research · 169 makers with public revenue
How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? Revenue Data From 169 Makers
The self-reported revenue of 169 indie hackers, normalised to US dollars per month: medians, percentiles, and splits by category, country, years active, audience size and team. Every figure is traceable to a public source on the maker's profile.
By John Rush · Published · Data as of · Open data (JSON)
Indie hacker income
n = 169 makers with public revenueSource: indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/ · data as of 2026-10-31 · self-reported, USD per month
01 / distribution
Half of indie hackers who publish revenue make under $24K/mo. The average is 6.3× higher.
169 of 824 profiled makers (21%) publish a revenue figure we can normalise. The 10th percentile is $608/mo, the median $24K/mo and the 90th percentile $278K/mo. The mean, $152K/mo, is pulled up by a handful of seven- and eight-figure businesses; the top 10 makers alone account for 61% of all reported revenue.
Restricting to figures reported in 2025 or later (127 makers) gives a median of $20K/mo, so the picture isn't an artefact of old numbers.
- Under $1K20
- $1K–3K16
- $3K–5K7
- $5K–10K15
- $10K–25K29
- $25K–50K21
- $50K–100K21
- $100K–250K18
- $250K+22
Show data table
| Monthly revenue | Makers | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1K | 20 | 12% |
| $1K–3K | 16 | 9% |
| $3K–5K | 7 | 4% |
| $5K–10K | 15 | 9% |
| $10K–25K | 29 | 17% |
| $25K–50K | 21 | 12% |
| $50K–100K | 21 | 12% |
| $100K–250K | 18 | 11% |
| $250K+ | 22 | 13% |
- $1K+/mo88%
- $5K+/mo75%
- $10K+/mo66%
- $50K+/mo36%
- $100K+/mo24%
Show data table
| Monthly revenue | Share | Note |
|---|---|---|
| $1K+/mo | 88% | 149 makers |
| $5K+/mo | 75% | 126 makers |
| $10K+/mo | 66% | 111 makers |
| $50K+/mo | 36% | 61 makers |
| $100K+/mo | 24% | 40 makers |
- $24K
The median self-reported revenue of indie hackers who publish numbers is $24K/mo (n = 169).
Cite this stat
The median self-reported revenue of indie hackers who publish numbers is $24K/mo (n = 169). (IndieMakerList, How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? 2026 Revenue Data, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#median)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#median">The median self-reported revenue of indie hackers who publish numbers is $24K/mo (n = 169)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- P25–P75
The middle half of indie hackers who publish revenue make between $5K/mo and $85K/mo; the top 10% make over $278K/mo.
Cite this stat
The middle half of indie hackers who publish revenue make between $5K/mo and $85K/mo; the top 10% make over $278K/mo. (IndieMakerList, How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? 2026 Revenue Data, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#percentiles)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#percentiles">The middle half of indie hackers who publish revenue make between $5K/mo and $85K/mo; the top 10% make over $278K/mo</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 66%
66% of indie hackers who publish revenue report at least $10K a month.
Cite this stat
66% of indie hackers who publish revenue report at least $10K a month. (IndieMakerList, How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? 2026 Revenue Data, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#over-10k)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/#over-10k">66% of indie hackers who publish revenue report at least $10K a month</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
02 / category
By category, Acquirers & Indie Investors report the highest median revenue; Directory Makers the lowest.
Medians for every maker category with at least 6 reporting makers. A maker can sit in several categories, so groups overlap. SaaS founders, the largest group, report $27K/mo (n = 96); AI builders report $15K/mo (n = 63), and many of them are new.
Small groups swing on one or two big names. Treat any group with n under 10 as an anecdote.
