Inspiration I started Code and Sea because I was getting really exhausted by the state of modern software. Every basic utility these days seems packed with unnecessary bloat, hidden data tracking, and exhausting monthly subscription models. I wanted to create a quiet pushback against all of that. Code and Sea was born from a desire to build simple, intentional digital products that actually respect your focus and your wallet. It is also a personal project to fund a sustainable, quiet life working by the ocean on the UK coast.
What it does Code and Sea is an independent software development studio. Right now, our portfolio highlights two main products:
Transcendence: A super minimalist, privacy-focused Transcendental Meditation timer for iOS and iPadOS. It strips away everything you do not need. There is no guided background noise, no intrusive notifications, and absolutely no monthly fees.
Tidal Draft: A workflow tool that pairs a Chrome Extension with a Figma Plugin. It lets you capture live web pages and import them directly into Figma as fully editable designs. It runs on a straightforward pay-as-you-go model.
How I built it As a solo developer building in public, I focus heavily on clean craftsmanship. For Transcendence, I used native iOS and iPadOS frameworks to keep the app lightweight, fast, and entirely private. For Tidal Draft, I had to build a reliable bridge between web technologies and design platforms. I created a Chrome extension to parse live web elements and feed them directly into a custom Figma plugin API. I engineered everything from the ground up to be lean, intentionally leaving out all the standard tracking scripts and telemetry you usually see.
Challenges I ran into The biggest challenge was actually sticking to my guns on pricing. The whole tech industry pushes you toward recurring subscriptions, but figuring out a sustainable pay-as-you-go and flat fee architecture was important to me. On the technical side, getting Tidal Draft to accurately map messy, complex live web code into clean and editable Figma layers took a massive amount of trial and error.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of I am most proud of proving that you do not need to rely on tracking or subscriptions to launch successful apps. Getting Transcendence and Tidal Draft out the door while completely respecting user privacy feels like a big win. I am also really proud of managing the entire studio as a solo founder while maintaining a healthy work pace.
What I learned Building in public showed me just how many people are completely fed up with subscription fatigue and bloated apps. There is a huge market of users who just want tools that do exactly what they promise and then get out of the way. I also learned a lot about balancing the deep technical coding work with the day-to-day realities of running an indie studio.
What's next for Code and Sea I am going to keep building clean, purposeful software that lasts. For Tidal Draft, I want to expand its capture capabilities. For Transcendence, I will keep polishing the core experience. Beyond that, the plan is to just maintain a sustainable pace of work, keep listening to user feedback, and enjoy the indie dev journey on the coast
Built With
- nextjs
- postgresql
- tailwind
