I built a free alternative to FutureMe after greed ruined it

Hacker News

I've been using Futureme since I was 16, it was this pure, simple corner of the internet where I'd write letters to my future self, getting those time-capsule emails that hit like a gut punch of nostalgia and growth. It was free, and ran on the founder's goodwill for 20 years, costing him peanuts compared to the joy it brought to millions. After being acquired, it they slapped it with a $9/year subscription or a $120 lifetime fee for storing text and sending an email? It's a total scam. As a founder who's built multiple companies from scratch, I know the real cost is pennies per user. This isn't innovation, it's lazy, soul-sucking greed turning our personal promises into a "luxury item." I'm gutted, offended, and pissed off. Hell no, I'm not accepting this. So, I channeled that rage into building FuturePost.app, not some half-assed copy, but a superior, free-forever beast designed to outlast us all. It's my legacy: ultra-efficient, no ads, no data selling. I'm using the old school tech stack - Ruby on Rails with Postgres hosted on Heroku that will outlive most of us. It hurts to see a project soo good getting destroyed overnight, I've used it for everything, birthday wishes to my kid self, pep talks during tough times. Now it's "premium"? If you've ever felt that sting of a beloved free tool turning greedy, share your story. I promise FuturePost will stay here forever without looting you.

Visit product View on Hacker NewsOct 29, 2025

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Indie HackersFits the IH revenue-focused audience · Missing: supports, reddit linkedin, podcasting

97%97% predicted probability of success on Indie Hackers, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

best fitHighest predicted score across all platforms for this description.

Hacker NewsStrong engagement from HN community · Strong signals: io · Missing: https docs, excited, just released

68%68% predicted probability of success on Hacker News, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

nativeThis product was originally launched on this platform.

Product HuntOn track for Day 1 leaderboard · Strong signals: user, email, using · Missing: mac, agents, macos

64%64% predicted probability of success on Product Hunt, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

AppSumoMay struggle as an AppSumo deal · Strong signals: host, efficient · Missing: plus, platform, intuitive

44%44% predicted probability of success on AppSumo, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

TrustMRRLess likely to generate early MRR · Strong signals: personal · Missing: mobile apps, ios, entrepreneurs

35%35% predicted probability of success on TrustMRR, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Acquire.comPre-revenue stage for this audience · Strong signals: growth, subscription · Missing: arr, mrr, revenue

18%18% predicted probability of success on Acquire.com, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

BetaListMay not resonate with beta-testers · Missing: web3, chat, crypto

0%0% predicted probability of success on BetaList, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Incorrect prediction on native model

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