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. I find them, use them for real, and explain them clearly. You can decide in minutes whether one belongs on your device.
What you get as a reader
Actually tested
I use every featured app for real, on a real device — long enough to check what it claims, what it costs, whether it needs an account, and how it handles privacy. Every article shows when I last checked it.
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 with money or by hiring NovoBuild for anything else. Sponsorships, if ever present, are labeled. My own apps are disclosed as mine.
Why this exists
NovoBuild is an independent studio. I know exactly how hard it is for a one-person app to be found, and how many useful apps disappear because nobody with an audience ever tried them. Small Apps Worth Knowing is my answer: an editorial home for the kind of software I would want to find.
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. They deserve their own editorial track with criteria that make sense for games. That track may come later.
Nothing featured yet. I’d rather start empty than recommend something I haven’t fully tested. 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 me about it. Consideration is free; coverage is earned.
Submit your app