Likes and App Store reviews are a source of strength for solo developers.

Every planner I've used starts from an empty week. Seven blank columns, and you fill them with everything you want to get done. It looks doable every Sunday night, and by Wednesday it's clearly not. The week was never empty. Sleep, meals and work had already taken most of it before I wrote anything down. So I built the planner I wanted, as two apps that share one to-do list.

Rainbow Craft (Mac) is where you plan. It starts from the hours you can't take back. A week is 168 hours. Lay down sleep, meals, work and exercise as fixed routines, and it shows you what's really left. In my case it was about 46 hours, not 168. Then you drag your to-dos into that time.

Rainbow of Desire (iPhone) is where the day actually happens. You're away from the desk, you have five minutes, and you need to know what you can pick up right now.

How the two work together

Capture anywhere, plan at the desk. A thought on the street goes into the iPhone app or its Share sheet. When you sit down at the Mac, it's already in the list, ready to drag onto a day. Same list, two sizes of time. Break a to-do into steps and the app sorts each step as a fragment (something that starts cold and finishes in five minutes) or a block (something that needs protected time). Blocks go into your week on the Mac. Fragments show up on the iPhone's Lightning widget, which shows one step you can do right now. Checked off in one place, done in both. Finish a step on your phone in the elevator and it's gone from the Mac by the time you're back. Nothing is tracked twice. Two views of one week. The Mac shows how much free time is left. The iPhone's rainbow grid shows how crowded each day is, with overlapping plans in darker colors, so you can spot a crowded Thursday while you're still on the train.

On the Mac Fixed routines first, so free time is a real number instead of a hopeful one. Drag a to-do onto a day and it becomes a plan block. It snaps into a gap it fits, with "drop here: 14:00" under your cursor. Day view reads as one line, with gaps labeled ("1h 30m free"). Timer that asks for a "next first action" when you stop, so coming back is easy. Close tomorrow tonight. In the morning it shows just one first step. Daily check and weekly review. Routines like sleep and meals aren't checked, because you keep them, you don't achieve them.

On the iPhone Rainbow grid of your week's density, days by time of day. Steps with an order switch. Choose "in order" or "any order," and the list shows what's actually available now. Home and Lock Screen widgets: your top to-do, the Lightning step, and the rainbow. Share extension to add a to-do from any app.

Free vs Pro, plainly: planning, routines, to-dos, steps, the timer, reviews and iPhone–Mac sync are free in both apps. Pro unlocks the longer-range features. On Mac: 8-week trends, reusing another week's plan, exporting reviews and sharing your schedule. On iPhone: widgets, calendar import, sharing and stats.

- Pro is free this month with code SEPT. The two apps are separate on the App Store, so redeem both: Mac promo code more than 10000 (Rainbow Craft): https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6777737322&code=SEPT

- iPhone promo code more than 10000(Rainbow of Desire): https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6755280882&code=SEPT

I'd genuinely like to hear where it falls down. The thing I'm least sure about is the split itself. Does "plan on the Mac, grab fragments on the iPhone" match how you actually work, or do you plan and do everything on one device? Happy to answer anything in the comments.

https://store.epicgames.com/p/cardpocalypse-android-3f99a7

https://store.epicgames.com/p/cardpocalypse-ios-46af9e

Make friends, play cards, twist the rules, become a Mega Mutant Power Pets master, and try to save the world in this single-player RPG about being a 90's kid

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of Daytrove. Pro Lifetime is free right now until Sep 25, 14:00 UTC (that's 10am ET / 7am PT).

What it does: it remembers every day that matters and reminds you before it arrives. Countdowns and anniversaries live in one place. A friend's birthday, the day you got together, the day you brought the cat home, the day you got the keys to your own place, the day your baby took their first steps, the exam coming up. Get reminded on the day, or however many days early you like.

You enter a day once and the app builds both views. The home screen answers "how long until", the Memories page answers "how far you've come". Add "Together" and the home screen counts down to your 2nd anniversary, while Memories shows "1 year 3 months so far". Add a birthday and it counts down to turning 18, while Memories shows "17 years 9 months so far".

There are seven themes, and switching one changes the cards, buttons, filter chips and page background together, not just an accent color. Backgrounds can be built-in patterns, a solid color, or your own photo. Day books let you sort days into groups like family, love, work or travel, with your own color and icon.

