DEV Community: Sara

Why “No-Login” Apps Are Gaining Popularity

Sara — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:47:45 +0000

There’s a quiet shift happening in how web apps are being built.
More developers are creating tools that don’t require accounts: no signup, no onboarding, just open and use.

The Problem With Logins

“Create an account to continue” is still one of the biggest drop-off points.
Even with Google auth or magic links, users hesitate:

They’re not ready to commit
They just want to try something quickly
They don’t trust the app yet So they leave.

The Rise of Instant-Use Tools

We’ve all used these:

JSON formatters
Image compressors
Text tools

They solve a problem instantly: no friction.
Now developers are applying that same idea to more complex tools: small, focused apps designed for quick sessions instead of long-term retention.

Distribution Is the Hard Part

When you remove accounts, you also remove built-in growth loops.
No emails. No dashboards. No retention funnels.
That makes discovery the real challenge.

A Different Way to Surface Apps

Traditional platforms don’t fit well with these lightweight tools.
You don’t always need a full SaaS listing or a big launch, just a place where people can find and use your app.
That’s why I find platforms unstore interesting. They lean into this idea of quick, direct access to web apps without the usual overhead.

Closing Thought

Not every app needs users, accounts, and retention metrics.
Some just need to be useful instantly.
And maybe that’s where the web is heading again.

Why the web application discovery problem persists (and how to fix it)

Sara — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:47:14 +0000

After working with web apps for a certain amount of time, one thing is inevitable:
There are way more tools available out there, but somehow the process of discovering the good ones has become even more challenging.
There is no shortage of platforms for discovering the right tools:

Product Hunt
Lists of curated web applications
Blog posts about "top tools"
Twitter threads about recommended applications

Distribution vs Discovery

Initially, I thought that this would be mostly a distribution problem, in other words, a matter of getting visibility if your app is worth it.
However, after looking into the matter a bit closer, I started thinking that it could also be a discovery UX issue.
Most of the tools have the same approach to discovery as social media platforms do:

Chronological listings of launches
Upvoting mechanisms
Sections with trending items It helps with hype, but does not help when one needs to make an exploratory discovery.

But what if the browsing experience were made better for web applications?

There's one concept that seems to resonate with me more lately, which is thinking about web apps as something more structured than an endless series of launches.
A little bit more like browsing through the App Store:

Categories
Structure in navigation
A more coherent browsing process
A method that doesn't depend on luck and virality so much

Recently I've seen an interesting attempt at a concept called Unstore. The thing that impressed me there was not only the tools themselves but rather how they were sorted.

Importance of this concept, particularly for builders

As a builder, it may matter a lot.
Because currently:

Visibility depends a lot on timing
All visibility is focused on the most popular tools
Other tools have a hard time being remembered over time

With discovery being made more structured:

Less popular tools can rise on their own
Use cases are easier to discover
Longevity becomes more important than initial buzz

Open question

I am interested in hearing other perspectives on this issue.
Is this just a problem of distribution, of making yourself visible as a tool provider?
Or is discovery itself inherently flawed?
Where do you turn when you are looking for new tools?

I've quit bookmarking tools (and it surprisingly worked)

Sara — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:30:58 +0000

Until recently, I used to store every handy developer tool I discovered.
But at a certain point, bookmarking just stopped working for me. Too many URLs, no actual system, and there would never be a time when I actually checked those bookmarks.
A different approach which was more helpful for me turned out to be treating such tools not as bookmarks to check out, but rather as applications that can be revisited. Categorizing them according to their usage and having them handy helped me more than I could have ever imagined.
There are some quite intriguing approaches to this, for example using the browser as a kind of private app store (unstore.io comes to mind when considering such an approach).
Such a minor change in my mind helped me minimize unnecessary searches.
I would like to hear your take on this matter.

Rethinking App Stores for Developers

Sara — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:12:04 +0000

As developers, we’ve gotten used to app stores that are heavily curated, closed, or optimized for consumers rather than builders.
But lately, I’ve been thinking: what would an “app store” look like if it were actually designed for developers?
Most of what we build today lives on the web (internal tools, side projects, micro-SaaS apps, AI utilities) yet discovery is still fragmented. You either rely on social media, directories, or word of mouth.

The problem with current discovery

A few patterns I keep running into:

Great tools get buried quickly after launch
Distribution depends too much on personal audience
Many platforms favor polished products over experimental ideas
There’s no “default place” to browse useful web apps like we browse npm or GitHub

A small shift in thinking

Instead of treating every app like a startup launch, what if we treated them more like packages in an ecosystem?
That idea led me to explore platforms trying to approach this differently: more open, less gatekeeping, and focused on utility over hype.
One interesting example I came across is Unstore, which positions itself more like a “web app store” than a traditional directory. The idea feels closer to how devs actually work: browse, try, use, move on without friction.

