
Sentinel AI Subscription Tracker
Save money by tracking subscriptions with AI
After 3 months of nights and weekends, I just launched my first iOS app. Here's the story:
## The Problem
I discovered I was paying for 14 subscriptions but only using 8. That's $816/year wasted.
## The Solution
Built Sentinel - an AI-powered subscription tracker that:
- Finds duplicate services
- Alerts to unused subscriptions
- Sends smart reminders
- All processed on-device (privacy-first)
## Tech Stack
- SwiftUI (100% Swift, no UIKit)
- Core Data for local storage
- Claude AI API for insights
- UserNotifications for smart reminders
## Challenges
### 1. On-Device AI Processing
Most apps sync to cloud. I wanted privacy-first...
[explain your technical challenges]
### 2. Subscription Math
Calculating next payment dates for different cycles...
[explain the logic]
### 3. Beautiful UI/UX
SwiftUI is powerful but documentation lacks...
[your learnings]
## Launch Day Reality
Launched on Product Hunt today.
Expected: 100+ upvotes
Reality: 10 upvotes, #67 ranking
Learning: Building is 10% of the work. Marketing is 90%.
## What I'd Do Differently
1. Build audience WHILE building
2. Start with MVP, ship faster
3. Validate idea first
4. Document journey from day 1
## The App
Sentinel is live on the App Store: [link]
Free to try (up to 5 subscriptions).
## For Fellow Indie Devs
If you're building solo:
- You're not alone
- Marketing is harder than code
- Community matters
- Keep shipping
Connect with me on Twitter: @[your handle]
Happy to answer technical questions!
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Why this works:
✅ Educational content
✅ Technical details
✅ Honest story
✅ Helps other devs
✅ Won't get deleted
✅ SEO benefits
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### 5. LINKEDIN ⭐ (POST NOW)
LinkedIn is underrated for indie devs!
```
Just launched my first iOS app 🚀
After 3 months of solo development, Sentinel is live.
The story:
- Found I was wasting $816/year on forgotten subscriptions
- Spent nights/weekends building a solution
- Launched today on Product Hunt
The reality:
- 10 upvotes (not 100)
- Learning marketing is harder than coding
- But proud of shipping v1
What I built:
AI-powered subscription tracker with privacy-first approach (all data stays on device)
Key features:
✅ Finds duplicate subscriptions
✅ Alerts to unused services
✅ Smart reminders before charges
✅ Beautiful analytics
Tech: SwiftUI, Core Data, on-device AI
Available now
About
Last year, I discovered I was paying for: Two music streaming services (Spotify AND Apple Music) A gym membership I used... once Three "free trials" I completely forgot about Total damage: $816/year 😱

1 Comment
Congratulations on your launch. It looks impressive! What channels are you exploring to attract early users?