
Pieter Levels (@levelsio) is the Dutch indie founder behind Nomads.com, Remote OK, Photo AI and Interior AI. His formula: build quickly, charge early and tell the internet what happened. His public portfolio spans remote work, AI, maps and games. [1]
Known since the 2014 twelve-startup challenge. MSc Business Administration, Erasmus/RSM, 2012. [2] [3]
1 Revenue & MRR
Reported monthly revenue
Each position is a separate dated snapshot. Select a mark to inspect its source.
View all 13 financial disclosures and source links
| Source date / metadata | Scope | Metric and period | USD amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan 2016 | Portfolio | Annual revenue calendar year 2015 | $202,785 | [4] |
| 11 Aug 2017 | Portfolio | Previous 30 days preceding 30 days | $34,733 | [5] |
| 26 Feb 2018 | Portfolio | Monthly revenue monthly snapshot; exact accounting window unspecified | $52,843 | [6] |
| 30 May 2019 | Nomad List + Remote OK | Monthly revenue monthly snapshot | ≥ $83,333 | [7] |
| 21 Sep 2020 | Remote OK | Monthly revenue this month; snapshot | $65,651 | [8] |
| 12 Apr 2021 | Remote OK | Monthly revenue this month; snapshot | $101,101 | [9] |
| 3 Jul 2023 | Photo AI | Monthly revenue per month; snapshot | $61,808 | [10] |
| 25 Oct 2023 | Photo AI | MRR before → after retrospective pre/post-influencer event, event dates unspecified | $12,000 → $40,000–$50,000 | [11] |
| 22 Sep 2024 | Portfolio | Transient monthly-rate record brief monthly-rate record reported after Lex Fridman interview | $420,000 | [12] |
| 22 Feb 2025 | fly.pieter.com | Annualised revenue run rate retrospective account anchored to build start22Feb2025; achievement17days later | $1,000,000 | [13] |
| 6 Mar 2026 | Photo AI | Monthly revenue per month; snapshot | $105,000 | [14] |
| 15 Aug 2026 | X-linked income | Mixed income bundle mixed28-day statements and monthly normalization | $24,744 | [15] |
| 23 Sep 2026 | Portfolio | Monthly business revenue range per-month business-revenue range | $200,000–$250,000 | [16] |
A creator mention and a step change
Levels’ account · 25 October 2023
What the financial headlines actually mean
The $420k figure was a short-lived post-podcast spike, already declining when disclosed. It mixed software, books, merchandise and job ads. The later $10M/year headline included investment gains, many unrealised. [12] [16]
Levels reported a $1M annualised run rate for the flight game 17 days after he began building it. [13]
2 The projects, in pictures
The big businesses grew out of smaller experiments. Avatar AI became Photo AI; the older Nomad Jobs fed into Remote OK.
Nomads.com / Nomad List (2014). City data and a community for remote workers. In September 2026, Levels replaced the higher membership charge with a $1 anti-spam signup and discussed sponsorship. [21] [22]
Remote OK (2015). A remote-job board monetised through recruitment listings and advertising. The original build used PHP and SQLite. [18]
Photo AI (2023). Personalised AI photos, later video. It evolved from the stylised-avatar product Avatar AI. [23] [24] [25]
Interior AI (2022). AI room redesign and virtual staging, following his generated-architecture experiment. [26] [20]
The rest. MAKE turns the method into a book; Rebase connects customers with relocation advisers; Hoodmaps crowdsources neighbourhood character. Later experiments include a flight game, Vibe Jam and generated-video stream Infinite Slop. [27] [28] [19] [13] [29] [30]
3 X: the posts people saw
Popular posts · October 2026 [31]
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
Read @levelsio’s original post on X ↗
4 The short backstory
-
Early years
Before the startups
Electronic music, Panda Mix Show, and a thesis on the music business. [34] [35]
-
Amsterdam → Bangkok
Sold his equipment, simplified his life and left for Thailand. [36]
-
Twelve months, twelve bets
-
The hit rate
Only four attempts had made money and grown, he said in 2021. [37]
-
A lost suitcase → a product
His girlfriend’s missing bag inspired Luggage Losers in 2024. [38] [39]
5 Arguments & contradictions
6 Project index 92
| Monthly revenue (USD) | Total sales / other figures | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Nomads.com (formerly Nomad List)Business / productCity data and a community for digital nomads; signup model changed in 2026. | $61,000/moBrief post-Lex peak · Sep 2024 [12] | 43,252 paid membersHistorical count · Sep 2026 [22] | [21] |
| 2015 | Remote OKBusiness / productRemote-job discovery and paid recruitment advertising; related to the earlier Nomad Jobs. | $29,000/moPost-Lex snapshot · Sep 2024 [12] | $101,101/moEarlier sales snapshot · Apr 2021 [9] | [18] |
| 2023 | Photo AIBusiness / productPersonalised AI photography, evolving from Avatar AI; later expanded into video. | $105,000/moRevenue · Mar 2026 [14] | $80,000/mo profitReported · Mar 2026 [14] | [24] |
| 2022 | Interior AIBusiness / productAI room redesign and virtual staging. | $43,000/moBrief post-Lex peak · Sep 2024 [12] | Not disclosed in cited sources | [20] |
| 2022 | Avatar AIBusiness / productPersonalised generated avatars; subsequently evolved into Photo AI. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [23] |
| 2018 | MAKE BookBusiness / productSelf-published startup manual, with cumulative sales reported on its own website. | $93,000/moBrief post-Lex peak · Sep 2024 [12] | $955,903 total sales32,168 copies · 18 Oct 2026 [45] | [27] |
| 2022 | RebaseBusiness / productRelocation referrals connecting remote workers with immigration specialists. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [46] |
