# There are 3 ways solo devs quietly make $60K+/year with AI. Nobody talks about two of them.
**作者**: Atenov int.
**日期**: 2026-07-23T16:54:10.000Z
**来源**: [https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780)
---

I spent $174 on accounts, $50 on AI credits, and one weekend to ship a working mobile app - and figured out why the gap between "I have an idea" and "it runs on my phone" completely collapsed in 2026.
> If you don't have time to read the entire article right now, be sure to bookmark it so you don't lose it.
Most people still think you need years of Swift, months of Xcode, and thousands to a freelancer. Meanwhile solo devs are shipping AI scanners, calorie trackers, and full games in an afternoon. The workflow is public. Almost nobody bothers to actually run it.

Did you know Lovable.dev lets you plug OpenAI's API straight into your app and charge $9.99/month per user for the same GPT model everyone else uses for free?
Or that RevenueCat handles the entire subscription paywall (Apple, Google, Stripe) with one API key - no server, no billing code you have to write?
Or that solo creators are pulling four figures a month on Etsy just selling Google Sheets templates built by Claude in under an hour?
I'll break down every layer. Bookmark this so you don't lose it.
## The 2026 stack has three paths.
```
App builder | Lovable.dev, Base 44, or Codex + Expo Go
Game builder | Claude Code + Leonardo AI + Suno + ElevenLabs
Template builder| Claude GWS CLI - Google Sheets automation
Native compile | Despia - skips Xcode entirely
Subscriptions | RevenueCat - $9.99/mo paywalls in 15 minutes
Distribution | App Store, Google Play, Etsy, Steam, itch.io
```
Every path uses the same money layer at the end. What changes is what you build and where you sell it.

## Path A - AI apps that print recurring revenue
The killer move in 2026 isn't a one-time app purchase. It's a $9.99/month AI scanner. Fish identifier by photo. Plant health scanner. Handwriting-to-notes. The stack is: Lovable.dev builds the UI, OpenAI API does the intelligence, RevenueCat handles the paywall, Despia compiles it native.
Real workflow: prompt Lovable to build the UI.
Register at OpenAI, create an API key, paste it in.
Prompt again to add a "utilities" section (seasonal recommendations, local rules, community feed with badges).
Enable the paywall behind unlimited scans.
Sign in to RevenueCat, connect your Apple Developer account with the .p8 file, create a "pro_access" entitlement, publish the paywall template.
One of these apps at $9.99/mo x 500 users is $60K/year on autopilot. The OpenAI API costs cents per scan. Everything else is margin.

## Path B - Games shipped in one weekend
Claude Code writes the entire codebase. Leonardo AI handles the pixel art. Suno makes the music. ElevenLabs handles sound effects. You direct the whole thing from VS Code.
Concept first. Write your idea into ChatGPT (o3-Pro or 4o) and ask for a full game design brief - gameplay loop, XP curve (10 XP to level 2, 20 XP to level 3), loss conditions. Download it as design.md.
Then Claude Code in VS Code or Windsurf. Drop design.md in the folder. Hit Shift+Tab to enter Plan Mode. Point Claude at the brief and let it plan. Hit Shift+Tab again for Auto-accept, tell it to build. Run npm run dev, open localhost:3000, play.
For art, Leonardo AI has one feature nobody uses correctly - the Tile toggle for seamless textures. Turn it on before generating floors, or you'll see ugly seams at every tile boundary. For characters use Lucid Realism model, generate two frames per character (idle + walking), and Claude wires the animation automatically.
Total AI credits burned across the full game: under $50.
## Path C - Etsy templates without any app at all
Google Sheets templates on Etsy are the sleeper money in 2026. Wedding planners, 50/30/20 budget trackers, small business P&L dashboards - $12-30 each, delivered automatically.
Install Claude Desktop + Google Workspace CLI plugin. Screenshot a top-selling competitor's Etsy template. Drop it into Claude and prompt "recreate this structure with automatic diagrams and transaction logs." Claude builds the entire sheet in one session. Run 3-4 sessions in parallel for different niches.
- For mockups: download a laptop or tablet PSD from Freepik, open in Photopea (free), double-click the smart object, paste your sheet screenshot. Or use Gemini image mode to overlay your sheet on an iPad in a cozy scene.
- For delivery: register on Etsy, install Listing View, generate SEO-optimized titles with the built-in Claude Opus integration, select "Sell a URL" and paste your Google Sheets link. Buyers get instant access after payment. Zero ongoing work.
## 5 mistakes that kill your first product before launch
1. Building without a paywall from day one. Free apps with ads make $0.50 per user per year. Subscription apps make $50-120 per user per year. Same code, 100x revenue. Wire RevenueCat before you write the first feature.

