There is an app for that. For you. By you.
You know that moment when you're using an app and thinking, "If it just did this one thing differently, it'd be perfect"? Or sometimes when you have a unique problem to be solved and wish there was a handy app but one such didn't exist.
To-do apps that organize tasks in ways that don't match my workflow. Tools that are either too simple or drowning in features I'll never touch. Too expensive, free but too many ads, subscriptions for an app I need only occasionally. The list goes on.
For years, the choices were: bend your workflow to fit the app, suck it up and do it manually, or spend months learning to code which would still not result in what you need.
I've been there. A lot. And I am sure so have you.
Something changed in late 2024/early 2025. And it's getting _real_ rather rapidly, thanks to vibe coding. Not "learn React first" or “learn Swift first” building. Just describe what you need and iterate until it works. To be clear, these apps may not be production ready (or maybe they are) but they most certainly get the job done.
I Built My Own Thing
A few months ago, I read this terrific book, “Tiny Experiments” by Anne-Laure Le Cunff that gave me a bunch of ideas on how to prioritize my time and work, to focus on the things that I cared the most. I started using a small notebook to track my experiments (I am a big analog person) but realized an app would be super handy. A few hours and a bunch of time in front of Claude Code later, I had my “FieldNotes” app to track my tasks, mood, personal papercuts and tiny experiments.
Last Fall, as my high-school senior started looking into colleges to apply to, I did my own search into apps that would help me understand the requirements and timelines better. I couldn’t find one that met my needs. I turned to Claude Code and vibe coded my way to my own “CollegeTrack” app. It took me a few hours of iteration but I have something that has since helped me enormously.
Would a real developer build these better? Absolutely. But both of these apps solved my problem, instantly, exactly how I need it.
That's the point.
For decades, software meant compromise. Pick the app that gets closest and adapt around it. Now? If it doesn't work for you, build the version that does. This isn't about becoming a software engineer. It's about removing the barrier between "I wish I had a tool that..." and actually having it.
There Is An App For That
Generic apps aren't going anywhere. Most of the time they work fine. But when they don't—when you need something specific, when you're tired of bending your workflow to fit someone else's vision?
Just build it. Afternoon project. Done.
It might break. It might need tweaking. It might only work for you.
But it's yours.
That's the shift. Not everyone coding professionally. Just everyone building the tools they need, exactly how they need them.
Apple used to say "There's an app for that."
“There Is Indeed An App For That. For You. By you.”
P.S: I alternate between Gemini 3 (via Antigravity), Claude Code and Codex (both via VS.Code) - If you forced me to use just one, I have had better luck with Claude Code than the other two.