When software developer Amirul started building Retrx, he was not chasing a business idea. He was solving a frustration he kept running into during grocery runs, wondering whether prices had gone up, what he paid last time, and whether he had bought something before. No simple tool existed to answer those questions, so he built one.
Today, Retrx helps users track spending at a level most expense apps do not offer, right down to individual items, price history, and category breakdowns.
In this interview, he shares what it takes to build a tech product part-time, how he stayed focused when competitors began appearing almost overnight, and why he believes execution and user trust matter more than having a good idea.
1. Hello! For those discovering Retrx for the first time, could you share a bit about yourself and how Retrx began?
I’m a software developer by profession, and I’ve always been drawn to building things that solve everyday problems.
Retrx started from a very personal frustration. I wouldn’t say I’m overly obsessed with tracking spending, but whenever I went grocery shopping, I kept having the same thoughts:
“How much did this cost last time?”
“Did I buy this before?”
“How many did I usually get?”
“I feel like it was cheaper before.”
These small questions kept lingering in my mind, and I realized I had no simple way to answer them.
That was really the starting point. I wasn’t trying to build something big at first. I just wanted a way to remember what I had bought, how much I paid, and how my spending changed over time.
2. For someone hearing about Retrx for the first time, what does the app do and how does it help users better understand their spending?
At its core, Retrx is a smart expense tracker that helps you understand your spending at a much deeper level.
You simply take a photo of your receipt, and the app reads every item, organizes it into categories and subcategories, and stores everything digitally. Over time, this builds a detailed picture of your spending – not just how much you spend, but what you actually spend on.
For example, instead of just knowing you spent RM200 on groceries, you can see how much went to poultry, fruits, beverages, or essentials. You can also track how prices change over time, whether something used to cost RM12 and is now RM14, along with the average and lowest prices you’ve paid.
If you frequently visit the same shop or restaurant, you can also see how much you spend there over time – turning individual visits into a clearer long-term picture.
Most tools focus on totals. Retrx focuses on the details.
3. Why the name “Retrx”? And what does it represent to you?
I wanted a name that was short, distinctive, and easy to search. Something that wouldn’t get lost among other results, especially when I’m trying to see what users are saying about the product.
“Retrx” comes from combining “receipt” and “transaction.” It captures the two core ideas behind the app – what you buy, and the record of it.
4. What keeps you motivated to continue building Retrx, especially during slower or more challenging periods?
Even though I’m building Retrx part-time, mentally it feels like a full-time commitment. Whatever I do, even something as simple as grocery shopping – I find myself thinking about how the experience could be better, and how it could help users understand their spending more clearly.
In a way, Retrx has also changed how I think as a developer. It pushed me to focus less on just building features, and more on the problem itself and the overall user experience.
And when you see that it’s actually useful to someone, even through small pieces of feedback,it’s enough to keep going.
5. From a business and product point of view, what has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
I started building Retrx around June last year, and it took me about three months to develop the initial version. At that time, AI-assisted development was still early. So I mostly coded it myself.
But almost immediately after, things changed. As AI tools became more accessible, I started seeing similar ideas appear very quickly. Within a short period, multiple apps began emerging in the same space.
That was a difficult moment. I had to ask myself – did I spend months building something that others could now replicate in a single day?
Over time, I realized the real challenge isn’t just building the product. It’s building something that actually works well, is reliable, and delivers consistent value to users.
Ideas can be replicated quickly. But execution, accuracy, and user trust take much longer to build.
6. What does your current day-to-day or week look like while building and improving Retrx?
In the early stages, I was pushing updates almost every week. After work, I would continue building and improving Retrx late into the night.
Over time, I realized that pace wasn’t very sustainable, so in the past few months, I’ve adjusted my approach.
On weekdays, I focus more on ideation, thinking through problems, refining features, and going through user feedback to understand what actually needs to be built. Most of the development work now happens on weekends, where I can focus without interruption.
I’m still trying to stay consistent, aiming to ship at least one meaningful update every two weeks.
7. Retrx tracks spending in a very detailed way. How do you make sure it’s both accurate and easy for users to benefit from?
In traditional expense apps, usually users can create and manage their own categories, which gives them flexibility.
But with Retrx, categories are handled automatically within the system, where AI maps each line item. Allowing custom categories would make the data less consistent over time – and I will have no control over the output.
By keeping things standardized, similar items are always grouped in the same way, which makes the insights more reliable.
In the end, the focus is on making the system trustworthy and the results easy to understand.
8. Retrx started as something you built and later expanded for public use — what did that transition look like?
It happened quite quickly.
After finishing the initial version of Retrx, I shared an image of it on social media. I wasn’t expecting much, but it sparked curiosity… people started asking what it was and how it worked.
So I followed up with another post, inviting those who were interested to register.
The response was more than I expected.
That was the moment it shifted from something I built for myself to something others were genuinely interested in using. From there, the focus became less about just building, and more about refining the product for real users.
9. Looking ahead, what do you hope Retrx becomes in the next 3–5 years?
Today, it already helps users make better decisions – whether that’s noticing price trends, understanding spending habits, or seeing when something is getting more expensive. Over time, I want to take this further by making those insights more proactive and easier to act on.
There’s also potential beyond individual users. I can see Retrx expanding into tools for businesses, especially those that deal with large volumes of receipts and want to extract meaningful insights from them.
But at its core, I want Retrx to remain simple and useful. Even as it grows, it should still feel effortless to use, while quietly giving users a clearer understanding of their spending.
The reality is, things are evolving very quickly with AI. New tools and features are constantly emerging. But I think the long-term value isn’t just in technology – it’s in building something that people trust, use consistently, and find genuinely helpful in their daily lives.
So for now, the focus is to keep improving that experience, one step at a time.
10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to build a tech product or start something, but feels unsure where to begin?
Software development has become much more accessible today. The tools are available, and it’s easier than ever to get started.
But building something useful is more than just writing code. It’s about understanding the problem, thinking through the experience, and executing things properly.
My advice would be to start small, build something simple that solves a real problem, even if it’s just for yourself. Don’t wait until everything is perfect.
You’ll figure things out along the way. What matters is starting, staying obsessed with the problem, and respecting your users.
11. For readers who resonate with what you’re building, how can they support Retrx or get involved?
The simplest way is to try Retrx and use it consistently.
Beyond that, feedback is extremely valuable, what works, what doesn’t, and what could be improved. A lot of the product evolves based on how people actually use it.
And of course, sharing it with others helps a lot. At this stage, most of the growth comes from word of mouth.
Final Thoughts
A huge thank you to Amirul, the founder of Retrx, for sharing his journey as a solopreneur. Building a product from scratch while working full-time is no easy task, and his story shows what is possible when you stay focused on solving a real problem and keep showing up consistently.
Here are three takeaways we loved from this interview:
- Start with a real problem. The best products are often born from personal frustration, not boardroom brainstorms.
- Execution beats ideas. Competitors can copy an idea overnight, but trust and reliability take much longer to build.
- Stay close to your users. Feedback drives the product forward. Growth follows when people find something genuinely useful.
You can try Retrx today or follow the journey on Threads @retrx.app to stay updated on what is coming next.