2. Skipping the utilities section. An AI scanner without utilities is a demo. Add local rules, seasonal recommendations, a community feed with verification badges. These turn a one-shot download into a $9.99/mo habit.
3. Publishing without cleaning Base 44 auth scripts. Base 44 ships with its own SDK and login screen enabled by default. Despia rejects apps that show a login on launch. Prompt Base 44 to strip the SDK, disable "Require login" under Publish, then export.
4. Skipping backups before graphics work. Heavy Leonardo assets or new game mechanics break more builds than any bug. Create a private GitHub repo, use Windsurf's Cascade to init/commit/push before every big change. One click rollback beats one week of re-debugging.
5. Shipping to one platform. Every store you skip is revenue you'll never see. Unity exports to Xbox, Switch, Steam, and HTML5 from one project. Etsy templates ship the same file to millions of buyers. Ship everywhere on day one.
## $174 for the accounts, $50 for AI credits, one weekend for the pipeline.
$99 for Apple Developer. $25 for Google Play. $50 in AI credits across Lovable, Claude Code, Leonardo, and Suno. Second product ships in half the time. Third one ships in an afternoon.

The solo devs pulling $60K/year on a subscription app or $3K/month on Etsy templates aren't building better products. They're running the same six-tool pipeline while everyone else is still deciding whether to learn Swift.
> My Telegram channel, where I post the best alpha picks from AI, GitHub, Polymarket, etc - https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi
Bookmark this. The setup takes 15 minutes. The leverage compounds for years.
## 相关链接
- [Atenov int.](https://x.com/Atenov_D)
- [@Atenov_D](https://x.com/Atenov_D)
- [10K](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/analytics)
- [Lovable.dev](https://lovable.dev/)
- [Lovable.dev](https://lovable.dev/)
- [https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi](https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi)
- [Upgrade to Premium](https://x.com/i/premium_sign_up)
- [12:54 AM · Jul 24, 2026](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780)
- [10.2K Views](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/analytics)
- [View quotes](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/quotes)
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*导出时间: 2026/7/24 15:58:53*
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## 中文翻译
# 独立开发者通过 AI 悄悄实现年入 6 万美元以上的 3 种方式。其中有两种几乎没人谈论。
**作者**: Atenov int.
**日期**: 2026-07-23T16:54:10.000Z
**来源**: [https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780)
---

我花了 174 美元开通各种账号,50 美元购买 AI 额度,再加上一个周末的时间,就交付了一个可运行的移动应用——并弄明白了为什么在 2026 年,“我有一个点子”和“它在我的手机上运行”之间的鸿沟已经彻底消失。
> 如果你现在没时间读完整篇文章,请务必把它收藏起来,以免丢失。
大多数人仍然认为你需要学习数年的 Swift,花上几个月的时间熟悉 Xcode,并且花费数千美元雇佣自由职业者。与此同时,独立开发者们正在一个下午之内发布 AI 扫描仪、卡路里追踪器,甚至是完整的游戏。这套工作流程是公开的,但几乎没人真的去动手运行它。

你知道吗?Lovable.dev 让你可以将 OpenAI 的 API 直接接入你的应用,并就那个别人免费使用的 GPT 模型向每位用户每月收取 9.99 美元的费用?
或者,RevenueCat 只需一个 API 密钥就能处理整个订阅付费墙(包括 Apple、Google、Stripe)——无需服务器,也无需你编写任何计费代码?
又或者,独立创作者们仅仅通过出售由 Claude 在一小时内构建的 Google Sheets 表格模板,就能在 Etsy 上每月获得四位数(千美元级)的收入?
我将逐一拆解每一个环节。收藏这篇文章,以免你弄丢了它。
## 2026 年的技术栈包含三条路径。
```
应用构建器 | Lovable.dev, Base 44, 或 Codex + Expo Go
游戏构建器 | Claude Code + Leonardo AI + Suno + ElevenLabs
模板构建器 | Claude GWS CLI - Google Sheets 自动化
原生编译 | Despia - 完全跳过 Xcode
订阅服务 | RevenueCat - 15 分钟搞定 $9.99/月 的付费墙
分发渠道 | App Store, Google Play, Etsy, Steam, itch.io
```
每条路径最终都使用同样的资金变现层。改变的是你构建的内容以及你销售它的地方。

## 路径 A - 能够印出经常性收入的 AI 应用
2026 年的杀手级动作不是一次性购买的应用。而是每月 9.99 美元的 AI 扫描仪。拍照识别鱼类。植物健康扫描。手写转笔记。技术栈是:Lovable.dev 构建界面,OpenAI API 提供智能,RevenueCat 处理付费墙,Despia 将其编译为原生应用。
真实工作流程:提示词指令让 Lovable 构建用户界面。
在 OpenAI 注册,创建一个 API 密钥,粘贴进去。
再次提示词添加一个“实用工具”版块(季节性建议、本地规则、带有徽章的社区动态)。
在无限次扫描功能后启用付费墙。
登录 RevenueCat,使用 .p8 文件连接你的 Apple Developer 账户,创建一个“pro_access”权限,发布付费墙模板。
只要其中一款应用做到每月 9.99 美元 x 500 用户,就能每年自动产生 6 万美元的收入。OpenAI API 的每次扫描成本只需几美分。剩下的全是利润。

