How I Built a Share Feature That's Driving Our Path to 500 Premium Users: Lessons from Building Sneos.com

As a developer, I’ve always been fascinated by how different AI models tackle the same problems. Some excel at code generation, others at creative writing, and yet others at logical reasoning. But comparing them side-by-side was always a hassle - copying prompts between tabs, losing track of responses, trying to remember which model said what.

That’s why I built Sneos.com - a platform that lets you compare outputs from ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in real-time. We’re now getting 100+ visitors daily and growing steadily. Today I want to share the journey of implementing our latest feature: shareable comparison URLs via share.sneos.com, and how it’s becoming our growth engine.

The Problem That Started It All

Like many developers, I found myself constantly switching between ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini throughout my day. Each has its strengths:

• ChatGPT for general tasks and wide knowledge
• Claude for nuanced understanding and longer contexts
• Gemini for certain technical tasks and multimodal capabilities

But comparing their outputs meant juggling multiple browser tabs, copy-pasting the same prompts, and trying to remember which response came from which model. It was frustrating enough that I decided to scratch my own itch.

Building the MVP: Simplicity First

The initial version of Sneos was embarrassingly simple - just three text areas that would send the same prompt to different AI APIs and display the results side by side. No fancy UI, no user accounts, just pure utility.

// The entire MVP was basically this
async function compareModels(prompt) {
  const results = await Promise.all([
    callChatGPT(prompt),
    callClaude(prompt),
    callGemini(prompt)
  ]);
  displayResults(results);
}

But something interesting happened - everyone who tried it loved it. “This is exactly what I needed!” was the common feedback. That validation from early users told me I was onto something.

The Share Feature: Building for Virality

After launching with basic comparison functionality and getting our early adopters on board, I realized we needed a growth engine. That’s when the idea for shareable comparisons hit me.

Think about it - when you discover that Claude writes better Python docstrings than GPT-4, or that Gemini understands a specific technical concept better, you want to share that insight. But screenshots don’t tell the full story, and nobody wants to read three separate long responses in a tweet.

Technical Implementation: The GitHub + VuePress Approach

Here’s where I got creative with the architecture. Instead of setting up expensive infrastructure for storing comparisons, I’m using a public GitHub repository with VuePress as a static site generator. This unconventional approach has some interesting benefits:

1. Public GitHub Repository: All comparisons are stored at github.com/victorantos/sneos-share
2. VuePress Static Site: Automatically builds and deploys the share pages
3. Zero Storage Costs: GitHub hosts everything for free
4. Built-in Version Control: Every comparison is tracked
5. Transparency: Users can see all public comparisons, building trust

For example, here’s a real comparison asking “Why is the sky blue?”:

• Share URL: https://share.sneos.com/compare/2025-09-14-why-sky-is-blue-6624.html
• GitHub source: github.com/victorantos/sneos-share/…/2025-09-14-why-sky-is-blue-6624.md

This transparency means anyone can see how the three models explain scientific concepts differently - ChatGPT’s structured approach vs Claude’s detailed physics vs Gemini’s balanced explanation.

// Simplified share generation using GitHub API
async function generateShareableComparison(comparison) {
  // Generate descriptive filename with date and topic
  const date = new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0];
  const slug = comparison.prompt
    .toLowerCase()
    .replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, '-')
    .substring(0, 30);
  const random = Math.floor(Math.random() * 9999);
  const filename = `${date}-${slug}-${random}`;

  // Format as VuePress markdown with frontmatter
  const vuepressContent = `---
title: ${comparison.prompt.substring(0, 50)}...
date: ${new Date().toISOString()}
permalink: /compare/${filename}
---

# AI Model Comparison

**Prompt:** ${comparison.prompt}

## ChatGPT Response
${comparison.responses.chatgpt}

## Claude Response
${comparison.responses.claude}

## Gemini Response
${comparison.responses.gemini}

---
*Created with [Sneos.com](https://sneos.com) - Compare AI models side-by-side*
`;

  // Create file in GitHub repo via API
  await createGitHubFile({
    path: `docs/compare/${filename}.md`,
    content: vuepressContent,
    message: `Add comparison: ${comparison.prompt.substring(0, 50)}`
  });

  // VuePress automatically builds and deploys
  return `https://share.sneos.com/compare/${filename}.html`;
}

The Psychology of Sharing

Here’s what I learned about making comparisons shareable:

1. Visual Clarity: People share what looks good. We added syntax highlighting for code comparisons and clean formatting for text.

