Most indie hackers start with a spreadsheet. It makes sense — it's free, flexible, and fast to set up. But spreadsheets have a failure mode: you stop updating them when life gets busy, and then they're worse than nothing.
Here's how to track your revenue without relying on discipline to maintain a spreadsheet.
Start with your payment processor
If you're using Stripe or Lemon Squeezy, you already have better data than most spreadsheets can give you. Both platforms calculate MRR automatically.
Stripe: Dashboard → Revenue → MRR. It handles monthly and annual subscriptions correctly. It's not perfect (it doesn't catch all edge cases), but it's good enough for most solo founders.
Lemon Squeezy: Analytics tab shows MRR, new MRR, and churn. Particularly good if you're selling internationally and want tax handled for you.
The habit is checking this number once a week, on the same day. Put it in your calendar.
Layer in a public commitment
Here's what most revenue tracking advice misses: the best tracking system is one you're motivated to keep accurate.
Submitting your MRR to a public leaderboard — like MRR.fyi — gives you an external reason to have the right number. When your number is public, you update it. The social accountability that comes with building in public turns a chore into a ritual.
Founders on MRR.fyi update their revenue more consistently than founders tracking in private spreadsheets. The difference isn't tools — it's stakes.
If you want more detail
Once you're past $5K MRR and churn starts to matter, you might want more visibility. Some options:
Baremetrics: Connects to Stripe. Shows MRR, ARR, LTV, churn. Free tier for small businesses. The "Pulse" feature gives you a daily email with your key numbers — no dashboard-checking required.
ChartMogul: Similar to Baremetrics. Slightly better cohort analysis. Free up to $10K MRR.
Profitwell (now Paddle): Free MRR analytics layer if you're on Stripe.
None of these are necessary until you're actively managing growth. Early on, they're procrastination disguised as productivity.
The system that works
- Payment processor handles the numbers
- Check once a week
- Post your MRR publicly — that's your accountability layer
- Upgrade to a real analytics tool only when you have a specific question it can answer
Revenue tracking doesn't need to be complicated. The goal is to always know your number. Start there.