Software with soul.
Most software today is built to extract:
→ extract your data
→ extract a monthly fee
→ extract your attention
Somewhere along the way, the people using the software stopped being the point. There is a better way to build.
One-time purchasing isn't dead.
I'm old enough to remember when awesome software could be purchased once. That model isn't dead. It just requires discipline. Because ButterKit runs on your machine with no servers or storage costs, my expenses stay low. That makes sustainable one-time pricing possible.
I offer both a lifetime license and an optional annual plan for those who want to support ongoing development at a lower entry point. The one-time option isn't going away.
I believe a business can thrive by making something people want to own, not something they're trapped into renting.
No investors. No growth-at-all-costs.
ButterKit is independently funded. No VC capital, no board of directors, no pressure to chase endless growth at the expense of the people who actually use the product.
When there are no investors demanding 10x returns, I get to make different decisions. I get to keep the free tier generous. I get to charge a fair price. I get to say "no" to dark patterns, sneaky upsells, and engagement tricks. Every decision I make answers one question: is this better for the people using ButterKit?
Software should make you feel something.
I sweat the details because details are the product. The 3D device models are rendered in real-time with Metal at up to 120fps. Not because a PRD demanded it, but because it feels right. Animations are tuned by hand. The interface is designed so you understand it in seconds, not after watching a tutorial.
I think software should have a point of view. It should feel crafted, not assembled by committee. The small things: how a shadow falls on a device frame, the snap of an element locking into place, the 'buttery' speed of an export. They add up. They're the difference between a tool you tolerate and a tool you enjoy.
Your work stays on your machine.
ButterKit runs entirely on your Mac. No accounts. No cloud storage. No behavioral tracking. I don't harvest your data, and I don't sell anything to anyone.
This isn't a limitation. It's a choice. I built ButterKit the way I want software to treat me: helpful, fast, and not nosy. Your screenshots, your designs, your projects - they belong to you, and they stay with you.
ButterKit started as a simple utility I built to publish my own apps. Today it's used by thousands of talented people around the world. But the beliefs haven't changed: respect people's privacy, charge fairly, stay independent, and build something worth caring about.
That's the mission. Thanks for being part of it.
Zach Spitulski
Creator of ButterKit