- John O'Nolan: 2012 (14 yrs indie)
- Takuya Matsuyama: 2012 (14 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- John O'Nolan: Ghost: ~$11.1M ARRself-reported, as of 2026 · source for John O'Nolan's revenue
- Takuya Matsuyama: $10K+ MRRself-reported, as of 2022 · source for Takuya Matsuyama's revenue
- Products listed
- John O'Nolan: 2
- Takuya Matsuyama: 1
- Product status
- John O'Nolan: 2 active
- Takuya Matsuyama: 1 active
- X followers
- John O'Nolan: 40K
- Takuya Matsuyama: 19K
- Categories
- John O'Nolan: Open Source MakersSaaS FoundersCreators & Writers
- Takuya Matsuyama: Productivity ToolsCreators & WritersSaaS Founders
- Style
- John O'Nolan: bootstrappedbuilds in public
- Takuya Matsuyama: solobootstrappedbuilds in public
- Courses & resources
- John O'Nolan: 1
- Takuya Matsuyama: 2
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Tech stack
2 shared tools, marked with ★: Node.js, JavaScript. See the indie maker tech stack.
Node.js (shared) JavaScript (shared)Ember.js
JavaScript (shared)ElectronReact Native Node.js (shared)
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.
- Paid-only pricing keeps a solo product sustainable
- Content marketing on YouTube is a growth engine for a niche app
- Build the tool you want to use yourself
Learn from John and Takuya
- [newsletter] John O'Nolan's blog
- [youtube] Dev as Life · Free
- [newsletter] Dev as Life newsletter · Free
John O'Nolan vs Takuya Matsuyama FAQ
Who makes more money, John O'Nolan or Takuya Matsuyama?
John O'Nolan self-reports Ghost: ~$11.1M ARR (as of 2026) and Takuya Matsuyama self-reports $10K+ MRR (as of 2022). 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 Takuya Matsuyama?
John O'Nolan has 2 products listed (Ghost and Alcove); Takuya Matsuyama has 1 product listed (Inkdrop).
What tech stack do John O'Nolan and Takuya Matsuyama use?
John O'Nolan uses Node.js, JavaScript and Ember.js. Takuya Matsuyama uses JavaScript, Electron, React Native and Node.js. Tools they have in common: Node.js and JavaScript.
Where are John O'Nolan and Takuya Matsuyama based?
John O'Nolan: not listed. Takuya Matsuyama: Osaka, Japan.
Who has been an indie maker longer, John O'Nolan or Takuya Matsuyama?
John O'Nolan started in 2012 (14 years indie); Takuya Matsuyama started in 2012 (14 years indie).
Are John O'Nolan and Takuya Matsuyama 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 Takuya Matsuyama's profile.
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Takuya Matsuyama vs Derrick Reimer