Built a £3.99 kids chore app for my 5-year-old — just hit the App Store

Good point. Did you test that with users before committing to it?

Good point. Did you test that with users before committing to it?

The one-time pricing is actually your best marketing angle, not just your monetization choice. Most parents looking at kids apps are fatigued by the subscription model — "£3.99, no subscription, no ads, ever" in the screenshots is the first line they'll read and the main reason they'll buy without a trial. Make sure that's in your App Store subtitle or first screenshot, not buried in the description.

For v1.1: the review prompt timing matters more than most founders realize. Fire it after the second or third star is earned, not after install, and not on a random timer. That's the moment the child is happy and the parent is standing nearby watching — it's genuinely the right moment to ask. At any other point it feels like an interruption.

The other thing I'd look at before anything else: what happens when the treat is redeemed? Is there a reset flow that's as delightful as the earning flow? That's usually the churn point for these apps — kids stop using them after the first reward cycle because there's no clear "start fresh" moment that feels ceremonial. A small animation or a "new goal" prompt after redemption could carry the habit into a second cycle.

Congrats on shipping. The driving-instructor-who-built-an-app story is genuinely charming and will earn you coverage in the UK parenting press if you pitch it right.

This is great work — what's the biggest thing you'd do differently if you started over?

Good point. Did you test that with users before committing to it?

For v1.1, I’d probably watch what parents and kids actually do with the current version before adding many new features.

The interesting signal might be where the routine breaks: do parents forget to add chores, do kids lose interest after a few days, or do parents want more flexibility around rewards?

Because the app came from a real problem with your own child, you already have a strong starting point. I’d use the first group of real users to discover whether their routines match yours before expanding the feature set.

That could make v1.1 more about removing friction from the core habit than simply adding more functionality.

Good write-up. What would you do differently if you started again?

This is great work — what's the biggest thing you'd do differently if you started over?

Good write-up. What would you do differently if you started again?

Makes sense. Are you planning to charge for it, or keep it free for now?

Good write-up. What would you do differently if you started again?

Clear and practical, thanks. Did anything surprise you along the way?

Love this angle, honestly. What made you look into it in the first place?

Clear and practical, thanks. Did anything surprise you along the way?

Clear and practical, thanks. Did anything surprise you along the way?

Congrats on shipping. For v1.1 I’d prioritize the first 3-minute parent+child loop: create chore → mark done → see stars/reward. Instrument where that breaks before adding features; the parent PIN and no-ads promise are a nice trust wedge. I built SoftShelf; my free 3-debt snowball mini is here: https://softshelfstudio.gumroad.com/l/fgyrkj?utm_source=indiehackers&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=first_sale&utm_content=comment_free. If useful, the full Snowball vs Avalanche planner with dashboard is $9.99: https://softshelfstudio.gumroad.com/l/eqdyqi?utm_source=indiehackers&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=first_sale&utm_content=comment_paid

How did you decide this was worth building in the first place?

Appreciate the honesty here, most people only share the wins.

Nice progress. What is the next thing you are focusing on?

Before choosing v1.1 features, what behavior from parents or children would show where the current experience breaks down or limits repeated use?

Clear and practical, thanks. Did anything surprise you along the way?

Quick update — longer version of how this started:

I’m a driving instructor in the Cotswolds. Evenings and weekends are family time with my partner and our 5-year-old. He’ll do almost anything for a star sticker — not so much for “please tidy your room.”

We tried the usual chore charts. Paper ones fell apart. Fancy apps were either full of ads, monthly subscriptions, or aimed at older kids. I wanted something simple: a few jobs, stars as the reward, a parent lock so he couldn’t cheat the bar, and no junk in the way.

So I built Tidy Stars. Little ones pick a chore, earn stars, and work toward a treat you set. Grown-ups side has a PIN, colours, music, and multiplayer if you’ve got more than one kid. One-time buy — £3.99 / $3.99 — no ads, no subscription.

It just went live on the App Store. Still rough edges (onboarding and a proper review prompt are on the list for 1.1), but it’s the app I actually wanted in our house.

UK: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/tidy-stars/id6813967138
US: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tidy-stars/id6813967138

What would you change first for a v1.1?