Use case
RankFlo for Indie Hackers
Build in public, document your journey, attract users via SEO. Self-host for $0 or use the managed cloud for $5/mo. AI helps you ship more content while building.
Pain points Indie Hackers face
- ✕WordPress is overkill for a one-person side project
- ✕Substack and Medium don't help your own product's SEO
- ✕Writing slows you down — you'd rather be coding
- ✕Hard to keep the blog fresh without dedicated time
- ✕Need AI help but don't want to subscribe to 5 different tools
How RankFlo helps
Self-host on a $5 VPS
Docker Compose stack runs on any server. Postgres + Redis + Next.js. Total cost: $5/mo + AI API key.
AI content generation (BYO key)
Bring your OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini key. Pay them directly. RankFlo charges $0 for AI usage.
Built-in changelog + product updates
Use tags or projects to separate "build in public" updates from regular posts. Auto RSS for both.
Real analytics, no setup
Cookieless tracker — one line of JS. See what content drives signups.
Headless API for any frontend
Run your blog on the same Next.js stack as your product. One deploy, one design system.
A typical workflow
- 1Self-host RankFlo on a $5 Hetzner / DigitalOcean VPS
- 2Add the analytics tracker to your product site
- 3Write 1 "build in public" update per week with AI assist
- 4Publish 2 SEO posts per month targeting product keywords
- 5Watch organic signups grow from search
Metrics that matter
- Hosting cost (typical: $5–10/mo total)
- Posts published per month
- Organic signups attributed to content
- Time spent on content vs product
Built for indie hackers like you
Free plan forever. 14-day Pro trial. Self-host for free.