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Exit Report · September 2026

The Indiemaker Exit Report: what makers ask, and why.

Figures from every project for sale on Indiemaker: asking prices, what makers build with, how far along they are, and why they sell. Updated monthly, with the source of every number stated beside it.

How to read the labels Declaredthe seller told us Recordedthe platform logged it Calculatedwe worked it out from the two above
Projects for sale 3,003 251 added this month
Recorded
New listings in September 251 101% on August
Recorded
New buyers this week 1,037 73% on the week before
Recorded signupsDeclared as buyers

This month's headline

Projects that mention AI ask 50% more than those that don't, but they're no more likely to be making money.

Calculated

Surprise

Nearly half of sellers aren't quitting. They're off to build the next thing.

Declared

Reality check

61% of projects for sale are early-stage MVPs. Only 8% are established.

DeclaredCalculated

01 · The number we watch

Listings are telling buyers more than ever.

Since our new listing form arrived in September, every new listing says whether it makes money, and one in five comes with proof attached.

Say whether they make money
100% from 100% in August
Tell the whole story: stage, stack and why they're selling
100% from 22% in August
Upload proof of their figures
20% from 0% in August

New listings that say whether they make money

RecordedCalculated share
OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep
Next: Stripe Revenue Verification

Today, proof is what sellers upload. Stripe Revenue Verification is on its way, and when it arrives, this section starts counting verified listings too.

02 · The AI premium

AI sells the story. Revenue sells the business.

32% of projects for sale mention AI. Sellers ask 50% more for them, yet they're no more likely to be making money.

Median asking price

Calculated
$3,000
$2,000
Mentions AIDoesn't

Declared as making money

Calculated
5.5%
6.1%
Mentions AIDoesn't

"Mentions AI" means the title or description uses words like AI, GPT, LLM or agent: our reading, not the seller's label. Revenue shares count only listings that declared a revenue status.

03 · Hours in, price out

Every extra stretch of build time shows up in the asking price.

Median asking price by the hours sellers say they put in. Most sellers (58%) put in more than 200.

Declared hoursCalculated median
Under 50 hours
$1,125
50 – 100 hours
$1,900
100 – 200 hours
$3,000
200+ hours
$7,500

297 sellers who declared build time. Asking prices, not sale prices.

04 · Why founders sell

Selling isn't giving up. It's funding the next idea.

Nearly half of sellers are moving on to a new project. Only 2% say they lost interest.

Declared
New project
48%
No time
19%
Financial
19%
Other
10%
Pivoting
3%
Lost interest
2%

299 sellers who gave a reason.

05 · Where prices sit

Something for every budget, mostly small.

Six in ten projects ask under $5,000.

Declared pricesCalculated share
1,877
under $5k
854
$5k – $25k
208
$25k – $100k (7%)
64
$100k+ (2%)

06 · What people build with

The indie stack.

Declared
React
31%
Next.js
18%
Tailwind
18%
Supabase
16%
Stripe
15%
Node
14%
Python
9%
OpenAI
6%

1,496 listings that named their stack.

07 · How far along

This month, six in ten are MVPs.

Declared
Prototype
10%
MVP
61%
Early traction
21%
Growing
4%
Mature
4%
Passive
1%

1,900 listings that declared a stage.

08 · What's for sale

By type of project.

Arrows compare the average asking price of listings added in the last 3 months with the 3 months before. We only show a trend when both periods have at least 10 new listings.

Declared typeCalculated average
SaaS $11,211 25% on the 3 months before average asking price
Mobile app $13,562 116% on the 3 months before average asking price
Content site $2,863 35% on the 3 months before average asking price
E-commerce $22,797 8% on the 3 months before average asking price
Utility / tool $4,736 126% on the 3 months before average asking price
Two-sided platform $15,460 248% on the 3 months before average asking price
Code & rights $12,889 25% on the 3 months before average asking price
Browser extension $8,633 Too few new listings to show a trend average asking price
Newsletter $2,981 Too few new listings to show a trend average asking price
API / service $10,784 Too few new listings to show a trend average asking price

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How we count

Declared means the seller told us. Recorded means the platform logged it. Calculated means we worked it out from those. Prices are what sellers are asking, not what buyers paid.

What we leave out

Only published listings are counted: drafts and listings still under review are not. Anything a seller hasn't declared stays blank and isn't counted. "Verified" is only used for Stripe Identity and Stripe Revenue Verification.

Use this data

Free to quote with a link back to Indiemaker. Want a cut of the data for a story? Get in touch.