diff ~/p/justin-welsh ~/p/patrick-mckenzie

Justin Welsh vs Patrick McKenzie

Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.

Justin Welsh

Solopreneur who passed $10M in revenue with a one-person business

@thejustinwelsh United States

Patrick McKenzie

patio11: Bingo Card Creator, Appointment Reminder, Stripe Atlas and Bits about Money

@patio11 United States

Justin Welsh vs Patrick McKenzie at a glance

Both Justin Welsh and Patrick McKenzie are bootstrapped solo founders and build in public. They overlap in Creators & Writers and Educators & Course Creators. Justin is based in United States, Patrick in Chicago, United States. Justin started in 2019 and Patrick in 2006. Justin Welsh has 3 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Patrick McKenzie's 5. Patrick has sold 2 products. On revenue, Justin self-reports $10M+ total revenue (lifetime) (as of 2025) and Patrick ~$275K/yr sales, ~$200K profit (excl. Appointment Reminder) (as of 2012). On X, Justin has about 592K followers and Patrick about 201K.

Side-by-side comparison

Based in: Justin Welsh: United States; Patrick McKenzie: Chicago, United States
Started: Justin Welsh: 2019 (7 yrs indie); Patrick McKenzie: 2006 (20 yrs indie)
Revenue (self-reported): Justin Welsh: $10M+ total revenue (lifetime)self-reported, as of 2025 · source for Justin Welsh's revenue; Patrick McKenzie: ~$275K/yr sales, ~$200K profit (excl. Appointment Reminder)self-reported, as of 2012 · source for Patrick McKenzie's revenue
Products listed: Justin Welsh: 3; Patrick McKenzie: 5
Product status: Justin Welsh: 3 active; Patrick McKenzie: 2 active · 2 acquired · 1 shut down
X followers: Justin Welsh: 592K; Patrick McKenzie: 201K
Categories: Justin Welsh: Creators & Writers Educators & Course Creators; Patrick McKenzie: SaaS Founders Creators & Writers Fintech & Payments Educators & Course Creators
Style: Justin Welsh: solobootstrappedbuilds in public; Patrick McKenzie: solobootstrappedbuilds in publicexited
Courses & resources: Justin Welsh: 3; Patrick McKenzie: 5

Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.

Tech stack

No tools in common in their publicly listed stacks. See the indie maker tech stack.

Justin Welsh

No stack shared publicly.

Patrick McKenzie

Ruby on RailsTwilioStripe

How they build

Justin Welsh

Build a portfolio of one-person businesses designed around the life you want.
Create content consistently to build an audience, then productize what works.
Listen closely to your audience and build the products they ask for.
Keep costs and complexity low to protect high margins and free time.

Patrick McKenzie

Charge more — most software businesses dramatically underprice.
SaaS is the best business model ever invented for software.
Being a better marketer than most engineers (and vice versa) is a superpower.
Write prolifically and in public; generous writing compounds into opportunity.
Keep a low personal burn rate so a small business can sustain you indefinitely.

Learn from Justin and Patrick

Justin Welsh

[course] The LinkedIn Operating System · $200
[course] The Content Operating System · $200
[newsletter] The Saturday Essay

Patrick McKenzie

[newsletter] Bits about Money
[podcast] Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie
[template] Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued
[course] Lifecycle Emails course
[template] Start here if you're new

Justin Welsh vs Patrick McKenzie FAQ

Who makes more money, Justin Welsh or Patrick McKenzie?

Justin Welsh self-reports $10M+ total revenue (lifetime) (as of 2025) and Patrick McKenzie self-reports ~$275K/yr sales, ~$200K profit (excl. Appointment Reminder) (as of 2012). By these self-reported figures, Justin Welsh'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 Welsh or Patrick McKenzie?

Justin Welsh has 3 products listed (The LinkedIn Operating System, The Content Operating System and The Saturday Essay); Patrick McKenzie has 5 products listed (including Bingo Card Creator, Appointment Reminder and Starfighter).