research · 824 makers · 2,627 products
Indie Hacker Statistics 2026: 824 Makers, by the Numbers
27 statistics about indie hackers and indie makers, computed from 824 hand-researched maker profiles and 2,627 products in the IndieMakerList directory. Each comes with a one-line sentence you can quote and a citation link.
By John Rush · Published · Data as of · Open data (JSON)
Indie hacker statistics 2026
n = 824 makers- 51%bootstrapped (tagged)
- 39%solo founders
- $24K/momedian self-reported revenue (n = 169)
- 66%of revenue reporters make $10K+/mo
- 5 yearsmedian time to $10K MRR (upper bound)
- 16%have sold a product
- 3%of listed products shut down
- 36%of 2023+ launches are AI products
Source: indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/ · data as of 2026-10-31 · revenue self-reported
Read this first: this is a dataset of indie makers who are publicly visible and have a track record, not a random sample of everyone who has tried. Revenue is self-reported, and makers who do well are far more likely to publish it. Each section links to a deeper study with the full distribution, sample sizes and caveats. The yearly State of Indie Makers report has the long-form charts.
01 / who
Who indie hackers are
- 51%
51% of 824 profiled indie makers are tagged bootstrapped, meaning no venture capital. Data →
Cite this stat
51% of 824 profiled indie makers are tagged bootstrapped, meaning no venture capital. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#bootstrapped)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#bootstrapped">51% of 824 profiled indie makers are tagged bootstrapped, meaning no venture capital</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 39%
39% of indie makers work solo and 11% build as a duo or couple. Data →
Cite this stat
39% of indie makers work solo and 11% build as a duo or couple. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#solo)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#solo">39% of indie makers work solo and 11% build as a duo or couple</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 35%
35% of indie makers build in public, sharing revenue or progress openly. Data →
Cite this stat
35% of indie makers build in public, sharing revenue or progress openly. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#build-in-public)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#build-in-public">35% of indie makers build in public, sharing revenue or progress openly</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 32%
32% of indie makers with a known location live in the United States; India and United Kingdom follow, across 58 countries in total. Data →
Cite this stat
32% of indie makers with a known location live in the United States; India and United Kingdom follow, across 58 countries in total. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#countries)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#countries">32% of indie makers with a known location live in the United States; India and United Kingdom follow, across 58 countries in total</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 2017
The median indie maker in the dataset started making in 2017; the most common start year is 2019.
Cite this stat
The median indie maker in the dataset started making in 2017; the most common start year is 2019. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#start-year)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#start-year">The median indie maker in the dataset started making in 2017; the most common start year is 2019</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 3
The median indie maker has shipped 3 products, and 79% have shipped more than one.
Cite this stat
The median indie maker has shipped 3 products, and 79% have shipped more than one. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#products-per-maker)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#products-per-maker">The median indie maker has shipped 3 products, and 79% have shipped more than one</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
Show data table
| Trait | Share of makers | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bootstrapped | 51% | 422 of 824 makers |
| Build in public | 35% | 290 of 824 makers |
| Solo founder | 39% | 321 of 824 makers |
| Tagged “exited” | 18% | 150 of 824 makers |
| Duo / couple | 11% | 91 of 824 makers |
02 / money
Revenue
- $24K
The median self-reported revenue among indie makers who publish numbers is $24K/mo. Data →
Cite this stat
The median self-reported revenue among indie makers who publish numbers is $24K/mo. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#median-revenue)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#median-revenue">The median self-reported revenue among indie makers who publish numbers is $24K/mo</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- $5K
A quarter of indie makers who publish revenue make under $5K/mo; a quarter make over $85K/mo. Data →
Cite this stat
A quarter of indie makers who publish revenue make under $5K/mo; a quarter make over $85K/mo. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#revenue-p25)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#revenue-p25">A quarter of indie makers who publish revenue make under $5K/mo; a quarter make over $85K/mo</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 66%
66% of indie makers who publish revenue report $10K a month or more; 24% report $100K or more.