| 2017 | HoodmapsBusiness / productCrowdsourced maps of neighbourhood character. | $0/moHistorical snapshot · Feb 2018 [6] | Not disclosed in cited sources | [19] |
| 2024 | Luggage LosersBusiness / productAirline baggage-loss ranking announced in June 2024. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [39] |
| 2026 | HotelistBusiness / productAccommodation-rating comparison and normalisation. | $0/moHistorical snapshot · Sep 2024 [12] | Not disclosed in cited sources | [47] |
| 2025 | fly.pieter.comBusiness / productAI-assisted browser flight game; later described with an annualised revenue milestone. | Not disclosed in cited sources | $1M annualised rateReported 17 days after the February 2025 build start [13] | [13] |
| 2025 | Vibe JamCommunitySponsor-backed competition for AI-assisted games. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [29] |
| 2026 | Infinite SlopBusiness / productInteractive stream of AI-generated video, directed by chat. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [30] |
| 2026 | SuperLevelsBusiness / productFree open-source browser extension bundling everyday utilities. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [48] |
| 2026 | XDR BoostBusiness / productFree open-source Mac display-brightness utility. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [49] |
| 2022 | This House Does Not ExistBusiness / productGenerated architectural images; an early AI-image experiment. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [26] |
| 2014 | Go Fucking Do ItBusiness / productCommitment contracts with deadlines and financial penalties. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [50] |
| 2014 | TubelyticsBusiness / productAnalytics dashboard for YouTube publishers and groups of channels. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [51] |
| 2014 | Play My InboxBusiness / productA player assembling music links found in email. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [52] |
| 2014 | GIF BookBusiness / productPhysical flipbooks printed from animated GIFs. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [53] |
| 2026 | ut.pieter.comExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | pieter.com Windows XP PCExperiment / utilityBrowser-based Windows XP preservation experiment. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [55] |
| 2026 | q1.pieter.comExperiment / utilityBrowser Quake I multiplayer experiment using a virtual null modem. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [56] |
| 2026 | q2.pieter.comExperiment / utilityRestoration of a Quake II map for browser multiplayer. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [57] |
| 2026 | rtcw.pieter.comExperiment / utilityBrowser multiplayer port built on existing Wolfenstein porting work. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [58] |
| 2026 | radio.pieter.comExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | levels.io blogExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2024 | pieter.orgExperiment / utilityCompanion proxy helping older browsers access modern web pages. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [59] |
| 2026 | DroneSim.comExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | PieterOSExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | q3.pieter.comExperiment / utilityBrowser Quake III server using an existing Q3JS frontend. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [60] |
| 2024 | pieter.netExperiment / utilityCompanion dial-up networking experiment described in the retro-computing account. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [59] |
| 2025 | ResizeAPI.comExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2025 | NSFWapi.comExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2025 | GPUapi.netExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | url2og.comExperiment / utilityScreenshot service used by his other websites. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [61] |
| 2025 | LoFi ATC BrazilExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2024 | eu/accCommunity— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2024 | JSON.pubExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2024 | pieter.com Windows 3.11 PCExperiment / utilityBrowser-based retro-computing environment. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [59] |
| 2024 | levelsio.com merchExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | levels.vcExperiment / utilityCreator-maintained investment portfolio, separate from software sales. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [62] |
| 2023 | Profile ReviewBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2023 | @levelsio GPTExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2023 | Monkey Island AmsterdamExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2023 | Pieter Levels: Startup AdventuresExperiment / utilityImage-and-text adventure experiment with released source code. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [63] |
| 2023 | Lego Box GeneratorExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2022 | Ah Shit Here We Go AgainExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2026 | The State of Remote WorkExperiment / utilityRemote-work and compensation statistics from Remote OK. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [64] |
| 2026 | The State of Digital NomadsExperiment / utilityStatistics derived from the platform’s own member sample. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [65] |
