If you’re building a side project on nights and weekends, you do not need a dashboard full of vanity metrics.
You need a small set of numbers that tell you one thing clearly:
Is this worth continuing?
This post lays out the core metrics that actually matter for an indie, bootstrapped project - and just as importantly, what you can safely ignore.
The Bootstrapped Reality
Before talking metrics, it’s important to acknowledge constraints.
A bootstrapped side project usually has:
-
One developer
-
Limited time
-
Little or no marketing budget
-
No obligation to “look good” to investors
That context changes what success looks like.
Your metrics should:
-
Be cheap to measure
-
Be easy to understand
-
Drive clear decisions
If a metric doesn’t influence what you do next, what's the point?
Metric #1: Active Users (Not Signups)
What to track
-
Weekly Active Users (WAU) or Monthly Active Users (MAU)
Why it matters
Signups tell you almost nothing. Active users tell you whether the product is being used for its intended purpose.
A project with:
-
50 active users who return weekly
is healthier than one with: -
5,000 signups and no repeat usage
How to define “active”
Be strict. “Logged in” is often too weak.
Examples:
-
Created at least one item
-
Uploaded something
-
Completed a core action
If you can’t define what “active” means, your product scope is unclear. When I built my first SAAS, Referee Career, I felt great with 400 sign-ups. Only 5 or 6 of those were active users.
Metric #2: Retention (The Silent Killer)
What to track
-
Day 7 retention
-
Day 30 retention (if applicable)
Why it matters
Most side projects fail because nobody signs up.
If they survive that they fail because people don’t come back.
Retention answers a hard question:
Did this solve a real problem, or just a curiosity?
Even small improvements here compound.
Rough guidance:
-
<10% week-one retention → something is fundamentally wrong
-
20–30% → you may have a niche
-
40%+ → pay attention, this is promising
Metric #3: Revenue per User (Early, Not Perfect)
What to track
-
Monthly revenue
-
Revenue per active user
Why it matters
Bootstrapped projects exist to eventually justify their time cost.
Even £5–£20 per month from real users is a powerful signal:
-
Payment friction is overcome
-
The problem is valuable
-
You’re not building a toy
At the early stage, direction matters more than scale.
Metric #4: Conversion to Paid (If You Charge)
What to track
-
% of active users who pay
Why it matters
This tells you whether your value proposition is clear.
Low conversion usually means one of:
-
Pricing mismatch
-
Users don’t understand the benefit
-
The free tier does too much
This metric helps you decide whether to:
-
Improve onboarding
-
Change pricing
-
Cut free features
Metric #5: Cost (Because This Is Bootstrapped)
What to track
-
Monthly running costs
-
Cost per active user
Why it matters
Bootstrapped projects die when costs quietly creep up.
You don’t need perfect unit economics, but you do need awareness.
Questions you should be able to answer quickly:
-
What does this cost me per month?
-
What happens if usage doubles?
-
Is growth making this better or worse?
If growth increases losses, that’s a red flag.
What You Can Mostly Ignore (For Now)
Unless you enjoy self-deception, ignore these early on:
-
Total signups
-
Page views
-
Social followers
-
Impressions
-
Bounce rate
-
Fancy funnels
They feel good, but they don’t pay bills.
A Simple Indie Metrics Stack
You don’t need complexity.
A typical setup:
-
Basic analytics (or even logs)
-
A simple revenue tracker
-
A spreadsheet you actually look at
If measuring a metric takes more time than acting on it, it’s too heavy.
The One Question Your Metrics Should Answer
Every week, your metrics should help you answer:
Should I double down, pivot, or stop?
If they don’t, simplify.
Bootstrapping rewards clarity, not sophistication.
Final Thought
Metrics are not there to impress anyone.
They’re there to help you decide where to spend your limited time.
Track fewer things.
Understand them deeply.
Act on what they tell you.
That’s the bootstrapped advantage.