Ask HN: Why did my free tools site with 600 tools make almost $0 after 2 years?

Re:Ask HN: Why did my free tools site with 600 tools make al... by speedylight on Sunday July 27, 2025 @10:22AM (#44701519)

Well there are lots of sites that are basically a compendium of tools like the ones you have and almost all of them are free to use. The one that comes to mind as being the best is CyberChef, but that was developed by a British intelligence agency.

I think the easiest way to increase revenue is to focus on SEO ranking and putting up more non-intrusive ads. You could also turn it into a phone and desktop app and charge people for offline access.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why did my free tools site with 600 tools make al... by gchq-7703 on Sunday July 27, 2025 @11:01AM (#44701822)

CyberChef has been around for many years now, which definitely helps. It also has no plans for monetization and runs entirely locally, so there's no chance of a 'rug pull'. It was a long journey to the current ~800k monthly users though. I suspect it was just time and place, as opposed to any technical reasons.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why did my free tools site with 600 tools make al... by KodyBerns99 on Sunday July 27, 2025 @01:32PM (#44702940)

Thanks for sharin that, it's clear that timing and steady growth are key to lasting success.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Why did my free tools site with 600 tools make al... by KodyBerns99 on Sunday July 27, 2025 @01:31PM (#44702929)

Thank you so much for your suggestions, really appreciate it!

[ Parent | on HN ]