Should you build your own ReplyGain?
Find people already asking for a product like yours across Reddit, Hacker News, Bluesky, and X
A local Reddit keyword watcher with AI scoring and suggested replies is a weekend build. ReplyGain is more than that: it schedules ingestion across four platforms, normalizes and deduplicates posts, ranks purchase intent, sends alerts, generates replies, and keeps platform integrations working as APIs and feeds change. The core workflow is vibecodable, but a reliable multi-platform service has real maintenance and infrastructure gaps.
ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.
Build a local, honest personal substitute for ReplyGain in an empty folder.
Stack: Node 22, TypeScript, Express, better-sqlite3, and vanilla HTML/CSS/JS. Do not use React or a hosted database.
Scope: Reddit and Hacker News only.
- Import recent public posts using Reddit JSON endpoints and the Hacker News Algolia API
- Let me enter a product description and keywords
- Store posts in SQLite with source, URL, title, text, author, score, and discoveredAt
- Use an OpenAI-compatible API from .env to classify purchase intent from 0 to 100
- Show a sortable local feed with intent score, source, matched keyword, and a link to the original post
- Generate an editable suggested reply for one selected lead
- Add seen, dismissed, and replied states; never post automatically
- Poll on demand only; no background worker, billing, login, Telegram, email, X, Bluesky, or multi-user features
- Include .env.example, README, seed data, and a smoke test that uses fixtures instead of live APIs
- Explain in README that APIs, rate limits, moderation rules, and platform changes make this a personal prototype
- Finish by listing the exact commands used to install, test, and run the appThe prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running.
What would building your own look like?
Collect public posts from Reddit and Hacker News, match them against product keywords, score likely buying intent with an LLM, and show an editable suggested reply in a local dashboard.
What you will need
- Node.js and SQLite
- Reddit and Hacker News public feeds or APIs
- OpenAI-compatible API key
The first script is easy. The useful version keeps scanning public conversations, removes duplicate and irrelevant posts, handles several platforms, remembers what has already been reviewed, and delivers the right lead at the right time. Founders pay to spend ten minutes reviewing opportunities instead of starting every day with two hours of manual searching.
xFour monitored platforms in one service, including Bluesky and X
xscheduled scans, deduplication, and long-term lead history
xproduction alerts through email and Telegram
xconnector maintenance when a platform changes its API or feed
xbilling, quotas, account management, and multi-website support
How much does ReplyGain cost?
- Monthly billing
- $22/mo$22/mo
- Per year
- $264/yr$264/yr
- On a Brazilian card, with 3.5% IOF
- R$115/moR$1,380/yr
Saved to My list. You will see a notice on this site when the price changes.
You complete the purchase on ReplyGain’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.
starter$22/mo · monthly subscription · $264/yr
Free tierThere is no ongoing free tier; a 7-day pass costs $9 one time and includes Starter access.
verified 2026-10-20 · source ↗
Is it cheaper to build or buy ReplyGain?
Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.
Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.
Starting hours estimated from the analysis (multi-day). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).
Is ReplyGain free?
There is no ongoing free tier; a 7-day pass costs $9 one time and includes Starter access. The paid plan is Starter at $22/mo (checked 10/20/2026).
Can I rebuild ReplyGain?
Kinda. The core of ReplyGain is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: Four monitored platforms in one service, including Bluesky and X, scheduled scans, deduplication, and long-term lead history. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does ReplyGain cost?
ReplyGain costs about $22/mo (Starter, checked 10/20/2026), which is $264 per year.
What do I lose by replacing ReplyGain?
Honestly: Four monitored platforms in one service, including Bluesky and X; scheduled scans, deduplication, and long-term lead history; production alerts through email and Telegram; connector maintenance when a platform changes its API or feed; billing, quotas, account management, and multi-website support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to ReplyGain?
Yes: Reddit JSON API (public Reddit data for a personal keyword monitor), Hacker News Algolia API (searchable Hacker News posts without building a crawler). Using prior art is also vibecoding; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.