Buttondown
buttondown.com
Simple, developer-friendly email newsletter platform for writers and publishers.
~$15K MRR
diff ~/p/justin-duke ~/p/kevin-yun
Justin Duke vs Kevin Yun
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Founder of Buttondown, the bootstrapped newsletter platform he started at Stripe
@jmduke United States
Bootstrapped co-founder of GrowSurf referral software; writes SaaS Kevin; two exits
@kevinyun United States
Justin Duke vs Kevin Yun at a glance
Both Justin Duke and Kevin Yun are bootstrapped and build in public. They overlap in SaaS Founders and Marketing & SEO Tools. Justin is based in Richmond, United States, Kevin in Chicago, United States. Justin started in 2016 and Kevin in 2013. Justin Duke has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Kevin Yun's 4. Kevin has sold 2 products. On revenue, Justin self-reports ~$15K MRR (as of 2022-12) and Kevin $24K MRR (as of 2021). On X, Justin has about 5.6K followers and Kevin about 2.8K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Justin Duke: Richmond, United States
- Kevin Yun: Chicago, United States
- Started
- Justin Duke: 2016 (10 yrs indie)
- Kevin Yun: 2013 (13 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Justin Duke: ~$15K MRRself-reported, as of 2022-12 · source for Justin Duke's revenue
- Kevin Yun: $24K MRRself-reported, as of 2021 · source for Kevin Yun's revenue
- Products listed
- Justin Duke: 2
- Kevin Yun: 4
- Product status
- Justin Duke: 1 active · 1 shut down
- Kevin Yun: 2 active · 2 acquired
- X followers
- Justin Duke: 5.6K
- Kevin Yun: 2.8K
- Categories
- Justin Duke: SaaS FoundersMarketing & SEO ToolsCreators & Writers
- Kevin Yun: SaaS FoundersMarketing & SEO Tools
- Style
- Justin Duke: bootstrappedbuilds in public
- Kevin Yun: duobootstrappedbuilds in publicexited
- Courses & resources
- Justin Duke: —
- Kevin Yun: 1
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Service that tracked changes people made to their social media profiles and bios.
GrowSurf
growsurf.com
Referral and affiliate program software for B2C and product-led tech companies.
$24K MRR
12-week UX, UI and front-end design bootcamp in Chicago, acquired by WeWork's Flatiron School in 2018.
GDPR compliance software for software companies; Kevin says it was acquired for 10x ARR in under a year.
SEO software business that Kevin lists on his Substack as one of the two companies he currently runs.
Tech stack
No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.
DjangoPythonVueHerokuPostmarkStripe
No stack shared publicly.
How they build
- Pick boring, familiar technology so you can focus on the product.
- A side project can compound for years before it needs to become a full-time job.
- Stay profitable and self-funded rather than relying on outside capital.
- Publish openly about how the business is going, including annual reviews.
- A struggling SaaS can be turned around with focus on a clear customer.
- Stay bootstrapped and profitable.
- Referrals are a powerful, underused growth channel.
Learn from Justin and Kevin
No courses, books or communities listed.
- [newsletter] Kevin Yun on Substack
Justin Duke vs Kevin Yun FAQ
Who makes more money, Justin Duke or Kevin Yun?
Justin Duke self-reports ~$15K MRR (as of 2022-12) and Kevin Yun self-reports $24K MRR (as of 2021). By these self-reported figures, Kevin Yun'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, Justin Duke or Kevin Yun?
Justin Duke has 2 products listed (Buttondown and Spoonbill); Kevin Yun has 4 products listed (including GrowSurf, Designation and ComplyDog).
What tech stack do Justin Duke and Kevin Yun use?
Justin Duke uses Django, Python, Vue, Heroku, Postmark and Stripe. Kevin Yun hasn't shared a stack. They don't list any tools in common.
Where are Justin Duke and Kevin Yun based?
Justin Duke: Richmond, United States. Kevin Yun: Chicago, United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Justin Duke or Kevin Yun?
Justin Duke started in 2016 (10 years indie); Kevin Yun started in 2013 (13 years indie).
Are Justin Duke and Kevin Yun bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Justin Duke's profile and Kevin Yun's profile.
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