2. Instant Value: The shared page shows the comparison immediately - no signup walls, no ads (yet), just the value upfront.

3. Subtle Branding: A small “Created with Sneos.com” footer that doesn’t interfere but plants the seed.

4. One-Click Reshare: Adding Twitter and LinkedIn buttons on the shared page increased secondary shares by 40%.

5. Public Discovery: Since all comparisons live in a public GitHub repo, users can browse interesting comparisons others have made, creating a discovery mechanism and community feeling.

6. SEO-Friendly URLs: Using descriptive filenames like 2025-09-14-why-sky-is-blue-6624.html instead of random IDs helps with search engine discovery and makes URLs more shareable.

The Growth Strategy: Scaling to 500 Premium Users

With the share feature now live and 100+ daily visitors showing strong interest, I’ve set an ambitious goal - reaching 500 premium users by year-end. We’re seeing strong early momentum with daily signups accelerating and organic traffic growing from shared comparisons. Here’s the playbook I’m implementing to scale:

1. Community-First Approach

Instead of spamming links, I’m creating valuable content for AI communities:

• Reddit posts comparing models on trending topics
• Twitter threads with surprising discoveries
• LinkedIn articles for the B2B crowd

The key? Lead with value, mention Sneos naturally.

2. The “Powered By” Play

Every shared comparison includes subtle branding. Based on my research, Typeform grew to $70M ARR with 80% of customers coming from their “Powered by Typeform” footer. If even 5% of viewers click through and 15% of those convert, the math works out beautifully.

3. Strategic Limitations

Free users get 10 shares/day - enough to be useful, but limited enough to create upgrade pressure. Premium users (just $19/month with code INTRO25 - that’s $10 off the regular $29/month price) get:

• Unlimited shares
• Custom branding removal option
• API access (coming soon)
• Comparison history beyond 7 days
• Export to PDF/CSV

4. The Product Hunt Launch

Planning a Tuesday launch (highest traffic day) with:

• Special INTRO25 code prominently featured ($10 off monthly)
• Mobilizing our growing community of users as early supporters
• A compelling tagline: “Compare AI Models Side-by-Side in Seconds”

5. Micro-Influencer Strategy

Reaching out to developers and AI enthusiasts with 5k-50k followers, offering them 3 months of premium access (normally $29/mo) for one authentic share. It’s more cost-effective than paid ads and builds genuine advocacy.

Early Lessons and Surprises

What’s Working

1. Developers love efficiency: Our one-prompt-multiple-outputs approach saves real time daily for active users
2. Consistent traffic: Getting 100+ visitors daily shows there’s real demand for AI comparison tools
3. Visual comparisons matter: Adding diff-view for code comparisons increased engagement 3x
4. Mobile usage is high: 40% of shares are viewed on mobile (unexpected for a developer tool)
5. Word-of-mouth is strong: Most new users come from seeing shared comparisons
6. Open approach builds trust: Public GitHub repo creates transparency that developers appreciate
7. Zero infrastructure costs: GitHub + VuePress means we can focus budget on product development

What Failed

1. Email walls kill virality: Initially required email to view shares - removed after 70% bounce rate
2. Too many models: Started with 6 models, overwhelming users - focused on the big 3
3. Complex pricing: Had 4 tiers initially, simplified to free/premium
4. Private by default: Originally kept comparisons private - going public with GitHub increased trust and sharing

Technical Challenges and Solutions

The GitHub Storage Strategy

Using GitHub as a backend for shared comparisons might seem unconventional, but it’s brilliantly cost-effective:

// Rate limiting with GitHub API
function ShareButton({ remainingShares, githubApiLimit }) {
  if (remainingShares <= 3) {
    return (
      <button className="warning">
        Share ({remainingShares} left today)
        <span className="upgrade-hint">Upgrade for unlimited</span>
      </button>
    );
  }
  return <button>Share Comparison</button>;
}

Benefits of this approach:

• No database costs for storing comparisons
• Automatic CDN through GitHub Pages/VuePress
• Public transparency builds trust
• SEO benefits from GitHub’s domain authority

Challenges solved:

• GitHub API rate limits managed through queuing
• VuePress build times optimized with incremental builds
• Share permalinks remain permanent (no 30-day expiration)

Handling API Costs

With three AI APIs, costs can spiral quickly. Solutions implemented:

• Caching common prompts (saved 30% on API costs)
• Token limits for free users
• Queueing system for peak times

SEO and Discoverability

Creating landing pages for specific comparisons:

• /compare/chatgpt-vs-claude-coding
• /compare/gemini-vs-gpt4-creative-writing

Each page has a sample comparison with strong CTAs to create custom comparisons.

Bonus: The public GitHub repository creates natural backlinks and benefits from GitHub’s domain authority, while the VuePress site structure is inherently SEO-friendly.

What’s Next: The Road to 500

With 100+ daily visitors and growing interest, the immediate roadmap is clear:

Week 1-2:

• Launch in 5 key subreddits with value-first posts
• Implement rich preview cards for shares
• Add “Weekly AI Model Report” blog series

Week 3-4:

• Product Hunt launch
• Reach out to 50 micro-influencers
• Launch referral program (reward early adopters who helped us grow)

Month 2:

• YouTube channel with comparison videos
• Guest posts on dev blogs
• Partnership with AI newsletters
• Welcome contributions to the VuePress theme from the community

Month 3:

• API launch for developers
• Team plans (special pricing for startups)
• Chrome extension for quick comparisons
• Consider ending INTRO25 offer for new users (early adopters keep $19/mo forever)

For Fellow Developer-Founders

If you’re building a SaaS, here are my key takeaways:

1. Scratch your own itch first: You’ll understand the problem better than any market research
2. Ship embarrassingly early: My MVP was ugly but validated the concept
3. Build virality into the product: Every feature should have sharing potential
4. Think creatively about infrastructure: Our GitHub + VuePress approach saves thousands in hosting costs
5. Limits create value: Strategic restrictions drive conversions better than feature additions
6. Community > Advertising: Authentic engagement beats paid acquisition every time
7. Open source when possible: Public repositories build trust and community

The Open Metrics

I believe in building in public, so here are the targets I’m tracking:

• Goal: 500 premium users by year-end
• Target MRR: ~$12,000 (at average of $24/mo per user)
• Current traffic: 100+ daily visitors and growing
• Key growth metrics I’m optimizing:
  • Share-to-signup rate: Target 15%+
  • Free-to-premium conversion: Target 10-15%
  • Viral coefficient: Approaching 1.0

The share feature launched just this week, and early indicators are promising - seeing strong engagement with shared comparisons and growing organic traffic from “Powered by Sneos” clicks.

Join the Journey

If you’re interested in comparing AI models efficiently, check out Sneos.com. Use code INTRO25 for $10 off monthly - just $19/month instead of $29 for early adopters.

And if you’re a fellow developer building in public, I’d love to connect. Find me on Twitter @victorantos where I share daily updates on this journey.

Building a SaaS is hard. Building it solo is harder. But when you see 100+ developers visiting daily, users sharing comparisons organically, and feedback like “this is exactly what I needed,” it validates every late night of coding.

The share feature is already showing promising viral coefficients, and with the roadmap ahead, I’m confident we’ll hit our ambitious targets.

Here’s to building something developers actually want to use. 🚀

---

Victor Antos is a developer and founder of Sneos.com, a platform for comparing AI model outputs. Check out the public comparisons repository at github.com/victorantos/sneos-share. Previously built [other projects], currently focused on making AI model comparison accessible to everyone.

Have questions about the technical implementation or growth strategies? Drop a comment below or reach out on Twitter.