- Acquirers & Indie Investors$208K
- Productized Services$87K
- Creators & Writers$39K
- Analytics & Data$34K
- Educators & Course Creators$28K
- SaaS Founders$27K
- Marketing & SEO Tools$27K
- Open Source Makers$26K
- No-Code Makers$25K
- Developer Tools$22K
- Digital Nomads$21K
- Mobile App Makers$20K
- Community Builders$17K
- AI Builders$15K
- Productivity Tools$15K
- Mac & Desktop App Makers$13K
- Boilerplate & Starter Kit Makers$8.6K
- Design Tools$8.2K
- Directory Makers$3.1K
Show data table
| Category | Median $/mo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Acquirers & Indie Investors | $208K | n = 7 |
| Productized Services | $87K | n = 8 |
| Creators & Writers | $39K | n = 40 |
| Analytics & Data | $34K | n = 8 |
| Educators & Course Creators | $28K | n = 38 |
| SaaS Founders | $27K | n = 96 |
| Marketing & SEO Tools | $27K | n = 56 |
| Open Source Makers | $26K | n = 15 |
| No-Code Makers | $25K | n = 8 |
| Developer Tools | $22K | n = 27 |
| Digital Nomads | $21K | n = 6 |
| Mobile App Makers | $20K | n = 21 |
| Community Builders | $17K | n = 15 |
| AI Builders | $15K | n = 63 |
| Productivity Tools | $15K | n = 21 |
| Mac & Desktop App Makers | $13K | n = 14 |
| Boilerplate & Starter Kit Makers | $8.6K | n = 7 |
| Design Tools | $8.2K | n = 15 |
| Directory Makers | $3.1K | n = 18 |
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquirers & Indie Investors | 7 | $62K | $208K | $329K |
| Productized Services | 8 | $64K | $87K | $136K |
| Creators & Writers | 40 | $9.6K | $39K | $93K |
| Analytics & Data | 8 | $1.6K | $34K | $85K |
| Educators & Course Creators | 38 | $11K | $28K | $96K |
| SaaS Founders | 96 | $8.5K | $27K | $148K |
| Marketing & SEO Tools | 56 | $5.7K | $27K | $167K |
| Open Source Makers | 15 | $9.7K | $26K | $193K |
| No-Code Makers | 8 | $1.3K | $25K | $106K |
| Developer Tools | 27 | $8.5K | $22K | $82K |
| Digital Nomads | 6 | $13K | $21K | $31K |
| Mobile App Makers | 21 | $2K | $20K | $48K |
| Community Builders | 15 | $3.1K | $17K | $27K |
| AI Builders | 63 | $847 | $15K | $81K |
| Productivity Tools | 21 | $6K | $15K | $83K |
| Mac & Desktop App Makers | 14 | $2.7K | $13K | $35K |
| Boilerplate & Starter Kit Makers | 7 | $1.8K | $8.6K | $55K |
| Design Tools | 15 | $2.2K | $8.2K | $40K |
| Directory Makers | 18 | $1.5K | $3.1K | $14K |
03 / country
US-based indie hackers report a median of $68K/mo; Portugal tops the table on a small sample.
Countries with at least 6 makers who publish revenue (123 of 169 reporting makers have a known country). Country medians are fragile: a single very successful maker can move a group of six. The full country breakdown is on indie makers by country.
- Portugal$114K
- France$114K
- United States$68K
- Canada$34K
- United Kingdom$12K
- India$5.8K
Show data table
| Country | Median $/mo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | $114K | n = 6 |
| France | $114K | n = 10 |
| United States | $68K | n = 30 |
| Canada | $34K | n = 7 |
| United Kingdom | $12K | n = 7 |
| India | $5.8K | n = 9 |
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 6 | $38K | $114K | $206K |
| France | 10 | $12K | $114K | $415K |
| United States | 30 | $25K | $68K | $137K |
| Canada | 7 | $14K | $34K | $145K |
| United Kingdom | 7 | $5.7K | $12K | $179K |
| India | 9 | $2K | $5.8K | $14K |
04 / years active
Makers in their first 2 years report $1.9K/mo; those 6–9 years in report $82K/mo.
