There seems to be an explosion of great, useful, and beautifully designed tools popping up lately.
Perhaps this is in part down to the new powers we all have thanks to AI coding tools, but not exclusively. When combined with initiative, passion, and taste, the outcome is a wonderful renaissance of indie software development.
Screen Studio is not new but it’s a tool I find myself using more and more to create engaging screen recordings. It’s the optimum balance between Loom and a full-on video editor. You can create slick “produced” screen recordings and have a link on your clipboard ready to share with your team in minutes.
Quiche Browser is delightful Safari replacement for iOS. I have never seen an app balance this level of beauty, craft, and simplicity, while allowing for such extensive customisation. What a delicious treat.
Bevel is an “all in one” health tracking app that gives an unbelievable amount of value for free. If you wear an Apple Watch and want to track your health a little more intensely, this is worth a look. It’s worth it alone if you want to geek out on some cool data visualisation.
MacNotch is essentially the iPhone’s Dynamic Island but for your Mac. It makes great use of your MacBook’s “notch” and offers an extensive array of options and customisations.
Blank Page is a delightfully minimal Notion-like editor you can use without any need to sign up, pay, or install anything. It’s just a beautifully minimal writing experience through and through.
Clearly is a markdown editor for the Mac. It also offers “knowledge base” functionality allowing you to link notes together. It’s beautifully implemented and truly Mac-assed Mac app. And it’s free. If you use Obsidian on a Mac then this is worth a look. Pink Floyd fans might like the icon too.
Sofa has existed for a while but the new version is a big update. It’s a beautiful iOS app to keep track of all the TV shows, movies, podcasts, and books you’re consuming.
Granola is a meeting note-taker I have previously written about, but continues to "just work" for me. It's just so good at staying in the background and being a silent helper to my daily meetings, giving me genuinely helpful notes and nothing I don't want.
Dato is a menubar-based calendar app for the Mac that makes it easy to see your upcoming events and pop new meetings in with a few clicks. It is reminiscent of the original Fantastical — before it offered to replace your whole calendar experience. I use it with the built-in Apple Calendar app to manage my schedule.
Let me know if you've recently discovered a new favourite little app or tool — I'd love to hear about it.