The Pensieve Story

Hi! I’m Josh. I’m an independent software developer. Throughout my career I've built video games, VR apps, and productivity tools. When I’m not working on Pensieve, I like to figure skate, canoe, and read. I’ve lived all over the world, and I currently reside in Portland, Oregon.

Pensieve began as a hobby project in 2013, back when I was a digital nomad. I built an app that I needed for myself and I put it on the App Store so others could benefit. In the years since then I’ve been working on Pensieve as a side project, making it better with each release.

Like many people, I was laid off in 2020 when the COVID pandemic broke out. It was then that I decided to see if I could build a business and support myself by working full-time on the thing that I loved making: Pensieve. So I started a company, Window Seat Labs, and got to work.

Pensieve has changed a lot in the past few years. If you’re someone who’s been using the app for a while: thanks for your support! If you haven’t tried it yet, take advantage of the free 30-day trial to check out how Pensieve’s powerful all-in-one idea capture tools can help you remember your important thoughts (and random ones, too!) and act on them later.

Pensieve is supported by the people who use it. But why should you pay for it?

As a small business and an independent app developer, my mission is to build useful software that respects the humanity of the humans who use it.

That’s why I’ve chosen a paid app business model for Pensieve. I only earn money when people pay for Pensieve, which means I have to make an app that people love and find useful. I view my job as an app developer as a fiduciary duty to you: to provide a reliable and helpful service that brings you joy while caring for your time, attention, and well-being.

Therefore, Pensieve doesn’t do any of the icky things that other apps do, like try to manipulate you, try to keep your attention, pester you with notifications, or collect and sell your data. Pensieve doesn’t want your attention.

Asking people to pay for the app keeps my interests aligned with theirs. Being a paid app ensures that Pensieve is made for the folks who use it every day.

I think that’s worth paying for.