Filestash

"An open-source web file manager that connects to virtually every storage protocol (FTP, SFTP, S3, Dropbox, etc.) with a modern UI and plugin system."

More than ramen profitable but under a normal salary, earned through custom builds, plugins, paid support, and bespoke features for companies

github.com/mickael-kerjean/filestash

Maker: mickael-kerjean

More than ramen profitable but under a normal salary, earned through custom builds, plugins, paid support, and bespoke features for companies

Marketing Channels

Primary

Hacker News

Launched referencing the famous 'Dropbox is just FTP' HN comment, leveraging community nostalgia and recognition

Ongoing

GitHub / Open Source

Base product is open-source on GitHub, driving organic discovery, contributions, and trust

Ongoing

Product website (filestash.app)

Landing page with protocol-specific pages (e.g., smb-client.html) for SEO

Growth Levers

Improve the landing page tagline to clearly communicate value proposition to uninitiated users
Create 'it's like X but with Y' positioning statements for different target audiences
Fix copy issues (e.g., typos like 'fined grained') to improve professionalism
Build protocol-specific landing pages optimized for SEO targeting users searching for specific storage solutions
Grow enterprise revenue through paid plugin tiers and SLA-backed support contracts
Leverage the MCP protocol support as a differentiator in the AI-agent tooling ecosystem

First Customer Strategy

The creator built on an iconic Hacker News cultural moment ('Dropbox should just be FTP') to gain initial visibility. The open-source model attracted developers and early adopters who then became paying customers through custom builds and enterprise support needs.

Pricing Insight

Revenue comes from custom builds, additional plugins, paid support, and bespoke features for companies. The base product is free and open-source. Revenue is above ramen profitability but below a full-time salary.

New Market Opportunities

Teams with scattered media files Attempted to build a file-sharing tool for a team with video and images strewn across the org using Filestash as frontend, validating enterprise media management use case
AI agent tooling (MCP) Creator added MCP protocol support, positioning Filestash as a storage bridge for AI agents

Key Takeaways

• Referencing a well-known community moment (the Dropbox/FTP comment) creates instant recognition and narrative hook
• Open-source base with paid custom builds and support is a viable but modest monetization model for developer tools
• Clear positioning and landing page copy are critical; even people in the target audience struggled to understand the product
• Long-term open-source projects can sustain modest income if the creator is willing to do custom work and support
• Small copy errors and unclear messaging can erode trust and conversion on an otherwise strong product

Sentiment Analysis

2 Pos / 3 Neu

Notable Quotes

"This could probably be more profitable for you with better tagline/explanation! — black_puppydog"