Cite this stat
66% of indie makers who publish revenue report $10K a month or more; 24% report $100K or more. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#over-10k)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#over-10k">66% of indie makers who publish revenue report $10K a month or more; 24% report $100K or more</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 44
44 profiled indie makers report $1M or more in annual revenue. Data →
Cite this stat
44 profiled indie makers report $1M or more in annual revenue. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#million-arr)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#million-arr">44 profiled indie makers report $1M or more in annual revenue</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- $88K
Duos and couples report a median of $88K/mo versus $9.7K/mo for solo founders. Data →
Cite this stat
Duos and couples report a median of $88K/mo versus $9.7K/mo for solo founders. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#solo-vs-duo)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#solo-vs-duo">Duos and couples report a median of $88K/mo versus $9.7K/mo for solo founders</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- $100K
Makers with 100K+ followers on X report a median of $100K/mo, versus $4.3K/mo for those under 5K. Data →
Cite this stat
Makers with 100K+ followers on X report a median of $100K/mo, versus $4.3K/mo for those under 5K. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#audience)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#audience">Makers with 100K+ followers on X report a median of $100K/mo, versus $4.3K/mo for those under 5K</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- Under $1K20
- $1K–3K16
- $3K–5K7
- $5K–10K15
- $10K–25K29
- $25K–50K21
- $50K–100K21
- $100K–250K18
- $250K+22
Median $24K/mo. Annual figures are divided by 12.
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% |
03 / time
Time to revenue
- 5 yrs
Indie makers who reached $10K MRR first recorded it a median 5 years after starting (n = 97); where the year is pinned down exactly, the median is 1 year. Data →
Cite this stat
Indie makers who reached $10K MRR first recorded it a median 5 years after starting (n = 97); where the year is pinned down exactly, the median is 1 year. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-10k)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-10k">Indie makers who reached $10K MRR first recorded it a median 5 years after starting (n = 97); where the year is pinned down exactly, the median is 1 year</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 3.5 yrs
Indie makers who reached $1K MRR first recorded it a median 3.5 years after starting (n = 112). Data →
Cite this stat
Indie makers who reached $1K MRR first recorded it a median 3.5 years after starting (n = 112). (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-1k)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-1k">Indie makers who reached $1K MRR first recorded it a median 3.5 years after starting (n = 112)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 5 yrs
Indie makers who sold a product did so a median 5 years after they started making (n = 72).
Cite this stat
Indie makers who sold a product did so a median 5 years after they started making (n = 72). (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-exit)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#time-to-exit">Indie makers who sold a product did so a median 5 years after they started making (n = 72)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
04 / products
Products, failure and exits
- 90%
Of 2,627 products listed by indie makers, 90% are active, 7% were acquired and 3% have shut down. Data →
Cite this stat
Of 2,627 products listed by indie makers, 90% are active, 7% were acquired and 3% have shut down. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#product-status)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#product-status">Of 2,627 products listed by indie makers, 90% are active, 7% were acquired and 3% have shut down</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 7%
Among products launched 2016 or earlier, 7% are listed as shut down and 13% as acquired. Data →
Cite this stat
Among products launched 2016 or earlier, 7% are listed as shut down and 13% as acquired. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#mature-products)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#mature-products">Among products launched 2016 or earlier, 7% are listed as shut down and 13% as acquired</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 16%
16% of indie makers (134 of 824) have sold at least one product; 40 have sold two or more. Data →
Cite this stat
16% of indie makers (134 of 824) have sold at least one product; 40 have sold two or more. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-rate)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-rate">16% of indie makers (134 of 824) have sold at least one product; 40 have sold two or more</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 2.2×
Where both the price and revenue are public, indie products sold for a median 2.2× annual revenue (n = 5). Data →
Cite this stat
Where both the price and revenue are public, indie products sold for a median 2.2× annual revenue (n = 5). (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-multiple)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-multiple">Where both the price and revenue are public, indie products sold for a median 2.2× annual revenue (n = 5)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 77%
77% of researched indie exits with a known channel were direct sales, not marketplace or broker deals. Data →
Cite this stat
77% of researched indie exits with a known channel were direct sales, not marketplace or broker deals. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-channel)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#exit-channel">77% of researched indie exits with a known channel were direct sales, not marketplace or broker deals</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
05 / stack
Tech stack and AI
- 16%
Swift is the most listed tool in indie maker stacks, named by 16% of the 341 makers with a public stack. Data →
Cite this stat
Swift is the most listed tool in indie maker stacks, named by 16% of the 341 makers with a public stack. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#top-tool)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#top-tool">Swift is the most listed tool in indie maker stacks, named by 16% of the 341 makers with a public stack</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 39%
39% of public indie maker stacks include at least one JavaScript or TypeScript ecosystem tool. Data →
Cite this stat
39% of public indie maker stacks include at least one JavaScript or TypeScript ecosystem tool. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#javascript)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#javascript">39% of public indie maker stacks include at least one JavaScript or TypeScript ecosystem tool</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 21%
Next.js is the most common tool among indie makers earning $10K+ a month (21% of 48 profitable stacks). Data →
Cite this stat
Next.js is the most common tool among indie makers earning $10K+ a month (21% of 48 profitable stacks). (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#profitable-stack)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#profitable-stack">Next.js is the most common tool among indie makers earning $10K+ a month (21% of 48 profitable stacks)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 35%
35% of indie products launched in 2026 so far are AI products (50 of 141). Data →
Cite this stat
35% of indie products launched in 2026 so far are AI products (50 of 141). (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#ai-2026)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#ai-2026">35% of indie products launched in 2026 so far are AI products (50 of 141)</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
- 45%
45% of indie makers have shipped at least one AI product.
