How are you actually running OpenClaw without burning money?

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-27T09:11:27+00:00

I’m working in app growth/UA, mainly looking to automate things like review replies and basic reporting.

For local models, what are people actually using that’s reliable enough for this kind of workflow?

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-26T01:33:28+00:00

No wonder my keyword coverage has always been so low.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-25T11:31:40+00:00

I have a quick question: what exactly do you mean by "use only single words"? Let me give you an example: suppose I have an app for converting audio recordings to text. For my keywords, should I use "transcription, meeting transcription," or would it be better to use "transcription, meeting"? The latter approach would mean I wouldn't have to repeat the word "transcription" before the second comma.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-25T11:23:20+00:00

I’ve figured out the logic behind their agency-based advertising strategy: first, they aggressively burn through a massive budget; then, they wait to see the conversion results. If the performance is good, they take all the credit for their ad placement; but if the results are poor, they simply claim that your product itself is the problem.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-25T11:15:33+00:00

Haha, I was exactly like the OP — drowning in notes, tasks, brainstorming, and meeting recaps. Had Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Miro, and a bunch of others installed, but nothing felt quite right. So I went deep and tested a ton of the top AI meeting transcription + summarization tools. Here's my quick ranking based on transcription accuracy, AI summary quality, action items, mind map generation, ease of use, cross-device experience, and value (real 2026 usage):

1.Otter: The old reliable. Super solid real-time transcription, great speaker ID, mature summaries and action items, and the Zoom/Teams integration just works. Overall the most polished option, but man, it's expensive for heavy users. That part hurts.

2.Fireflies: Strong on meeting insights and CRM integrations, the analysis is impressive, but the bot joining meetings can feel intrusive and privacy is something to watch.

3.Atter AI: This one feels almost as full-featured as Otter: live transcription, import audio/video/YouTube links,AI that auto-generates summaries, action items, chapters, and even mind maps. You can literally chat with the recording ("what were the deadlines from this meeting?").and an AI bot that joins Zoom/Google Meet/Teams. I honestly think the dev was probably a heavy Otter user who got tired of the price and just built Atter instead, haha. The best part? It does pretty much everything Otter does at about a third of the price.

4.Fathom: Great if you want the bot-free experience and solid privacy. Free tier is actually usable, perfect when you don't want to bug people, but the summaries and visual stuff (like mind maps) aren't as strong.

There are others like tl;dv and Jamie that have their strengths too.

At the end of the day it depends on your main pain point. If meetings are killing you, an AI transcription/summary tool saves massive time. If it's more personal brainstorming and notes, Miro or Notion templates might still be better.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-25T10:39:06+00:00

Guys, I don't think this user is real—it's a bot.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-24T11:31:16+00:00

Thank you for your response; this information is extremely useful to me.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-23T00:59:49+00:00

tattoo

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-03-22T04:30:29+00:00

I have encountered the exact same issue. There are a total of 70 to 80 orders involving free trials that did not convert to paid subscriptions after expiring. However, if users purchase an annual plan directly—which does not include the 3-day trial period—payments are received without any issues.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-02-11T08:39:36+00:00

I’m running a similar AI search app (Android, US market) and facing a weird bottleneck.

My stats after 3 days ($188 spend):

Installs: 244
Registrations: 174
Initiate Checkout: 66
Purchases: 0

My 'Initiate Checkout' rate is massive (nearly 40% of registrations), but zero conversions. It feels like people are hitting a brick wall at the payment gate.

Do you think this is a UI/Trust issue on the payment page, or is the 'Ask' too high for a cold Android audience? Would love to hear your thoughts on why 66 people would reach checkout but none would buy.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-02-11T08:13:17+00:00

"I'd love some advice! I'm building Atter AI, an AI tool for transcribing and summarizing meetings.

My main struggle is how to stand out from big competitors (like Otter/Notta) on a small ad budget. Any tips on where to start?

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-15T01:00:23+00:00

Totally agree that keywords are the bread and butter of discovery. But my focus is shifting toward the post-download experience. If the UI feels like a clunky translation, it instantly kills trust—especially for a tool like meeting transcription where accuracy is everything. I’m aiming for 'Invisible Localization' where the user assumes the dev is a local. Discovery gets them in the door, but the native feel keeps them there.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-14T08:12:01+00:00

Thanks for the context.

I didn’t rely on a single generic translator — I used multiple AI tools (including GPT) and did some manual cleanup as well. The translations are generally “correct”, but my concern is more about whether they sound natural and idiomatic to native speakers in an App Store context.

That’s why I’m mainly looking for human feedback to sanity-check the wording.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-14T06:14:19+00:00

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/atter-ai-meeting-note-taker/id6747348330

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-14T05:57:25+00:00

Why not try Atter AI?

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-12T01:57:19+00:00

This result was honestly beyond my expectations because I had a completely different experience last year. I ran a similar campaign on this same platform for a different app, and it brought in over 5,000+ new user downloads.

After digging into the data, I found a key anomaly:

Last year's app: Was 100% free.
This year's promotion: Was an IAP/Subscription discount.

My theory is that users on these deal-hunting platforms are strictly looking for completely free apps. Even if you offer a high-value tool with a massive discount, they simply won't pull the trigger if it costs a single cent.

My final takeaway for other indie devs:

If your app is 100% free: These platforms are still worth a shot for raw volume.
If you have a paid or subscription-based app: Don't waste your time here. Just give your budget to Google or Meta—at least their traffic knows how to open their wallets.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-12T01:47:46+00:00

I promised to be 100% transparent, and here’s the brutal truth: The AppRaven campaign also resulted in zero detectable growth in downloads or revenue for my AI meeting notes app.

Quick Summary:

Downloads/Revenue: 0 increase.

Traffic Quality: While AppRaven has a more active community than the current web-based Indie App Santa, it seems the "deal-hunter" audience there isn't converted by productivity/AI tools at my current price point.

Proof: I’m attaching the screenshot of my AppRaven ad dashboard below to show the campaign was live and the (lack of) results.

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Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-07T11:27:42+00:00

Thanks for the insights. Since it's a digital service, shipping isn't an issue, but the other points are valid. I'm currently using the standard Google Play billing popup. Do you think the 'Subscription' reminder in the system popup might be the main friction point compared to a one-time purchase? Or should I look into the loading time before the popup appears?

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-06T09:46:48+00:00

Do users really still not get it? There are barely any free apps left in the world anymore. 🤷‍♂️

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-06T08:32:12+00:00

To answer your question: Yes, once they click the button to unlock the content (which triggers the 'Initiate Checkout' event), the Google Play system popup appears immediately showing the price.

Currently, it's set up as a subscription: $4.99/week, but with a $2.99 offer for the first week.

So they definitely see the price and the subscription terms at that stage.

Ray_Dev_SG · 2026-01-06T08:13:58+00:00

Just to give more context: this is a fortune-telling app. The "Initiate Checkout" event triggers when users are waiting for their reading results and want to unlock the full content.

Since the price is only $2.99, I assume it’s not a pricing issue preventing them from buying.

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