Control Panel for Twitter

"A browser extension that makes Twitter more tolerable to use, with ~390k total users across Twitter and YouTube extensions, earning $500+/mo through App Store sales."
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soitis.dev/control-panel-for-twitter
Maker: insin
More than $500/mo since launching paid version on App Store; ~390,000 users across all extensions

Marketing Channels

Primary

Organic/viral growth

Chrome extension users tripled from 30k to 90k in a fortnight when Twitter killed third-party apps, mostly driven by Japanese users

Primary

App Store (Safari extensions)

Sells browser extensions through the App Store as paid apps

Ongoing

Hacker News

Active HN presence; also builds a dedicated HN extension (Comments Owl)

Planned

Cross-platform subscription

Planning a unified paid subscription across all extensions with settings sync and subscriber-only features

Growth Levers

  • Launch unified subscription across all extensions to increase ARPU and retention
  • Leverage ~390k existing user base for subscription conversion
  • Cross-promote between Twitter, YouTube, and HN extensions
  • Add settings sync and cross-device features as subscription incentives
  • Target the Japanese market specifically — major growth driver during the initial surge
  • Build extension-specific APIs to create deeper product moats

First Customer Strategy

Built the extension since 2019 as a passion project for 'New Twitter'. When Twitter killed third-party apps in 2023 and jacked up API prices, the extension became one of the few alternatives, tripling its user base organically. Monetized the following week by selling on the App Store, capitalizing on sudden demand.

Pricing Insight

Currently paid app on App Store. Planning to transition to a cross-extension subscription model with settings sync, subscriber-only features, and extension-specific APIs. Considering making App Store versions free and giving existing buyers 3 months of subscription per extension purchased as a thank-you.

Key Takeaways

  • • Platform disruptions create massive opportunities — Twitter killing third-party apps tripled the user base overnight
  • • Long-term passion projects can suddenly become viable businesses when market conditions shift
  • • Browser extensions can be monetized through App Store distribution (Safari)
  • • Transitioning from one-time purchases to subscriptions requires careful handling of existing paid users — offering grandfathering/credits builds goodwill
  • • A portfolio of extensions serving different platforms (Twitter, YouTube, HN) creates a cross-sell opportunity for unified subscriptions
  • • Geographic concentrations (Japan) can be unexpected and worth specific targeting

Sentiment Analysis

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