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Readly - Product Plan

Vision

A simple, low-maintenance utility that converts WeChat articles to PDF/EPUB. Pay-per-use model. No accounts, no complexity.

Problem

WeChat articles are locked in the WeChat app. Users want to:

  • Read on e-ink readers (Kindle, Kobo)
  • Archive articles for offline access
  • Read without the WeChat app

Solution

Website where users paste a WeChat URL and get PDF + EPUB downloads.

Business Model

Pricing: Pay-per-conversion via Stripe + Alipay

Exact pricing TBD (need to balance Stripe fees with user value). Options:

  • Credit packs (e.g., 10 conversions for ¥10)
  • Per-conversion (e.g., ¥5 per conversion)

Target: Small, profitable, low-maintenance cash-flow business.

Technical Architecture

Frontend

  • Stack: Static HTML/CSS/JS
  • Hosting: Vercel or Cloudflare Pages (free tier)
  • Features:
    • URL input form
    • Stripe checkout integration
    • Download links for PDF/EPUB

Backend

  • Stack: Python + FastAPI
  • Hosting: Any VPS (Linode, DigitalOcean, etc.)
  • Features:
    • /convert endpoint
    • Playwright for WeChat scraping (iPhone emulation)
    • PDF generation (via Playwright)
    • EPUB generation (via ebooklib)

Payments

  • Provider: Stripe
  • Methods: Alipay (primary for Chinese users)
  • Flow: Pay first, then convert

MVP Scope

Phase 1: Core Conversion (Complete)

  • FastAPI backend
  • Playwright scraping with iPhone emulation
  • PDF generation
  • EPUB generation
  • Simple frontend UI
  • Deploy backend to VPS
  • Deploy frontend to Vercel
  • Test with real WeChat articles

Phase 2: Payments

  • Stripe integration
  • Alipay payment method
  • Credit/token system (no accounts)
  • Payment → conversion flow

Phase 3: Polish

  • Error handling improvements
  • Rate limiting
  • Basic analytics
  • Domain setup (readly.space)

Non-Goals (Keep It Simple)

  • No user accounts
  • No subscription model (initially)
  • No ICP/blockchain
  • No complex features

Mobile App Strategy (Future Consideration)

Why Mobile?

The killer UX is Share Sheet integration: user reads WeChat article → taps Share → selects Readly → converts. This requires a native app; PWAs cannot be share targets on iOS.

Cross-Platform Options (2026 Analysis)

For a solo builder avoiding separate iOS/Android codebases:

Approach Effort Best For
Capacitor Low Wrap existing web app, quick to ship
Flutter Medium Starting fresh, native feel, one codebase
React Native Medium JS developers, large ecosystem
Kotlin Multiplatform High Share logic, native UI (still maturing)

Native Feature Support via Capacitor

Feature Support
Share Sheet (iOS/Android) Yes - plugin available
Sign in with Apple Yes - official plugin
Sign in with Google Yes - official plugin
Push Notifications Yes - official plugin
Face ID / Touch ID Yes - community plugin
iCloud Storage Partial - needs custom Swift
Widgets No - requires native code

Recommendation

Start with Capacitor when ready for mobile:

  1. Reuses existing web frontend
  2. Readly's UI is simple (form + progress + downloads)
  3. Main native feature needed (Share Sheet) has plugins
  4. Ship to both app stores in days, not weeks
  5. Can migrate to Flutter/native later if needed

Decision Criteria for Going Mobile

Consider building mobile app when:

  • Web version has proven demand (consistent paying users)
  • Users request mobile/Share Sheet integration
  • Payment system is working and profitable
  • Have bandwidth for app store review process

Risks

  1. WeChat blocking: May need to rotate IPs, use proxies, or adjust scraping approach
  2. Content changes: WeChat page structure may change, requiring scraper updates
  3. Low conversion quality: Some articles may not convert well (images, formatting)

Success Metrics

  • Works reliably for 80%+ of WeChat articles
  • Positive unit economics (revenue > Stripe fees + hosting)
  • Low maintenance (< 2 hours/month)