My Indie Developer Tech Stack for 2026

As an indie developer, choosing the right tools matters. Here's my current stack for building web, mobile, and desktop apps.

Mobile Development

React Native for cross-platform apps

• Expo for managed workflow when possible
• Bare React Native when I need native modules

Swift/SwiftUI for iOS/macOS only apps

• Better for menu bar apps and deep system integration
• Required for widgets and App Clips

Web Development

Next.js for everything web

• Static export for simple sites (like this one)
• Server components for dynamic apps
• Vercel for deployment

Tailwind CSS for styling

• Fast iteration
• Consistent design system
• Works great with dark mode

Backend

Supabase for most projects

• PostgreSQL database
• Authentication built-in
• Real-time subscriptions
• Edge functions for serverless

Firebase when I need

• Push notifications
• Analytics
• Remote config

Desktop (macOS)

Swift + SwiftUI for native feel

• Menu bar apps
• System extensions
• Native performance

Development Tools

VS Code with:

• GitHub Copilot
• ESLint + Prettier
• Thunder Client (API testing)

Xcode for Apple development (no choice here)

Android Studio for Android-specific debugging

Design

Figma for UI design and prototypes

SF Symbols for icons (Apple platforms)

Heroicons for web icons

Analytics & Monitoring

Mixpanel for product analytics

• User behavior tracking
• Funnel analysis

Sentry for error tracking

• Crash reports
• Performance monitoring

App Store Connect analytics for iOS

Revenue & Payments

RevenueCat for in-app purchases

• Works on iOS and Android
• Handles receipt validation
• Great dashboard

Stripe for web payments

Productivity

Linear for task management

• Fast and keyboard-driven
• Good GitHub integration

Notion for documentation

GitHub for code hosting

Raycast for Mac productivity

• Quick launcher
• Clipboard history
• Custom scripts

Deployment

Vercel for web apps

• Automatic deployments
• Edge functions
• Analytics

App Store Connect for iOS/macOS

• TestFlight for beta testing

Google Play Console for Android

Cost Breakdown (Monthly)

Service	Cost
Apple Developer	$8.25 ($99/year)
Google Play	One-time $25
Vercel	$0 (hobby plan)
Supabase	$0-25
RevenueCat	$0 (under $2.5k MRR)
Sentry	$0 (free tier)
Figma	$0 (free tier)
Total	~$35/month

What I Don't Use

• AWS/GCP (too complex for indie scale)
• Redux (React's built-in state is enough)
• Styled Components (Tailwind is faster)
• Custom authentication (use Supabase/Firebase)

The best stack is one you can ship with. I optimize for speed and simplicity, not theoretical perfection.