The best examples of OpenStartups with public roadmaps

Updated 21st December 2021

We take a look at 4 of the best examples of OpenStartups sharing their product roadmap with their users.

What is on OpenStartup?

According to HackerNoon to become an OpenStartup all you need to do is share your internal metrics such as revenue, users and traffic.

Typically, an OpenStartup is also part of the #BuildInPublic Twitter community.

The best examples of OpenStartups with public roadmaps in 2021

1. ConvertKit

MRR: $2.4 million, Users: 38K users (source: OpenStartups.tm)

ConvertKit chooses to use a dedicated roadmap and changelog tool similar to Noora for their public roadmap. However, unlike Noora their choose of tool doesn't allow for their users to communicate with them, which means the miss the opportunity to better understand the needs of their users.

A screenshot of the ConvertKit public roadmap

2. Buffer

MRR: $1.6 million, Users: 64K users (source: OpenStartups.tm)

Buffer chooses to use Trello for their public roadmap, and was one of the first OpenStartups to go down this route. As with the ConvertKit choice of tooling, interaction with their audience is limited. They also miss out on hosting the roadmap under their own brand and domain.

A screenshot of the Buffer public roadmap

3. Gumroad

MRR: $928K, Users: 27K users (source: OpenStartups.tm)

Gumroad chooses to use Notion for their public roadmap. Notion has a really clean visual design, although the roadmap isn't the easiest to navigate or get a sense of overview from. It also isn't possible to give feedback or leaves ideas if you are a Gumroad user.

A screenshot of the Gumroad public roadmap

4. SimpleAnalytics

MRR: $10K, Users: 6K users (source: OpenStartups.tm)

SimpleAnalytics has chosen to build a custom layer on-top of their GitHub issues to lift up the issues that are planned for future releases. This is an interesting approach, and while it means that users are required to have a GitHub account to leave ideas and feedback, they have the advantage of their roadmap being directly hosted on their website and contributing to SEO.

A screenshot of the SimpleAnalytics public roadmap

What is the best tool for an OpenStartup to use to build their public roadmap?

If you are looking to publish your own OpenStartup product roadmap, there are a number of tools available for you to choose from. Remember to focus on choosing a tool that will allow you to own your content and start a powerful conversation with your users. Read more about how to choose the right public roadmap tool for your product roadmap.