I built GitHub Store to 12,500 stars in 6 months – I started at 16

4 hours ago

The author, then 16, built GitHub Store as an alternative to the Play Store due to its cumbersome publishing process.
Starting with no knowledge of existing alternatives like F-Droid or Obtainium, the project grew to 12,500+ stars and 250,000+ updates in six months.
Using Kotlin Multiplatform allowed rapid development across Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux without learning new languages or tools.
Initial growth was boosted by social media posts and a feature from HowToMen, targeting privacy-aware users.
A period of doubt at 2-3k stars was overcome through direct user feedback, emphasizing the importance of tangible engagement.
Key lessons include shipping quickly to learn from the audience, prioritizing distribution channels, and localizing early for global reach.
Future plans include design improvements, better desktop support, and a paid tier only for cost-incurring features, with the backend remaining open source.

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