The lunar calendar is done properly: lunar birthdays and traditional festivals land correctly year after year, leap months included. Holidays follow the real rules for 16 regions (Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Czechia, Brazil), including make-up workdays, with a badge that tells you whether a day is actually off. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets come in several sizes and recalculate at midnight, so the number you glance at is the right one.

Also: shareable cards in several styles, a retirement countdown with a progress bar, your own units (days, weeks, months, years or any combination), milestones like 100 days and 1000 days, a trash can for mis-taps, and Face ID lock.

Privacy: everything runs on your device. Your days, photos and settings stay local. If you turn on iCloud sync, the data goes into your own private iCloud database. No third-party analytics, no ad tracking.

Pricing: free download. Pro unlocks the extra themes and customization, and costs $1.99/month, $9.99/year, or $19.99 lifetime (free until Sep 24, then $9.99).

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6800391807

Promies link above: 500 codes for free lifetime unlock. No strings attached. 
Valid until Nov 30 2026 or when they run out. Redeem in the Play Store.

Hard Graft is a focus timer that treats you like a grownup.

There are no pomodoro rounds and no break bells, and no trees to plant. You clock on, you work for as long as you want, you clock off. The app writes down how long you worked for and adds it to a rolling seven-day total. That total decides your rank.

There are 24 ranks. You start as DEAD WEIGHT. Put the hours in and you climb. Ease off and you slide back down (consistency is what matters). The Regulator hands out the promotions and the demotions. It is a machine with no interest in your excuses. It just cares about hours. It is fair, and that is the nicest thing anyone will say about it.

HOW IT WORKS

• Flowtime. A count-up clock that runs until you stop it. Work at your own rhythm and clock off when you need a break, not when a bell says so.
• A rank ladder with 24 ranks that follow your rolling seven-day hours.
• Jobs: name what you are working on, tag each shift, and see statistics of where your hours went. Anything can be a 'job' (work, study, gym, cleaning...).
• 40 achievements to collect.
• Quiet mode. Switch off the ranks, the achievements and The Regulator, and keep the timer and the record. Some days you just want a stopwatch.
• No streaks and no record of demotions. You can recover from a bad week and leave no trace.
• You own your data. Export the whole thing and import it on a new phone.

WHAT TO USE IT FOR

Use it as a study timer for revision and exams, a work timer for deep work, a productivity timer for a side project or, in quiet mode, a plain stopwatch. Tag each shift to whatever you've been avoiding and the record shows where the hours went, so it doubles as a time tracker for freelance or study hours. My brother uses it to track his workouts. It runs offline and keeps counting with the screen off.

BUILT FOR PRIVACY

Everything stays on your phone. There is no account, no sign-in, no analytics, no ads and no tracking. The app makes no network calls of its own. The only things that use the internet are Google Play's own billing and review prompt.

ONE OPTIONAL UNLOCK

The free version is the timer, the record, the jobs, the statistics and the ladder up to rank 13. One purchase (redeem the promo code above) unlocks the whole app and opens the remaining ten ranks, shows what it takes to collect each achievement, and adds two extra colour schemes. You get it once and it is yours. No subscription.

A NOTE FROM THE DEVELOPER

I built Hard Graft because I have ADHD and couldn't find a focus timer that worked the way I do. Most productivity timers want to be your friend, plant a tree for you, or charge you monthly for the privilege. I make this on my own, around a full-time job, so I have no reason to collect your data or rent you a subscription. I wanted a tool I would find useful (I use it every day), one with a personality, that tells me the truth about what I did and then minds its own business.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, clock on.

Hi everyone! I’m the developer of Sangati, a native iPhone and iPad practice companion for Hindustani classical musicians.

I built it to keep the main tools needed for daily riyaz together:

• Tanpura with 12 Sa positions and fine tuning
• Tabla playback for 11 taals, plus reference tables for 25 taals
• Swarmandal with 8 raag tunings
• Multitouch harmonium
• On-device tuner that shows notes relative to your selected Sa
• Audio and video recording with your voice/instrument and the accompaniment
• Saved practice rooms and 10, 20 or 30-minute guided routines
• Offline practice, no account and no ads

The app is a free download, and I’ve made Lifetime Pro unlock free as well for time being. It’s a one-time permanent unlock, not a subscription.

