Appsplosion!
How to get users in the brave new world of vibe coding and agentic development
Quick answer: Go where your target users already are, make yourself useful, and only then introduce the thing you built. In the Appsplosion, distribution is not a launch checklist; it is a loop between what users need, what you build next, and how you earn enough trust to be worth trying.
It's 2026.
Professional software developers are leaning more into agentic coding: instead of asking an LLM to write a function or a single module, it's now an increasingly common workflow to give your agent a specification (spec) for an entire software feature or even an entire app, go make lunch, come back an hour later, and push to production. The velocity boost is significant, in particular for well defined tasks.
At the same time, millions of "non-technical" people suddenly find that the barriers to building software have all but vanished. Websites like Lovable, N8N, and Google's AI Studio now let product managers, musicians, and your mom build an app by saying what they want; and many savvy "semi-technical" people who have some experience of how "real" software is made are installing VS.Code and Claude Code, entering the wild world of vibe coded app development.
This has lead to an explosion of apps - an Appsplosion if you like. 9to5mac reports an app submission surge of 30% in 2025 compared to the previous year. The Information notes that while “it’s difficult to determine how many of these new apps developers created using AI, it’s likely most rely on AI tools given how quickly they have been adopted”.
What next, indie developers?
Unsurprisingly, the answer to "How do I get users for my app?" hasn't really changed, it's more that people are now realizing it's just as important a question as "How the heck do I build this?" - perhaps even more important.
"First-time founders focus on product. Second-time founders focus on distribution."
At OctoLoops, we're faced with the same problem as everyone else: what's the best way to start validating and building an initial set of users? There are tons of ways ("channels") to get users, but the best playbook really depends on what you're building. In fact, the app and its distribution are in a feedback loop - your users will drive what you build, and what you build drives how you get those users.
So where's the best place to go to find users for an app that targets indie or first time builders? It turns out that one answer is community outreach.
Find small online (or offline!) groups where your target users already talk about their problems. Make yourself useful and contribute, build up trust within the group, and only then introduce your app as a relevant solution to their pain.
Of course, marketing is not an activity many developers love to do! So OctoLoops takes that pain, and turns it into a guided (you could even say "hand held") activity loop, where agents grind, and you're the willing human in the loop who puts the cherry on the cake. In other words: the agents help you find communities, draft posts and replies, and let you track progress - but you're responsible for the final post or reply. We're aiming for augmentation, not Dead Internet theory.
Ready to take OctoLoops for a spin? Analyze your app and start growing today!