Tarsi: a budget tracker built in a weekend with Codex that made about $20K in its first month as a paid app
An offline-first budget tracker for iPhone and Android with a tarsier mascot: log spending, track balances across cards and accounts, and plan bills without an account or a server.
About $20,000 in its first monthfirst month, iOS and Android; App Store Connect dashboard shown on the Tap & Swipe podcast, May 2026, as claimed
- Verification
- Screenshot Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
- App type
- Finance & money
- Currency
- US dollars (USD)
- Built with
- Codex
- Got customers via
- Word of mouth, Social media, App Store search (ASO)
- Prior audience
- His X bio calls him a "300k+ creator" (about 1.8K followers on X itself); he first showed Tarsi as a live demo at a university talk (source)
- Source
- Bryl Lim (founder), Tap & Swipe podcast on Podcast, May 23, 2026
“With AI I get to iterate fast based on feedback and to validate the idea first compared to other developers out there who have clean code but zero sales.”
Editor's note: Bryl Lim, from the Philippines, built Tarsi in one weekend as a live demo for a university talk about vibe coding. He says he mainly uses Codex on top of his own React Native templates, made the first mascot with Nano Banana (Gemini) from a Bulbasaur reference, and designs App Store screenshots in Figma. The $14.7K on screen is App Store Connect sales before Apple's cut, and the roughly $20K total is his own estimate including Google Play. The App Store lists Tarsi - Budget Tracker from Bryl Kezter Lim (released Mar 12, 2026; 4.6 stars from about 470 ratings in the Philippines). TrustMRR's RevenueCat data only starts with the later subscription plans (April 2026), so it does not include the paid-upfront launch sales; it shows $869 MRR and $2,178 in the last 30 days as of Oct 19, 2026. On Oct 15, 2026 he posted that one of his apps is being acquired without naming it; TrustMRR does not list Tarsi for sale.
How they got customers
No paid ads. Tarsi went viral after he demoed it at a university talk on vibe coding and shared it on his socials, then climbed to #1 in the paid charts in several countries. A link in the app's settings sends users to a public Facebook group for questions and feedback, and because the group is public their posts show up in their friends' feeds.
Steps to try
Build the first version fast with an AI coding agent on top of a template you already trust; Tarsi took one weekend with Codex and a React Native starter.
From the sourceSkip the paywall setup at launch: charge upfront ($4.99) and let the App Store handle payments.
From the sourceKeep the core app offline-first (no account, no server) so it costs nothing to run as sales grow.
From the sourcePut a public Facebook group link in the app's settings so feedback posts reach users' friends.
From the sourceShip early and iterate on reviews and group feedback instead of polishing before launch.
From the sourceIf you later add subscriptions, track paid-upfront and subscription revenue separately so your numbers stay comparable.
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.
Quick answers
How much does Tarsi make?
Tarsi reports About $20,000 in its first month (first month, iOS and Android; App Store Connect dashboard shown on the Tap & Swipe podcast, May 2026, as claimed). Source: Bryl Lim (founder), Tap & Swipe podcast, May 23, 2026. Proof level: Screenshot. Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
What was Tarsi built with?
The source says it was built with Codex.
How did Tarsi get customers?
Main growth channels: Word of mouth, Social media and App Store search (ASO). No paid ads. Tarsi went viral after he demoed it at a university talk on vibe coding and shared it on his socials, then climbed to #1 in the paid charts in several countries. A link in the app's settings sends users to a public Facebook group for questions and feedback, and because the group is public their posts show up in their friends' feeds.