## 路径 B - 一个周末内交付的游戏
Claude Code 编写整个代码库。Leonardo AI 处理像素画。Suno 制作音乐。ElevenLabs 处理音效。你在 VS Code 中指挥这一切。
先有概念。将你的想法写入 ChatGPT(o3-Pro 或 4o),并要求提供一份完整的游戏设计简报——游戏循环、XP 曲线(10 升到 2 级,20 升到 3 级)、失败条件。将其下载为 design.md。
然后在 VS Code 或 Windsurf 中使用 Claude Code。将 design.md 放入文件夹。按 Shift+Tab 进入计划模式。让 Claude 指向简报并进行规划。再次按 Shift+Tab 进行自动接受,告诉它开始构建。运行 npm run dev,打开 localhost:3000,开始试玩。
对于美术资源,Leonardo AI 有一个几乎没人能正确使用的功能——用于无缝纹理的“Tile”切换开关。在生成地板素材前打开它,否则你会看到每个瓷砖边界处都有丑陋的接缝。对于角色,使用 Lucid Realism 模型,为每个角色生成两帧(闲置 + 走路),Claude 会自动连接动画。
整个游戏消耗的 AI 额度总计:不到 50 美元。
## 路径 C - 根本不需要任何应用的 Etsy 模板
Etsy 上的 Google Sheets 模板是 2026 年的闷声赚钱利器。婚礼策划师、50/30/20 预算追踪器、小型企业损益仪表盘——每个售价 12-30 美元,自动交付。
安装 Claude Desktop + Google Workspace CLI 插件。截取一个销量最高的竞争对手的 Etsy 模板截图。把它丢进 Claude 并提示词指令“用自动图表和交易日志重现这个结构”。Claude 会在一个会话中构建整个表格。针对不同细分市场并行运行 3-4 个会话。
- 对于样机:从 Freepik 下载笔记本电脑或平板电脑 PSD,在 Photopea(免费)中打开,双击智能对象,粘贴你的表格截图。或者使用 Gemini 图像模式将你的表格叠加在舒适场景中的 iPad 上。
- 对于交付:在 Etsy 注册,安装 Listing View,使用内置的 Claude Opus 集成生成 SEO 优化的标题,选择“Sell a URL”并粘贴你的 Google Sheets 链接。买家付款后即可即时访问。零后续维护工作。
## 5 个会在发布前扼杀你首款产品的错误
1. 从第一天开始就没有构建付费墙。带广告的免费应用每年每个用户赚 0.50 美元。订阅应用每年每个用户赚 50-120 美元。同样的代码,100 倍的收入。在编写第一个功能之前先接好 RevenueCat。

2. 忽略实用工具版块。没有实用工具的 AI 扫描仪只是一个演示。添加本地规则、季节性建议、带有验证徽章的社区动态。这些能将一次性下载转化为每月 9.99 美元的习惯。
3. 在未清理 Base 44 身份验证脚本的情况下发布。Base 44 出厂时默认启用自己的 SDK 和登录屏幕。Despia 会拒绝那些启动时显示登录的应用程序。提示词指令 Base 44 剥离 SDK,在 Publish 下禁用“Require login”,然后再导出。
4. 在进行图形工作前跳过备份。沉重的 Leonardo 资源或新的游戏机制比任何 Bug 都更容易破坏构建。创建一个私有的 GitHub 仓库,在每次重大更改之前使用 Windsurf 的 Cascade 进行 init/commit/push。一键回滚胜过一周的重新调试。
5. 仅发布到一个平台。你跳过的每一个商店都是你永远看不到的收入。Unity 可以从一个项目导出到 Xbox、Switch、Steam 和 HTML5。Etsy 模板将同一个文件交付给数百万买家。在第一天就发布到所有平台。
## 174 美元用于账号,50 美元用于 AI 额度,一个周末用于构建流程。
99 美元用于 Apple Developer。25 美元用于 Google Play。50 美元用于 Lovable、Claude Code、Leonardo 和 Suno 的 AI 额度。第二款产品的交付时间缩短一半。第三款产品一个下午就能搞定。

那些通过订阅应用年入 6 万美元或通过 Etsy 模板月入 3 千美元的独立开发者,并不是在构建更好的产品。他们只是在运行这同样的六个工具的流程,而其他人还在纠结是否要学习 Swift。
> 我的 Telegram 频道,我在那里发布来自 AI、GitHub、Polymarket 等领域的最佳 Alpha 择股 - https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi
收藏这篇文章。设置只需 15 分钟。杠杆效应将持续复利多年。
## 相关链接
- [Atenov int.](https://x.com/Atenov_D)
- [@Atenov_D](https://x.com/Atenov_D)
- [10K](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/analytics)
- [Lovable.dev](https://lovable.dev/)
- [Lovable.dev](https://lovable.dev/)
- [https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi](https://t.me/+Uzcp8Q6o9tMyNTVi)
- [Upgrade to Premium](https://x.com/i/premium_sign_up)
- [12:54 AM · Jul 24, 2026](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780)
- [10.2K Views](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/analytics)
- [View quotes](https://x.com/Atenov_D/status/2080335676432613780/quotes)
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*导出时间: 2026/7/24 15:58:53*