Here's the routine I use on any large app catalog.

1. Start with the platform, not the category

The fastest filter is the one that removes apps you physically can't run. Pick your platform first (Mac, iPhone, Windows or web). It sounds obvious, but most people start with a category like "Productivity" and then scroll past dozens of iOS-only results on a Windows laptop.

If you work across devices, pick the platform where you'll use the app most, then check the detail page for the others.

2. Decide your price rule before you browse

"Free", "freemium" and "paid" mean very different things a month later. Set the rule up front:

• Free if the job is small and occasional.
• Freemium if you want to try before committing, but read what's behind the paywall.
• Paid if it's a daily tool and you'd rather not deal with ads or limits.

Filtering by price early also changes the result count dramatically, which tells you how crowded that corner of the market is. On Main App, for example, paid Mac apps are a much bigger group than free Windows ones.

3. Then narrow by category

Now the category filter does real work. Broad shelves like Utilities (953 on Main App right now), Productivity (545) or AI tools (353) are still large, but combined with platform and price they usually drop to something you can scan in a few minutes. If a combination returns nothing, that's useful information too: it means you may need a web app or a cross-platform tool instead.

4. Use the sort order on purpose

Each sort answers a different question:

• Popular: what most people already use. Good for safe, well-supported choices.
• Top rated: what users like. Check how many ratings sit behind the score.
• Recently added: what's new. Good for finding smaller, sharper tools before everyone else does.

Try the same filtered list with two different sorts. The apps that show up near the top of both are usually worth a closer look.

5. Judge the detail page, not the card

A card is a pitch. The detail page is where you decide. Look for:

• Screenshots of the actual interface, not just marketing art.
• Platform and store links, so you can confirm the version and requirements at the source.
• Related apps, which are a quick way to find alternatives in the same niche.

Always confirm price and system requirements on the official store page before installing, since directories can lag behind a fresh update.

6. Shortlist three, install one

Open three detail pages at most. Compare price model, platform support and how recently the app was updated. Install one, use it for a real task today, and keep the other two as backups in a note. If the first one doesn't stick within a week, you already have plan B.

A quick recap

Platform first, price rule second, category third, sort on purpose, and decide on the detail page. That order turns a catalog of thousands into a shortlist of three in about ten minutes. If you want a place to practise it, the app shelf on Main App has all of these filters in one view.

Here is a practical checklist that works whether you are shipping a portfolio, a docs site, or a small SaaS landing page.

1. Write the job in one sentence first

"I need a Jekyll academic portfolio with publications and a blog" is a filter. "Something modern" is not. If you cannot name the framework you already know (or are willing to learn this week), pick that constraint before you open the catalog. A template that is beautiful in the wrong stack still costs you a rewrite.

2. Narrow by kind and framework, then sort

On a large shelf — Main App currently shows 249 templates — start with Made-for / Kind (for example portfolio vs docs vs blog) and the framework chip that matches your repo. Then sort by Most stars or Recently updated depending on what you need: stars are a rough signal of community attention; recent updates matter more if you care about current dependencies and security patches. Name sort is useful only when you already know a title.

3. Open the detail page before you clone

A good listing answers the boring questions up front: licence (MIT vs something stricter), creator, repository star count, and when the source was last updated. Skip cards that only show a slogan. Prefer pages that include a live preview or a scrolled demo of the real layout, plus a design snapshot (measured colors, heading/body fonts, base text size). Those details tell you whether the visual system fits your brand before you spend an hour on git clone.

4. Check the demo against your real content

Paste your own headline length, a long nav label, and one ugly screenshot into the mental model of the demo. Templates that look perfect with three short words often break when your product name is long or your docs need nested sections. If the demo cannot show the page type you will ship most often, keep browsing.

5. Read the licence and the update date out loud

"Free" is not the same as "you can ship a commercial fork." Confirm the licence matches how you plan to use the theme. Then look at Source updated: a quiet repo is fine for a frozen personal site; it is a risk if you need ongoing framework upgrades. Stars help as a popularity hint; they do not replace a recent commit history.

6. Plan the escape hatch

Assume you will outgrow the starter. Prefer templates with a clear content folder, predictable layouts, and docs that explain how to add a page — not only how to change the accent color. If customizing a partial means forking half the theme, you are buying lock-in, not speed.

