Ivan Kuckir didn’t plan to build a business.
He just wanted to make something useful. In 2012, while still a student, he threw together a simple tool to view PSD files in the browser. It was meant to be a quick experiment.
Instead of dropping it, he kept tinkering—adding features in his spare time, watching as a small audience formed around it. There was no big launch. No press. Just slow, steady growth.
That project became Photopea, a full-on Photoshop alternative now used by over a million people every day.
In 2017, with 5,000 daily users, Ivan added ads. He also introduced a Premium option to remove them. Fast forward to today: he’s making $250K a month. And he's still working solo.
Small Stack, Big Reach
Photopea is lean. Really lean.
The whole tool runs in-browser. Once it loads, it doesn’t need a server. There’s no forced sign-up, and most users never even create an account.
The code? A handful of JavaScript and GLSL files. A bit of PHP for optional extras like cloud storage and account management. Hosting costs? Around $600 a year. The domain is another $20.
Despite the simplicity, it's doing serious numbers—90% of revenue comes from ads, the rest from premium users and licensing deals. And it’s all handled by one person.
There was never a formal launch. Ivan released Photopea when it barely worked. You couldn’t even save your work at first. He added features as he went—monthly updates, no roadmap, just consistent effort.
Early users trickled in from Google Experiments and random blog mentions. He tried posting to Reddit and Hacker News, but most of it got flagged as self-promotion. Still, users kept coming.
They shared it. They linked to it. SEO slowly kicked in. Now, when you search for “free Photoshop,” Photopea is right there at the top.
Going Solo, Staying Solo
Ivan used to feel weird about not building a team. Thirteen years in, he’s changed his mind. He enjoys the work, prefers staying independent, and has no interest in managing others.
He’s turned down multiple offers to sell. Not because he’s chasing a bigger payday, but because he doesn’t want to give up what he enjoys most: making things at his own pace.
His advice to other builders? Ship early. Make mistakes. Focus on what’s useful. And don’t overthink things. Just start.
“I never planned to start a business. But I’m glad I stuck with it.”
Find out more by visiting Photopea
