Pawse — an impulse buying intervention app. First 50 sign-ups get Pro free for life, next 200 get $79 lifetime.
Hi everyone. Solo dev here, im the developer of Pawse.
Quick backstory because it matters for what the app actually does. I started college a few years ago and it was the first time I had to deal with recurring expenses, rent, groceries, the streaming subs you forget about. Nothing crazy. But somewhere in there I started impulse buying way more than I used to. Always the same stuff. $3 here, $5 there, sometimes more. None of it felt like much in the moment which is sort of the whole problem.
$3 three times a week is around $500 a year. And I was doing it with more than one thing.
So I looked at a few apps. None of them did anything in the moment I was actually about to spend. They just tracked what id already done. Which doesnt help if the problem is the impulse itself. So I built Pawse.
What it is: an impulse buying intervention tool. You can use it as a spending tracker too but thats not the main thing. The main thing is catching you right before you slip.
On YNAB since someone always asks. YNAB is fine. But its $109 a year and the whole system makes you assign every dollar a job before you can spend it. Most people quit by week 3. Pawse is different. Asks for less, shows up at the moment that actually matters.
A — Answer
The core of Pawse is the notifications. They show up at the moments youd normally slip and ask you to pause for a second.
The first layer is daily habits. During onboarding you log the small purchases you know you make on autopilot. Morning latte, the afternoon energy drink, late night DoorDash, whatever your specific weak points are. Pawse pings you right before each one. The idea is you get a notification at 8:14am and youre suddenly aware that youre about to do the thing youre trying to stop doing.
Second layer is daily tips. Banjo (the mascot, more on him in a sec) sends small reminders throughout the day about why you started. Quiet, not annoying. Just enough to keep the goal in your head.
Third is the quiz. This is for the bigger maybe-purchases. Youre sitting on the couch debating a $60 thing on Amazon and youre not sure if you actually want it or if youre just bored. Open Pawse, let Banjo ask you 6 questions. Trigger, need, alternatives, timing, how youll feel about it in a week, that kind of thing. You get a verdict (intentional, on the fence, or impulse risk) and then you either walk away now or file the item for a cooling off period. 1 hour, 24 hours, or 48 hours, your call.
If you file it, the item sits on your home screen with a countdown going. Banjos face changes based on your control score. When the timer expires you get a notification and you go to the decision screen.
The decision screen shows the item again, your reflection from when you filed it, and some perspective cards. How many hours of work this purchase would cost, what else you could buy with that money, what it does to your savings goal. You tap "buy it" or "I walked away." Walking away credits your savings goal and builds your streak. Buying it just gets logged. No shame, thats not the vibe.
About Banjo. Hes a platypus. Sassy ex-accountant in his second act. Named after my rabbit honestly. His expression changes based on your control score. Celebrates when youre doing well, looks worried when you slip, goes to sleep when the app is empty. You can rename him if Banjo isnt your thing.
5 minutes of onboarding. Tell Pawse what youre trying to stop buying. Future you keeps the money.
B — Better
The main thing Pawse does that other apps dont is intervene at the moment of purchase. Not after, not by making you pre-allocate every dollar. Just slow you down right before you spend. And honestly the mascot helps a lot. Makes the whole thing feel less like getting yelled at by a calculator.
The manual logging thing is intentional, by the way. Bank sync would be easier but typing in "$47 at Amazon" is the first thing that makes you ask if you actually want it. The friction IS the feature.
Whats in the build right now: daily habit reminders, the 6 question intervention quiz, the cool-off timers and savings goals, Banjos full expression range, and a spend heatmap with your full purchase history.
C — Cost
Pawse is free to download. Freemium with optional Pro upgrade.
Free includes unlimited cool-off timers, unlimited daily habits, unlimited savings goals, 5 quizzes per week, 30 days of stats history, and the full Banjo experience.
Pro adds unlimited stats history, unlimited quizzes, streak protection (one missed day wont reset you), walkaway anniversary notifications, and all future Pro features.
Pricing: Monthly $4.99, Yearly $39.99 (save 33%), Lifetime $99.
Founding offer: first 50 sign-ups get Pawse Pro free for life. Automatic, no codes. Next 200 get Founding Lifetime for $79 (vs $99 standard). After 250 spots claimed the offer closes for good.
What Id love feedback on
- The daily habit notifications, do they actually help or do you start ignoring them after a few days. This is the core mechanic so im especially curious here.
- Is Banjo charming or cringe. The voice is intentional but its not for everyone.
- Does the quiz feel useful when youre actually debating a purchase, or does it feel like filler once youve done it a few times.
- Is the free tier enough on its own. Does Pro feel worth $39.99 a year.
- What was the moment you almost stopped using Pawse. More useful than what you liked.
First app for me. Id rather get hard feedback now than polite feedback later so really, dont hold back.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pawse-impulse-control/id6763488516
DM me on Reddit or email support@pawseapp.app with feedback, bugs, ideas, whatever. I read everything.
Thanks for reading!