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Lol, its been a ploy of ChatGPT and by getting the idea in my head subconsciously just to subscribe to their monthly subscription plan.

I like this theory, scary though.

I have seen much better success on Mac than iPhone, seems like a less crowded market.

Thanks for the response!

Yeah, I think close mac integration and using the macOS style guidelines will be my best path forward. I want it to feel like a part of the operating system, while the competition will just go for basic operation.

Sycophantic, I will have to add that one to the dictionary.

I am clearly still learning my internet voice as many people have nicely pointed out. Thanks for the feedback.

What do you think is the modern way of gaining traction?

I guess you gotta just KEEP TO THE GRIND!

Do you have a prospective on the LLM cloned apps and what that means for software?

Very good point. As someone else mentioned it is the same on the video platforms, now just in code.

I just looked at my other posts and I just don't see it, lol.

I am a little too self promotion oriented on this platform, but until recently I thought that was kinda the point of this website and how it was different from the alternatives.

Yeah, I feel like this is something that could be added (I would assume they would do so in Finder).

I have never used Wolfram Mathematica software, but good to know.

I'll check it out. Thanks.

I think what I am trying to get at is this new and different from the past of software development? Or has it always been there?

Sorry to here about your book!

Yeah this makes sense.

Thanks, this app is just one pit stop of many!

AI does not have the ideas or the drive to see a project through. The frustration that led me to build this app, the design choices, and the creative decisions.

I totally get the skepticism about authenticity in the AI era. I appreciate you raising this point.

We are getting at similar things through different routes.

What does it mean if someone can launch an app they see on the app store, just by dropping its description into an LLM?

Yeah, you really can't steer a conversation with the entire internet. Thanks for your input. I will keep this in mind.

lol

Yeah, all of my apps were free before, but making them paid has been better all around.

That is terrible someone did that to your android apps!

I will keep this in mind, thanks.

iPhone is locked down too much sadly, I have tried.

Yeah good points.

Thank you for your feedback, I think that the app copying is really something very human and now bringing it over to software. A place previously with a larger barrier of entry.

Do you think this is a new trend in software, or it has always been there?

It is really great to not have to think about updates and the purchase flow as the user and developer. That's been my biggest draw.

You're right to call me out on my posting history and to be skeptical of the intent.

Looking at my submissions, you're correct that my recent activity has been too focused on my own projects. As a solo dev in launch mode, I've been overly focused on that, and I need to do a better job of contributing to the wider HN discussion. I appreciate the reminder of the guidelines.

My intent here was not a "Show HN" because the topic wasn't about app itself, but the phenomenon of rapid cloning and what it means for the app ecosystem. Something I thought was a genuinely interesting topic for this community.

I can see how it comes across as a ruse, and I should have been more prepared to substantiate the claims. I wanted to talk about how something like this is not app specific. I've been hesitant to post direct links to the other apps because I don't want this to turn into a witch hunt. In the world of LLMs who know what including those links will do to AI Overviews.

Thanks for holding me to a higher standard and for the critical feedback.

Your advice on the Reddit posts is also spot on. It's a fine line to walk between sharing the journey and just attracting low-effort clones.

And I completely agree about the moat. For a utility like this, it really does come down to marketing, support, and just building a better, more polished user experience than the copycats are willing to.

Also, a huge thank you for the feedback on the homepage screenshots! That's a good fix, and you're 100% right, they are way too small. I'll get that updated in the next couple of days.

Appreciate you taking the time to write all that out, and thanks for the kind words about the app's design!

You're right that for a simple utility, brand can be a tough moat to build, and speed of innovation is definitely a huge part of the equation. My bet is that it's a combination of continuous innovation and a relentless focus on the user experience. The clones can copy a feature list, but it's much harder for them to copy a thoughtfully designed, native-feeling GUI and responsive customer support from a developer who is actually engaged.

Interesting take, that was not how I first interpreted their post.

I got featured in multiple blogs and more about to be released :).

A person commented on my post and said "I will make an open source copy of this" and then proceeded to. Lol.

Oh my gosh, I did not think about that!

Yeah, good point. Thanks for the input.

You're right, anything for sale has to be public, and competition is always expected.

I think what surprised me wasn't just that it was copied, but the sheer number of clones that appeared in just a couple of weeks. It feels like a new dynamic where a successful niche can be replicated immediately.