In my quest to become more productive, I've tried out software with lofty promises and plenty of features. And while I understand that they work for some people, they never really stuck with me.

As I started replacing bloated apps with more focused ones, I realized that I actually no longer trust the promises of apps that appear to do it all...

A jack of all trades is a master of none

More features don't always mean better features

When an app tries to do too much, it can lose what made it appealing in the first place. You end up with a bunch of superficial features that aren't really effective, rather than a few things the software does really well. Excessive expansion beyond an app's original scope is called feature creep, but even if you weren't familiar with an app in its early days, you'll know bloat when you see it.

Not only is this bloat overwhelming, but these extra, non-essential features are rarely all that useful. For example, while Notion does plenty of things well, especially for note-taking and database creation, some of its other tools can be a bit underwhelming. Sure, you can create a site with Notion, but it's not nearly as customizable as a dedicated website creation platform.

Plenty of apps are also over-promising and under-delivering when it comes to AI features. Everywhere I look, there's software that promises to do everything using AI tools. But in reality, these tools can be incredibly limited. Microsoft Copilot is integrated into so many Windows apps, even when users don't necessarily want it there.

Even an app that I enjoy, like NotebookLM, is becoming a victim of feature creep. While certain new features enhance some of its original focus, others feel underbaked and like additional bloat. Meanwhile, as much as I love Canva and even enjoy its newer photo editing tool, some of its other new features don't work nearly as well as I'd hoped.

I'd rather take a focused app that delivers on its promises, even if that means simpler features, than continually deal with apps that have plenty of features that aren't really all that effective. It's one thing if you're just dealing with a free bloated app, but the more features and AI that paid or freemium software integrates, the more expensive these subscriptions usually become.

The learning curve is often too steep

You spend more time reading about it than using it

Another drawback of many productivity apps is the learning curve. Unless I'm dealing with software that requires learning a new skill, I don't want to have to watch tutorials and spend hours setting up a platform just to take notes and set up tasks.

But when software has extensive features, you inevitably spend a lot of time trying to get to grips with this functionality. Some people don't mind doing this, especially when it enables them to build an extensive personal knowledge management system.

For me, these extensive features often just become overwhelming. I have to continually remind myself how to replicate certain tasks and navigate bloated menus.

It's why I switched a lot of my task management and note-taking from all-in-one apps to simpler options like Jotty Page and Standard Notes.

More features often mean more paywalls

Some features are just there to lure you to a subscription

One of the most frustrating things about trying out free software is encountering paywalls for essential features. I understand the need for monetization, but I've found that app companies market certain features while not being transparent about their limitations for free users.

I've seen this most often on Android, especially in apps that use AI. But I've also encountered it with web-based note-taking and automation software.

This has caused a certain level of distrust when it comes to trying out software. I don't really bother with free trials, because I want to experience the limitations I'll have with a free plan. But even when I do pay for a service, additional features (usually AI ones) are continually used to try to upsell me to a higher tier.

Often, though, a bunch of features I don't really need are bundled in with one I actually want. For Notion, this is the ability to have multiple charts for my data or to create or edit simple automations. For Zapier, this would be applying a simple filter to my automations.

So when I see feature creep in otherwise great apps, I wonder if this will be used as a way to introduce higher subscription prices or to create bloated feature lists for subscriptions when most people may only want a simple quality-of-life improvement.

Simpler is sometimes better

With the exception of specialized apps, I do feel that a lot of software out there is experiencing significant feature creep as a way to push users to more subscriptions. Years ago, gamification was one of the big software trends users would encounter. Nowadays, it's AI everywhere.

But my experience with apps that promise to solve all your productivity problems or create a revolution for how you work is that they're rarely as effective as they seem. Instead, you sit with tons of features you never use, and the ones you want are locked behind a paywall bundled in with a bunch of bloat you don't want to pay for.