I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the App Store using my story

Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by qzw on Tuesday September 16, 2025 @10:59PM (#45271111)

Your best moat against low effort copycats? Stamina. Keep your app in the store, update it regularly, add support for new devices, add new features if appropriate, keep marketing and selling it, and keep polishing it. The copycats don't want any part of that. They want to make a quick buck with as little work as possible, hence the copying and plagiarizing. In a matter of weeks or months, unless they're making bank from it, their app will start to rot. If your app has staying power, then you will eventually rise above them all. And when you have another good idea down the road, cross promote between your own apps (but don't be obnoxious about it), and you'll begin to grow a user base who trust you. That's as good a moat against copycats as you could ever get.

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by tTarnMhrkm on Tuesday September 16, 2025 @11:05PM (#45271149)

Wow, thank you so much for this. That's an incredibly thoughtful and well-put response.

You've perfectly articulated the exact strategy I think we should be trying to follow. My entire bet is that stamina is the only real moat. The copycats are looking for a quick win, but I'm committed to playing the long game: regular updates, new features, and genuine support. I already have new updates for macOS 26 rolling out.

Really appreciate you taking the time to lay it all out so clearly. This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping we can all get from this discussion.

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by johanyc on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @07:24AM (#45274404)

this is it. move faster and execute better than copycats

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by tTarnMhrkm on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @07:42PM (#45282859)

I guess you gotta just KEEP TO THE GRIND!

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by ta12653421 on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @10:29AM (#45276268)

++1

THis is not only true for Apps, but also for Webapps and Services, Platforms etc.

The thing is: Depending on the product, keeping everything up to date may be a huge burden for a solo dev

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by runjake on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @11:11AM (#45276825)

> THis is not only true for Apps, but also for Webapps and Services, Platforms etc.

This is a key point. This is not an App Store problem, specifically. This is an everywhere problem right now.

This "copyrot" gotten particularly worse since vibe coding[1] took off.

1. As karpathy, the person who coined the term, defines it.

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by tTarnMhrkm on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @07:11PM (#45282557)

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

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Re:I launched a Mac utility; now there are 5 clones on the A... by zerr on Wednesday September 24, 2025 @01:48PM (#45363686)

What about those indies who want to make a quick and long-term buck with as little work as possible? A passive income that is.

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