Most developers don't have one side project — they have three. Or five. Or a graveyard of half-finished apps with brilliant ideas buried in old Notes files, forgotten Notion pages, and scattered GitHub repos with no README.
The problem isn't motivation. It's a lack of a proper side project tracker that actually fits how developers think and work.
In this article, we'll break down what makes a great side project tracker, what to avoid, and why Project Brain has become the go-to tool for indie developers who want to stay organized without the overhead of enterprise tools.
I had six side projects open in six different Notion pages, three GitHub repos with no description, and two notes apps. I never knew where anything was. Now everything is in one place.
Why Most Developers Struggle to Track Side Projects
Side projects are fundamentally different from work projects. They're messy, personal, and non-linear. You might work on them for 2 hours on a Sunday, then not touch them for three weeks. When you come back, you need to remember exactly where you left off.
This is where most tools fail:
- Generic task managers (Todoist, Things, TickTick) treat every task equally — they have no concept of a "project" with features, bugs, and design ideas as separate dimensions
- Notion is too flexible — you spend more time building the system than using it
- GitHub Issues is built for code, not for ideas, design notes, or early-stage thinking
- Notes apps become a flat list with no structure — impossible to navigate after a week
- Trello boards are great for one project but get chaotic when you have five
What you actually need is something specifically designed for the indie developer workflow.
What a Good Side Project Tracker Needs
After building and shipping several apps ourselves, here's what we found matters most:
- Project-centric view — see all your projects at a glance, with statuses
- Structured categories — separate spaces for features, bugs, design decisions, and notes
- Speed above all — open app → add idea → close app, under 10 seconds
- Works offline — ideas don't care about your Wi-Fi
- Mobile + desktop sync — you think on your phone, you build on your computer
- Free to start — side projects shouldn't cost money before they make money
iOS
Windows
How Project Brain Works as a Side Project Tracker
Project Brain is built around a simple mental model that matches how developers actually think about their projects.
Projects as the top level
Every project gets its own card on the home screen with a name, emoji, and status (In Progress, Idea, Ready to Launch, etc.). At a glance you can see everything you're working on. No digging through folders or database views.
Four categories inside every project
When you open a project, you see four tabs:
- Features — everything you want to build, each with a done/not done state
- Design — visual ideas, UI decisions, color schemes, screen concepts
- Bugs — things that are broken, with priority tracking
- Notes — anything else: links, references, random thoughts
This structure matches how developers naturally think. You don't need to configure it. Open a new project and it's already there.
One tap to add, long press for more
Tap the + button in any tab to add an idea. That's it. If you want to add a description or more detail, long press to expand. The default flow is intentionally minimal — get the idea out of your head and into the app before it disappears.
Use the Notes tab as a project-specific clipboard. Paste in links, code snippets, or reference material you want to keep close to the project without cluttering your other tabs.
Managing Multiple Side Projects at Once
The real test of a side project tracker is how well it handles the multi-project juggle. Here's how Project Brain handles the scenarios developers face most often:
Switching between projects
The home screen lists all your projects. One tap opens any of them. The last tab you were on is remembered, so you're always exactly where you left off.
Remembering where you stopped
The done/undone state on every feature item acts as a natural progress marker. When you come back after three weeks, you can see at a glance what's finished and what's next.
Separating ideas from tasks
Many developers keep ideas and tasks mixed together, which leads to long overwhelming lists. Project Brain's tab structure separates what you want to build (Features) from what is broken (Bugs) — two very different mental contexts.
Syncing Across iPhone and Windows
One of the unique strengths of Project Brain as a side project tracker is that it runs natively on both iOS and Windows, with real-time sync via Firebase.
This matters because the indie developer workflow typically looks like this:
- Get a feature idea on your phone while commuting — add it to Project Brain immediately
- Sit down at your Windows PC — the idea is already there
- Build the feature, mark it done on desktop — your phone reflects the update instantly
No manual export. No "sync conflict" dialogs. Just open the app on either device and you're up to date.
How to Set Up Your Side Project Tracker in 5 Minutes
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1Download Project Brain — free from the App Store on iOS, or as a .msi installer for Windows from getprojectbrain.com
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2Create a free account — takes 30 seconds. No payment required.
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3Add your first project — give it a name, pick an emoji, set a status. Done.
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4Brain dump everything — open each tab and add every idea, bug, and note you've been carrying in your head. Get it all out.
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5Repeat for each project — add all your active and in-progress side projects. The free plan supports up to 3.
Free vs Pro: What You Get
The free plan is designed to be genuinely useful, not just a teaser:
- Up to 3 projects — enough to cover most active indie developers
- All four categories (Features, Design, Bugs, Notes) in every project
- Full offline functionality
- Dark and light theme, accent color picker
- 7 languages supported
Pro ($2.99/month) adds:
- Unlimited projects
- Real-time sync between iPhone and Windows via Firebase
- Access to the Windows desktop app
- Early access to new features
At $2.99/month, it's less than a cup of coffee — and it pays for itself the first time you recover a feature idea you would have otherwise forgotten.
Your side projects deserve
a proper home.
Stop losing ideas. Start tracking everything in one place. Free for up to 3 projects.