Why Most Programmers Avoid Building Mini‑Programs for Profit

Legal and registration barriers

To publish a mini‑program, a developer must first register a company; without a company most categories are unavailable. After registration, a software copyright (软著) must be obtained, otherwise the program cannot go online. These two requirements deter the majority of individual developers.

Personal attempt and outcome

One programmer built a mini‑program, created a company to gain additional permissions, and spent extensive time posting, offline promotion, and advertising. Despite the effort, only the developer himself visited the app.

Time constraints and compensation

Many programmers work 996 schedules (9 am–9 pm, six days a week) or longer, leaving little personal time for side projects. The income from a side mini‑program is far lower than the salary from their main job, and many companies forbid side work, making the risk outweigh the benefit.

Division of labor and cost

Developing a mini‑program involves multiple roles: front‑end, back‑end, testing, operations, product, design, business, and legal compliance. A single individual cannot realistically cover all these tasks. Hiring specialists for each role requires high salaries, and additional expenses include servers, hardware, and promotion. The total cost can exceed the modest revenue a small mini‑program generates.

Technical complexity

Creating a mini‑program is comparable to building a “technology universe.” It requires expertise in front‑end, back‑end, and databases, and must ensure compatibility across various phones, computers, tablets, operating systems, and browsers. Without extensive technical breadth, the development effort is impractical for an individual.

Market dominance

The platform (referred to as “MicroX”) dominates user attention. Users are accustomed to the existing ecosystem, making it difficult for a new mini‑program to attract users even if it is well designed.

Commercial operation requirements

Successful mini‑programs rely on mature commercial models, marketing experience, and network resources. Individual programmers typically lack these capabilities, further reducing the likelihood of profitable side projects.

Code example

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