u/Odyssey-b

I started learning Swift to build my own iOS app and honestly the language itself is nicer than I expected.

But the ecosystem (Xcode, simulators, all the Apple-specific stuff) took a while to feel normal. And I'm saying this coming from .NET + Angular Full Stack development on a Windows machine.

Wondering what caught you off guard when you started learning iOS Development.

Good surprises welcome too.

Working solo on an iOS app and some days are great - other days I close the laptop having done almost nothing and there's no one to notice either way.

I mean I'm motivated enough to do things, but not every day. And doing it alongside a normal 9-5 SWE job, it's not always the brightest...

Curious how other indie/solo devs deal with the accountability. Do you have a system, or do you just accept the chaos?

So I've been going down a bit of a rabbit hole lately looking at wishlist apps, and I wanted to hear what other people think and also if there is something new that I missed and might fit me better.

I'll share what I'm looking for and what I've found so far, and would love to hear your opinions.

Here's what I want from a good wishlist app:

* A place where I can create a few separate lists and add items from any shop, so I don't have to keep checking 5 different platform wishlists to see if I already saved something. (I still use the platform ones for price drop alerts though.)
* Groups — for family, friends, whatever. Where everyone can see each other's lists (only the items the person chooses to share with that group), and people can reserve gifts without the owner finding out. The surprise should actually be a surprise.
* A proper Secret Santa system. Multiple groups (family, work, friends, etc.), so I'm not juggling 4 different WhatsApp chats every December. Vote on a budget, randomly draw names with proper rules (no spouses drawing each other, no duplicates), and then you get to see the picked person's wishlist.
* And the big one — profiles. Where everyone can put their shoe size, clothing size, colour preferences, favourite shows/movies/games (for merch), etc. So even if someone has an empty wishlist, or you can't decide what to buy from it, there's still something to work with.
* Good design. I really don't want to use an app that looks like it was made in 2010. I want it to function well AND look good. (Maybe that's just me.)
* No mandatory account creation. Downloading an app is fine, but having to hand over personal data before I can even open it is a deal-breaker.

So those are my opinions. Now here's what I've found, and what I think about each — would love your input here, because I haven't tried all of them, but based on my research and the "BAD" parts (which you will be able to see down below) I just didn't want to spend time trying them out. So if you think that what I write here is not true, or not true anymore about a specific app/platform please tell me, so that I have a better understanding of these.

**Listful -** I haven't tried this one

* Good: Clean modern design, works with any website, price tracking, easy sharing, guests can reserve without an account.
* Bad: Doesn't really protect the surprise (wishlist owners can get notifications about reservations), basic features locked behind premium, AI recs feel generic.

**Giftful -** I looked into it, on their website, and the app store

* Good: Free, guests can claim gifts without an account, browser extension for easy adding - although I don't really care about this that much (I can copy and paste, or press the share button)
* Bad: International users say it feels US-only (currency, etc.), some bugs, sometimes fails to pull images/info from sites like Amazon. I'm not from the US, so I feel like this would be something I would have problems with

**Elfster -** I don't want to try this one :D

* Good: Good Secret Santa app. Automated draws, exclusion rules.
* Bad: Forces everyone to create an account just to view a list. Spammy emails. There's apparently an AI feature that adds random stuff to people's lists... Some people report duplicate draws. Like probably the most amount of issues I read so far is with Elfster...

**Giftster -** I looked into it, on their website, and the app store

* Good: Solid for family group coordination, reliable reservation system, has a web version (good for granny but I don't really care for this to be honest).
* Bad: Design feels stuck in 2010. Clunky UI, poor mobile experience.

**GoWish -** I haven't tried this one

* Good: Categorized lists, auto-pulls images and prices. This is good, if the system can't pull a good image, I want to be able to put one myself, but if possible just auto-populate the image
* Bad: Anyone viewing your list has to make an account. Got cluttered with ads after a corporate acquisition. People say it feels buggy and ugly now. - Not sure how bad the ads situation is

**Things To Get Me -** I've tried this, deleted it after I saw how it looks...

* Good: Ad-free, no accounts to reserve, easy to add non-tangible items (experiences, etc.).
* Bad: Often fails to auto-pull images and prices, so you end up doing a lot of manual entry. And honestly the design is just ugly.

**Wishlists -** This is where I'm at right now

* Good: This one looks good, has most of the features I would want. Completely free and only a few things under the paywall. Although not sure why the "Most Wanted" feature is under the paywall..., modern design, guests can claim without an account.
* Bad: No profile system. Otherwise pretty solid.

I tried Wishlists which I think is the best of the bunch. I tried Things to Get Me and deleted it almost immediately because of how it looks. I read enough about Elfster to skip it. The others I haven't used personally.

