How a Porn Addiction App (Quittr) Scaled to $250K MRR in 4 Months

PLUS: How I use LLMs by Karpathy

How a Porn Addiction App (Quittr) Scaled to $250K MRR in 4 Months

Porn addiction runs deep today, with OnlyFans and platforms like Instagram and TikTok pushing explicit content to keep users scrolling.

It’s become so normal that many guys—especially younger ones—battle it in silence.

Three friends, Chris (17), Alex (19), and Connor (22), saw this struggle and turned it into Quittr, an app now pulling in $250,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) just four months after launch.

Identifying a High Pain Point in a Normalized Market

Porn’s everywhere, and guys don’t talk about it.

Connor put it plain: “You don’t go to your boy and say, ‘I’m addicted to porn, man, how do you help me?’” That silence screamed opportunity.

Quittr became a discreet lifeline—right on your phone, no one has to know. They focused on Gen Z, a generation hooked on OnlyFans but ignored by apps like Covenant Eyes, which targets older men, 35 and up.

Chris noted how kids as young as middle school swap porn on iPod Touches at lunch. Quittr stepped in where others didn’t.

Leveraging Personal Experience and Market Observation

Chris and Alex lived the self-improvement life, swearing by NoFap—quitting porn for boosts in energy and focus. They’d felt the pull of addiction themselves and knew semen retention could sharpen a guy’s edge.

No apps tackled this for young people, though. They dug into competitors. Covenant Eyes served an older crowd. Brain Buddy, stuck in time for 14 years, barely tried. Brain Buddy got zero marketing efforts
 barely innovated in a decade.

Brainbuddy - iOS App

Alex built Quittr’s idea off Calm’s success and a friend’s app, seeing a gap too big to ignore. Their personal stakes met a clear market need.

Building an MVP: Starting with a Simple Timer and Community

Quittr started small—a timer to track how long you’d gone without porn, aiming for that 90-day “Breakthrough point.” Then came the community. Guys posted, “I’m tempted, help,” and got replies like, “You’re better than this.”

It broke the isolation. Breathing exercises eased the tension.

A panic button, pressed during urges, buzzed your phone and flashed your goals.

A virtual plant grew from a seed to a tree as your streak stretched—cut it down, and you’d feel it.

An AI therapist, Melus, popped up for 24/7 chats, steeped in NoFap wisdom.

Quittr - iOS App

Alex coded it with Swift, leaning on ChatGPT for tricky parts like the community feature, with Firebase holding the data.

Onboarding Psychology: Designing a High-Converting User Journey

Crafting a 12-Page Quiz for Self-Diagnosis and Intent

Quittr grabs you from the start with a 12-page quiz.

It asks stuff like, “Has your exposure gotten more twisted?” “How long have you been hooked?” “When did it start?” These aren’t fluffy questions—they make you face yourself.

Like Chris Voss says in Never Split the Difference, labeling emotions defuses them. Here, it locks in intent.

Mixpanel Analytics show 99% finish the onboarding, hooked by the topic’s weight. It is the best onboarding flow in the industry with a CVR of 25%—25% of downloads turn into paying users.

Symptom Selection, Social Proof, and Value Proposition Before Paywall

Next, you pick your struggles—low drive, losing interest in real girls, and so on. Testimonials from other Quittrs pop up, showing it works.

A page spells out porn’s damage—brain fog, low energy—and quitting’s wins—clarity, stamina.

An App Store review prompt boosts rankings. Then the paywall lands: “Hey [Your Name], time to invest in yourself,” with $12.99 monthly or $45 yearly options.

It’s personal and cheap enough to bite. Without this flow, they’d be stuck at $10,000 in revenue instead of $250,000.

Post-Paywall Experience: Streak Tracking, Community, and Tools

Pay up, and you’re in. A streak counter ticks—1 day, 2 days, badges at milestones.

A to-do list nudges you to journal or post. The community’s anonymous—you pick a name, an age, and vent.

“I’m tempted” gets instant replies.

The panic button ties to journaling or chat. Your plant grows. Melus listens anytime. A resource page dives into porn’s psychology, with brain scans from their marketing—normal versus addicted—hitting home.

Why a Hard Paywall Works: Commitment and Perceived Value

They tried freemium once. Usage tanked—nobody cared. A hard paywall changed that.

When you drop $45 for a year, you’re in. Users rated it higher, stuck around longer. When you pay, you value it more. That commitment drives Quittr’s edge.

Growth Hacking: Influencer Marketing and Viral Content

Influencer Marketing as a Bootstrapping Strategy

Influencers sparked the fire. Connor targeted Christian and fitness folks first, then self-help.

He shelled out $50 for a call with a Christian creator—bam, $1,000 a day. A $30 fitness call worked too. With $3,000 from his pocket, he hit $37,000 in month one, pouring it back in.

Jeremiah, with 2 million followers, got $3 per 1,000 views for 1 million monthly, plus bonuses. His video hit 9.9 million views, raking in $40,000 in a day, $100,000 in 65 hours.

Jeremiah Jones - Quittr App

Contracts gave 20% upfront, rest after Apple paid out. A deal might be $4,000 for 1 million views—250,000 per video across TikTok and Instagram.

Jeremiah Jones - Quittr App #2

Viral Video Impact and Performance-Based Pay

That first $37,000 came from smart bets—20% down, rest later. Jeremiah’s viral hit proved it, earning him $3,000-$5,000 extra.