Why this approach makes sense

Lower barrier to sharing: Not everything needs a full Product Hunt launch
Faster iteration: Apps can evolve without relaunch cycles
More visibility for niche tools: Especially useful in the AI and indie hacker space
Closer to developer workflows: discovery through usage, not marketing

Open questions

I’m curious how this category will evolve:

Will “web app stores” become a standard layer like package registries?
How do we balance quality vs openness?
What kind of discovery actually helps devs vs just adding noise?

Would love to hear if others are thinking about this too, or if you’ve found better ways to discover useful tools lately.

Revisiting Web App Discovery

Sara — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:25:21 +0000

Web applications continue to increase in number. But there’s still nothing systematic about the process of discovering them.

Most of these applications appear via channels that have a short lifespan, such as Product Hunt or various forms of social media. Either you discover them while they’re being promoted, or they never become part of your knowledge base.

The next thing I find myself asking is: why isn’t web application discovery like visiting an app store?
Considering that web applications exist solely in a web browser, having an easier way to browse them would make sense. This means having some form of categorization, the possibility of using search functionality, and discovering them without the need for them to be trending at any given moment.

I’ve seen one project doing exactly that. It’s called Unstore. The main premise behind it is simple and straightforward: discovery without noise.
Not a perfect solution, but definitely pointing in the right direction.

The difficulty of finding good web apps

Sara — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:05:21 +0000

Despite the huge number of tools available today, it’s still surprisingly inefficient to find the right web app.
Most discovery methods have not really changed. You either get search results dominated by SEO-heavy sites, or you’re scrolling through stale “top tools” lists, which are rarely accurate to what’s actually useful today.

The Problem With Discovery Today

Some patterns keep recurring:

The best tools are not always the most visible
Many directories seem bloated or stale
It's too much work to find niche or lightweight apps In reality, lots of good tools get buried, and mediocre tools get traffic.

What can help

Better discovery usually comes with experience:

Not huge directories but smaller, focused collections
Not just search, but browsing categories
Platforms centered around web-based tools instead of comprehensive SaaS ecosystems

A Small Change of Strategy

I’ve been considering more curated or niche aggregators than general-purpose lists recently.
One example is Unstore, which is focused on web apps only, so it’s easier and less noisy to browse than normal directories.
It feels more like browsing a lightweight “store” of tools than a massive catalog.

Open Question

As web apps proliferate, discovery is becoming less of a solved problem and more of a problem.
How do you currently find new tools that you actually end up using?

Why Is Finding the Right Web Tool Still Hard?

Sara — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:12:49 +0000

Something I've learned working on my own and exploring products: the issue is no longer about finding tools.
It's about finding the right tool.

The market for high-quality web applications has grown into a huge variety. New web tools are launched each week, but discovery still feels like a chaotic process. In the majority of cases, it requires accidental discovery or choosing the first search result on Google.

Until it stops working, that is.

Since landing pages are geared towards selling, not comparing, and once you open 4-5 tabs with similar options, choosing becomes surprisingly hard.

It seems that there is some fundamental thing we don't have in the ecosystem compared to others, and that fundamental thing is a more systematic way to explore tools.

Recently, I've been researching projects aimed at improving the experience of finding and choosing web applications by making the entire ecosystem more discoverable. One such project is Unstore. I'm not claiming it's the solution, but it's definitely worth a look.

At this point, having the ability to create an excellent tool is just the first step. The more important part is ensuring that users can find the tool.

And that problem remains unsolved.

The Hidden Element of Developer Productivity That Nobody Talks About

Sara — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:58:08 +0000

In conversations about productivity, here’s what everyone talks about:

Faster frameworks
Better tools
Good coding practices
Automation
AI assistance

There is, however, an aspect of productivity that people often overlook.
It quietly takes up most of our time.

The part that’s never measured

That’s not coding. That’s all the stuff that goes into writing code:

Searching for libraries
Evaluating different technologies
Researching alternative approaches
Reading documentation
Having twelve tabs open that you will never go back to again

That’s the invisible element of software development.
We underestimate it at our own peril.

The real constraint is not in the coding itself

In today’s world, writing code is not what takes the most time.
The time-consuming part is the decision: "What tool should I even be using for this?"

Options include:

10 authentication systems
15 UI frameworks
50 AI tools
Countless micro-tools

The issue here is not a lack of choice.
It is an abundance of choice without a proper filtering mechanism.

