How Plausible Grew to $1M ARR Without Ads or Investors | Marko Saric, Co-Founder of Plausible

In this episode, Marko Saric shares how the project grew from a solo developer’s side hustle into a profitable SaaS with over 15,000 paying customers all without ads, affiliates, or outside funding. He dives into their open-source journey, content-led marketing strategy, and why they’ve chosen a calm, independent path over hyper-growth.

About Marko Saric:

Marko Saric is the co-founder of Plausible Analytics, a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. With a background in content marketing and a passion for open-source and ethical tech, Marko has helped scale Plausible into a profitable SaaS business without relying on ads, funding, or aggressive growth tactics.

Here is what we cover:

● Founding Story: Started by Uku; growth stalled until Marko joined via a blog post connection.
● Bootstrapped Growth: Now over $1M ARR, fully profitable with no investors.
● Open Source Shift: Transitioned to open source early on; tightened license after clones.
● Marketing Approach: Entirely content-driven; no paid ads or affiliates.
● Work Culture: 4-day workweeks, remote-first, and low-stress by design.
● Competing with Free: Users willingly pay for privacy, simplicity, and trust.
● Pricing Model: Starts at $9/month; many small customers keep them independent.
● Final Advice: Stay true to values, build long-term trust, and avoid chasing every growth channel.