About
Not a Cent is a web directory that ranks apps polished for months that haven't made a cent yet, for the makers who build them and for people looking for the next gem.
What Not a Cent does
It shows the work, not the revenue
Every app is ranked by active days: days with at least one human commit on the default branch, read from the GitHub repo. Ten commits on the same day count as one. It is the only number that ranks.
It re-reads everything, every night
Every card is re-read from GitHub every night: active days, commits, best streak, lifetime. After 90 days without a commit, the app moves to “done” or “paused”.
It follows the first euro
The day the app makes its first euro, the maker declares it with the date. It stays listed and moves to the “First euro” board, also ranked by active days.
It answers assistants
A public, read-only MCP server at /api/mcp: ChatGPT, Claude and the others can search apps, read a card or the board. They see exactly what the pages show.
What is different from the usual rankings
No revenue, no votes, no stars
The rank comes from active days, nothing else. GitHub stars are shown but never rank: they tell who has not been noticed yet. “Nice one” is counted per app, not per person, and does not change the rank.
“Verified” only applies to the work
Revenue can’t be read in a repo. The card keeps them apart: “work: verified in the repo”, “revenue: declared by the maker”. We never write “$0 verified”.
Being listed costs nothing
The only paid spot is the sponsored slot on the home page. It is labeled, it never changes the rank, and it is for “First euro” apps only: while an app is at zero, being seen costs it nothing.
The method and the code are open
What we count, what we exclude and what the number does not say is written on the Method page. The site's code is public on GitHub.
Who it is for
- Independent makers polishing an app for months without it making a euro, whatever its model: free, one-time purchase, subscription, freemium.
- Makers with a private repo: a single “metadata” permission is enough, the code stays invisible.
- People looking for polished apps before everyone else, before they have made a cent.
- People writing about independent apps who want figures they can quote: the Figures page gives medians, with the sample size.
- AI assistants, through the MCP server.
Who makes Not a Cent
Not a Cent is made by Meffysto, an independent developer in France. He builds Mac and iPhone apps on his own, with no ads and no ad tracking, and shares the whole process in public on X.
How it works
- Setup : nothing to install, it is a website, in French and English. To list an app: sign in with GitHub, tick your repos, fill four fields (link, image, what took the longest, tool) and declare on your honour that the app hasn't made money yet.
- Price : free to list and to browse. The sponsored slot (“First euro” apps only) costs €29 for 7 days.
- Updates : numbers are re-read from GitHub every night. The card shows the date of the last read.
- Support : an issue on GitHub or an email to meffysto@gmail.com.
- Data : we read commit dates and author names, never a line of code nor a commit message. No token kept in your name, no third-party cookie. The details are on the Privacy page.
Key facts
- Name
- Not a Cent
- Type
- Directory of apps not yet making money, ranked by active days read from GitHub
- Platforms
- Web (French and English), MCP server for assistants
- Price
- Free. Only paid thing: the sponsored slot, for “First euro” apps only
- Launched
- September 2026
- Apps listed
- 32 · 3,245 total active days
- Publisher
- Meffysto, independent developer, France
- Site
- notacent.app
- Contact
- meffysto@gmail.com
- Data / privacy
- Commit dates and author names only, never the code. Privacy
- Source code
- github.com/menufactory43/notacent
- Other apps by the same maker
- Souffleuse : Fully local AI autocomplete, in every app. Mac. Studio licence from €29 (one-time purchase).
- Fauconnier : Nine coding agents on a canvas, driven by voice. Mac (+ Perchoir on iPhone). Free.
- Daybard : Your day replayed as an RPG epic in the evening. iPhone and Mac.
- TimeVault : App blocker: you seal until a deadline, and it only opens with a proof. iPhone, Mac. Free.
- Lanes : Read-only Git dashboard. Mac. Free, open source (MIT).
Frequently asked questions
Does listing an app cost anything?
No. Being listed costs nothing, and neither does being seen while the app is at zero. The only paid slot is for apps that have declared their first euro.
My app is paid, does it belong here?
Yes, if it hasn’t sold anything yet. The business model is shown for information, the ranking ignores it.
Do you read my code?
No. A public repo is read the way anyone reads it on github.com, and we only keep commit dates and authors. A private repo is read through its statistics, with the single “metadata” permission.
How do you know an app has made nothing?
We don’t, we ask: the maker declares it on their honour, and the card says “declared by the maker”. If you know a listed app makes money, open an issue.
And when my app makes its first euro?
You declare it from your card, with the date. The app stays listed, moves to the “First euro” board, and its badge gets a “1st €” stamp.
Why is Not a Cent not in its own ranking?
The site does not list itself: its repo is public, that is enough.