Decision fatigue is real

Each tool decision carries its own price tag:

Can this scale?
Is it maintained?
How’s the developer experience?
What trade-offs am I making?

Quick decisions take time to put into context.
Contextualizing decisions takes effort.
Effort means loss of focus. Loss of momentum.
Sometimes you can lose an hour just deciding.

This point is completely ignored in most workflows

We optimize:

build time
test coverage
deployments

But who optimizes: discovery, evaluation, and tool selection?
Despite being an aspect of every workflow.

What really helped me

This was not solved by being more disciplined.
My approach to finding and selecting tools changed.
Not through:

random Google searches
hopping between many GitHub repositories
creating an unorganized list of bookmarks

But rather by turning to more structured discovery.
Places where:

tools are pre-grouped for you
the categories make logical sense
you can skim fast without diving straight into something

For example, instead of starting from scratch, I may find myself browsing pre-made sets of tools on sites like Unstore. Not because it is “better” than anything else. Just because it's less effort.

What we’re looking for is not a perfect tool

But rather an acceptable tool that works quickly.
Perfection is expensive. Speed provides an edge.
An acceptable tool selected in five minutes is better than a perfect one chosen in two hours.

A small change that builds up

Since making tool discovery part of the process (rather than an auxiliary action), there have been some minor shifts:

Less tab swapping
More commitment to decisions
Higher output

Nothing major. It’s just smoother sailing. Time after time.

Key Takeaway

Developer productivity is not merely about writing code. It is about going from idea to decision to execution, most of which happens long before writing code begins.
This is the hidden side. And it deserves more attention.

Shipping faster changed everything

Sara — Tue, 26 May 2026 17:00:44 +0000

I would always over-engineer every side project. Backend, authentication, database, deployment...all before even confirming the idea was good.

In most cases, I would never ship.

What I changed

Instead, I now focus solely on launching quickly and validating the concept.

So now I:

build only what is required
omit anything unnecessary
and ship as soon as possible

What helped

Making things easier worked wonders.

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I have been using Unstore for creating quick applications and experimenting.

One thing I realized

Ideas don't usually fail because they are bad. They fail because they aren't even implemented.

Cool tools I recently discovered (no-code, AI & creator tools)

Sara — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:48:27 +0000

I’ve been exploring new tools lately: mostly around no-code, AI, and ways to build or use products faster without getting stuck in complex setups.

Thought I’d share a few that stood out this week.

1. Durable

Durable is an AI website builder that generates a full site (design, content, structure) in seconds. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s getting surprisingly usable for quick projects

2. Unstore

An interesting concept. Unstore is a web app store where you can browse and directly interact with lightweight tools in one place, instead of jumping between separate apps.

It feels like a different take on how we discover and use simple web utilities.

3. Tolt

Tolt is a lightweight affiliate platform that’s easy to plug into your product without heavy setup. Seems like a solid option if you want to experiment with referrals early on.

4. Typedream

Typedream is a no-code website builder with a Notion-like editing experience. Clean UI and fast to ship landing pages or simple sites

5. SheetAI

SheetAI brings AI directly into Google Sheets formulas, which makes it really handy for automating repetitive tasks or enriching data inside spreadsheets

Feels like a lot of tools are moving toward being more lightweight, modular, and quicker to use. Less setup, just try it.

If you’ve come across anything interesting recently, I’m always looking for more

The Problem with Tool Discovery Nowadays

Sara — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:54:27 +0000

It's not like there's a lack of tools anymore.

Whether you're a developer, a designer, or just building something online, there’s an abundance of tools for every aspect: pproductivity, automation, design, analytics, and more.

Yet, here comes the catch: finding the right tool is still not easy.

Too Many Tools, But No Clear Path To Find Them

Discovering tools usually goes this way:

Google search for "best X tools"
Scouring through old blog articles
Going through random Reddit posts
Asking about it on Twitter and Discord

Even after doing all of that, the outcome is:

Biased (SEO-based lists)
Repetitive (same tools again and again)
Hard to compare

No consistency whatsoever.

Discovery Remains Highly Fragmented

Whereas mobile applications have their App Store/Google Play, there isn’t a single platform where one can discover web tools easily.

They are:

Found on individual websites
Shared within communities

- Buried within content

This leads to an inefficient process of discovering.

Either you know what you are looking for, or you get lost in the sea of options.

The Shift Toward Organized Discovery

This is when things become fascinating.

There are platforms that are emerging that specifically seek to organize and categorize web apps.

