Screening Report on Chinese Indie Developer Projects
Review date: November 2, 2026 Scope: four project directories, plus a deeper check of 18 candidates
Data source: 1c7/chinese-independent-developer (fixed snapshot, commit time 2026-11-02 03:10:44 UTC)
Key Conclusions
- The directories contain small structures that beginners can study with the help of AI and templates, but "can be built" is still a long way from "can make money."
- This review found no independently verifiable evidence of actual revenue or net profit for any deeply checked candidate, so none is treated as a proven money-making case.
- The directions in the report are only a suggested reading order, not a ranking by profit probability.
Coverage
An AI-assisted first-pass screening covered 3,563 records across four directories (not an audit by human experts, and not a site-by-site test): main list 1,708, merged 2018–2025 archive 1,264, programmer edition 431, game edition 160. This is the number of directory records; it includes duplicates, project collections and closed projects, so it does not mean 3,563 products are still online.
| First-pass category | Entries |
|---|---|
| Can be listed as a small-scope candidate | 380 |
| Consider after adding conditions or narrowing scope | 1,562 |
| Not a priority under current conditions | 1,621 |
Three Research Samples
- Original narrow-purpose template (Notebook Generator): the website offers a free PDF generator and a one-time paid e-planner at US$7.99; there is no verifiable sales or revenue figure, and having a price is not the same as having sales.
- Local single-workflow asset batch processing (Image Splitter): supports in-browser grid slicing, naming and ZIP export, MIT licensed; free tools are already strong, so value may arise only from special delivery rules.
- Subtitle delivery check (VOXR): reads SRT files to review timing, reading speed and gaps; MIT licensed, listed as free in the directory; it requires real subtitle-workflow experience.
There are also directions to consider once conditions are met (fixed-PDF batch delivery, perler-bead patterns), and small games kept only as learning and portfolio references (ToonTones and others; none of the five deeply checked games had verifiable revenue evidence).
Three Levels of Evidence
Directory level (judged only from directory descriptions), deep-check level (official sites, repositories, stores, etc.; some pages could not be read), and business level (a price, download count or claimed user count is no substitute for evidence of actual sales and profit). No software was installed, no code was run, no accounts were registered and no payments were made; no full security or asset-license audit was done.
Principles of Judgment
First find a deliverable you understand, can reach users for, and where you can see a repeated pain point; do not copy an "all-in-one" product first and then bet on traffic. "Someone has already built it" is only a starting point; real repeated demand and a clear delivery boundary still need verification. Public source code does not mean commercial use is allowed; check the specific license before reuse.
This page is a summary and paraphrase; see the GitHub repository above for the original data.