Cite this stat
45% of indie makers have shipped at least one AI product. (IndieMakerList, Indie Hacker Statistics 2026, 2026: https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#ai-makers)
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/#ai-makers">45% of indie makers have shipped at least one AI product</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
Show data table
| Launch year | AI share | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3% | 2 of 60 |
| 2019 | 5% | 3 of 62 |
| 2020 | 6% | 5 of 86 |
| 2021 | 9% | 6 of 68 |
| 2022 | 16% | 11 of 68 |
| 2023 | 45% | 45 of 100 |
| 2024 | 28% | 30 of 106 |
| 2025 | 37% | 51 of 137 |
| 2026 | 35% | 50 of 141 |
man study --methodology
Methodology, sample and limits
- Population. The directory lists 892 makers. These statistics use the 824 rich profiles, hand-researched entries with bio, location, tags, products and sources. Legacy entries with only a name and a link are excluded. 24 profiles belong to former makers who have since taken a job; they are kept because their numbers are part of the historical record.
- Tags. Bootstrapped, solo, duo and build-in-public are tags we assign only when a public source says so, so each share is a lower bound. Tags overlap.
- Revenue. Self-reported or publicly stated, never audited, normalised to US dollars per month (annual ÷ 12). Report dates range from 2012 to 2026. 9 profiles mention revenue without a usable number and are left out. Strong survivorship bias: treat medians as “among makers who publish”, not “among all indie hackers”.
- Time to revenue. From dated milestones in maker journeys. The headline uses every maker who reached the level, so the year is an upper bound; the exact-year median is shown alongside.
- Products. Status (active, acquired, shut down) is set per product from public evidence. Makers list successes more than failures, so shutdown shares are a floor. Launch year is known for 1,216 of 2,627 products.
- AI products. A product counts as AI if it is filed under AI or its description names AI, an LLM, GPT, Claude or a similar model. Rule-based, so a few edge cases go either way.
- 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 many indie hackers make money?
21% of the 824 indie makers we profile publish a usable revenue figure. Among them the median is $24K/mo, but that group is heavily skewed toward success: makers with small or no revenue rarely publish it, so the typical indie hacker earns far less.
What percentage of indie hackers are bootstrapped?
51% of profiled indie makers are explicitly tagged bootstrapped. Many others never raised money but don't say so publicly, so the true share is higher.
What percentage of indie hackers are solo founders?
39% are tagged solo founders and 11% build as a duo or couple. The rest run small teams or don't state it.
How long does it take an indie hacker to reach $10K MRR?
For the 97 makers in our data who reached $10K MRR, the first recorded figure at that level came a median 5 years after they started (half took between 2 years and 7 years). Where the exact year is documented the median is 1 year.
What share of indie products fail?
Of 2,627 products on indie maker profiles, 3% are marked shut down. That is a floor, not a failure rate: makers list their successes and quietly drop their failures. Among products launched 2016 or earlier, 7% shut down and 13% were acquired.
Can I cite these indie hacker statistics?
Yes. Every stat has an anchor link and a ready-made citation under “Cite this stat”. The data is CC BY 4.0; please link to this page.
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/indie-hacker-statistics/. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Suggested citation (APA)
Rush, J. (2026). Indie Hacker Statistics 2026: 824 Makers, by the Numbers [Data study]. IndieMakerList. https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/
HTML link
<a href="https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/">Indie Hacker Statistics 2026</a> (IndieMakerList, 2026)
BibTeX
@misc{indiemakerlist-indie-hacker-statistics-2026,
title = {Indie Hacker Statistics 2026: 824 Makers, by the Numbers},
author = {Rush, John and {IndieMakerList}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://indiemakerlist.com/research/indie-hacker-statistics/},
note = {Data as of 2026-10-31}
}More indie maker research
- How Much Do Indie Hackers Make? Revenue Data From 169 MakersHalf of makers who publish revenue make under $24K/mo; the top 10% make $278K+.
- 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, maker journeys, revenue leaderboard, indie exits and the research hub.