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- Idea Of The Day - Build this: Inject real-time crypto prices into Twitter with a chrome extension
Idea Of The Day - Build this: Inject real-time crypto prices into Twitter with a chrome extension
Needs To Exist
March 17, 2025
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GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), delivering you a startup idea today to make crypto twitter a little less crazy.
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Here’s what we’ve got for you today.
Daily Idea - Crypto prices, instantly
Chrome Extensions = $$$
Live crypto prices, inside Twitter
The One Liner
Live crypto prices, right on Twitter. No more tab-switching.
The 140 character tweet (or X) version
Tired of leaving Twitter to check crypto prices? This browser extension overlays real-time prices, trends, and alerts—right where you need them.
The Longer Story Version
The Problem
Crypto Twitter is where the action happens—news breaks, memes spread, and market sentiment shifts in real time.
But checking prices? That’s a mess. You’re constantly bouncing between Twitter and price-tracking sites like CoinGecko or TradingView. By the time you’re back, the moment’s passed, the discussion’s moved on, and you’re left scrambling.
Imagine you see a tweet saying, "ETH just broke $3,500!"—is it real? Is it FOMO? Now you’re off to another tab, checking charts, and the conversation keeps moving without you.
The Solution
What if you never had to leave Twitter to check prices?
This browser extension injects live crypto prices directly into your feed. Hover over a ticker (e.g., $BTC, #ETH, #SOL), and boom—a pop-up appears with real-time prices, percentage changes, and a mini-chart of recent movement.
It gets better:
Custom Alerts – Set price triggers and get notified inside Twitter.
Sentiment Tracking – See how the community is reacting to a coin in real time.
One-Click Deep Dives – Click any price to open a full chart from your favorite platform (TradingView, Dexscreener, etc.).
No more lost context. No more endless tab-switching. Just instant price data, right where you need it.
How We’d Build It
Scrape & Stream Data – Pull real-time crypto data from CoinAPI or Messari’s Firehose. For a scrappy start, Chainlink’s price feeds work too.
Overlay UI on Twitter – Use Plasmo Framework (🔥 underrated tool for building Chrome extensions).
Real-Time Sentiment – Tap into Twitter’s API + Natural Language Processing (NLP) via OpenAI’s Embeddings to detect bullish/bearish trends.
Local Storage + WebSockets – Save user preferences, run lightweight alerts, and push updates without killing browser performance.
Speed & UX – Instant rendering with Tailwind and Solid.js (lighter than React).
Monetization
Freemium model – Basic price overlays for free. Premium unlocks deeper analytics, custom alerts, and whale tracking.
Subscription – Monthly fee for pro traders who want AI-driven insights.
Affiliate revenue – One-click trading integrations with exchanges like Binance, Bybit, and Coinbase.
Targeted ads – Smart, native ads for exchanges and analytics tools.
Why It Needs to Exist
Crypto Twitter is the market pulse, but real-time price access is broken. This fixes it.
Faster insights = better trades, better memes, and less FOMO. And in a space where seconds matter, you’ll always be one step ahead.
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Cheat Code: Chrome Extensions
Most people sleep on Chrome extensions, but they’re one of the fastest ways to build a profitable micro-business.
Think about it—can your startup idea be a Chrome extension?
If yes, build it in a week and start making money. These things are low-effort, high-reward, and if you set them up right, they become passive income machines.
Let’s break it down.
💰 Why Chrome Extensions Are an Indie Hacker Goldmine
✅ Fast to Build – You don’t need a full-stack team. Many Chrome extensions take a weekend to launch.
✅ Built-in Traffic – The Chrome Web Store is free discovery. No need to spend thousands on ads.
✅ People Pay for Convenience – If your extension saves time or automates something annoying, people will gladly pay $5-$20/month.
✅ Data = Money – If configured correctly, your extension can collect valuable anonymized insights that fuel affiliate marketing, price comparison, and ad targeting.