105 makers have both a start year and a revenue figure. Revenue rises sharply after the first couple of years; beyond that there is no steady climb with age. Read alongside how long it takes to reach $10K MRR.
- 0–2 years (n = 9)$1.9K
- 3–5 years (n = 28)$33K
- 6–9 years (n = 38)$82K
- 10–14 years (n = 20)$35K
- 15+ years (n = 10)$82K
Show data table
| Years active | Median $/mo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 years (n = 9) | $1.9K | n = 9 |
| 3–5 years (n = 28) | $33K | n = 28 |
| 6–9 years (n = 38) | $82K | n = 38 |
| 10–14 years (n = 20) | $35K | n = 20 |
| 15+ years (n = 10) | $82K | n = 10 |
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 years | 9 | $1.2K | $1.9K | $12K |
| 3–5 years | 28 | $12K | $33K | $213K |
| 6–9 years | 38 | $25K | $82K | $135K |
| 10–14 years | 20 | $19K | $35K | $245K |
| 15+ years | 10 | $28K | $82K | $185K |
05 / audience
Makers with 100K+ followers report a median of $100K/mo, against $4.3K/mo for those under 5K.
159 reporting makers have a known X (Twitter) follower count. The gradient is steep, but it runs in both directions: a following makes launches easier, and success brings followers. It is still one of the strongest correlates of revenue in the dataset.
- Under 5K followers (n = 58)$4.3K
- 5K–25K (n = 48)$22K
- 25K–100K (n = 26)$35K
- 100K+ (n = 27)$100K
Show data table
| Followers | Median $/mo | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5K followers (n = 58) | $4.3K | n = 58 |
| 5K–25K (n = 48) | $22K | n = 48 |
| 25K–100K (n = 26) | $35K | n = 26 |
| 100K+ (n = 27) | $100K | n = 27 |
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5K followers | 58 | $496 | $4.3K | $26K |
| 5K–25K | 48 | $7.1K | $22K | $86K |
| 25K–100K | 26 | $10K | $35K | $83K |
| 100K+ | 27 | $40K | $100K | $221K |
06 / team
Duos report $88K/mo; solo founders $9.7K/mo.
Solo founders are the largest tagged group and report the lowest median. Duos and couples report 9× as much at the median, though they also tend to run older businesses. Makers who build in public report $20K/mo (n = 118) versus $40K/mo for the rest (n = 51). One likely reason: many makers share numbers while small and stop once the business is large.
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo founders | 76 | $2K | $9.7K | $31K |
| Duos and couples | 18 | $39K | $88K | $173K |
| Neither tag (often small teams) | 75 | $11K | $35K | $204K |
| Group | n | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builds in public | 118 | $2.8K | $20K | $83K |
| Doesn't build in public | 51 | $11K | $40K | $200K |
| Serial maker | 60 | $3.2K | $21K | $117K |
| Has sold a product | 36 | $8.2K | $45K | $167K |
07 / caveats
These numbers describe makers who publish revenue, not everyone who tries.
Survivorship bias. Profiles are added once a maker has a visible track record, and makers with small or shrinking revenue rarely post it. 655 of 824 profiled makers (79%) publish no usable figure. If those who don't publish earn less than those who do, which is likely, the median across all profiled makers is far below $24K/mo.
Revenue isn't income. Most figures are company revenue (MRR, ARR or annual sales ÷ 12), not take-home pay. Costs, staff and taxes come out of it. Some figures date from the time of an exit.
No audit. Numbers come from makers' own posts, open dashboards, interviews and verified-revenue pages like TrustMRR. Each figure links to its source on the maker's profile.
man study --methodology
Methodology, sample and limits
- Sample. 169 of 824 rich maker profiles carry a revenue figure normalised to USD per month. 9 profiles mention revenue without a usable number and are excluded. Missing values are left out of each denominator, never treated as zero.
