6 Online Tool Success Stories [2024]
Looking to simplify everyday tasks with a digital solution? Consider developing an online tool. An online tool can be a web application designed to solve particular problems, such as project management, scheduling, or financial tracking.
Starting this venture involves identifying a common challenge people face and creating a digital solution to address it. You'll need skills in programming, design, and marketing—or you can assemble a team with these capabilities.
The demand for digital solutions is enormous as businesses and individuals look to increase efficiency and productivity. Launching an online tool involves significant effort in market research, development, and customer support, but the potential returns are substantial.
Creating an online tool is not just about coding but also about continually improving based on user feedback and market trends. It’s a commitment to providing value through technology. If you have a knack for innovation and problem-solving, this is a business idea worth exploring.
In this list, you'll find real-world online tool success stories and very profitable examples of starting a online tool that makes money.
1. Thankbox ($420K/year)
Val, the founder of Thankbox, came up with the idea while working as a contractor and noticed the challenges of organizing a card and cash collection for team occasions. After realizing there was no existing solution that covered both aspects, Val launched Thankbox in May 2020. Through strategic marketing and design improvements, Thankbox experienced rapid growth and generated over $2 million worth of gift cards since its launch.
How much money it makes: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
How many people on the team: 3
30-year-old Val shares how she founded Thankbox, an online group card and gift collection service in Scotland that has been used to send over 40,000 cards, issued over $2 million worth of gift cards, and now pulls around $25k in revenue per month, with plans to expand and offer physical versions of cards.
2. The Word Counter ($240K/year)
After recognizing the lack of a comprehensive and user-friendly word counter tool, Kevin Miller decided to build The Word Counter. Using his expertise in SEO, he aimed to prove the effectiveness of his strategies by growing the website from scratch and achieving the top ranking on Google. In just two years, The Word Counter has achieved impressive results, with over 300,000 keywords rankings and 2,400 domain referrals.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 1
Founder Kevin Miller's online word counter tool achieved over 300,000 keyword rankings, over 2,400 domain referrals and made $40,000 per month through Google's top results in just two years through SEO practices, proving the value of investing in quality and SEO.
3. ThumbnailTest ($192K/year)
Rox launched Clipbot, a tool that helps Twitch streamers repurpose clips into TikToks and YouTube Shorts. They got their initial customers through a Reddit post and later focused on SEO, which became their biggest source of traffic. Clipbot now has $800 MRR and is gaining traction.
How much money it makes: $192K/year
How much did it cost to start: $99
How many people on the team: 0
Startup founder Rox talks about her journey building startups live on Twitch, including projects Clipbot.tv and ThumbnailTest.com, which have brought in a total of $800 MRR and almost 7,000 Twitch followers.
4. stagetimer.io ($100K/year)
Lukas Hermann, the co-founder of Stagetimer, came up with the idea while visiting a recording studio and noticing the inconvenience of manually starting a timer for presentations. He coded a remote-controlled timer and shared it on Reddit, receiving positive feedback and eventually launching a paid version. With a niche target audience of event producers, Stagetimer generates an impressive $8,000 in monthly revenue.
How much money it makes: $100K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Stagetimer generates $8,000 in monthly revenue by providing a simple online countdown timer for event producers to keep meetings and presentations on time, built based on a need in the market and validated through word of mouth and search engine optimization.
5. OrgPad ($12K/year)
Vít Kalisz, co-founder and CEO of OrgPad, had the idea for the universal digital whiteboard tool after visiting his university teacher in Switzerland, where he convinced him to leave Google and start OrgPad together. The idea had actually been forming since the early 1980s with the work of Czech mathematician Zdeněk Hedrlín, and Vít was determined to bring his ideas to life. Through self-funding and building a strong community, OrgPad has grown rapidly and now helps over 17,000 people with their studies and work.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 0
OrgPad is a web-based digital whiteboard that helps over 17,000 people with their studies and work, with a strong community built around the product leading to rapid revenue growth and profitability.
6. nslookup.io ($6K/year)
Ruurtjan Pul, founder of web tools portfolio including DNS lookup tool and ISP checker, was inspired by his lifelong interest in entrepreneurship and website management. After evaluating various ideas based on long-term relevance, income potential, and feasibility, he launched his projects and steadily grew his user base through SEO tactics. Despite the challenges of profitability, he remains determined to make his business sustainable.
How much money it makes: $6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
A portfolio of web tools with a combined monthly unique user count of 250k, netting around $500 a month, looking to improve traffic and revenue by improving search volume and revenue per visitor, and actively looking to monetize ad space through a partner.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
