Why Downstep is free

Downstep started as an Android app for my phone. I wanted to put it on the App Store and Google Play for a few euros, paid once. Then I looked into what that means in Italy, where I live. To sell even a few copies I would need a partita IVA, an accountant, and an invoice to Apple and Google every month. For something I do in my free time, it wasn't worth it.

So I decided to give it away, and I moved on to the desktop versions for Mac and Windows. To spend less of my own time on it, I used AI tools for a big part of the work, and I publish the app only on this site.

If Downstep is useful to you and you'd like to say thanks, you can send me a donation on PayPal. Thank you!

More about the Italian bureaucracy, and how it works in other countries