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A vibe-coded app becomes worth paying for, publishing, or buying only when there is evidence that people want it, that they can be reached at a sustainable cost, and that they pay and keep using it. Generating working code does not establish any of those three things. That is the central point of a TechRadar Pro interview with Stan Marchand, CEO and founder of app publisher Rocapine, and it shapes how creators should judge their own MVPs and the offers they receive.
Why a working prototype is not yet a business
AI-assisted development has lowered the cost of building. Marchand’s view is that the building itself is no longer what sets an app apart. In his words: “Building is now the easy part. The scarce skills are insight, taste, and distribution.”
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In the same interview he describes how Rocapine evaluates an app: “We evaluate the 20% the builder added: the insight, the craft, the taste.” The implication is that the generated code is the baseline, and the buyable value sits in what the creator added on top of it. Marchand’s point is not that code quality is irrelevant. It is that evidence of user resonance matters more than the code itself when someone decides whether an app has commercial value.
The three things to examine in an MVP
The interview frames a vibe-coded MVP around three questions. Each one can be tested before any sale or partnership is discussed.
#1 Best Overall
1. Insight: is there a problem people will pay to solve?
The value proposition has to resonate with a defined group of users. A polished interface that solves a vague problem is still a gimmick in this framing. A creator should be able to name who the app is for, what they do today without it, and why they would switch.
2. Craft: does the product avoid looking generic?
Marchand’s warning is blunt: “Fight AI slop relentlessly.” He explains that he means generic wording, template design patterns, and familiar onboarding flows that can undermine trust. Generated apps often share the same layouts, copy, and setup screens. Reviewing an app’s first-run experience, empty states, and microcopy is a practical way to spot this. Whether a buyer or publisher sees it as distinctive or disposable often depends on these details.
3. Distribution: can users be reached at a cost the app can carry?
For an MVP, the interview recommends asking two questions: can users be reached at a sustainable cost, and do they pay and remain engaged. A product that only works when acquisition is subsidized has not shown a durable model.
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The interview names three measures to examine for an MVP and describes return on ad spend as a way to relate acquisition cost to user value. The interview does not give benchmarks or thresholds for any of them, so a creator should judge results against their own category and price point rather than against a universal target.
| Metric | What it measures | Question it answers | Benchmark given in the interview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per install | What it costs to acquire one install | Can users be reached at a sustainable cost? | Not stated |
| Conversion to paid | Share of users who become paying customers | Do users pay? | Not stated |
| Early retention | Share of new users who return in the first period after install | Do users stay engaged? | Not stated |
| ROAS (return on ad spend) | Relates user-acquisition cost to the value users generate | Can user value justify acquisition cost? | Not stated |
Read together, these metrics form a chain. Cheap installs that never convert show a distribution channel without a product. Strong conversion from a tiny audience shows a product without a scalable channel. Only when all four line up does the app look like something a buyer or publisher can scale.
Due diligence: what to prepare before a sale or partnership
Marchand’s due-diligence advice is practical and applies whichever path a creator chooses. The following items come directly from the interview, which presents them as general guidance rather than legal advice for any jurisdiction:
- Document the technology stack and every third-party license the app depends on.
- Establish privacy, consent, and app-store compliance practices, and be able to show them.
- Keep analytics exportable so data can be moved and verified rather than locked inside one dashboard.
- Make revenue, retention, and acquisition data verifiable by someone other than the creator.
Requirements differ by country, app-store policy, and the type of data an app collects. A creator who is unsure which rules apply should take that question to a qualified professional before signing anything.
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Choosing between a full acquisition, publishing, and revenue share
The interview describes three broad paths. Marchand says they need not be mutually exclusive, and that the right choice depends on what the creator wants from the next stage. The table below compares the roles and trade-offs the interview describes. It does not cover deal terms, because the interview does not publish standard commissions, valuation multiples, or typical revenue shares.
Best Value
| Path | Creator’s role afterward | Best fit, per the interview | Upside kept by creator | Standard terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full acquisition | Typically exits the app | A creator who wants to cash out and move on | Sale proceeds; no further upside described | Not stated |
| Publishing deal | Stays involved in the product | A creator who wants to keep building while a partner adds growth and monetization resources | Ongoing share of upside | Not stated |
| Revenue share | Stays involved; income tied to app revenue | A creator who wants to retain upside and gain partner capabilities such as marketing budget or scaling infrastructure | Portion of revenue | Not stated |
A useful way to decide is to write down four things before talking to any buyer or publisher: the role you want to keep, how much immediate cash you need, how much upside you want to retain, and which capabilities you lack, whether that is monetization expertise, marketing budget, or infrastructure to scale. The path that matches those answers is usually clearer than the offers on the table.
The Unchaind example, and how much weight to give it
Marchand cites Unchaind as an example of the publishing route. In the interview, it reached $1 million ARR 16 days after launch under a publishing model and was acquired later. The interview presents these figures as its own account. No independent verification of the revenue or the timeline has been established, and the example should not be read as a benchmark or as a result a typical app can expect. It illustrates how a publishing partner and a later sale can follow each other, not how often that happens.
What this means for a creator deciding what to do next
Treat the generated app as a starting point and test the three questions above with real users before negotiating. Keep the data exportable and verifiable from the first install, so that any later deal is based on numbers that can be checked. Then choose the path that matches the role you want, rather than the path that looks largest on paper.
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