Toby copies Partizion

A little over a year ago, I started building a tool that I desperately needed. I was juggling a job, side projects, school work, and trying to run an agency as well. It was hectic and working in chrome inevitably lead to chaos.

Eventually, I would have 30+ tabs open and it would become so overwhelming so fast. I literally couldn't keep up. I tried project management software, notes apps, physical paper, todo apps, and more. I was able to keep on top of my tasks and projects except I still ran into the same issue: It always lead to an array of tabs from different disciplines (Work, personal, side-projects, etc.) and I would get very distracted.

Then I tried tab managers like Toby, Raindrop, OneTab, and more. Some were good, some weren't really designed for what I was trying to do. Ultimately after talking with some friends and colleagues I just decided screw it, I'll build it myself.

Fast forward to today, a little over a year later, I have built a tab manager that has over 250+ paying users, plenty of positive reviews, and an ambitious roadmap to tackle. I feel so grateful.

Today I also received a notification from Toby saying they have a new design. Curious enough, I checked it out and laughed. It is a blatant copy of Partizion. From the actual design to the language used, Toby is using Partizion's design.

How do I know? A couple months ago, and then again recently, a designer from Toby signed up for Partizion. Toby rarely makes changes, and so any new feature or let alone design change is big.

Am I mad? No. Actually, I'm happy. This is a good sign. It means that a bootstrapped Tab Manager designed, built, and maintained by one is better than a VC backed 5 year old tab manager with 10x the users. It means I'm on the right track.

"Good artists copy, great artists steal." - Pablo Picasso.

I wanted to share this because I feel like as IndieHackers we all get discouraged sometimes. I would be lying if I said I didn't have any feelings of resentment when I first saw the "new" design. We have to remind ourselves that being first or the biggest player in the game isn't the end all be all. Keep hacking, keep shipping, and stay positive!!

A year from now Partizion will have an even greater foothold on Toby.