Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46810109

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46614258

Points: 1

# Comments: 2

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45926553

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

The idea is simple: it helps you participate in the lock-in challenge by tracking progress, building streaks, and staying consistent. I built it as a side project, and to my surprise it’s now trending on the App Store.

Would love feedback from the HN community - especially around onboarding, retention mechanics, and whether this kind of lightweight “social trend → app” approach has legs beyond the initial hype.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45213015

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

To kickstart usage, I ran an experiment: I connected my own API key with ~$3,000 of AI credits (normally gated for paid users), so early visitors could try the AI tools without api key.

Results in the first 24 hours:

~1500 visitors (boosted by a mention in the Superhuman AI newsletter)

10+ paying users

70+ free users

Also launched on Product Hunt to test how it performs with zero ads

A few takeaways:

Removing friction (no login/paywall) drastically increased usage

Offering real value first made upselling easier

API-based AI credit pooling can be a useful early growth lever (though risky)

Niche tools with excellent UX still resonate if they solve a boring problem well

Stack: React, Tailwind, Vercel, OpenAI API Would love feedback or thoughts. You can try the tool here: https://www.picbolt.co

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44227095

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

I'm the founder of Gubb.net (recently rebuilt from scratch), and I wanted to share a quick story behind it and why it exists.

Like many of you, I’ve tried dozens of productivity apps—only to be overwhelmed by clutter, tabs, subscriptions, and features I’d never use. That frustration led me to build Gubb.net: a focused, 10-tools-in-1 app designed to be lightweight, clean, and actually useful.

Gubb App Key Features: Break Time Reminder – Helps you rest your eyes and body, especially useful for remote workers or students.

Clipboard History – Never lose a copied link or text again.

Voice to Text – Dictate instead of typing when you’re in flow.

Pomodoro Timer – Boost your focus using the proven 25/5 technique.

To-do List – Minimal and fast, with just the essentials.

Calculator + Contextual Math – Calculate with logic; handles simple math to contextual formulas.

Currency Converter – Real-time, simple, no ads.

Unit Conversions – Quickly switch between units (km to miles, °C to °F, etc.).

Keyboard Sounds – A subtle productivity boost for those who enjoy tactile feedback.

Markdown Notes – Write in clean, structured text with formatting.

Additional Features: Markdown support for clean formatting

Import & Export notes for portability

10+ Themes to match your vibe

Why Gubb? No account needed to use the core features

Super fast – launches instantly

Offline support – works even without internet

Cross-platform ready – minimal web + native builds

I built Gubb.net to make productivity simple again — no learning curve, no sign-ups, no bloated UI. Just 10 focused tools in one tidy space.

Would love your thoughts, feedback, and ideas.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44180266

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

It's a browser-based tool that lets you quickly add device frames (latest iPhones, MacBooks, etc.), backgrounds, shadows, and even generate beautiful code snippets or tweet screenshots. The goal is to go from a plain screenshot to a polished visual in seconds.

No design skills needed. There's a free tier for basic use (no watermarks) and a one-time payment for lifetime access to all features (no subscriptions, which I know HN appreciates).

Would love to hear your feedback!

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44061127

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

The core is a collection of 15 Google Apps Script tools that add functionality to Google Sheets without requiring users to leave the familiar spreadsheet environment. Each tool is a standalone add-on focused on a specific workflow:

=> Content generation (OpenAI/Claude/Gemini integration) => WooCommerce/Shopify management => Web scraping + data extraction => WordPress site building without code => SEO tools (indexing, keyword clustering)

The technical approach: We use Google Apps Script as the foundation, with custom JavaScript to handle the various API integrations. For things like AI content generation, we direct API calls to OpenAI/Claude without marking up the costs.

What makes this approach interesting is that users maintain complete ownership of their data and automation workflows, rather than being locked into a proprietary system. When a SaaS product shuts down (which happens regularly), users lose access to both the tool and sometimes their data. With this approach, everything remains in their Google Drive.

Happy to answer any technical questions about the implementation or specific challenges we encountered.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43629226

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

It started as a personal project to automate my own business tasks, but it's now helping thousands of businesses ditch expensive subscriptions.

The core idea is simple: Instead of paying monthly for scattered tools, why not leverage the power of Google Sheets as an automation hub?

What you can do without leaving Google Sheets:

• Build complete WordPress sites (no coding) • Generate AI content at scale • Automate SEO workflows • Manage Shopify/WooCommerce stores • Run email campaigns • Scrape and analyze web data

Technical Implementation: • Built on Google Apps Script for seamless integration • Direct API connections to WordPress, Shopify, OpenAI • Custom middleware for handling rate limits and data processing • Zero external dependencies - everything runs in your sheet

Real Numbers:

• Replaces 15+ separate SaaS tools • Average setup time: 15 minutes • Typical savings: $3,000-$5,000/year • One-time payment vs. monthly subscriptions • 5,000+ businesses automated

The Secret Sauce: Instead of building yet another platform, we turned Google Sheets into one. Users keep working in a familiar environment, maintain data ownership, and use their own API keys. No learning curve, no lock-in.

Open Questions for HN:

What other APIs should we integrate? (Currently supporting OpenAI, WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce) Thoughts on using Google Sheets as a business automation platform? Security considerations when handling sensitive data in Sheets?

Try it: https://smartspreadsheets.co

Currently on AppSumo (lifetime deal): https://appsumo.com/products/smart-spreadsheets/

I'm the founder and will be around to answer questions and discuss the technical details.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43555364

Points: 1

# Comments: 0