Building an honest, affordable, and ad-free family app the right way
Hi, I'm building sFamily as a solo developer, and I want to be completely transparent with you about why I'm asking for support.
First, a bit about me: I'm not new to this. I've successfully built and launched several apps over the years, so I understand what it takes to create software that people actually use and love. I know how to ship products, handle user feedback, and maintain apps long-term. This isn't my first rodeo - it's just the most important one to me.
As a parent myself, I've experienced those Sunday morning battles over chores that somehow turn into family-wide meltdowns. Watching my kids roll their eyes when I ask them to help, then seeing the same kids spend hours optimizing their Minecraft worlds - that's when it clicked. Kids love systems and challenges, they just hate being ordered around. That's the core insight driving sFamily.
I've watched too many family apps start with good intentions, then slowly transform into ad-filled, premium-locked experiences that cost families $20+ per month. Features that should be basic become "premium only." Simple things get complicated. The app you loved becomes something you tolerate.
I want sFamily to be different. I believe families deserve an app that:
But here's the reality: Building and maintaining a quality app costs money. Server costs, app store fees, development tools - it adds up quickly. Most apps solve this by either bombarding users with ads or charging premium prices.
I'm choosing a third option: Community funding. By supporting sFamily's development now, you're not just getting early access - you're helping ensure this app can stay honest and affordable for every family who needs it.
Let me be crystal clear: sFamily will be built either way. This isn't a crowdfunding campaign where your money disappears if I don't hit a target. I'm committed to creating this app regardless of support level.
Here's what changes based on support:
Your support doesn't just fund development - it funds speed and focus. The difference between getting sFamily in your hands in 12 months versus 3 years is massive, especially when your kids are growing up and family dynamics are changing.
Even if support is minimal, every supporter still gets all their promised benefits. I honor my commitments regardless of funding levels. The only thing that changes is how fast I can deliver the full vision.
Here's exactly what your support will help me build, in order of priority:
Everything you need to start making chores fun! Create your family, add tasks, earn points, and compete on the leaderboard. Includes account creation, family invites, task management, points system, and custom rewards. Simple, secure, and ready for daily use.
Making life easier with automation! Recurring tasks that auto-appear, push notifications to keep everyone engaged, activity feed to celebrate wins together, premium features for extended families, and offline mode for anywhere use.
Making sFamily even more engaging! Earn special badges for accomplishments, track daily streaks to build habits, advanced statistics for parents, custom themes and dark mode, task comments with photos, and data export capabilities.
Timeline assumes strong community support for full-time development. With minimal support, development becomes part-time and each phase could take 2-3x longer.
Beyond the specific tier rewards, every supporter gets:
Your feedback directly shapes the app. As a solo developer, I can actually implement your suggestions without committees or corporate approval.
Beta access to every platform as it launches. Test new features weeks before public release. Your family gets the best version first.
Early supporter discounts are permanent. While others might pay full price later, you'll always have your founding member rate.
You're helping create an ethical alternative in a space dominated by ad-driven and overpriced apps. That matters.
I'll send monthly development updates showing exactly what's been built, what's coming next, and how the project is progressing. No corporate speak - just honest updates about wins, challenges, and timelines.
I won't rush broken features just to hit deadlines. Better to launch something solid in 7 months than something buggy in 6. Your family deserves software that works.
I will never sell your data, add tracking pixels, or compromise your family's privacy for profit. This isn't a VC-funded startup that needs to monetize everything. It's a tool built by a parent, for parents.
sFamily isn't a side project I'll abandon. With your support, this becomes my primary focus. I'm committed to maintaining and improving it for years, not just until the next shiny project comes along.
We're tired of family apps that either treat kids like babies or parents like drill sergeants. sFamily is different: no forced assignments, no complex scheduling. Just a shared task pool where everyone picks what they want to do, when they want to do it.
Why this works: Kids get autonomy and competition. Parents get help without the drama. Everyone wins when the house is clean and the family gets along.
No assignments. Kids choose what interests them from a shared pool of household tasks.
Friendly competition where kids can actually "beat" their parents. Makes chores exciting!
Weekly winners pick movie night, dessert, or family activities. Not fake digital badges.
5 minutes to create your family and add tasks. No complex rules or scheduling needed.
No social features between families. Your household data stays in your household.
Phone, tablet, computer. Even younger kids without devices can participate through parents.
Choose your support level and become a founding member of sFamily
Not ready to support? That's okay! Join the waitlist and follow along.
sFamily is built by a solo developer committed to keeping the app honest, affordable (under $10/month), and ad-free. Community funding allows full-time development without relying on ads, data selling, or premium paywalls that lock essential features.
sFamily will be built either way. With strong support, it launches in 12 months with full-time development. With minimal support, it takes 24-36 months as nights-and-weekends development. All supporter benefits are honored regardless of funding levels.
sFamily stays affordable forever (under $10/month), never shows ads to children, doesn't lock essential features behind paywalls, respects privacy with no data selling, and gets better over time without increasing prices. It uses a task pool system where kids choose tasks voluntarily instead of forced assignments.
Anthony, a solo developer and parent with experience successfully building and launching multiple apps. sFamily is his most important project, driven by personal experience with family chore battles and a commitment to creating ethical software.