Get the all-in-one workspace for shipping successful apps.

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Most developers already know how to build apps, but the hard part is everything else: screenshots, reviews, App Store Optimization, launch planning, analytics, competitor research, pricing, marketing, press outreach, social posts, TestFlight management, and so much more.

But that’s all the other work that determines whether anyone actually discovers your app, and that’s also the problem my new Mac app is designed to solve.

It’s called Kickstart, and it has only one job: to help indie developers make more money on the App Store.

Instead of juggling spreadsheets, launch docs, analytics dashboards, review tools, and half-finished marketing plans, Kickstart gives you one focused workspace for launch, growth, and iteration.

More importantly, it helps turn overwhelming “I should really do that someday” work into practical daily tasks you can actually complete.

You already know how to code. Kickstart helps with the rest.

Below I want to explain what Kickstart does, what you get completely free (spoiler: a lot!), and what more you get with the optional Kickstart Pro subscription. I've also made a video showing off some of the features, if you prefer that!

  • If you’re short on time and/or patience and just want to try the app yourself, get it here.

What Kickstart does

Kickstart brings together the work around your app into one focused workspace:

  • App Store analytics
  • Reviews and review replies
  • Competitor tracking
  • Keyword research
  • Pricing tools
  • Launch planning
  • Marketing videos
  • Press kits
  • Website generation
  • TestFlight feedback
  • Release checklists
  • App Store metadata
  • Build insights
  • Social media drafting
  • Daily launch tasks

…and much more.

But the important part is not just that raw feature list.

Instead, the important part is that Kickstart helps turn all those disconnected responsibilities into clear, manageable next steps. So, instead of wondering what to focus on next, Kickstart gives you practical day-by-day tasks that help move your app forward, and then helps you complete those tasks right inside the app.

One of my goals with Kickstart was to make it useful for developers who actively dislike marketing. In short, for folks just like me – people who would rather write another 1000 lines of code than sit down and write 1 email to a journalist about their app.

A lot of App Store tooling feels like it was built for growth hackers, agencies, or people trying to optimize funnels all day long.

I built Kickstart for developers like me, so it tries to reduce friction everywhere it can:

  • It can generate a whole website for your app in just a few clicks.
  • It can help draft press outreach and Product Hunt launches.
  • It can summarize App Store reviews and identify recurring complaints.
  • It can help create TikTok-ready marketing videos.
  • It can monitor competitors and spot positioning opportunities.
  • It can track TestFlight feedback and release progress.
  • It can help organize the entire launch process so things stop slipping through the cracks.

The idea is simple: less context switching, and less time juggling disconnected tools too. Instead, Kickstart helps you stay focused on shipping.

What do you get for free?

Anyone who visits this site knows just how hard I work to give away as much as I can, so it won’t be any surprise that I wanted Kickstart to be genuinely useful even if you never pay a penny for it.

So, the free version already includes a huge amount of functionality, including:

  • Daily launch and growth tasks
  • Review tracking and replies
  • Revenue and analytics reporting
  • TestFlight management
  • Release checklists
  • Press kit generation
  • Extensive AI-assisted workflows

The app also includes my new Kickstart Overdrive tool for free – it’s built on my open-source Control Room project to add superpowers to the iOS simulator. This one feature alone will already be indispensable for app developers, and again it’s free for everyone.

If you choose to take out the optional subscription, you get a whole range of extended features, including:

  • Tracking competitor apps, including identifying their App Store keywords, and looking for weaknesses in their reviews.
  • Searching for keyword difficulty on the App Store, helping you identify opportunities faster.
  • Building beautiful social media videos including stock media, 3D devices, animations, and more.
  • Generating your app’s whole website in just a few clicks.
  • Price parity settings, so you can adjust your app’s pricing across the world in just a few clicks.
  • App Store Optimization tools to help you make the most of your storefront.

Again, these are all optional – Kickstart does a huge range of things completely free, and that’s something I’m committed to expanding.

Private by design

As well as my desire to make the app work great for folks who can’t afford to pay, you’ll know another thing about the way I work: I believe in absolute user privacy.

As a result, Kickstart has no analytics, no tracking, and no monitoring. Your project data stays under your control, and the built-in AI features run on-device using Apple’s Foundation Models.

That means your unreleased app ideas, launch plans, screenshots, reviews, pricing strategies, and marketing drafts aren’t being uploaded somewhere to train a model – they belong to you and only you.

The difference between shipping and succeeding

I want to end with a simple but painful truth for many people: shipping an app and succeeding with an app are two very different things.

This is partly because the App Store is incredibly competitive now, but partly also because writing great code isn’t enough – even with the finest code in the world, you won’t succeed if no one knows about your app.

This means the work around your app matters more than ever before. Adding more code won’t help you 10x your sales, but if you improve your screenshots, focus on your positioning, nail your marketing, and tighten your launch planning, then you massively increase your chances.

That’s exactly the work Kickstart is designed to help with.

So if you’ve ever thought, “I know I should be doing some marketing, but I don’t even know where to start,” then Kickstart is for you.

You can download it free today from the Mac App Store, or learn more on the website: Kickstart.tools.

Even if you never subscribe, I think you’ll find a lot of success with just the free features!