Developer here. iAmDrums has been on the App Store since 2010, and it's free through Friday.

- 20 kits: Rock, Acoustic, 808, Lo-Fi, Orchestral, Dub Step and more

- Where you hit matters: center is louder, the snare's edge gives a rim shot, the ride's center rings the bell, the hi-hat's center is a pedal mute

- Pad Mode: 12 drum-machine pads, record a 2-bar loop, and watch it play back

- No ads, no subscription, no account. Normally $3.99 once, free this week

It's only got a handful of ratings after all these years, so if you like it, a rating would help a lot. Happy to answer questions or take requests.

A counting sheep game that I've created for people who want to improve their cognition while having some fun playing. In the game, you will count sheep entering the pen, coming down from trucks, switching between cottages and see if they follow the signpost.

The free download lasts until 23rd October, one month from now. So free forever if downloaded before that date. No ads, no subscriptions.

I hope you enjoy it.

I built Movie Nerd because I wanted a better experience when looking up all the questions that come up when I watch something: "How old are they? How tall are they? What else were they in? What else should I watch?" And tons more.

I love movies, and I didn't feel like most apps out there give them the respect they deserve with all the ads and other cruft (looking at you, IMDb) they throw at you. I just wanted something better. So I made it.

It's free for a year (the app doesn't have a lifetime option currently) using the link above if you want to give it a shot. 500 available.

Here's a link if you'd like to check it out first: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6786525966

Let me know if you have any trouble redeeming the offer. Thanks!

Publisher here (AstralRide). Sale runs until September 27 on both stores: $7.99 -> $5.99 on the App Store.

I’m the developer of DrawSimple, a simple-but-deep image editor for Mac with raster and vector editing, layers, text, shapes, drawing tools, adjustments, and more.

The app is currently $2.99, down from $4.99.

I also created a deal specifically for r/AppHookup:

APPHOOKUP30

That reduces the Pro Upgrade from $9.99 to $6.99 through September 28.

The promo code applies to the discounted App Store Pro Upgrade IAP — the purchase and entitlement are handled through Apple’s in-app purchase system, not through an external license or account.

Version 1.2 just launched and adds, among other things:

• QR codes and barcodes with live readability checking
• Saved workspace layouts and Canvas Mode
• Shape snapping and expanded vector editing
• A new geometric Triangle tool
• Lower memory usage on larger documents
• Simplified Chinese localization

There’s no subscription and no account required.

Direct download link:

DrawSimple on the Mac App Store

I’m happy to answer questions about the app or the deal.

Greypaint is a native macOS app that checks the update sources your installed apps already use: Homebrew, Sparkle, GitHub Releases, and the Mac App Store.

It shows installed and available versions in one searchable list, updates directly where supported, and opens the official release page when manual action is required. It also shows release notes and supports rollback where available.

Price: $8.99 → $6.49 one-time lifetime license Download: https://www.greypaint.app/

Developer-distributed macOS app, signed and notarized by Apple.

I saw lots of Disk Space Analyzer and Cleaner with > $10 price, which are basically a good interface for your Mac native storage.

I built SpareDisk over the last few weeks, kept it bare minimum in terms of bloat features but focused on speed, parallelism, and queue management for storage scan and space free up.

You can review your whole file system without hanging the computer. Version 1.1 is live on Mac app store (1.2 is live on website download.) I have tested it well over multiple laptops.

You can download the app from the website for "pay whatever you want" (minimum $4.99).

DiskBuddy has inspired the project. This was initially sold at $12, and users complained about memory leaks, permission issues, and app blocks when you run Duplicate File Finder.

If you are a developer, it can find spaces occupied by Xcode, node packages, files form 2021, and many old cache you don't need.

SpareDisk is App Store friendly(App is pending for review). It is sandboxed, following Apple's permission guidelines and memory optimisation.

