Solo developer · New Zealand

I make small, honest software that solves one real problem beautifully, and then gets out of your way.

No ads, no tracking, no overpriced subscriptions. Some of these are yours to buy once and keep; others run on servers, so they cost what they cost to run.

See what I'm building

Work

Things I've made

Flagship

Plotstead

Every property has a hundred things to remember: which trench the power cable runs down, when the WOF is due, who fixed the roof and what they charged. Type your address and the boundary arrives from LINZ, then the buildings, vehicles, pipes and cables go onto the aerial photo, with the manuals, costs and reminders attached to each one. Rentals and Airbnbs get money coming in as well as going out, and whether something is private, earning or split between the two is answered once per thing rather than on every receipt. House, rental, bach, farm or lifestyle block, and it exports ready for the accountant at tax time.

A map, not a list Works offline NZ compliance dates Share part of the place

Visit Plotstead Start free

One property free, forever. No card.

Web Live Android In testing iPhone & iPad Soon Windows Soon

Tideline NZ

A rock-solid offline tide app for Kiwi boaties, anglers, surfers, kayakers and divers. It gives you trustworthy tide predictions for 310+ spots around the country. Once it's on your phone it works offline, exactly what you want when you're at a remote boat ramp with zero bars of signal. Now on iPhone and iPad, as well as Android and Windows.

Offline No ads Bite times Launch window

Visit Tideline NZ App Store New Google Play Windows Store

Fine Day

Answers one deceptively hard question: when can I hang the washing out? Fine Day scans 14 days of hour-by-hour rain forecasts to find your dry windows. Handy for washing lines, lawn mowing, painting, concrete pours, and anything else the weather keeps interrupting.

Free 14-day forecast No ads

Visit Fine Day Google Play

More in the works

There are a few more ideas quietly simmering away. They'll show up here once they're properly baked and genuinely worth your time.

Websites for hire

I also build websites for other people

Same principle as everything else here: a site your business actually owns, built lean so it loads fast, and roughly $100 a year to run instead of the $700 a site builder charges you to rent your own front door.

Anywhere in New Zealand, and you can either hand it to me to look after or take the keys and run it yourself.

What that involves

About the developer

Hello, I'm James Sumner

I'm an independent software developer based in Auckland, New Zealand. SumnerD / Sumner Software Development is a one-person operation, just me. The name comes from my nickname growing up, sumnerd (some nerd).

Honestly? I got tired of everyday apps crammed with ads and subscriptions that quietly nibble away at your bank account. So I set out to build the opposite: no ads, no tracking, no overpriced subscriptions, and no charging you monthly for something that runs perfectly well standalone.

Tideline NZ and Fine Day are the first of them, both built and maintained here in New Zealand. Buy once or use free, and they're yours.

Some things genuinely do need a server behind them. Plotstead is the first of those: it syncs between your devices and keeps your records safe if your phone goes in the drink, so there's a subscription to cover what it costs to run, and a free tier that isn't a trial waiting to run out. What won't change is the rest of it. If that's the sort of software you've been missing, you're in the right place.

Get in touch

Say hello

Got an idea worth building, a bit of feedback on the app, or just want to say hello - I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

hello@sumnerd.co.nz