Draft AI: losing 58% of MRR, then winning half of it back
Figures are source-labeled by verifiedrevenues.app, TrustMRR and whatsthe.app as cited. WorkAINow has not audited them. Data as of 2026-10-20.
The angle: Draft AI turns a voice memo into an Instagram or LinkedIn carousel (App Store). Archived snapshots of public listings show its MRR peaking, falling by more than half, then recovering. Few small AI apps have this much public history, so it's a useful look at what a "content creator AI" app goes through after launch.
Snapshot
- MRR $21,572, 28-day revenue $21,769, 1,676 active subscriptions (verifiedrevenues.app)
- TrustMRR today: $21,076 MRR, $21,184 last 30 days, $270,817 lifetime, 1,636 subscriptions, 30-day revenue down 25.1% (TrustMRR)
- App Store: "Draft AI: Carousel Post Maker" by Valerii Alekseev, released 2025-08-15, rated 4.1 from 36 ratings (App Store)
The curve (same-site points only)
| Date | MRR | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-01 | $33,413 | Wayback / whatsthe.app |
| 2026-02-25 | $33,376 | Wayback / TrustMRR |
| 2026-06-24 | $14,184 | Wayback / TrustMRR |
| 2026-08-20 | $22,931 | Wayback / TrustMRR |
| 2026-10-20 | $21,076 | TrustMRR |
Estimate: TrustMRR MRR fell 58% from February to June (method: $14,184 ÷ $33,376 − 1), then recovered to 63% of the peak. What caused the drop or the recovery is unknown. No public post we found explains it.
Gross versus net: read this before comparing
The founder has said that RevenueCat's MRR includes Apple's cut. He usually reports a "real MRR" net of fees, and the store fee plus VAT take roughly 28–30% (X, 2025-11-14). Estimate: net MRR of about $15,100–$15,500 (method: $21,572 × (1 − 0.28…0.30), using the founder's own range). The same gross-versus-net gap probably affects every app in our data. Most sites don't say which they show.
Pricing
US App Store items: Monthly $14.99, Draft+ / Month $14.99, Draft+ / Yearly $99.99, and "Draft+ / Skip Trial" at $79.99 (App Store). A cheaper yearly price for users who give up the free trial is unusual. Its conversion effect is unknown. Estimate: about $12.90 MRR per subscription (method: $21,572 ÷ 1,676). That points to more monthly subscribers than most AI apps in our data have.
What other founders can copy
- Make the input easy. A 30-second voice memo is easier to produce than a written brief. That's the core pitch in the App Store copy (App Store).
- Try a "skip the trial" discount. A lower yearly price for users who pay now gets you cash before the trial's drop-off (App Store).
- Say whether your MRR is gross or net when you share it, as this founder does (X). Buyers and readers will discount it otherwise.
- Expect a dip after the first spike. A 58% drop followed by a partial recovery is a pattern to plan cash around.
Unknowns
- Causes of the February–June drop and the August recovery
- Acquisition channels and ad spend (none listed)
- Trial length and how many users choose "Skip Trial"; churn