MailCheap: a newsletter platform at $860 MRR nine days after launch (Stripe-verified), vibe coded with Claude Opus by Marc Lou
An open-source newsletter platform with an editor, scheduling, stats, web archives and sending from your own domain, priced by the emails you send instead of by subscriber count, from $19 a month.
$860 MRRper month, from 30 subscriptions, nine days after launch; TrustMRR, Stripe-verified, Oct 23, 2026
Figure as posted on X on . Last checked by Shipped & Paid on . What these dates mean
- Verification
- Verified Revenue read from a payment provider via a public third-party profile (e.g. TrustMRR) that matches the claim. See verification.
- App type
- SaaS & tools
- Currency
- US dollars (USD)
- Built with
- Claude
- Got customers via
- X, Word of mouth, Reddit, SEO
- Prior audience
- Well-known maker; says he already had about 100K X followers when he launched an earlier course, before TrustMRR (source)
- Source
- @marclou (Marc Lou, founder) on X, Oct 15, 2026
“I vibe-coded my own newsletter platform... It took a few prompts with Opus 5.5.”
Editor's note: Marc Lou is a well-known indie maker who also runs TrustMRR, which is already a case on this site, and several other products. On Oct 9, 2026 he wrote that he left beehiiv after a third price rise in two years and "vibe-coded my own newsletter platform" with "a few prompts with Opus 5.5" (a Claude model), running on AWS SES and MongoDB. He launched it publicly on Oct 15 and on Oct 21 wrote that new features were "Shipped with Opus 5.5, my best vibe coding buddy." He is an experienced developer, and "a few prompts" describes the first version, not every feature since. His X bio links MailCheap, and TrustMRR links the listing to his account. Because of his audience, MailCheap's early numbers say more about distribution than about the product alone. The quote is from his X post of Oct 9, 2026.
How they got customers
Launched to his large X audience with a direct comparison: "I vibe-coded beehiiv, and it's 83% cheaper." TrustMRR also lists word of mouth, Reddit and SEO. The pitch is price: you pay for emails sent, not dormant subscribers, and you can import from beehiiv, Substack or Mailchimp in minutes. It's open source, so people can also self-host it for free.
Steps to try
Rebuild a tool you pay too much for: he left beehiiv after its price kept rising.
From the sourcePrice on your real cost (emails sent), which lets you undercut incumbents that charge per subscriber.
From the sourceMake switching painless with one-click imports from the big competitors.
From the sourceLead your launch with a concrete comparison: "83% cheaper" than the tool people already know.
From the sourceAn existing audience changes the math: most founders won't reach $860 MRR in nine days, so judge your launch on its own terms.
Our suggestion
"From the source" steps summarize the linked post. "Our suggestion" steps are general practice from us, not claims by the founder.
Source
We summarize and link. Figures are reproduced as stated and are unaudited unless marked Verified. Founder? Request a correction or removal, or get a badge for your site.
Quick answers
How much does MailCheap make?
MailCheap reports $860 MRR (per month, from 30 subscriptions, nine days after launch; TrustMRR, Stripe-verified, Oct 23, 2026). Source: @marclou (Marc Lou, founder), Oct 15, 2026. Proof level: Verified. Revenue read from a payment provider via a public third-party profile (e.g. TrustMRR) that matches the claim.
What was MailCheap built with?
The source says it was built with Claude.
How did MailCheap get customers?
Main growth channels: X, Word of mouth, Reddit and SEO. Launched to his large X audience with a direct comparison: "I vibe-coded beehiiv, and it's 83% cheaper." TrustMRR also lists word of mouth, Reddit and SEO. The pitch is price: you pay for emails sent, not dormant subscribers, and you can import from beehiiv, Substack or Mailchimp in minutes. It's open source, so people can also self-host it for free.