Instead of randomly searching for tools, you are able to:

Discover them via categories
Find new tools based on related ones
Compare alternatives faster

During my research, I found platforms like Unstore that are trying to structure the process of tool discovery. It’s a small shift, but it changes how you approach finding tools.

The Importance of Discovery

It’s not just about finding stuff quicker. It’s about changing the way you do things.

You discover tools faster. You experiment with more ideas. You don’t always fall back on the same tools.

And when you’re a developer, that means:

More exposure for lesser-known projects
No more having to rely on SEO or advertising
Different ways of reaching your audience

Why Better Tool Discovery Matters

We have come a long way in terms of solving software problems.

However, the issue of discovery is still lagging behind.

As more tools go online, the need for improved methods of exploring them will continue to rise.

Why Developers Are Reconsidering Traditional App Stores in 2026

Sara — Tue, 12 May 2026 12:53:44 +0000

The traditional approach to distributing apps has always been straightforward: develop, submit the app to an app store, wait for its approval, and hope that someone finds it.

And it worked quite well before. But the number of people who are wondering whether this approach makes sense nowadays is growing.

This is far from suggesting that app stores will be gone by tomorrow. However, some things might be too costly to justify anymore.

Friction that no one likes to acknowledge

Application marketplaces solve the problem of distribution, yet they add an element of friction that is often overlooked.

Developers must contend with:

Delays caused by reviews that affect speed
Uncertainty related to rejection because of ambiguous policies
Deductions of up to 30 percent from revenue
High reliance on platform policies

None of these is a new factor. The difference is that they have gained importance.
When one needs to move swiftly, try out a new approach, and ship products quickly, any delay starts to become noticeable.

The Control Issue

One of the largest changes relates to how control is perceived..
Distribution, exposure, and even monetization processes become governed by guidelines from the platform.

While large companies may handle this issue well, indie developers may find themselves restricted.
Should your app fail to climb rankings, or should changes in policy impact your product, your choices will be limited. You are creating within an environment that you cannot control.

This is leading developers to question whether there is an alternative route.

The web is catching up

However, the web has come a long way.
Web applications today can do a lot of what could only be done using native development in the past.

Offline capabilities, notifications, payment integration, and performance have all seen major improvements.
For most applications, the choice between web and native has become almost irrelevant from the point of view of the end-user.

The choice becomes more nuanced.
Native distribution offers inherent visibility but comes with some limitations.
Web distribution, on the other hand, offers more flexibility but lacks inherent visibility.

This shift is reshaping the mindset of developers about which platform to target.

Distribution remains the key issue

Steering clear of app stores does not eliminate the most difficult question. It merely transforms it.

The core challenge remains the same when you distance yourself from centralized services.

Even if they are competitive and unpredictable, app stores provide visibility. When you become independent, you have to look elsewhere for it.

That is where innovation begins to surface.

Some services are already trying innovative means of distributing web apps. The principle behind this approach involves combining the open nature of the web with structured discovery.
This concept can be witnessed in various initiatives, such as curated web app stores, which target web apps rather than native ones. One example is Unstore, which explores this approach by making web apps discoverable beyond traditional app stores.

Why is this shift happening now

It is important to understand that this is not merely a matter of happenstance. Rather, there are certain circumstances that have led to this change.

The first factor is the emergence of indie development. As more people develop software in small groups, the demand for faster and more efficient development methods becomes more pressing.

Secondly, the web is fast becoming a platform capable of supporting a wide range of applications. In other words, the technological constraints have been reduced considerably.

Finally, developers are also becoming increasingly aware of the challenges of platform dependency.

It’s not about replacing app stores

The traditional app store model still holds its importance. It makes perfect sense in a lot of cases, especially in terms of large-scale consumer applications, games, or applications tightly coupled to device hardware.

However, there is an increasing number of scenarios where this approach no longer seems the most natural choice.

It can be tools, SaaS interfaces, internal applications, and even some experimental applications that can function perfectly well on the web.

A more flexible future

What lies ahead is not a single replacement model, but a variety of possibilities.

Rather than a singular development process, there are now numerous routes for release and distribution:

Create a web application and deploy immediately
Utilize alternative means to connect with users
Explore new discovery systems
Integrate both web and native approaches

This diversity is changing product development and release.

The Shift

For many years, the app store was the natural way to go from developer to user.

That is no longer the case, as it becomes just one route among others.

For the developer, this means increased freedom and increased responsibility.

Ultimately, what this all comes down to is not just distribution, but flexibility, speed, and control.

What are you doing today? Sticking with the app store, or exploring other options?