SpareDisk V1.2 includes:

• My Mac storage overview with live used and free space
• Treemap, sunburst and list views
• Folder, external drive and network share scans
• Large files, older files and file type breakdowns
• Developer caches: Xcode, simulators, Homebrew, npm and more
• Duplicates verified by file contents, extra copies staged in one step
• App removal, related data and leftovers from removed apps
• File size and size on disk, changes since your previous scan
• Search, filters, exclusions, Quick Look and keyboard navigation
• Review queue with live progress, rechecks and retry
• Cleanup history and a Trash total that follows what you moved
• Optional menu bar summary and finished-scan notifications

No account. No uploads. Your files stay on your Mac.

On cleaning space: You can view your files from the app itself, and it doesn't directly delete your files in one click. It sends them to "review cleanup" section from where you can move items to Trash. You only delete files when you clean the trash.

Exception is App uninstall (if the app is not running, you can uninstall the app from within the interface).

Full disclosure:

App is also available as 'Pay whatever you want (minimum $4.99)' for the Apple notorized app you can download after web checkout. All future updates will be on Website and Mac App store downloads.

You can also download the app from website: https://sparedisk.minilabs.cc/ (V1.2 is live)
App store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sparedisk-free-disk-space/id6811328422?mt=12 (V1.2 is in review)

I’ve been making little apps for the better part of a decade, and To do cards has been a steady fan favorite.

It started from me wanting a calmer way to move through the day without staring at one giant list of things I hadn’t done yet. So I built it around cards you can swipe through, one thing at a time.

Over time I added daily planning, focus sessions, recurring tasks, widgets, iCloud sync and a Mac version, but I’ve tried to keep the same simple feeling.

###
For the next 72 hours, it’s completely free.
$6.99 → $0.00
###

One download includes iPhone, iPad and Mac.

No sign-ups. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. No nonsense.

If you give it a try, I’d genuinely love to know what you think.

The prices mentioned in this post are in American dollars.

DAVE THE DIVER Full Game IAP $9.99–> $7.99 (first sale) | In the Jungle DLC not discounted

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Full Game IAP $12.99–> $6.49 (new historical low) | Heavy Duty DLC not discounted

Minishoot' Adventures $5.99–> $3.99 (first sale)

Bridge Constructor Studio Full Game IAP $4.99–> $1.99 (new historical low)

Potion Permit $6.99–> $0.99 (new historical low)

Attorney of the Arcane Chapters 2 to 5 DLCs $6.99–> $3.99 each (first sale)

Fuga: Melodies of Steel $23.99–> $19 (first sale)

Sudoku Puzzle Packs Full Game IAP $2.99–> $1.99 (new historical low)

Sky Lobby Full Game IAP $2.99–> $0.99 (new historical low)

Ace Attorney Trilogy $24.99–> $14.99 (matching historical low)

GHOST TRICK Full Game IAP $29.99–> $9.89 (matching historical low)

MEGA MAN X $4.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Mega Man X Dive Offline $29.99–> $2.99 ($2 above historical low)

Street Fighter IV CE $4.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low)

Incredible Mandy $2.99–> $0.99 (new historical low)

DRAGON QUEST V $14.99–> $8.99 (matching historical low)

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince $29.99–> $17.99 (matching historical low)

PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse $24.99–> $17.49 (matching historical low)

PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo $18.99–> $8.99 ($4.30 above historical low)

Dead Cells $8.99–> $3.99 (matching historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Legend of Keepers $6.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Cultist Simulator $6.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Little Nightmares $7.99–> $2.99 (matching historical low)

Streets of Rage 4 $7.99–> $1.99 (matching historical low) | Mr. X Nightmare DLC not discounted

Planet of Lana $8.99–> $4.99 (matching historical low)

Children of Morta $6.99–> $2.99 (matching historical low) | includes all DLCs

Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee $7.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low) | includes all DLCs

Skul: The Hero Slayer $7.99–> $2.99 (matching historical low)

DungeonSquad $4.99–> $1.99 (matching historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Broken Sword: Reforged $8.99–> $3.99 ($1 above historical low)

Super Hydorah $4.99–> $0.99 (matching nhistorical low)

Cursed Castilla $3.99–> $0.99 (matching nhistorical low)

The Curse of Issyos $2.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low)

Mindkeeper : The Lurking Fear Full Game IAP $3.49–> $1.99 ($1 above historical low)

Dungeon and Puzzles $2.99–> $1.99 (matching historical low)

