Contrast.co
Contrast is an Austin-based, bootstrapped iOS app studio founded in 2008 that develops and sells consumer utility apps — notably Weather Up, Launch Center Pro, and a suite of messaging and productivity tools — exclusively through the Apple App Store to individual iOS users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Contrast.co does
Contrast (formerly App Cubby) is an Austin, Texas-based independent iOS app studio founded in 2008 by David Barnard, operating as a bootstrapped, founder-owned sole proprietorship with a small network of project-based collaborators. The company develops and distributes a portfolio of consumer utility apps exclusively through the Apple App Store, with core products spanning weather (Weather Up, Weather Atlas, Perfect Weather), productivity (Launch Center Pro, Timer), and messaging composition (Group Text+, Email+). Its flagship product, Weather Up, launched in version 3.0 in January 2024 with interactive Home Screen widgets, watchOS 10 complications, and integration of three forecast sources (Apple Weather, AerisWeather, AccuWeather) for side-by-side comparison.
Contrast's technology is grounded in native Apple platform integration rather than proprietary back-end infrastructure: apps leverage iOS Home Screen widgets, Apple Watch complications, iPad Split View, share extensions, and the Shortcuts app, with weather data sourced from third-party providers. The company emphasizes privacy as a design constraint, explicitly avoiding collection of personal data and deleting IP addresses immediately after request completion.
Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription and one-time-purchase monetization distributed entirely through Apple's App Store. Subscriptions include Weather Up at $40/year or $4/month and Launch Center Pro at $11.99/year or $35 lifetime, while utility apps are priced at $0.99–$2.99 individually with bundle options (e.g., Group Text+ and Email+ bundle at $3.99). The go-to-market motion is product-led, relying on App Store featuring, earned media coverage from major tech publications, and the founder's personal brand rather than paid marketing. Customers are individual iOS consumers globally, with no enterprise segment, no B2B contracts, and no disclosed institutional funding or external investors.
Contrast.co firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contrast.co
- Legal name
- Contrast
- Website
- https://contrast.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Contrast is an Austin-based, bootstrapped iOS app studio founded in 2008 that develops and sells consumer utility apps — notably Weather Up, Launch Center Pro, and a suite of messaging and productivity tools — exclusively through the Apple App Store to individual iOS users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contrast.co industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Applications
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile App Stores & Marketplaces (BPAMADAA)
Keywords
Where Contrast.co is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Contrast.co business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue (Weather Up): Weather Up generates recurring revenue through annual ($40/year) or monthly ($4/month) subscription plans for premium weather forecasting features including widgets and multiple forecast sources.
- App Purchases and Subscriptions (Launch Center Pro): Launch Center Pro is free to download with optional premium unlock: $11.99/year or $35 lifetime access. Individual features can also be purchased separately for lifetime access.
- One-Time App Purchase (Perfect Weather): Perfect Weather sold as a one-time purchase for $0.99 in the US App Store.
- One-Time App Purchase (Group Text+): Group Text+ sold as a one-time purchase for $1.99 (launch sale price).
- One-Time App Purchase (Email+): Email+ sold as a one-time purchase for $2.99 in the App Store.
- Bundle Sales: Bundle of Group Text+ and Email+ available for $3.99, offering discounted combined pricing versus individual purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Weather Up subscription with full feature access |
| Freemium | Annual | Launch Center Pro free tier with optional premium unlock |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Perfect Weather one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Group Text+ one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Email+ one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Group Text+ and Email+ bundle |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Contrast.co product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contrast.co develops and sells native iOS consumer utility apps through the Apple App Store, including weather forecasting apps (Weather Up, Perfect Weather, Weather Atlas), a task automation/shortcut app (Launch Center Pro), a timer app, and quick messaging/email apps (Group Text+, Email+). Apps are sold individually via subscriptions or one-time purchases and target iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users.
Product overview
Contrast.co is an iOS app developer offering a portfolio of utility apps focused on productivity and weather forecasting. The product line includes Launch Center Pro (task automation and app launching), Timer (multi-timer management), Group Text+ and Email+ (quick messaging and email composition), and three weather apps: Weather Up (general weather with widgets and Apple Watch), Weather Atlas (detailed forecasting with maps), and Perfect Weather (temperature-focused for regions like Texas). The apps are separate standalone offerings designed to be simple, powerful, and beautiful, with a focus on user experience and privacy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Weather Up Consumer weather app providing at-a-glance interactive Home Screen widgets, Apple Watch complications and full-featured watchOS app, Event Forecasts linked to calendar events, three forecast source options (Apple Weather, AerisWeather, AccuWeather), and weather maps with radar, cloud, and warning layers. Sold as a subscription ($40/year or $4/month) for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users.
