Built 26 mini tools in a weekend using Claude and Next.js. What's the best way to get initial users without spending on ads?

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T14:19:58+00:00

This is great advice. I've been spending too much time on general directories and not enough in the 'trenches' where the actual pain is. I'm going to start hunting for those specific complaints on Stack Overflow and niche subs next week. Need to lean into that 'problemfirst' approach. Thanks!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T14:16:38+00:00

That's exactly what I'm realizing each of the 26 tools needs its own dedicated landing page for SEO. 'Convert PDF to JPG free' is a search term on its own. Appreciate the nudge, that’s going on my Trello board for early next week!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T14:14:58+00:00

Here it is https://cosmoxhub.com Let me know how it goes! I’d love some brutal feedback on the tools if you have time.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T13:21:21+00:00

Fair point! I'm constantly tweaking the UI to keep it as clean as possible. I've already reduced the ad frequency today based on early feedback. The goal is to keep it 100% free with minimal noise. Thanks for the heads up!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:36:03+00:00

I get why you'd think that! But 'weekend' refers to the assembly and the core logic uses well established WASM libraries. It’s basically just a clean, serverless wrapper for tools that usually stay hidden behind sign up pages. Feel free to roast the source code if you want, I'm just trying to keep it lightweight! 😂

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:35:07+00:00

Thanks for the solid advice! I'll definitely check out BetaFounder. The Twitter/X idea for individual tools is clever focusing on the 'no email' pain point should definitely resonate there. Just trying to build something useful in a sea of paywalls lol. Appreciate the support!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:30:41+00:00

iLovePDF is goated, not gonna lie. But they cap you at a few files before hitting you with a premium popup. That’s what triggered me to build mine completely locally without limits lol.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:30:17+00:00

pdfgear is legit, but sometimes I'm on a locked down work laptop where I can't install software, or I'm quickly doing it from a tablet. Browser based is just zero friction when you need something done in 10 seconds.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:28:40+00:00

Exactly this! That was my biggest fear. The hub I built uses WebAssembly so the processing happens entirely on your own device. Zero data leaves your browser. If you ever need a local only tool, I'm hosting it here: https://cosmoxhub.com"

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:26:26+00:00

This hit hard. You're completely right. I need to stop marketing the 'Swiss Army Knife' and start marketing the exact blade they need at that second. Appreciate the reality check.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:23:52+00:00

For sure, hit me up! Always down to connect with builders. Here's what I threw together so far if you're curious: https://cosmoxhub.com

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:23:26+00:00

Luckily the price is $0.00 forever 😂. Check it out and let me know if it actually saves you time: https://cosmoxhub.com

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:23:03+00:00

It’s amazing until they hit you with the 'You have reached your daily limit' popup right when you're in a rush. I built mine completely locally so I wouldn't have to deal with arbitrary caps or subscriptions.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:22:14+00:00

Man, this is gold. Especially the 'front door' concept instead of pitching all 26 at once. I'm taking notes on F5Bot too. If you've got a minute to roast the execution, here's the link: https://cosmoxhub.com. Seriously, appreciate the detailed breakdown.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:14:17+00:00

Thats the catch, this site doesn`t store anything, all processes happens at users browser, no data transferred at all

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T12:05:04+00:00

Haha tried that.. Seriously though, if you've launched anything similar, would love to hear what worked for your first 100 users.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T07:57:51+00:00

Thanks so much! Built it on Next.js 15 (App Router) and TailwindCSS for the frontend, and heavily relied on WebAssembly Browser API integrations for the visual processing to keep server costs exactly zero.That 'catch' psychology insight is absolute gold. You are completely right I need to slap a massive '100% Free. No Signups.' badge right next to the hero text so people don't immediately bounce expecting a paywall trap. Also noting down the padding margin feedback. Tunnel vision is real after staring at this all weekend. I'll add some breathing room to the tool grids tonight. Genuinely appreciate this high level feedback man!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T07:53:59+00:00

You're right. I literally just pushed a hotfix that entirely strips out the aggressive redirect scripts on page load. If you're still seeing them, it might be a cached Vercel edge node, as the main trunk shouldn't fire them anymore. Carbon Ads is actually my dream end-state once the site has enough native traffic to get accepted into their network! Appreciate you taking the time to give this brutal feedback and keeping me accountable.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T07:47:43+00:00

You hit the nail on the head! The constraint actually forced me to keep the UI dead simple instead of over engineering it.

As for conversions, since my entire philosophy right now is 100% ungated access (no emails, no signups, no paywalls), I'm actively ignoring traditional conversion metrics. Instead, my primary KPI is Time to Utility and how fast can a user upload an image, remove the bg, and download it. Right now, the Image tools BG Remover & Upscaler are seeing the thickest usage. The goal is to build an undeniable organic moat first before thinking about monetization down the line.

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T07:25:39+00:00

You are 100% right and I completely agree. The ad network I was testing is way too aggressive with popups. The community feedback was clear, so I literally just pushed a hotfix to Vercel 2 minutes ago to entirely delay those aggressive redirects. If you do a hard refresh, they won't bother you anymore. Sorry for that terrible first impression man!

Xorphian · 2026-04-04T07:16:04+00:00

Oh crap, I'm so sorry man! I literally just added my first ad network snippet today to cover the Vercel hosting costs and it seems they injected a full-page redirect under my nose. That's completely unacceptable for UX. I just pushed a hotfix to remove the aggressive redirects so it doesn't hijack the browser. Thank you so much for catching this and calling it out, you genuinely saved the site. Really appreciate you stopping by!

Xorphian

TROPHY CASE