Conversion benchmarks
Conversion rates for indie hackers
Indie launches generate ship-post traffic (Indie Hackers, Product Hunt, Twitter) that converts at near-zero (0.1 to 0.5%) because the audience is mostly other builders. The real economics happen 30 to 90 days post-launch when cohort-specific outreach reaches buyers. Most indies underestimate the gap between launch cheers and revenue.
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TL;DR
As of , the short version is: Indie launches generate ship-post traffic (Indie Hackers, Product Hunt, Twitter) that converts at near-zero (0.1 to 0.5%) because the audience is mostly other builders. The real economics happen 30 to 90 days post-launch when cohort-specific outreach reaches buyers. Most indies underestimate the gap between launch cheers and revenue.
Conversion rate for indie hackers TL;DR
- Cohort
- indie hackers
- TL;DR
- Indie launches generate ship-post traffic (Indie Hackers, Product Hunt, Twitter) that converts at near-zero (0.1 to 0.5%) because the audience is mostly other builders. The real economics happen 30 to 90 days post-launch when cohort-specific outreach reaches buyers. Most indies underestimate the gap between launch cheers and revenue.
- Good looks like
- $1K to $3K MRR by day 90, 80%+ month-2 retention, cohort-specific traffic outpacing launch traffic by month 3. The launch is a starter, not the engine.
- Broken looks like
- Day-1 spike followed by flat line. Sub-$500 MRR at day 90. Audience full of other builders. Cohort outreach hasn't started or is hitting the wrong cohort.
- Most common diagnosis
- Wrong Person
- Last verified
- May 20, 2026
Funnel-stage directional ranges
All ranges are directional. They depend on traffic source, price point, audience warmth, and cohort tightness. Use them to position your own numbers honestly, not as universal targets.
Stage 1
Ship-post traffic → trial signup
0.1% to 0.5%
Curiosity traffic. Even successful Product Hunt launches convert at 0.3 to 0.5% to trial; conversion to paid is much lower.
Stage 2
Trial → paid (from launch traffic)
3% to 8%
Lower than typical SaaS trial-to-paid because the cohort is wrong-fit. From cohort-specific traffic (not launch), this rises to 10 to 20%.
Stage 3
Post-launch 90-day MRR trajectory
$0 to $3K MRR
Healthy: $500 to $3K MRR by day 90 with cohort-specific work. Below $500 means cohort outreach didn't engage. Above $3K is rare at this stage and usually means audience pre-existed.
Stage 4
First-month-to-second-month retention
60% to 85%
Indie SaaS often loses 30 to 40% of first-month signups by month two. Below 60% retention means activation is broken; above 85% usually means strong cohort match.
What good vs. broken looks like
Good looks like
$1K to $3K MRR by day 90, 80%+ month-2 retention, cohort-specific traffic outpacing launch traffic by month 3. The launch is a starter, not the engine.
Broken looks like
Day-1 spike followed by flat line. Sub-$500 MRR at day 90. Audience full of other builders. Cohort outreach hasn't started or is hitting the wrong cohort.
Most common Brunson diagnosis for indie hackers
When indie hackers hit the diagnostic with flat numbers, the most-common label that comes back is Wrong Person. That doesn’t mean every flat-rate cohort lands there – it’s a directional priors signal worth checking first.
Questions indie hackers ask about conversion rates
Why didn't my Product Hunt launch convert?
PH traffic is curiosity traffic, not buying traffic. 0.1 to 0.5% conversion is normal. The launch is for inbound links, press, and email signups; not for finding product-market fit with paying customers.
How long does it take to reach $1K MRR for indie SaaS?
Typically 3 to 9 months post-launch with active cohort outreach. Founders who try to scale on launch traffic alone often plateau under $500 MRR for 12+ months.
Should I focus on features or marketing post-launch?
Marketing below $1K MRR. Every feature ships into a void at sub-$1K. Above $1K, features start to compound. The flat Stripe line is the corrective signal that says 'stop building, start selling'.
More for indie hackers
The full diagnostic for indie hackers →
Built for indie hackers whose ship-post got cheers but whose Stripe line stayed flat. The diagnostic labels what's broken and the Playbook walks you from that label to one paying customer.
Related Brunson terms
How does your funnel actually compare?
Knowing the range doesn’t fix the funnel – running the read does. The free 90-second Launch Diagnostic checks your live page against the indie hackers pattern and labels what specifically is flat.