Is it just me, or has simple software gotten way too complicated lately?
Most software tools today seem to suffer from the exact same lifecycle. They start as a clean, hyper-focused solution to one specific problem, and within a year or two, they turn into an bloated dashboard trying to be an all-in-one platform for everyone.
I’ve caught myself switching away from tools I used to rely on daily—not because they stopped working, but because the interface became noisy with features I never asked for. AI widgets shoved into simple text fields, multi-layered settings menus, and onboarding flows designed for enterprise sales rather than standard users.
From a product standpoint, the pressure makes sense: enterprise tier pricing, expansion revenue, and keeping up with tech hype cycles drive teams to keep adding. But from a user experience standpoint, the friction builds up quickly.
Where do you draw the line between necessary product evolution and feature bloat ?
Are there tools in your daily stack that managed to scale up features while preserving their original speed and clarity, or do you eventually just replace bloated apps with newer, minimal alternatives?
Replies
Not just you. I used Fantastical on my Mac for a long time, got frustrated with it, and ended up building my own calendar. Every time I think about adding what other calendars have, mine starts to feel bloated too. For a calendar, being easy to read comes first, so that's where I draw the line.