- Launch Center Pro Productivity app acting as a speed dial for iOS tasks, enabling complex actions (messaging, calls, app launches, searches, shortcuts for email, Safari, social media) in a single tap. Free to download with optional premium unlock via $11.99/year subscription or $35 lifetime access; individual features can also be purchased separately for lifetime access.
- Timer Minimalist one-tap timer app for iOS allowing users to save up to 12 timers as large buttons for instant access, with tap-to-start, tap-to-stop, and tap-and-hold-to-edit functionality.
- Group Text+ Messaging app enabling quick creation and sending of text messages via iMessage and SMS, allowing users to mix contacts, groups, images, and text snippets, with GIF search and a share extension for use within other apps. Sold as a one-time purchase (launch sale price $1.99).
- Email+ Email composition app allowing quick sending of emails by mixing contacts, groups, images, and text snippets, with GIF search capability and a share extension for use within other apps. Sold as a one-time purchase for $2.99 in the App Store.
- Perfect Weather Information-dense weather app featuring split view for forecast and weather map at a glance, interactive temperature chart showing hourly forecast with high/low times, designed for regions with sudden weather changes like Texas. Sold as a one-time purchase for $0.99 (US-only).
- Weather Atlas Weather app with 10-day and hourly forecasts featuring customizable weather and app icons, severe weather alerts, and detailed mapping including radar, cloud layers, temperature, humidity, precipitation accumulation, and warning layers for hurricanes and tornadoes. US-only distribution.
Companies that use Contrast.co
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Contrast.co technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
Contrast.co partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Contrast.co competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carrot Weather: Brian Mueller's iOS-first weather app with subscription tiers, playful personality, multiple forecast sources, and strong Apple Watch/widget support. Direct competitor to Weather Up in the premium iOS weather category.
- PCalc (TLA Systems): Long-running, small-team iOS calculator app with deep Apple platform integrations (widgets, Apple Watch, Shortcuts) and a paid-upgrade model. Highly comparable to Contrast's premium utility approach.
- Readdle: Independent iOS-first productivity suite (Scanner Pro, Spark, PDF Expert) with freemium and subscription tiers. Comparable multi-app portfolio strategy serving iOS professionals.
- Overcast (Marco Arment): Founder-led, bootstrapped iOS utility app (podcast player) sold as one-time purchase plus subscription. Closely mirrors Contrast's model of a small team building a beloved, premium iOS app.
- Mercury Weather: Small-team iOS weather app focused on elegant design, Apple Watch, and widgets with subscription pricing. Direct niche competitor to Weather Up in the premium iOS weather segment.
- Cultured Code (Things): Independent, profitable maker of Things 3, a flagship iOS productivity app sold via one-time purchase and subscription. Mirror of Contrast's bootstrapped, design-led iOS productivity positioning.
- Agile Tortoise (Drafts): Small-team iOS app developer behind Drafts, a popular text-capture and automation utility. Direct peer in the iOS quick-launch / productivity category overlapping Launch Center Pro.
Others
- AccuWeather: Major commercial weather data provider that powers one of Weather Up's three forecast sources. Adjacent ecosystem player — both a potential partner and a competitor through its own consumer app.
Broad incumbents
- Apple Weather: Apple's pre-installed iOS weather app; bundled with every iPhone and steadily absorbing premium features like widgets, severe alerts, and hourly forecasts — the primary incumbent threat to Weather Up.
- The Weather Channel: Mass-market consumer weather app from IBM, with broad feature set, ad-supported free tier, and cross-platform reach. Broad incumbent in the same end-user weather category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Contrast.co social profiles
Digital presenceContrast.co financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contrast.co leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Contrast.co funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contrast.co M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contrast.co
What does Contrast.co do?
Contrast.co develops and sells native iOS consumer utility apps through the Apple App Store, including weather forecasting apps (Weather Up, Perfect Weather, Weather Atlas), a task automation/shortcut app (Launch Center Pro), a timer app, and quick messaging/email apps (Group Text+, Email+). Apps are sold individually via subscriptions or one-time purchases and target iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users.
Is Contrast.co a public or private company?
Contrast.co is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Contrast.co founded?
Contrast.co was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Contrast.co based?
Contrast.co is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Contrast.co make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue (Weather Up) is the primary driver. The others are app Purchases and Subscriptions (Launch Center Pro), one-Time App Purchase (Perfect Weather), one-Time App Purchase (Group Text+), one-Time App Purchase (Email+) and bundle Sales.
Who are Contrast.co's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carrot Weather, PCalc (TLA Systems), Readdle, Overcast (Marco Arment), Mercury Weather, Cultured Code (Things) and Agile Tortoise (Drafts). AccuWeather is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Apple Weather and The Weather Channel.
Does Contrast.co have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contrast.co.
What industry is Contrast.co in?
Contrast.co's product category is Mobile Applications. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMADAA, Mobile App Stores & Marketplaces.