A few things I'm curious about:

* What do you actually use? What works for you?
* What bothers you most about your current app?
* Based on what I described, what would you recommend?
* Do you think apps like this need to be available in multiple languages, or is English enough for most people?
* And one more — am I the only one who's a bit tired of every utility app having that same "clean modern" look? Something a bit warmer, friendlier, cuter even... feels like that's missing in this whole category. Or is that just me?

Curious to hear.

So I've been going down a bit of a rabbit hole lately looking at wishlist apps, and I wanted to hear what other people think and also if there is something new that I missed and might fit me better.

I'll share what I'm looking for and what I've found so far, and would love to hear your opinions.

Here's what I want from a good wishlist app:

• A place where I can create a few separate lists and add items from any shop, so I don't have to keep checking 5 different platform wishlists to see if I already saved something. (I still use the platform ones for price drop alerts though.)
• Groups — for family, friends, whatever. Where everyone can see each other's lists (only the items the person chooses to share with that group), and people can reserve gifts without the owner finding out. The surprise should actually be a surprise.
• A proper Secret Santa system. Multiple groups (family, work, friends, etc.), so I'm not juggling 4 different WhatsApp chats every December. Vote on a budget, randomly draw names with proper rules (no spouses drawing each other, no duplicates), and then you get to see the picked person's wishlist.
• And the big one — profiles. Where everyone can put their shoe size, clothing size, colour preferences, favourite shows/movies/games (for merch), etc. So even if someone has an empty wishlist, or you can't decide what to buy from it, there's still something to work with.
• Good design. I really don't want to use an app that looks like it was made in 2010. I want it to function well AND look good. (Maybe that's just me.)
• No mandatory account creation. Downloading an app is fine, but having to hand over personal data before I can even open it is a deal-breaker.

So those are my opinions. Now here's what I've found, and what I think about each — would love your input here, because I haven't tried all of them, but based on my research and the "BAD" parts (which you will be able to see down below) I just didn't want to spend time trying them out. So if you think that what I write here is not true, or not true anymore about a specific app/platform please tell me, so that I have a better understanding of these.

Listful - I haven't tried this one

• Good: Clean modern design, works with any website, price tracking, easy sharing, guests can reserve without an account.
• Bad: Doesn't really protect the surprise (wishlist owners can get notifications about reservations), basic features locked behind premium, AI recs feel generic.

Giftful - I looked into it, on their website, and the app store

• Good: Free, guests can claim gifts without an account, browser extension for easy adding - although I don't really care about this that much (I can copy and paste, or press the share button)
• Bad: International users say it feels US-only (currency, etc.), some bugs, sometimes fails to pull images/info from sites like Amazon. I'm not from the US, so I feel like this would be something I would have problems with

Elfster - I don't want to try this one :D

• Good: Good Secret Santa app. Automated draws, exclusion rules.
• Bad: Forces everyone to create an account just to view a list. Spammy emails. There's apparently an AI feature that adds random stuff to people's lists... Some people report duplicate draws. Like probably the most amount of issues I read so far is with Elfster...

Giftster - I looked into it, on their website, and the app store

• Good: Solid for family group coordination, reliable reservation system, has a web version (good for granny but I don't really care for this to be honest).
• Bad: Design feels stuck in 2010. Clunky UI, poor mobile experience.

GoWish - I haven't tried this one

• Good: Categorized lists, auto-pulls images and prices. This is good, if the system can't pull a good image, I want to be able to put one myself, but if possible just auto-populate the image
• Bad: Anyone viewing your list has to make an account. Got cluttered with ads after a corporate acquisition. People say it feels buggy and ugly now. - Not sure how bad the ads situation is

Things To Get Me - I've tried this, deleted it after I saw how it looks...

• Good: Ad-free, no accounts to reserve, easy to add non-tangible items (experiences, etc.).
• Bad: Often fails to auto-pull images and prices, so you end up doing a lot of manual entry. And honestly the design is just ugly.

Wishlists - This is where I'm at right now

• Good: This one looks good, has most of the features I would want. Completely free and only a few things under the paywall. Although not sure why the "Most Wanted" feature is under the paywall..., modern design, guests can claim without an account.
• Bad: No profile system. Otherwise pretty solid.

I tried Wishlists which I think is the best of the bunch. I tried Things to Get Me and deleted it almost immediately because of how it looks. I read enough about Elfster to skip it. The others I haven't used personally.

A few things I'm curious about:

• What do you actually use? What works for you?
• What bothers you most about your current app?
• Based on what I described, what would you recommend?
• Do you think apps like this need to be available in multiple languages, or is English enough for most people?
• And one more — am I the only one who's a bit tired of every utility app having that same "clean modern" look? Something a bit warmer, friendlier, cuter even... feels like that's missing in this whole category. Or is that just me?

Curious to hear.