Xnapper: a screenshot app sold for $150K

Q: Why did Xnapper work?

The demand was visible on his own feed. Dinh says he saw "a huge demand" for a tool to make good screenshots of his tweets, and existing tools were not convenient ($8K revenue post). A warm beta list. He emailed about 4,600 beta users every one to two weeks with updates, then again on launch day (Xnapper launch report). Early-bird pricing created urgency. Licenses were $20 before launch and $30 after, and the "discount ends soon" email drove $670 the day before launch (Xnapper launch report). A known seller attracts buyers. He found the buyer through his own tweet and later got a second offer of $169K (Exit post).

Q: What didn't work for Xnapper, and what are the risks?

One-time sales fade. Dinh describes Xnapper as a one-time purchase product with "only ~$4K/month revenue" at the time of sale (Exit post). Launch traffic converted worse. The day after launch earned about $0.3 per visit, compared with about $1 on launch day (Xnapper launch report). Marketplace fees. Dinh says Acquire.com would have charged a 4% fee, about $6,000, if the buyer had come through its network (Exit post). All revenue figures are self-reported by the founder.

Key takeaways

Xnapper's Product Hunt launch made $4,212 from 164 sales over three days and reached #1 Product of the Day.
Tony Dinh sold it for $150K in 2024, when it made about $4K a month, more than his earlier Black Magic sale.
Almost all early sales came from his own Twitter audience and newsletter, which made the buyer's revenue-share terms important.

What it is

Xnapper is a macOS app for taking good-looking screenshots quickly. Tony Dinh started it on 26 May 2022 and ran a beta for about three months (Xnapper launch report).

Timeline

Mid-2022, before the official release: Dinh says Xnapper, built in June 2022, had earned $8K, with sales "solely" from his Twitter (40K followers) and his newsletter ($8K revenue post).
23 August 2022: Product Hunt launch. Over three days it made $4,212 from 164 sales, with 1,428 upvotes and #1 Product of the Day (Xnapper launch report).
August 2022: Dinh reports $10K+ in Xnapper revenue for the month, half of it from the launch (August 2022 newsletter).
March 2024: Dinh announces Xnapper's sale for $150,000: $100K up front and $50K paid monthly as a revenue share. He notes it beat his earlier Black Magic sale ($128K) (Exit post).

Why it worked

The demand was visible on his own feed. Dinh says he saw "a huge demand" for a tool to make good screenshots of his tweets, and existing tools were not convenient ($8K revenue post).
A warm beta list. He emailed about 4,600 beta users every one to two weeks with updates, then again on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
Early-bird pricing created urgency. Licenses were $20 before launch and $30 after, and the "discount ends soon" email drove $670 the day before launch (Xnapper launch report).
A known seller attracts buyers. He found the buyer through his own tweet and later got a second offer of $169K (Exit post).

What to learn

A crowded category can still work if your version removes one clear annoyance.
Build the launch list during the beta, not on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
If revenue depends on the founder's audience, expect buyers to ask for revenue share. Dinh says this is why the deal mixed upfront cash and revenue share (Exit post).
Compare his other products: Black Magic and TypingMind.

Risks and what didn't work

One-time sales fade. Dinh describes Xnapper as a one-time purchase product with "only ~$4K/month revenue" at the time of sale (Exit post).
Launch traffic converted worse. The day after launch earned about $0.3 per visit, compared with about $1 on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
Marketplace fees. Dinh says Acquire.com would have charged a 4% fee, about $6,000, if the buyer had come through its network (Exit post).
All revenue figures are self-reported by the founder.

FAQ

Short answers drawn from the sections above.

What is Xnapper?

Xnapper is a macOS app for taking good-looking screenshots quickly. Tony Dinh started it on 26 May 2022 and ran a beta for about three months (Xnapper launch report).

Why did Xnapper work?

The demand was visible on his own feed. Dinh says he saw "a huge demand" for a tool to make good screenshots of his tweets, and existing tools were not convenient ($8K revenue post).
A warm beta list. He emailed about 4,600 beta users every one to two weeks with updates, then again on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
Early-bird pricing created urgency. Licenses were $20 before launch and $30 after, and the "discount ends soon" email drove $670 the day before launch (Xnapper launch report).
A known seller attracts buyers. He found the buyer through his own tweet and later got a second offer of $169K (Exit post).

What can indie builders learn from Xnapper?

A crowded category can still work if your version removes one clear annoyance.
Build the launch list during the beta, not on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
If revenue depends on the founder's audience, expect buyers to ask for revenue share. Dinh says this is why the deal mixed upfront cash and revenue share (Exit post).
Compare his other products: Black Magic and TypingMind.

What didn't work for Xnapper, and what are the risks?

One-time sales fade. Dinh describes Xnapper as a one-time purchase product with "only ~$4K/month revenue" at the time of sale (Exit post).
Launch traffic converted worse. The day after launch earned about $0.3 per visit, compared with about $1 on launch day (Xnapper launch report).
Marketplace fees. Dinh says Acquire.com would have charged a 4% fee, about $6,000, if the buyer had come through its network (Exit post).
All revenue figures are self-reported by the founder.

Sources

Every link cited above, in order of first use.

1.Xnapper launch report (indiehackers.com)
2.$8K revenue post (indiehackers.com)
3.August 2022 newsletter (news.tonydinh.com)
4.Exit post (news.tonydinh.com)