Pinehollow StudiosUnited Kingdom · 51.5°NFounded by two friends
Studio open
01 · Manifesto

How wework.

A few things we've decided about how we build, who it's for, and what we leave out.

Pinehollow Studios is a software studio founded by two friends. Tom designs and builds. Jack runs product, data, and growth. That's the company.

We're self-funded. There are no investors, no debt, no exit plan. The apps pay for the apps. That means we get to choose what we make, who it's for, and how long it takes.

Most modern software is designed around attention — streaks, badges, push notifications dressed up as features, daily prompts to keep you opening the app. We don't do any of that. Our apps are there when you want them, and out of the way when you don't.

We'd rather make a small thing well than a big thing badly. Each product does one job. If we have a new idea, we start something new — we don't bolt features onto something that's already done.

Everything we make is free to download. Where there are extras, they live behind a paid Pro tier — never the basics. Some of our products may share anonymised, aggregate usage with industry partners (Vestige with golf clubs, for example) to fund the free tier; we go into the detail on the privacy page.

That's the approach. It might change in places, and if it does we'll say so here.

02 Six principles

The short
version.

What we hold ourselves to

01One thing at a time.

Each app does one job. If we have a new idea, we start something new rather than piling features onto something that's already finished.

02No engagement tricks.

No streaks, no badges, no notifications dressed up as features. The apps don't try to keep you in them.

03Free first.

Each app is free to download. A paid Pro tier covers extras where there are any. The basics are never gated.

04Design first.

How something feels matters as much as what it does. We design everything ourselves, and we don't ship until it feels right.

05Built to last.

We maintain what we ship over time, not just at launch. Updates are small and considered, not constant.

06Independent.

Two people, no investors, no acquisition plan. We answer to ourselves and to the people who use our software.


Signed
Tom
Engineering · Design
Jack
Product · Data · Growth
MMXXVI