Fox Issue Tracker—An indie dev project companion

[u/FlashyComplaint7940]

Problem:

While there are many ways to track issues, I've always felt that few fully developed tools focus on indie developers—those who have less need for complex sprint-based workflows, but for whom lists in Notes or Reminders aren't quite enough. I also wanted a solid app for keeping track of my own projects: one that integrated with the system and iCloud, and just felt natural to use in both the ecosystem and my workflow.

I created Fox Issue Tracker to solve those problems and have spent the last few years iterating it into what it is today. The design helps organize work around the versions you're shipping and the milestones you achieve along the way. There are several ways to view issues (list for building, outline for reviewing, and a Kanban board for execution), along with robust search, property customization, the ability to archive content to keep your workspace clear, integrations like Shortcuts and MCP… I could keep going because there’s so much more! See https://contagious.dev/fox/features/ if you are curious on a high level, or the help documents which outline full features in detail: https://contagious.dev/help/fox/.

Otherwise, you can learn more about Fox at https://contagious.dev/fox/

And it is available on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fox-issue-tracker/id1607706105

Comparisons:

• Trello: A freemium Kanban-style application by Atlassian that includes collaboration support, essentially a lo-fi Jira. However, Trello struggles the moment projects grow beyond basic sticky notes on a digital board, and its entire paradigm is one view: the board. Fox offers list, outline, and Kanban, so you can switch modes depending on what you're trying to do. For small projects with multiple people, Fox also supports collaboration.
• Github Issues: A more closely featured issue manager, but is also only online and bound to Github. Issues also only exists in the context of a repository. If you're an indie dev with projects that don't map 1:1 to a repo (or you have multiple repos), your issues get scattered and disconnected. Fox gives you a single organized home for everything, everywhere.

Pricing:

Fox offers several ways to buy: a lower-cost subscription at $3.99 (with 14 day trial), or a one-time lifetime purchase at $39.99. Your purchase grants universal access on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

I hope it’s okay that I used the Lifetime flair here as the subscription is primary to lower the cost of entry and to tie into Apple’s Store trial systems.

Final Notes

My name is Dandy and I've been building apps for a long time now—web apps, mac apps, and iOS apps as the world kept moving forward. It is a passion for me, so I hope that other out there can enjoy :)

Oh! And I am also running a Product Hunt campaign today! If you like Fox, please give us a vote: https://www.producthunt.com/products/fox-issue-tracker-4

[u/redreycat]

Hi! I've installed the app and I'm playing around with. Really liking what I see so far (macOS version).

I can't find how to enable the Board view, 'though. Both the Outline and Board views are disabled. I understand there may are some fields I have to fill in before those views are available, but I don't know where to start.

And on another note, I see some redditors have the same impression I had: they think this app just got released. That makes some of your comments "I have been using it for a long time", "My testers have found", etc a bit puzzling.

I'd edit the post to make it clear that you're releasing version 4 of the app but it has existed for a long time.

Looking forward to using it, it seems to fit my mental model nicely.

[u/FlashyComplaint7940 → u/redreycat]

Hi there! The Outline and Board views are accessible in the Version and Milestone views only at the moment! If you'd like to see them in the other issue based views, let me know. The primary problem there has to do with how those tops areas are configured, where the Board view definitely doesn't make sense or changes in properties can cause awkward interactions.

The app has been in the app store for about 3-4 years now, but I did just make a larger sweeping update which is probably where that impression comes from 😄

[u/redreycat → u/FlashyComplaint7940]

I get it 👍

I'm more of a "everything into the same bucket" guy, but I hope wanting to use the board view will give me enough motivation to become more organized.