- Normalisation. Annual revenue ÷ 12 and other currencies converted to US dollars. Where a maker runs several products, the figure is usually the company total.
- Dates. Figures were reported between 2012 and 2026; 127 come from 2025 or later.
- Groups. Categories and tags overlap. Category and country groups need at least 6 makers; years-active and audience groups at least 4. Follower counts are X (Twitter) followers at the last asset refresh. Percentiles use linear interpolation.
- Population. 24 profiles are former makers who now work a job; their historical revenue stays in the sample. The ranking of individual makers is on the revenue leaderboard, which excludes them.
- Freshness. Every number is recomputed from the dataset each time the site is built. Data as of ; 2026 is a partial year.
- Open data. The maker dataset is available as JSON at /api/makers.json under CC BY 4.0. Found an error? Profiles can be corrected on the submit page.
Frequently asked questions
How much do indie hackers make?
Among 169 indie hackers who publicly report revenue, the median is $24K/mo. The middle half make between $5K/mo and $85K/mo. These are self-reported figures from a success-skewed group; most people who try indie hacking earn little or nothing and never publish it.
What is the average indie hacker income?
The mean is $152K/mo, 6.3× the median, because a few makers earn millions a year. The median ($24K/mo) is the better “typical” figure, and even that overstates what a typical indie hacker earns.
What percentage of indie hackers make $10K a month?
66% of indie hackers who publish revenue report $10K a month or more (111 of 169), and 24% report $100K or more. As a share of all 824 profiled makers, $10K+ is 13%.
Do solo founders make less than teams?
In our data, solo founders who publish revenue report a median of $9.7K/mo (n = 76) versus $88K/mo for duos and couples (n = 18). Duos often run older, larger businesses, so this is a correlation, not proof that a co-founder doubles revenue.
Does audience size predict indie revenue?
Strongly, in this sample: makers with under 5K followers on X report a median of $4.3K/mo, while those with 100K+ report $100K/mo. Causation runs both ways: an audience helps sell, and success attracts followers.
Which indie category makes the most money?
Among categories with at least 6 reporting makers, Acquirers & Indie Investors report the highest median ($208K/mo, n = 7). SaaS founders sit at $27K/mo (n = 96) and Directory Makers the lowest at $3.1K/mo.
cite --format apa,bibtex,html
Cite this study
Journalists, researchers, bloggers and AI assistants are welcome to quote any number or reuse the charts with a link to indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Suggested citation (APA)
Rush, J. (2026). How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? Revenue Data From 169 Makers [Data study]. IndieMakerList. https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/
HTML link
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/">How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? 2026 Revenue Data</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
BibTeX
@misc{indiemakerlist-how-much-do-indie-hackers-make-2026,
title = {How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? Revenue Data From 169 Makers},
author = {Rush, John and {IndieMakerList}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://indiemakerlist.com/research/how-much-do-indie-hackers-make/},
note = {Data as of 2026-10-31}
}More indie maker research
- Indie Hacker Statistics 2026: 824 Makers, by the NumbersMedian self-reported revenue is $24K/mo; 51% are bootstrapped.
- How Long Does It Take to Reach $1K, $10K and $100K MRR?Makers who reached $10K MRR got there within a median 5 years of starting (upper bound); exact-year cases: 1 year.
- Startup Failure Rate for Indie Products: What Shuts Down and Why3% of listed products have shut down and 7% were sold. The survivorship caveats matter more here than anywhere else.
- Indie Exits: What Bootstrapped Products Sell ForWhere price and revenue are both public, the median deal is 2.2× annual revenue (n = 5).
- The Tech Stack of Profitable Indie Makers ($10K+ MRR)Next.js is the most common tool among makers earning $10K+/mo (21%).
- AI Products Launched by Indie Makers, 2018–202636% of products launched since 2023 are AI products, versus 8% in 2018–2022.
Also see the State of Indie Makers 2026 report, the indie revenue leaderboard, verified product revenue and the research hub.