Launched by RevenueCat – Détails, épisodes et analyse

On the podcast, I talk with Sebastian about the power of building in public, how persistence pays off when growth is slow, and why focusing on user needs and iterative improvement can lead to unexpected success in indie app development.

Top Takeaways:

💡 Building in public isn’t a marketing trick — it’s a momentum engine
Sebastian didn’t have a marketing budget when he launched his first apps. Instead, he built in public, sharing screenshots, updates, and revenue transparently on X (Twitter). This not only brought early users but also helped him stay motivated through long stretches of slow growth.

🧩 Success comes from clarity, not complexity
His first app, LiftBear, was a workout tracker that tried to do too much. It didn’t fail to live up to expectations because it was bad — it didn’t succeed because it wasn’t distinct. HabitKit, on the other hand, had a single, instantly recognizable visual hook: a GitHub-style contribution grid that turned habit tracking into a game of consistency.

🚀 Patience pays off — app store algorithms can change your life overnight
After months of steady updates and reviews, HabitKit suddenly began ranking for “habit tracker” in several major markets — without any new marketing push. The result: downloads and revenue skyrocketed.

💰 Lifetime plans build trust — even if you love subscriptions
All of Sebastian’s apps use a freemium model, with monthly, annual, and lifetime options. He believes offering a one-time purchase alongside subscriptions reduces friction and builds goodwill among users who hate recurring payments.

🧠 Building a new app can reignite your creativity
After three years of improving HabitKit, Sebastian started to feel burned out. His new app, FocusKit, gave him a chance to learn SwiftUI, experiment with Apple’s new Liquid Glass aesthetic, and explore productivity from a fresh angle.

About Sebastian Röhl:

🎤 Founder and CEO of HabitKit & FocusKit

📱 Sebastian Röhl is a passionate indie app developer and tech entrepreneur. With a background in computer science and a drive for solving real-world problems, he created HabitKit and FocusKit to help users build productive habits and stay focused. After working at top software companies, Sebastian followed his entrepreneurial spirit, focusing on mobile apps that combine simplicity with powerful functionality.

👋 LinkedIn

 💻 Substack https://sebastianroehl.substack.com/ 

Follow us on X: 

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM 

Episode Highlights: 

[0:00] Introduction to Sebastian Röhl and his journey into indie app development

[2:20] The power of building in public: How sharing your process helps you grow

[5:41] Persistence in the face of slow growth: Why consistency is key to success

[9:02] Focusing on user needs: How Sebastian’s personal challenges shaped his apps

[12:45] From LiftBare to HabitKit: Pivoting after initial setbacks

[16:00] The importance of simplicity and design in HabitKit and FocusKit

[19:55] Using feedback and iteration to improve your product over time

[24:30] How small wins, like app store ranking boosts, can lead to bigger success

[28:10] Learning from competitors, but staying true to your own vision

[32:05] The role of data in guiding decisions and refining your product

[36:15] Why Sebastian chose SwiftUI for FocusKit and the importance of native development

[40:02] Continuing to build and evolve: How building in public keeps you motivated

[43:45] The importance of not rushing to judgment: Embracing learning and testing in the process

[47:02] Insights on the future of indie app development and staying innovative

[49:55] Final thoughts on how to balance building apps and long-term growth

On the podcast, I talk with Sandeep about how a frustrated student’s struggle inspired him to create NaadSadhana, a revolutionary AI-driven app that helps singers perfect their pitch in real time. We dive into how his journey—from Microsoft and Google engineer to Apple Design Award-winning musician—shows what happens when art and technology truly harmonize.

Top Takeaways:

🎵 Build for Passion, Not Just Profit
Sandeep didn’t set out to build a business—he built NaadSadhana to help one struggling student. Solving a personal, meaningful problem led to a product that resonated deeply with others. Passion-first can still lead to product-market fit.

🧠 Invent What Doesn’t Exist
No app could help singers practice pitch accurately. So Sandeep built one—then layered in AI to simulate a responsive, collaborative band. When off-the-shelf solutions don’t exist, invent your own, especially if you're the first customer.

🔄 Iterate Like an Artist
Despite winning an Apple Design Award, Sandeep rewrote the app from scratch to add more instruments and complexity. Don’t let accolades freeze you. Treat your product like a living artwork—refine, rebuild, and evolve.

🧘 Stay Human in the Age of AI
Sandeep calls his AI "artistic intelligence." It doesn't replace musicians—it empowers them. He built ethical constraints into the app to keep it human-feeling. Augment people, don’t automate them out of the process.

📣 Word of Mouth Over Paid Ads
NaadSadhana grew organically through teachers, students, and artists sharing it. No marketing team. No budget. Just a product that solved real problems and delighted users. Focus on creating “wow”—and trust the users to spread the word.

🎛 Obsess Over Craft
From psychoacoustics to sub-millisecond latency to modeling physical string vibrations, Sandeep sweats every detail most users will never see. Excellence compounds. When you build with care, it shows—even when people don’t know why.