They tested retainers ($2,000-$10,000), bonuses ($500 for 500,000 views), and CPM ($2-$3 per 1,000).

A pitch might go, “Brett, you average 100,000 views—4 videos, 500,000 total, $1,500.”

View rewards—paying per 1,000 after posting—stayed on the table, though influencers’ egos often balked.

Outreach Strategy: Paid Promos and Verified Accounts

Outreach hit hard—DMs, calls, emails.

Messages led with “Paid promo for Quittr, helped 100,000+ users,” sent from a verified account to climb inboxes.

No dollar talk in texts—calls sealed it.

Niches matched values: religion (“against God”), fitness (“low T”), self-help (“semen retention”). Alex pushed this from Quittr’s handle for max reach.

Contractual Agreements and Usage Rights

Videos had to show the app, with captions they could tweak.

Usage rights let them run clips as ads. View guarantees locked it in—$1,500 for 500,000 views. If short, they prorated—$700 for 350,000—or demanded reposts. View guarantees kept influencer egos grounded.

Tech Stack and Design Principles

Minimalist Tech Stack for Rapid Development

Alex built Quittr with Swift, tapping ChatGPT to code the community feature. Firebase stored the data. Figma shaped the look. Mixpanel tracked onboarding—99% across 12 steps. Superwall tested paywalls, tweaking $12.99 versus $45.

Their design got so good, Superwall used it as a template on their site.

Design Philosophy: Premium Feel and Simplicity

Chris went with a black theme and DM Sans font for a slick, premium feel. He stuck to multiples of 4—8px padding, 16pt text—for a clean layout. “Use 4 for everything,” he advised designers. It’s simple, refined, and hooks you in.

Automation and Team Management Tools

Google Sheets tracked influencer leads. Omar, a VA from Fiverr since Connor’s college days, DMed creators.

Growi managed contracts—4 videos, 8 posts, 500,000 views. Agree.com signed deals. Zapier sent emails from Notion triggers—contract done, onboarding out. “A feed of feedback we can implement,” they said.

Future Growth and Brand Building

Focus on Brand Awareness and Viral Marketing

Now it’s about getting known. They look to Liquid Death—water that hit a billion with wild branding. Plans include purple paint at porn conventions or a fake “Quittr buys PornHub” tweet. Jeremiah’s $100,000 day showed virality’s power. Risks build the name.

Expanding Marketing Channels and Partnerships

Ads run $40,000 monthly on Meta and Instagram, pulling 3-4x back. Next up: organic Shorts, Twitter, church tie-ins.

Big swings like a $50,000 Theo Von plug or chats with Andrew Tate and George Janko aim for reach, not instant cash. Discord could deepen roots.

Long-Term Vision: Authority Building and High-Ticket Offers

Science backs the next step—studies with YouTubers and neurologists for cred. High-ticket coaching or a custom app could follow. “That’s the next level
 one-on-one support,” they envision.

Actionable Advice for Aspiring App Entrepreneurs

Validate with Reddit and Product Hunt

Connor hit Reddit’s niche corners—self-improvement, NoFap—to test Quittr. Product Hunt flopped for Alex but taught pivoting. “You’ll know straight away if it’s good,” he said.

Test Different Marketing Channels and Iterate

They tried Reddit, Twitter, influencers—10 ways to grow. “Keep testing,” Connor urged. Influencers won, but some niches—like AI tools—need other paths.

Focus on Onboarding and Conversion Optimization First

Onboarding came first. They screenshot top apps’ flows in Figma—apps making $5-6 million. “It’s the most important thing in consumer apps,” Alex said.

Bootstrap Smartly and Prioritize Revenue Generation

Connor’s $3,000 sparked $37,000. “Turn $1 into $4,” he said. “Get birthday cash
 skip legal stuff,” Alex added. Revenue drives it all.

Team Up and Don’t Go It Alone

Chris’s design, Alex’s code, Connor’s hustle clicked. “Don’t go alone
 find someone on Discord,” Alex advised. Complementary skills win.

Action over Perfection and Procrastination

Quittr launched fast. “Just build it
 don’t procrastinate,” Alex said. “Send DMs to 2,000 influencers,” Connor pushed. Iterate beats delay.

Monitor Metrics and Iterate Continuously

Mixpanel tracked 2% drop-off per screen. Superwall tweaked pricing. Cancellation asks, “Why leave?”—feeding updates. “We implement what they want,” they said.

Replicate Success and Study Competitors

They copied top apps’ playbooks. “If they’re a billion-dollar company, you can make $1,” Alex said. “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” Connor agreed.

Focus on Value and Solve a Real Problem

Quittr hits a raw need. “You have a high pain point
 they want it solved,” Connor said. Onboarding sells the win—energy, real life—not just tools.

Optimize for Virality and Brand Building

Jeremiah’s hit proved virality’s gold. “Get the brand in people’s heads,” Connor said. Stunts and big names like Theo Von push Quittr forward.

Mobile App Specific Tips

iOS led—higher payers. A “skip account” button cuts friction, but emails snag follow-ups. $12.99/$45 hits the sweet spot. Show the app in videos—more cash flows.

Hat Tip to WGMI and Money Up for the sauce.

PS: I tried this with Mistral's Le Chat and it came out good but was missing few key points. Then went for the final finishing touches with Grok 3 and the output made it too friendly. It needs some final touches for later but too late now. Will re-add the Mistral's Le Chat later this week (sneak-peek) so re-read it again since it has excellent stuff.

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