Indie app discovery on iOS/macOS is getting a turbo boost from promotions. Four recent promos show a maturing monetization playbook for small dev teams.
Telos is lifetime free until Sept 24 (normally $30). It's a gamified productivity tracker with Focus Sessions, Habits, and a brick‑building city vibe. When you hit the paywall, choose Lifetime at $0.00 and enjoy. [1]
OneTap has crossed 40k users and earned three App Store features. It’s a shortcut app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro that copies, pastes, and shares files, photos, links, or text—plus a clipboard history and an AI shortcut. Use code FREEMONTH for a free month of OneTap Pro. [2]
Keyboard Clipboard is free for 24 hours and then returns to normal. It combines clipboard management with a keyboard and custom keys, with plans to support iOS 26. The promo thread also features real user feedback and quick caveats. [3]
SwiftSweep kicked off a free lifetime promo for 24 hours, then ended. The creator says a new offer will run 7 days with lifetime at $9.99 instead of $25. It’s a bid for deeper engagement and local, private photo cleanup. [4]
Taken together, these moves signal indie developers are treating promotions as a deliberate, ongoing monetization strategy on iOS/macOS.
References
Telos is lifetime free until the 24th of September!
Telos iOS focus-habit promo; users discuss future iPad/Watch, Health app integration, pricing glitches, promotions.
View sourceMy app just crossed 40k users!
OneTap crosses 40k users, features clipboard history, AI shortcut, Mac support; discussion includes pricing, discounts, feedback, and future inquiries overall.
View sourceKeyboard Clipboard manager free for 24 hours
Promo for Keyboard Clipboard on iPhone; free 24 hours; mixed reception: bugs and full-access concerns, calls for updates and fixes.
View sourceSwiftSweep is Free for lifetime for the next 24h.
SwiftSweep iOS photo cleanup; price changes, free lifetime offer, user feedback, bugs, and feature requests for local processing privacy on-device
View source