Sold a patent to Apple for $2,500, but his MTG card scanner earns $4,400/month
jdluk87 · x · 2026-10-18
A developer shares the contrast between two income paths: selling a patent to Apple brought a one-time $2,500, while his self-built Magic: The Gathering card scanner app earns a steady $4,400 every month.
His takeaway: "build for yourself" — running your own product generates recurring cash flow instead of a one-off payout for IP. A concrete indie hacker monetization data point.
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