FreeScreenshot

The Problem

While building Consistent Tracker, I wanted to share screenshots of the product. I noticed that many people used separate tools to add colorful backgrounds and make screenshots easier to share. I decided to build that tool for myself instead of adding another service to my workflow.

The Motivation

FreeScreenshot was mainly a learning project. I wanted to find out whether I could build a macOS application with help from AI. It was my first macOS app, and I failed in plenty of ways while figuring it out.

Mistakes

I had experience with Android and web development, but almost none with native macOS development. I went into the project without understanding Swift, app signing, packaging, or how a Mac app should be structured. That made even small decisions harder than they needed to be.

Learning

The product itself was simple, so I spent more time learning distribution. I posted it on Reddit with a direct title that positioned it as an alternative to an existing screenshot tool. People already understood the old product, so they immediately understood what mine did and wanted to try the open-source alternative.

That launch taught me that distribution can matter more than technical complexity. A tiny MVP can still get attention if people understand the problem and the positioning quickly.

Achievements

I built a working macOS application and learned notarization, code signing, and the differences between builds for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

The Reddit post received more than 20,000 visits, and the YouTube video received roughly 200 to 300 views. I also saw conversions. If I had made the app paid, some people may have bought it, but my goal at the time was to release the idea, test the response, and learn. That part worked better than I expected.