Before you fork

Shortlist three options that match your framework and kind. Compare licence, last update, and how the demo handles your actual page types. Clone only the winner, keep the other two URLs in a note, and give yourself a hard stop: if the first evening is mostly fighting the theme instead of writing content, switch. Browse the full set on Main App, use Kind and sort deliberately, and treat the detail page as the real product page — the card is only the invitation.

1. One sentence that says what it does

Skip the slogan. "A timer that blocks distracting sites for 25 minutes" beats "Focus, reimagined." If a stranger can't repeat it back, rewrite it.

2. Say who it's for and where it runs

Platform and audience answer the first two questions every visitor has: "Can I use this?" and "Is it for me?" Put them near the top, not in a FAQ.

3. Screenshots that show the real thing

Use actual screens at readable size. One screenshot of the main action is worth more than five marketing mockups. For games, a short clip of real gameplay helps most.

4. Be honest about price and permissions

State free, freemium or paid plainly. For extensions, explain why each permission is needed. Surprises here cost more installs than a price tag does.

5. Pick the right category and tags

A listing in the wrong category is invisible to the people searching for it. Choose the narrowest category that fits and a few tags people would actually type.

6. Keep it current

Update the description when features change, answer questions, and remove claims that are no longer true. A stale listing quietly reads as an abandoned product.

Before you hit publish

Read your listing on a phone, ask one friend to explain it back to you, and check every link. Then browse similar products on Main App to see how your listing compares.

1. Start with where you write

Do you capture ideas on your phone and clean them up on a laptop? Then cross-platform sync matters more than any fancy feature. If you only write at a desk, a fast desktop app may be all you need.

2. Decide how you organize

• Folders suit people who think in projects.
• Tags suit people whose notes belong to several topics at once.
• Links between notes suit researchers and writers building a personal knowledge base. Pick the model that matches how your head works, not the one that looks impressive in a demo.

3. Check that you can leave

Plain text or Markdown export is your insurance. If an app can't export your notes in a readable format, every note you add raises the cost of switching later.

4. Look at privacy and offline use

Ask where notes are stored, whether they work offline, and whether end-to-end encryption is offered if you keep sensitive information.

5. Test with a real week

Import a handful of real notes and use the app for a week. Speed of capture, search quality and how it feels at 11pm will tell you more than any feature list.

Where to browse

Searching "notes" on main[.]app currently returns hundreds of results across apps, extensions and templates, and the productivity category lets you narrow by platform. Read the description, check the platforms, then run your one-week test.

Find your next tool at main.app.

Main App takes a simpler approach. It is a directory of apps from indie makers and small teams. You find a good app, then you open the maker's own site. Main App does not sell or host anything itself.

What you can find there

At the time of writing (29 October 2026) the directory lists:

• 3,576 apps across 21 categories
• 1,053 games across 15 genres
• 460 browser extensions
• 249 website templates

You can browse by platform (Mac, iPhone, Android, Web and Windows), by category such as Developer tools, or through shelves like Editors' picks, New this week, Popular and Top rated.

Each listing page puts the essentials in one place: a short description, rating, price, supported platforms, screenshots, and a button that takes you straight to the maker's website.

How listings get in

Main App's How it works page explains the rules:

• A human reviews every listing before it goes live.
• Sponsored placements are always labeled, and their links carry rel="sponsored nofollow".
• Money never changes the ordering of results.
• Takedown requests are handled within 24 hours.

There is no paid "submit" queue yet. Editors pick the listings, and makers can get in touch through the contact page.

Small touches that make browsing faster

• Ctrl K search from any page, so you can jump to an app by name.
• Guides and a blog with practical reading, plus a public changelog where the site ships updates in the open.
• An RSS feed at /feed.xml if you prefer to follow new additions in a reader.
• Dark mode and an installable web app (PWA).

Where to start

• Looking for a new tool for work? Start with the Apps section and filter by your platform.
• Need something to play for ten minutes? Open Games.
• Want to tune your browser? Browse Extensions.
• Building a site? Check Templates.

Main App is young and growing every week. If you make an app, a game or an extension and think it belongs there, say hello through the contact page.

Happy discovering.