| 2021 | Remote OK in Microsoft WordExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2021 | Remote OK in Google DocsExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2021 | Remote OK in VSCodeExperiment / utilityA VS Code-like interface for the existing job board. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [66] |
| 2021 | Remote WorkersExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2021 | MAKE Book NFT (sold)Experiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2021 | Inflation ChartExperiment / utilityMarket charts compared with US-dollar money-supply changes. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [67] |
| 2020 | QR Menu CreatorBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2020 | IdeasAIBusiness / productEarly GPT-3 experiment generating startup ideas. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [68] |
| 2020 | Airline ListExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2020 | Climate FinderExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2020 | Nomad List MeetupsCommunity— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2019 | Bali Sea CableExperiment / utilityConnectivity monitoring between Bali and Singapore. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [69] |
| 2019 | How Much Is My Side Project WorthExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2018 | Maker RankCommunity— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2018 | No More GoogleExperiment / utilityDirectory of alternatives to Google products. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [70] |
| 2018 | Make VillageExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2018 | Fire CalculatorExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2018 | Remote Jobs APIExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2017 | Nomad GearBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2017 | Mute LifeExperiment / utilityCollaborative list of words to mute on social platforms. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [71] |
| 2017 | Ice Cream ChatExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2016 | Colive.coBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2016 | Places to WorkBusiness / productA spin-off built around coworking-place information. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [72] |
| 2016 | Escape The BrexitExperiment / utilityA Nomad List spin-off excluding UK destinations. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [72] |
| 2016 | Keep Your Fucking ResolutionsExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2015 | Startup RetreatsBusiness / productRemote-work group-retreat research and a related directory. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [73] |
| 2016 | Taylor BotExperiment / utilityTravel chatbot based on Nomad List data. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [74] |
| 2014 | #nomadsCommunityThe original Slack community and its automated signup workflow. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [75] |
| 2014 | Nomad JobsBusiness / productEarlier remote-job board connected to the Nomad List audience. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [76] |
| 2012 | FML DubstepCreative workElectronic-music project with documented releases. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [77] |
| 2011 | SparklesTV: How To Videos on YouTubeCreative work— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2011 | HotForYa: Missed Connections Dating Site for Uni CampusesBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2011 | SnapSnap: Cheap Taxis for the NetherlandsBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2010 | Drum & Bass & Dubstep MerchCreative workMusic merchandise distributed through Spreadshirt. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [78] |
| 2009 | AdSense Blog NetworkBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2008 | GrannyBike: Dutch Bikes in LondonBusiness / product— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2012 | Panda Mix ShowCreative workElectronic-music mix network and supporting website. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [34] |
| 2008 | Retake ManhattanCreative workA concept album from his drum-and-bass period. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [79] |
| 2006 | One DNB Nijmegen: Night Club EventCreative work— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2005 | Reaktor The Hague: Night Club EventCreative work— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
| 2004 | PandaDNB: Drum & Bass Producer and DJCreative workPublic performance archive under the PandaDNB / Peet names. | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [80] |
| 1994 | ADVENTUR.BAT: Text Adventure Game in DOSExperiment / utility— | Not disclosed in cited sources | Not disclosed in cited sources | [54] |
Watch & listen
Conversations, product walkthroughs and the reasoning behind the numbers.
Programming, Viral AI Startups, and Digital Nomad Life
The long-form account: Photo AI at 46:11, Hoodmaps at 1:39:21, automation at 2:23:07 and selling a startup at 2:34:33.
Watch on YouTube ↗ · Interview notes ↗How Pieter Levels Makes $2.7M/Year With 0 Employees
Sam Parr and Shaan Puri question the business model, contractors, lifestyle and reluctance to sell. The headline is a historical figure from 2022.
Watch on YouTube ↗ · Interview notes ↗Indie hacking is dead, now what?
A conversation about the changing indie landscape, AI products and finding distribution.
