Marco Arment

Indie iOS developer of Overcast, previously Instapaper and Tumblr

@marcoarment New York, United States105K followersMobile App Makers Creators & Writers

About Marco Arment

Marco Arment is an independent iOS developer and podcaster based in New York, best known as the creator of the podcast app Overcast and, before that, the read-later service Instapaper. He was also the lead developer and first employee at Tumblr in its early years.

Arment built Instapaper as a side project in 2008 and grew it into one of the defining indie iPhone apps before selling a majority stake to Betaworks in 2013. He launched Overcast in 2014, introducing features such as Smart Speed and Voice Boost that became benchmarks for podcast players, and has run it largely on his own ever since. In 2026 he released Unforgetful, a shame-free to-do app for forgetful people and those with ADHD.

He is one of the most influential voices in the Apple developer community through his blog at marco.org and his podcasts — he co-hosts the Accidental Tech Podcast and co-hosted Under the Radar with David Smith for a decade. He is known for candid takes on App Store economics, privacy and the realities of running a one-person software business.

Products by Marco Arment

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.

Instapaper

instapaper.com

acquired

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.

Builds indie alternatives to:Todoist

Exit story

Instapaper

→ Betaworks · 2013

Instapaper had grown beyond what one person could run and needed a full-time staff, which Marco did not want to hire and lead. After more than five years, he wanted to try other apps and creative projects.

by Marco Arment

Marco Arment's journey, 2008–20265 milestones · self-reported

First product
Exit
Launch / milestone
Started 2008

2007Milestone: Served as Tumblr's lead developer from its 2007 launch
2008First product: Launched Instapaper
2013Exit: Sold majority of Instapaper to Betaworks
2014Launch: Launched Overcast
2026Launch: Released Unforgetful, a to-do app for forgetful people

Timeline

2007 — Served as Tumblr's lead developer from its 2007 launch.
2008 — Launched Instapaper.
2013 — Sold a majority stake in Instapaper to Betaworks.
2014 — Launched Overcast.
2026 — Released Unforgetful, a to-do app for forgetful people.

How Marco builds

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 Marco Arment

[podcast]

Accidental Tech Podcast

Weekly tech podcast co-hosted with Casey Liss and John Siracusa.

by Marco Arment

[podcast]

Under the Radar

Podcast about independent iOS app development, co-hosted with David Smith.

by Marco Arment

Marco Arment vs David Smith

Marco Arment FAQ

Who is Marco Arment?

Marco Arment is a New York-based indie iOS developer who created Overcast and Instapaper, was Tumblr's lead developer, and co-hosts the Accidental Tech Podcast.