Snag

What makes it different

Snag is an iOS app that helps people find free items near them — users browse or search local listings and save the good ones in a favorites section. It monetizes with weekly, monthly, yearly, and one-time in-app subscriptions: pay a few dollars a month to access products worth hundreds of dollars, which is why the founder says conversion stays high.

The builder is Benjamin Chen — 'Benji' — of 10x Studio, a 20-year-old NYU student who built more than 45 apps in the past year. Snag, launched with his team around May 2026, went from $0 to $30K MRR in under four months: over 100,000 authenticated users, 9,000 conversions, $80,000+ in total proceeds, and ~3,300 App Store ratings.

The growth engine is UGC creators at scale: reach out to many creators, interview them for virality, keep the ~10% who hit, then convert the winning creatives into Meta ads. One video hit 240,000 views; the typical return is $1,000–$2,000 in subscription profit per 100,000 views. Build side is equally systematized: reverse-engineer the value proposition, Figma-wireframe, then AI-code the app in four to five hours.

The playbook, in their own words

• Built 45+ apps in the past year; launched Snag with his 10x Studio team about four months before the interview (~May 2026) source ↗
• Went from $0 to $30K MRR in under four months: 100,000+ authenticated users, 9,000 conversions, $80,000+ total proceeds, ~3,300 App Store ratings source ↗
• Distribution engine: UGC creator campaigns at scale — interview and filter creators, keep the ~10% with virality, put winners on a monthly retainer plus CPM, then turn the best creatives into Meta ads source ↗
• Economics per creative: one video hit 240,000 views; typically $1,000–$2,000 in subscription profit per 100,000 views source ↗
• Build system: reverse-engineer the value proposition first, Figma-wireframe it, then AI-code the app (Cursor + Cloud Code) — a working app in about four to five hours source ↗