How to Sell a Side Project: A No-BS Guide for Indie Devs

Most side projects die quietly. They stop getting updates, the domain expires, and the builder moves on to the next thing. A few get sold. The difference between the two outcomes is usually not the quality of the project — it's whether the builder took the time to package it for a sale. Here's how to be in the second group.

Before you can sell anything, you need an honest inventory. Pull these four numbers:

Revenue: monthly recurring revenue, total lifetime revenue, revenue trend (growing, flat, declining). Traffic: monthly active users, monthly unique visitors, traffic source breakdown (organic vs. paid vs. direct). Codebase: tech stack, test coverage, estimated hours to onboard a new developer. User base: number of active users, churn rate if you have it, qualitative feedback you've received.

Overpriced listings don't sell. The market has three primary valuation signals:

MRR: your monthly recurring revenue multiplied by 24–48x gives a rough deal range. $500 MRR = $12k–$24k. $2k MRR = $48k–$96k.

MAU: for non-monetized apps, monthly active users serve as a proxy. Expect $5–$50 per engaged MAU depending on the niche and conversion potential.

Code quality: a clean, documented, well-tested codebase adds 20–40% to the valuation compared to spaghetti code with no tests. Not because buyers pay for code quality directly — but because clean code lowers their perceived risk.

The three documents every buyer will ask for:

Spend a weekend on these before you start outreach. Sellers who show up to buyer conversations with this documentation already prepared close 2–3x faster than those who produce it reactively.

"Right" doesn't mean highest bid. The right buyer is someone who can actually operate what you're selling and has a plan for it. A micro PE fund that specializes in developer tools is a better buyer for a developer tool than a content site operator who's never managed a SaaS codebase.

Use ExitLoop Club's directory to find buyers by type and deal size. Filter for micro PE funds for revenue-generating apps, marketplaces for pre-revenue or early-stage projects, and individual buyers if you want a more direct relationship.

Keep it short. Your first message should be one paragraph:

"Hi [name], I'm selling [app name], a [brief description] with [revenue/users]. It's been running for [X months/years]. [One sentence on why you're selling]. Would you be open to a quick call to see if there's a fit?"

Don't lead with the price. Don't include a pitch deck. Don't write four paragraphs about the technology. You're asking for a call, not a term sheet.

If a buyer is serious, they'll ask for access to verify your numbers. Have these ready:

A clean handoff is what separates a completed sale from a deal that falls apart at the finish line. Build a handoff checklist before you start outreach:

Domain and DNS access. All hosting accounts (AWS, Vercel, Render, etc.). Stripe or payment provider access. Email service access. Any third-party API keys. A 30-day support commitment post-close.

Buyers pay more and close faster when the handoff is organized. It signals that you're a professional seller, not someone who's going to disappear after the wire.

Use the quick exit pack at /tools to get a realistic range and sale-ready copy before you start outreach. Then browse the small-deal directory at /directory to find the right fit for your project.