Dub

Steven Tey launched Dub in 2022 as an open-source, developer-friendly link shortener and analytics platform. While Bitly existed and dominated the market, Steven identified that modern marketing teams needed something Bitly didn't offer: open-source code, a beautiful developer API, advanced analytics (country, device, referer breakdown), custom domains per workspace, UTM builder, and branded links. Dub was built with Next.js, Vercel, and PlanetScale as a showcase of modern full-stack development. Steven posted the source code on GitHub and wrote about building it publicly on Twitter, which generated immediate developer interest. The open-source repo crossed 10,000 stars within months. Revenue came from Dub Pro plans ($9-36/month) for teams needing analytics, custom domains, and API access. The project grew from a side project to $50k+/month ARR within two years. Dub became a canonical example of building an open-source SaaS that generates real revenue — using the open-source distribution to build trust and convert power users to paid plans.