Ask HN: Should I continue with my bootstrapped startup?
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7137359I launched BugMuncher (http://bugmuncher.com) a couple of years ago when Google + launched. Some people on HN seemed more interested in G+'s feedback tool than G+ itself, they wanted this tool for their own website. BugMuncher was based on G+'s feedback tool.
I've put a lot of time into BugMuncher, going from MVP to full app, but I'm only making $200 / month. I fear people are impressed when they first see BugMuncher, but no one needs this tool. I dogfood BugMuncher with my own users, even they don't use it much.
I think it could have more use for reporting cross browser issues, but all screenshots are created with webkit, so it's pretty useless for that. I've looked into using VM's to create screenshots for different browsers, the only service that would work is crossbrowsertesting.com, but they're prohibitively expensive. I'd either have to put my prices up a lot, or cut the monthly report limit by 70%
Which brings me to my only competitor, Usersnap - https://usersnap.com. They launched after me, but got VC funding, and use VM's to take screenshots in the same browser/OS as the user. Based on their pricing and report limit, I think they use crossbrowsertesting.com for screenshots, and the last time they posted a show HN, people complained 50 reports is not enough for $19 / month.
I'm now wondering if BugMuncher will ever be my full time job, I've got other things I'd like to work on, and I'm doing well freelancing. I don't feel like I have time for BugMuncher unless it can bring the majority of my income.
- Would you use BugMuncher as it is now (webkit screenshots)? - If not, would you use it if I used VMs to take screenshots with the correct browser, if so, would you want higher prices or lower limits? - Should I consider funding? - Should I stop, and sell BugMuncher or open source it?