Why I built Fluister

I'm Ronald, freelance developer at Newlin. For over fifteen years I've been building apps and websites — from iOS and Android to full-stack web applications. In that time, I've learned one thing: the hardest part of building software isn't the code. It's knowing whether what you're building actually works for the people using it.

The feedback loop that took too long

With every project I delivered, there was the same problem. The client was happy, the app went live, and then... silence. It took weeks before the first complaints or suggestions came in — via email, phone, or a meeting. The feedback loop was enormous. By the time I heard what users thought, I was already three features ahead.

I tried existing feedback tools. Hotjar, UserVoice, Canny — all fine products. But for my situation as a freelancer, they were too much. Too complex to set up, too expensive for smaller projects, and they placed cookies that required a whole cookie banner setup.

What if it could be simpler?

The idea for Fluister came from frustration. I wanted something I could add to any website in literally two minutes. One line of code, no configuration, no hassle. A simple question to your visitor: "What do you think?" With an emoji, optionally a message, done.

No account needed for the visitor. No cookies. No tracking. Just honest, anonymous feedback from the people actually using your site.

Built with the tools I know

Fluister is built with Next.js, PostgreSQL and runs in Docker. The widget itself is less than 5KB — lighter than most images on your site. The entire stack runs on European servers (Germany), so your data never leaves the EU. No American company processing your user data.

As a developer, I deliberately kept Fluister simple. The widget embed is literally one script tag. The API is REST with Bearer token authentication. Slack integration is just filling in a webhook URL. No SDK, no npm package, no build step required.

I use it myself

The best part? I use Fluister to improve Fluister. The widget you see in the bottom right of this site isn't a demo — it's my own feedback channel. Every suggestion, every frustration from visitors lands directly in my dashboard. That's the feedback loop I always wanted: short, direct, and honest.

When I recently adjusted the mobile version of the dashboard, I had feedback within an hour that the buttons were too small. No meeting, no ticket, no email thread. Just a visitor who whispered "buttons are tiny on mobile 😕".

"buttons are tiny on mobile 😕" — Anonymous visitor via Fluister

Free, because I want it to be used

Fluister is currently completely free. No hidden costs, no trial that expires. I want to first build a tool that people actually want to use. The best way to find out? Let people use it and listen to their feedback — with Fluister itself, of course.

Eventually there will be a Pro version with extra features for teams and larger projects. But the basics — collecting feedback from your website — that stays free.

For developers, by a developer

Fluister is not a product from a venture-backed startup with twenty developers. It's built by one freelancer who had a problem and solved it himself. You'll notice in the choices: no bloat, no upsells in your face, no enterprise-first features that ruin the UX.

If you have a website and want to know what your visitors think, try Fluister. It takes two minutes to install and zero euros to use. And if you have feedback about Fluister itself — you know where the widget is. 😊