I ship open-source security tools solo — here's the full stack, the pricing, and the (zero) revenue so far

Description and use

A solo developer released three MIT‑licensed security tools and tried to monetize them with paid guides, but has yet to make a sale; the main hurdle is low brand visibility and trust.

Problem

A solo developer wants to monetize open‑source security tools but has not yet achieved any sales.

Outcome

Zero revenue to date; downloads are modest and distribution is the bottleneck.

Workflow

• 1. Release free tools on GitHub and PyPI.
• 2. Publish a detailed post describing the stack and pricing.
• 3. Offer paid guides via Polar for $50 (Talus Enterprise Pack) and $29 (Externum Pro Pack).
• 4. Send ~110 cold outreach emails to media/newsletters.
• 5. Monitor downloads, stars, social followers, and Polar orders.
• 6. Await first sale or data indicating pricing model failure.

Evidence

Revenue so far is exactly $0

Source

Downloads: externum 431/month on PyPI — the only channel with real organic pull

Source

Polar orders: 0 across both products

Source

So: distribution is the bottleneck, not the product, and not the price.

Source