Software on floppies
Installing a program meant swapping disks, one after another, and waiting for each one.
Apps for iPhone
Made for people.
Paid for once.
No ads. No subscriptions. Buy each app once, like software used to be.
- No ads
- No subscriptions
- No endless scrolling
- Pay once, keep it
About
Modern tools.
Old-fashioned care.
DCA Software is a hobby project by an architect who loves code, design and solving problems. We use modern tools, and we miss how simple things used to be.
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01
People first1998
Every app starts with a real need from a real person.
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02
Pay once1998
Buy it once. It's yours.
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03
AI to build2026
AI only writes the code. No AI slop.
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04
Simple on purpose2026
Built to be used, not to keep you scrolling. Clean screens, nothing you didn't ask for.
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05
Your data, respected2026
Privacy comes first in every app, as far as each app's nature allows. We aim to ask only for the permissions each app needs.
Then. Now. Us.
1998
- Price
- Pay once.
- Ads
- None.
- Permissions
- Never asked.
- Getting it
- A drive to the store and 12 floppy disks.
- Your time
- Open it, use it, close it.
Most apps today
- Price
- Pay every month.
- Ads
- Everywhere.
- Permissions
- Asks for everything.
- Getting it
- One tap, then a paywall.
- Your time
- Built to keep you scrolling.
DCA Software
- Price
- Pay once.
- Ads
- None.
- Permissions
- As little as each app needs.
- Getting it
- One download, one purchase.
- Your time
- Built to be used, then closed.
How an app is made
- An ideaSomeone has a real problem.
- SketchesOn paper first.
- CodeWritten with AI's help.
- TestingDay 1 Used every day, sometimes for months.
- LaunchOnly when it's ready.
Then vs now
What changed since the 1990s
Three eras, and what each one meant for the apps we use.
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1990s
1.44 MB 56k Slow connections
Getting online was slow, and so were most programs. A single web page could take a long time to appear.
Hard Programming
Making software meant learning low-level languages from thick manuals. Very few people could build an app at all.
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2000s
2007 The iPhone
A phone that works as a computer, operated by touch. It made small, focused apps a practical idea.
2008 The App Store opens
You could design an app and reach people everywhere through one store, instead of a box on a shelf.
2011 Subscriptions arrive
The App Store begins to support apps that charge a monthly subscription.
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Now
1 + AI One person, much faster
AI helps write, explain and test code alongside one person. Work that once took a team can start with a small studio.
Custom Made to measure
Apps can be built for one real need, for the person who will use them. No ads, no subscriptions.
Testing Time goes to people
Less time goes into typing code. More goes into testing with real people, until it feels right.
AI and code
What AI does here, and what it doesn't
AI is fast, and sometimes confidently wrong. We plan for both.
What it helps with
- Repetitive code nobody enjoys writing
- Explaining an error message in plain words
- A first draft to react to
- Tests that are easy to skip
What it can't do for us
- Decide whether an app is worth building
- Judge how a screen feels over a long day of use
- Notice a wrong assumption unless someone checks
- Carry the responsibility. A person does that.
What we check
- A person reviews every change before it goes in
- We run the app and try to break it
- We use it on a real iPhone for days
- Nothing ships until a person says it's ready
How we work
DCA and AI, step by step
Most changes follow the same four steps. Some need more rounds.
DCA decides
What to build, what to cut, and when it is ready. AI can suggest. It does not decide.
AI drafts
It writes the code, proposes options and explains the trade-offs. Fast, useful, and not always right, which is why step 03 exists.
DCA tests
We run it on a real iPhone, use every screen and note anything that feels wrong. AI cannot judge that on its own.
The rule we keep
No AI slop. No app ships until a person has used it for weeks and is satisfied with it.
About me
Diego, architect and vibe coder.
If architecture was easy, it would be called vibe coding.
How this started
It started when my girlfriend told me about an app she used to use. It had been involved in a privacy scandal over how it handled its users' data. That got me thinking, and I wanted to make her a gift.
The first version had very simple code and a very simple interface. While working with AI, I realized I could take the app much further, and it would be easier for her to download it and keep it on her phone. That is how Menna - Cycle Tracker was born, the first app from DCA Software: a project built with passion, curiosity, and a strong wish to change the current status quo of apps in general.
I miss how simple software used to feel: you paid once, it did one thing well, and it left you alone. I'm trying to make apps like that again, with today's tools.
Apps
Our apps
Each one started with a real need from a real user.
Before
A paper calendar with circled days.
Now
Log your period, flow, symptoms, mood and daily pill, and see patterns over time. It predicts your period and fertile window. Everything stays on your phone: Menna never uses the internet, has no account, and shows no ads.
In TestFlight · coming soon
More apps are on the way.
We'll share them in Updates.
See updates
Ideas
Have a problem? Tell us about it.
Every app we make starts with a real need. The next one could start with yours.
- Tell us the problem. A few lines are enough.
- We read every one. And look for what an app can solve.
- If it fits, we build it. And share it in Updates.
News
Updates
News about our apps and the studio.
No updates yet. Check back soon.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Do you show ads or subscriptions?
No, neither one.
How much do the apps cost?
One purchase per app. Check the App Store for the price.
Which devices do your apps work on?
iPhone.
Where can I get help with an app?
Each app will have its own site. Until then, write to contact@dcasoftware.dev.
Is the app written by AI?
AI helps write the code. A person decides what to build, tests it, and takes responsibility for it.
Why one purchase instead of a subscription?
Because you should own what you buy. A subscription charges you for as long as you use the app. We chose one clear purchase instead.
Who is behind DCA Software?
One architect who loves code, design and solving problems. Read About me.