i remember looking at the checkout screen for beamer. it was going to cost more than my hosting, database, and domain combined.
so, i closed the tab, opened vs code, and gave myself a challenge: could i build a better version for my specific needs in one weekend?
48 hours later, announcify was born. here is why i chose the "build" path over the "buy" path, and why you might want to do the same.
1. the "enterprise bloat" is real
when i signed up for trials of tools like beamer and announcekit, i was overwhelmed. dashboards, analytics, user segmentation, multi-language support...
it was impressive, but it was bloat. as an indie hacker, my needs are simple:
- i write an update in markdown.
- it appears on my site instantly.
- it looks clean and doesn't break my ui.
enterprise tools are built to justify high prices to product managers at big companies. they aren't built for developers who just want to ship.
2. controlling the stack (next.js & supabase)
adding a third-party script tag to my carefully crafted next.js app felt dirty. i didn't know what that script was loading, how big it was, or what cookies it was setting.
by building my own, i have 100% control. i used supabase for the database—it took maybe an hour to set up a table for posts. i built a react component that fetches data directly. no heavy iframes. no external dependencies.
my lighthouse score didn't budge. that’s a victory for any dev who cares about performance.
3. the "lifetime deal" mindset
recurring subscriptions are the death of a bootstrapped startup. $50 here, $30 there... before you have your first customer, you're bleeding cash.
when i built my own tool, i realized other founders must feel this pain too. that’s why i decided to turn my 48-hour project into a real product. instead of a monthly subscription, i made announcify a one-time purchase.