Tubbie & Mission Control Plus
"Two Mac utility apps — a clean YouTube downloader (Tubbie) and a Mission Control enhancement that adds close/minimize/quit functionality — each generating ~$700/month."
Marketing Channels
Mac App Store / Direct sales (fadel.io)
Both apps sold through the creator's website at fadel.io
Hacker News
Shared in Show HN thread with enthusiastic response about the Mission Control gap
Word of mouth (Mac power users)
Mission Control Plus fills such an obvious gap that users evangelize it organically
Growth Levers
- Leverage the 'Sherlocking risk' as urgency marketing — Apple could build this into macOS at any time, making Mission Control Plus a 'get it while you can' product
- Target new Mac users (switchers from Windows/Linux) who expect close/minimize/quit behavior in window management
- Bundle both apps at a discount to cross-sell between different user segments
- Build additional Mac utility apps addressing similar small but painful macOS gaps
- Create content/videos demonstrating the Mission Control frustration to drive organic search traffic
First Customer Strategy
Identified two clear pain points in the Mac ecosystem: no clean YouTube downloader and missing close/minimize/quit functionality in Mission Control. Built focused, single-purpose apps that solve each problem well. Mission Control Plus has existed for 5 years, building steady organic demand from frustrated Mac users.
Pricing Insight
Each app generates ~$700/month, suggesting a one-time purchase model common for Mac utilities. Combined revenue of ~$1,400/month from two simple, focused apps demonstrates the viability of the Mac utility niche.
New Market Opportunities
- Mac switchers from Windows/Linux Commenter is a new Mac user who found the lack of close/minimize/quit functionality baffling — switchers are a natural audience for Mission Control Plus
- Mac utility app portfolio Two successful utility apps at $700/month each suggests a portfolio strategy — identifying and fixing more macOS gaps could scale revenue linearly
Key Takeaways
- • Small, focused Mac utilities solving obvious OS gaps can generate $700/month each with minimal maintenance
- • The biggest risk for Mac utility developers is Apple 'Sherlocking' (building the feature natively) — but 5 years without it happening suggests some gaps persist
- • New Mac users (switchers) are a perpetual customer acquisition channel since they constantly encounter missing functionality
- • A portfolio approach to Mac utilities (multiple small apps) can compound into meaningful revenue
- • Products that make users say 'how is this not a thing' tend to sell themselves through organic word-of-mouth
- • Simplicity is a feature — both apps solve exactly one problem cleanly, which drives strong user satisfaction
Sentiment Analysis
1 PosNotable Quotes
"How is that not a thing is beyond me. I tried to do exactly what your app does multiple times and didn't understood how it's not a thing. — szszrk"
"Right? and the app has existed for 5 years already. Plenty of time for Apple to Sherlock it. — ronyfadel"
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