Widgetsmith
apps.apple.com
Customizable home screen and lock screen widgets for iPhone, with 100M+ downloads.
diff ~/p/david-smith ~/p/marco-arment
David Smith vs Marco Arment
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
David Smith vs Marco Arment at a glance
Both David Smith and Marco Arment are bootstrapped solo founders. They overlap in Mobile App Makers and Creators & Writers. Both started building independently in 2008. David Smith has 4 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Marco Arment's 4. Marco has sold 1 product. They share 1 tool in their stacks: Swift. On X, David has about 28K followers and Marco about 105K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- David Smith: —
- Marco Arment: New York, United States
- Started
- David Smith: 2008 (18 yrs indie)
- Marco Arment: 2008 (18 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- David Smith: Not public
- Marco Arment: Not public
- Products listed
- David Smith: 4
- Marco Arment: 4
- Product status
- David Smith: 4 active
- Marco Arment: 3 active · 1 acquired
- X followers
- David Smith: 28K
- Marco Arment: 105K
- Categories
- David Smith: Mobile App MakersCreators & Writers
- Marco Arment: Mobile App MakersCreators & Writers
- Style
- David Smith: solobootstrappedserial maker
- Marco Arment: solobootstrappedexited
- Courses & resources
- David Smith: 2
- Marco Arment: 2
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Pedometer++
apps.apple.com
Simple, popular step counter for iPhone and Apple Watch.
Sleep++
apps.apple.com
Sleep tracking app for Apple Watch.
Watchsmith
apps.apple.com
Custom complications for Apple Watch faces.
Overcast
overcast.fm
Popular indie podcast player for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch with Smart Speed and Voice Boost.
Unforgetful
apps.apple.com
Shame-free to-do app that keeps reminding you until tasks are done, built for forgetful people and ADHD.
Read-later service for saving articles; Arment sold a majority stake to Betaworks in 2013.
FI Driving
apps.apple.com
Community app for sharing driving-condition reports on Fire Island, made for local residents.
Tech stack
1 shared tool, marked with ★: Swift. See the indie maker tech stack.
Swift (shared)SwiftUIWidgetKitRevenueCat
Swift (shared)Objective-CPHPMySQL
How they build
- Keep shipping for years — overnight successes are usually a decade in the making.
- Build in an Apple-like way: craftsmanship and consideration for users.
- Ride new platform features early; that is where indies can win.
- Sustainable, healthy work beats short bursts of crunch.
- Build the app you want to use yourself, and polish details others ignore.
- Respect user privacy and avoid invasive tracking.
- Keep the business small enough that one person can run it sustainably.
Learn from David and Marco
- [podcast] Developing Perspective
- [podcast] Under the Radar (with Marco Arment)
- [podcast] Accidental Tech Podcast
- [podcast] Under the Radar
David Smith vs Marco Arment FAQ
Who makes more money, David Smith or Marco Arment?
Neither David Smith nor Marco Arment has publicly reported a revenue figure that IndieMakerList tracks, so it's not public.
Who has built more products, David Smith or Marco Arment?
David Smith has 4 products listed (including Widgetsmith, Pedometer++ and Sleep++); Marco Arment has 4 products listed (including Overcast, Unforgetful and Instapaper).
What tech stack do David Smith and Marco Arment use?
David Smith uses Swift, SwiftUI, WidgetKit and RevenueCat. Marco Arment uses Swift, Objective-C, PHP and MySQL. Tools they have in common: Swift.
Where are David Smith and Marco Arment based?
David Smith: not listed. Marco Arment: New York, United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, David Smith or Marco Arment?
David Smith started in 2008 (18 years indie); Marco Arment started in 2008 (18 years indie).
Are David Smith and Marco Arment bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on David Smith's profile and Marco Arment's profile.
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