Watch on YouTube ↗ · Interview notes ↗A Cheeky Pint with Pieter Levels
A shorter conversation: ChatGPT referrals at 10:59, AI automation at 11:43, and hacking thermostats at 15:05.
Watch on YouTube ↗ · Interview notes ↗7 Sources
Open 80 linked primary sources
- Pieter Levels: official biography
- The original twelve-startup challenge
- RSM alumni and student in FD top50 best entrepreneurs under35
- 2015 annual sales disclosure
- August 2017 sales and expense disclosure
- February 2018 monthly sales disclosure
- 2019 annualised million-dollar milestone
- Remote OK: September 2020 sales and codebase
- Remote OK: April 2021 revenue post
- Photo AI: July 2023 revenue and codebase
- The Bootstrapped Founder interview
- The short-lived sales record after Lex Fridman
- fly.pieter.com, my first vibecoded flight simulator which reached$1M ARR in17 days
- Photo AI: March 2026 sales and codebase
- X-linked income breakdown
- Business income and investment gains, separately explained
- Nomad List's 2019 interface, published in Levels's five-year retrospective. Historical screenshot; prices and city rankings are from that period.
- How I built Remote | OK and launched it to #1 on Product Hunt
- Building a startup in public: from first line of code to frontpage of Reddit
- How I built Interiorai.com from scratch in5 days
- How I got my startup to #1 on both Product Hunt and Hacker News by accident
- After a decade, I have made nomads.com free for everyone now
- Create your own AI avatars with my new mini project avatarAI.me
- My new project Photo AI a photorealistic AI photo studio
- AI Video Generator & Image Generator by Photo AI
- This House Does Not Exist
- My book MAKE on bootstrapping startups is now live on Product Hunt
- Life Done Differently Podcast: Thinking and doing for yourself
- Winners of the2025 vibe code game jam
- I built Infinite Slop, an infinite interactive AI generated live stream
- Public archive: statistics and most-viewed posts
- Levels appeared on Lex Fridman Podcast #440 in August 2024. Official episode-cover image, linked from Levels's own post.
- Levels with Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, in a photograph shared in July 2024. His accompanying post described Stripe's importance to his businesses.
- New Panda Mix Show branding and website
- Music-industry thesis and degree details
- Reset your life
- The 2021 portfolio hit-rate post
- Love, Anxiety and Startups: 2014 retrospective
- I made luggage losers a live ranking of airlines by lost luggage
- My First Million Podcast: bootstrapping, open startups and lifestyle inflation
- The argument against complicated web stacks
- Six proposed policy goals for Europe
- X post criticising the European Commission
- AI and the future of indie hacking
- MAKE: The Indie Startup Manual
- Building Remotely Podcast: Relocation of remote workers
- I made hotelist.com to fix Airbnb's4.5 to5.0 rating scale
- I open sourced my first Chrome extension SuperLevels
- I made a free open source xdr boost app for macOS using claude code in5 minutes
- My2nd startup: Go Fucking Do It, set a goal + deadline and if you fail, you pay
- My3rd startup: Tubelytics, the real-time dashboard for YouTube publishers
- Play My Inbox, collect music from your inbox and playlist them
- GIFbook, the first animated GIF flipbook
- List of all my projects ever
- You can run Windows XP inside a tweet
- I built a web-based virtual null modem to play Quake I in MS-DOS in multiplayer online
- I revived a28 year old Quake2 map with AI into web-based multiplayer
- I ported Return to Castle Wolfenstein to the web with multiplayer in an hour using AI
- Building Pieter.com, my retro PC in the browser
- Quake III server now runs in the browser 7 years later
- Meta is doing heavy scraping on my sites including url2og possibly for image video or world models
- levels.vc - my investment fund
- Open sourced my entire ChatGPT code for image text adventures
- Remote Work Statistics 2026
- The 2026 State of Digital Nomads
- Made a fully functional fake VS Code to browse remote jobs without your boss finding out
- Inflation Chart: the stock market adjusted for the US-dollar money supply
- This week I built a startup idea generator with GPT-3
- Monitoring Bali's undersea internet cable
- Launched no more Google on product hunt
- In a world of outrage, mute words
- Bootstrapping side projects into profitable startups
- Do the economics of remote work retreats make any sense?
- My chatbot gets catcalled
- How I hacked Slack into a community platform with Typeform
- How I built Nomad Jobs, a remote job board for100% distributed startups
- FML - OCTOPU$$Y
- My Drum & Bass and Dubstep merch line on Spreadshirt
- DNBforum.nl Podcast: Panda Drum & Bass presents Retake Manhattan
- I started DJing as Peet/PandaDNB