Example: Honey, the discount-finding extension, was acquired by PayPal for $4 billion. Why? Because it tracks shopping behavior and monetizes through affiliate commissions.
🚀 What Makes a Chrome Extension Great?
The best extensions do ONE thing really well and fit seamlessly into the browsing experience.
Here are three mechanics that make for a killer extension (plus how to monetize them & a fresh idea you can build today):
1️⃣ Overlay / Popup (UI Enhancement)
A floating panel that adds functionality without forcing users to leave the current page.
🔹 Best For: Quick actions, automation, enhancements.
🔹 Examples:
💡 New Idea: AI Meeting Summarizer
A floating overlay that auto-transcribes & summarizes Zoom/Google Meet calls in real time.
Saves summaries to Notion, Google Docs, or email.
Monetization: Freemium model ($10/month for AI-enhanced summaries).
💰 How to Monetize:
Offer a free version, then charge for premium features.
Capture emails for upsells.
Partner with SaaS tools for lead generation.
2️⃣ Site Comparisons (Price, Reviews, Info)
An extension that pulls data from multiple sources and shows a better deal or deeper insights.
🔹 Best For: Shopping, finance, research.
🔹 Examples:
Honey → Finds lower prices & cashback deals on Amazon.
Fakespot → Scans Amazon product reviews for fakes.
Keywords Everywhere → Shows keyword search volume on Google.
💡 New Idea: 'Real-Price' Airbnb
Compares Airbnb prices with hotel rates in the same area & auto-finds discount codes.
Alerts users if a hotel is cheaper than an Airbnb in that city.
Monetization: Affiliate deals with hotels & travel brands.
💰 How to Monetize:
Affiliate marketing (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia).
Charge for premium analytics or deeper insights.
Partner with e-commerce brands for product placement.
3️⃣ Auto-Fill / Auto-Complete (Saves Time)
An extension that fills forms, generates text, or speeds up workflows.
🔹 Best For: Productivity, sales, job applications.
🔹 Examples:
Hunter.io → Auto-finds emails on LinkedIn & company websites.
Text Blaze → Saves and auto-fills snippets of text to speed up responses.
LastPass → Autofills login credentials securely.
💡 New Idea: AI Job Hunter
Auto-fills job applications with your resume data & writes custom cover letters using AI.
Saves users 10+ hours per week applying to jobs.
Monetization: Monthly subscription ($9.99/month).
💰 How to Monetize:
Charge teams for business licenses (B2B SaaS model).
Offer a lifetime deal ($49 one-time for early adopters).
Monetize data insights (with user consent).
📊 The Data Play: How to Monetize Chrome Extension Data
If you configure your extension correctly, you can collect & monetize valuable insights (while staying privacy-compliant).
What Data Can You Get?
✅ User behavior – Sites visited, clicks, engagement.
✅ Search & shopping trends – Keywords typed, products viewed.
✅ On-page interactions – Text selections, time spent on a page.
This is NOT about tracking people in a creepy way—it’s about aggregating anonymous trends to fuel smarter business decisions.
💰 Ways to Monetize Data:
Sell anonymized browsing insights to market research firms.
Use search data to recommend affiliate products.
Track pricing trends & sell data to e-commerce brands.
🚀 How to Get Your Chrome Extension to Market Fast
1️⃣ Use AI & No-Code Tools to speed up development:
2️⃣ Launch on Product Hunt & Reddit → Extensions go viral in r/SideProject, r/Entrepreneur, and r/Productivity.
3️⃣ Monetize from Day 1 → Don’t wait to charge. Even a $10 lifetime deal builds revenue early.
TL;DR: Stop Overthinking, Start Shipping 🚀
Next time you brainstorm startup ideas, ask yourself:
Can this be a Chrome extension?
If yes, build it in a week. If it works, scale it. If it flops, move on. That’s how you win the indie hacker game.
One More Meme
