How many new products do you try and how many stick?
I've recently been recommended various new tools like Warp (terminal) and Zed (IDE). They are both quite intriguing, as I expect both could help speed up my development workflow. However, actually switching to them seems to be a huge lift.
I've downloaded and explored the two apps, but the thought of figuring out which current habits can be replicated vs. which ones I should completely relearn with the new app's tools is quite daunting. As a result, I haven't re-opened them...
I think the ProductHunt community would lean on the side of more experimental and motivated to try new things. How many new products do you try? How many end up sticking? Do you also feel the obstacles I've mentioned above and what ends up pushing you over that activation energy?
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
It depends, usually I try 3 products when they are somehow relevant to me or I am curious about the topic. + I try to give feedback. It is very difficult to try everything when you have there dozens of products launched daily.
Onyx
@busmark_w_nika I think one of the aspects of trialing a bunch of tools is getting inspired about what problems seem to exist in the world and what good ideas people have had. Arc browser is something I use that fits that motif --> features I've never thought about in the context of browsers, but executed brilliantly in Arc and inspires me to think further outside the box
minimalist phone: creating folders
@wenxi I thought that arc somehow changed their structure... wasn't it acquired by Jira? I mean Atlassian. Many people yelled about that and shifted back from that browser lol
Onyx
@busmark_w_nika I had no idea.... Im actually shocked I missed this
minimalist phone: creating folders
@wenxi https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-acquires-the-browser-company
@wenxi For me the user experience matters a lot if a new product can save me 10 to 15 minutes for doing tasks using it, then definitely that product is going to stick with me!
Onyx
@sheraz_abdul_hayee What if it takes you 10 hours to master? E.g. if I switch to Zed, I will be significantly less productive/slower than just using Cursor, but I could potentially save a bunch of time after mastery. ATM, hard to justify that 10 hours haha
Onyx
Have you tried Cursor or Windsurf? Any differences?
Onyx
@yuhongsun96 Have not tried Windsurf. Cursor is nice for being just VSCode with AI built in
Cal ID
Dropping my two cents on this, since I’m always scrolling Product Hunt and testing stuff.
Honestly, I try a lot of new tools, probably more than I should. Most weeks, I’ll check out 3-4 that catch my eye, especially if someone in my network or a maker I trust gives them a shoutout. But actually sticking with one? That’s a little rare.
For me, a tool has to feel like a natural extension of what I’m already doing. If it adds friction or asks me to unlearn muscle memory, I’ll probably close the tab and forget about it. The real winners are the ones where I see an immediate win, like saving time right away, or solving a daily irritation in a way that’s just… obvious.
But even with all the hopping around, I still think it’s worth trying new things. The ideal payoff is rare, but it’s the reason I keep hitting the “Try It” button.
I usually try out one or two new tools each week to see if they can make my workflow a bit smoother. I completely understand how challenging it feels to move away from something you’ve relied on for years.
What works well for me is to run the new tool alongside the old one, instead of switching everything at once. I’ll test it out on just part of my daily tasks. Over time, I get used to the interface and start to notice where it really saves me time. At that point, the old tool feels less necessary, and the transition happens more naturally.
This way, it’s not a big, stressful jump but rather a gradual shift, which makes the whole process easier to manage.
I agree about your comment of a Daunting task at times, especially when i have my own projects to work on. I've only tried a couple apps so far and one of them might stick for me as it compliments my other developer tools. With that said there are so many cool and useful tools every day i see here that i wish i had more time to explore. I'm going to try to better support others by dedicating some extra time trying out more apps and tools by giving a review or comment. It would be nice if i could pick 10 awesome apps, download them and then compile them into a python GUI as a software suite which i have done for my workplace already and at home for my own projects.
Lancepilot
I probably test way more products than I actually keep using.