Indie dev's cat light app got cloned dozens of times, yet only the original hit #1
AlchainHust · x · 2026-10-12
The author recounts how his 'cat fill-light' app, launched in late 2024, was cloned within a week — dozens of cat/dog light apps appeared across Android, iOS and mini-programs, trivially reproduced by dropping two screenshots into Cursor. But the cloners only got an app, he argues: only the original hit #1 on the App Store paid chart and got covered by People's Daily and CCTV, implying distribution, timing and story — not the code — are the real moat.
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