A NovoBuild editorial publication
Small Apps Worth Knowing
Independent Apple apps, tested and clearly explained.
The best iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps from individuals and very small teams rarely have a marketing budget. We find them, use them for real, and explain them clearly — so you can decide in minutes whether one belongs on your device.
What you get as a reader
Actually tested
Every featured app is tested through real use on real devices — enough hands-on time to verify its core claims, reliability, pricing, account and subscription requirements, and privacy — with a "last checked" date on every article.
Clearly explained
One consistent template: the problem an app solves, who it is for, how it held up, what it costs, and where it falls short. No affiliate pressure, no listicles, no filler.
Honestly run
Coverage cannot be bought — not with money, and not by hiring NovoBuild for anything else. Sponsorships, if ever present, are labeled. Our own apps are disclosed as ours.
Why this exists
NovoBuild is an independent studio. We know exactly how hard it is for a one-person app to be found — and how many genuinely useful apps disappear because nobody with an audience ever tried them. Small Apps Worth Knowing is our answer: an editorial home for the kind of software we would want to find ourselves.
The initial pilot covers useful consumer apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac from individuals and teams of up to five people. Games are excluded from the pilot — not because they don't deserve coverage, but because they deserve their own editorial track with criteria that make sense for games. That track may come later.
No features are published yet. We would rather launch with an empty shelf than fill it with recommendations we haven't earned. The first features arrive once the first apps clear the full testing process — you can read exactly how that works below.
Get the first issue
One email when new features are published. No schedule-filling content, no sponsors in disguise, and your address is never shared. Details in the privacy policy.
Built a small app worth knowing?
If you're an individual developer or a team of up to five with a useful iPhone, iPad, or Mac app, tell us about it. Consideration is free; coverage is earned.
Submit your app