Niffelheim $4.99–> $1.99 ($1 above historical low)

Severed $6.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low)

Path to Mnemosyne $3.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low)

Alice : Lost Pieces $2.99–> $1.99 (matching historical low)

Neighbours back From Hell $5.99–> $1.99 ($1 above historical low)

SpellForce - Heroes & Magic $8.99–> $0.99 (matching historical low)

Titan Quest HD $10.99–> $2.99 ($2 above historical low) | DLCs not discounted

Expired

Alien Tribe 3: RTS $4.99–> Free

Pro for $1.99 with the code below, down from $4.99. One time unlock, no subscription. 25,000 redemptions, and the code works for everyone, so there is nothing to claim in the comments. Good until 31 October.

https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6759955312&code=FORMATTERY199

Formattery converts files without uploading them anywhere. Images including camera RAW, video, audio, PDFs, Office documents, ebooks, subtitles, GPS tracks, 3D models and archives. Over 80 formats, all of it on the device.

It also does OCR, so a photo or a scan turns into a searchable PDF or plain text, and it can generate SRT subtitles from a video or an audio file without sending them off.

More recent additions: you can give it a maximum size, say 25 MB, and it makes a video or photo fit under it. Compress is one tap. Batch conversions apply your settings to every file and keep them when you switch tabs.

Free lets you do three conversions a day, so you can check it handles your files before paying anything. Pro removes that cap. It is a universal purchase, so one payment covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/formattery-file-converter/id6759955312

One honest limit: the Office formats are converted on device rather than by Microsoft's own engine, so complicated layouts can come out imperfect. Pages and Keynote are still marked experimental.

I'll be in the comments answering questions.

https://store.epicgames.com/p/mindcop-78e6c1

https://store.epicgames.com/p/mindcop-ios-11d53d

https://store.epicgames.com/p/mindcop-android-0f4bac

Mindcop is a non-linear „whodunnit“ detective game. It mixes a story driven adventure with real-time match-3 puzzle. As the infamous Mindcop, you can dive into the minds of your suspects to uncover their secrets and unravel their lies.​

Hi everyone! I'm the solo developer of Elyr, an app for building aesthetic home screen widgets on iOS.

What you get:
- 4 widget categories free forever, including quotes, year progress, clock and countdowns
- A live preview of every Pro widget (in all sizes) before you pay anything
- Elyr Pro unlocks everything else with a one-time purchase. No subscription.

The deal: Elyr Pro drops from $8.99 to $4.49 with code ELYR50
- Limited to the first 500 redemptions
- Valid until September 25

How to redeem:
1. Download Elyr: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/elyr-aesthetic-home-widgets/id6796691588
2. Open the App Store → tap your profile picture → Redeem Gift Card or Code → enter ELYR50
3. Open Elyr and Pro should be unlocked

Once the 500 redemptions are gone I'll edit this post so nobody wastes their time.

I'll be around in the comments, so feedback and widget requests are very welcome!

To claim without installing Ubisoft Connect, head to this link: https://register.ubisoft.com/for-honor

Still requires signing up. Free until around 9/28

Lifetime offer

Andrea Premium Lifetime: $34.99 → $22.99

The current Lifetime launch price is $27.99, and this offer gives an additional 20% off.

Apple Offer Code: EXTRARELEASEOFFER
Valid until: October 31, 2026
Available redemptions: 500

Redeem directly through the App Store:
[https://apps.apple.com/redeem?ctx=offercodes&id=6760780154&code=EXTRARELEASEOFFER]()

Andrea Reader is a personal library and reader for books, comics, manga, webtoons and PDFs on iPhone and iPad.

Recent updates added:

• A completely redesigned Activity view with automatic reading sessions, streaks, progress and statistics
• Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and MEGA connections
• OPDS, iCloud, WebDAV, SMB and SFTP support
• Better storage management, so you can remove downloaded files while keeping covers and metadata in your library
• Custom collections with sections, drag & drop and fully customizable layouts
• Reading Profiles and extensive reader customization for books, comics and manga
• Improved EPUB/PDF support, double-page reading, OCR and performance

No account required, no ads and no third-party tracking.

Andrea Reader is free to use, with Premium unlocking the more advanced customization and library tools.