About Sandeep Ranade: 

🎤 Founder and CEO of NaadSadhana

📱 Sandeep Ranade is a passionate Hindustani classical musician and tech entrepreneur. Combining his deep knowledge of music and cutting-edge technology, he created an app that helps users improve their vocal precision. After a career at top tech companies, Sandeep pursued his passion for teaching and carried it to  NaadSadhana, with a goal of music without barriers. 

👋 LinkedIn 

🔍 Wikipedia

💻 Website

Follow us on X: 

• Charlie Chapman - @_chuckyc
• RevenueCat - @RevenueCat
• Launched - @LaunchedFM 

Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Sandeep's journey from tech to music

[2:15] How NaadSadhana was born out of a need in music education

[5:30] The challenges of developing a music app for vocal training

[9:45] NaadSadhana’s unique approach to vocal tuning and feedback

[15:20] The role of psychoacoustics and signal processing in the app's technology

[22:10] How Sandeep balanced his tech career with his passion for classical music

[28:55] The evolution of NaadSadhana and its growth over time

[35:12] The impact of the Apple Design Award on NaadSadhana's success

[42:20] Sandeep’s thoughts on creating a truly artist-centered app

[48:05] How NaadSadhana fosters better practice habits for musicians

[53:30] The app's influence on the Indian classical music community

[59:40] What’s next for NaadSadhana: expanding features and reaching more musicians

Christian Selig & Devin Davies join the show for a special video episode about the launch of Apple Vision Pro and both developer's apps, Juno and Crouton, that released on day one of the brand new App Store.

Video episode on Youtube

Links & Show Notes

• Devin Davies
  • Twitter
  • Mastodon
  • Threads
• Christian Selig
  • Twitter
  • Mastodon
  • Threads
• Crouton
• Juno
• Spatial Noise (Charlie's visionOS app)
• Wall Street Journal Vision Pro review featuring Crouton
• Rolli: 360° Video Player
• Wall Street Bull vs Bear

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
• Become a sponsor

For our annual Christmas special, Jordan Morgan joins the show to talk life, indie careers, and an announcement on the future of Launched.

Links & Show Notes

• Jordan on Mastodon
• Jordan on Twitter
• Swiftjective-C (Jordan's Blog)
• A Best-in-Class iOS App
• Dark Noise
• RevenueCat

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
• Become a sponsor

Jonathan Ruiz joins the show to talk about building and launching the link saving app Bridges.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Links & Show Notes

• Jonathan on Mastodon
• Bridges
• Relay FM
• Mark Fransen
• Swift Playgrounds
• Hacking with Swift

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
• Become a sponsor

Neil Jhaveri joins the show to talk about building and launching the outstanding Mac email client Mimestream.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Support Launched

⭐️ Become a member to support the show and get ad-free episodes!

Links & Show Notes

• Neil on Mastodon
• Mimestream
• Michael Simmons
• Flexibits
• Cabel Sasser
• Panic
• Fastmail

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
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Ariel Michaeli, co-founder and CEO of AppFigures, joins the show to talk about his career and building and launching the popular mobile app intelligence and ASO service.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Support Launched

⭐️ Become a member to support the show and get ad-free episodes!

Links & Show Notes

• Ariel on Twitter
• AppFigures
• Neil Patel
• Steve P. Young
• CB Insights

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
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Lisa Figas & Daniel Jilg join the show to talk about launching and building the privacy focused analytics service TelemetryDeck.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Episode Sponsors

Timing - Get 10% off your first bill using this link

Links & Show Notes

• TelemetryDeck
• Lisa on Twitter
• Lisa on LinkedIn
• Daniel on Twitter
• Daniel on Mastodon
• Trent Reznor
• Meredith Whittaker

Support Launched

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🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
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Roddy Munro joins the show to talk about his career and launching the AI powered bucket list app Söka.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Episode Sponsors

Kolibri for SwiftUI

Links & Show Notes

• Roddy on Mastodon
• Söka
• Classifier
• Ceramispace
• Söka Macstories Article
• Chris Wu
• Chris Vasselli
• Roddy on Substack

Support Launched

⭐️ Become a member to support the show and get ad-free episodes!

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
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Rebecca Owen joins the show about launching her new event tracking app Chronicling.

Edited by

Jonathan Ruiz

Episode Sponsors

Happy Scale

Links & Show Notes

• Rebecca on Mastodon
• Chronicling
• MATLAB
• Hacking with Swift
• Quantified self
• Data Jar
• Charty
• Shawn Hickman (Youtube Channel)
• Apple Frames
• Chronicling review on MacStories
• App: The Human Story (Documentary)
• Julia Evans
• Myke Hurley
• Cabel Sasser

Support Launched

⭐️ Become a member to support the show and get ad-free episodes!

🚀 Rocket Patrons

• Cameron McEfee

More Launched

• Website - launchedfm.com
• Twitter - @LaunchedFM
• Mastodon - @Launched@mastodon.social
• Threads - @LaunchedFM
• Become a sponsor