About niche-knack apps
A cabinet of curiosities for software
niche-knack apps is a studio of carefully crafted, eccentric software instruments - a cabinet of curiosities for people who work at the edges of disciplines.
Our Philosophy
Software Should Be Crafted, Not Manufactured
In an age of bloated software suites and subscription-everything, we believe there's room for tools that do one thing well. Each app in our cabinet is designed to solve a specific problem with elegance and precision.
Niche Needs Deserve Dedicated Solutions
Poets analyzing meter, logicians visualizing proofs, researchers navigating packet captures - these aren't mainstream use cases, but the people who need these tools deserve software made with them in mind.
Quality Over Quantity, Depth Over Breadth
We'd rather have four excellent apps than forty mediocre ones. Every feature is considered, every interface element intentional. We ship when it's ready, not when a deadline demands it.
Open Access, Voluntary Support
All our software is freely available because we believe good tools should be accessible. The Value for Value model lets those who can contribute support those who can't, creating a sustainable ecosystem without excluding anyone.
The Cabinet Metaphor
In the Renaissance, wealthy collectors assembled "cabinets of curiosities" - rooms filled with unusual artifacts, natural specimens, and ingenious devices. These were spaces of wonder and discovery, where a visitor might find a fossilized shell beside a mechanical automaton beside a rare manuscript.
We see our software collection the same way. Each app is a curio - a carefully chosen piece that rewards close inspection. Some are practical tools, some are more experimental. All are built with care and designed to spark the same sense of discovery that those original cabinets inspired.
Our logo represents this: a hexagonal cabinet with compartments, each holding a different artifact - a magnifying glass for analysis, a crystal for structure, a manuscript for poetry, a pocket watch for precision.