My name is Philipp and you are reading Creativerly, the internet corner where I unpack my musings, curate and write about noteworthy apps and software, and explore the latest trends in design and tech.

Hey and welcome to Creativerly 360 👋

I wrote the initial version of this intro section while sitting in a super cozy sleeping cabin on an overnight train from my hometown Graz to Berlin, as I am spending the whole week here, visiting friends, getting a new tattoo, doing some workcation, and simply having a great time. I love trains, especially those where you can spend the whole night on, fell asleep, and wake up in a different city. My travel journey was a bit emotional, as it was the first time doing such a thing alone, but I am thankful for the experience. Touching down early-morning in Berlin and soaking in this thing of being in a different city compared to my hometown always feels magical.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to move my "office" to different places every now and then, and I am looking forward to having a great time in Berlin this week. I recently wrote a blog post on the topic of On doing new things, in which I reflected on the fact that we need change, that life is to generative to not explore, experiment, trial-and-error, that we need to leave our comfort zones every now and then. I am happy that the path I have been on for the past couple of months lead me here, entering a new chapter of my life which is guided by exploring, affirming life, experimenting, being spontaneous, and open for anything to come.

in this sense, I wish you all a great week ahead. Enjoy this week's newsletter!

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Fresh Updates & News

Better Shot lets you capture beautiful and professional screenshots for free →

One of the most-used apps on my MacBook is without a doubt CleanShot, a super handy app to create beautiful screenshots. While CleanShot is only available through a one-time payment of $29, I recently stumbled across a free and open source competitor called Better Shot. With Better Shot you can capture screenshots effortlessly through multiple capture modes: Capture regions, fullscreen, or specific windows. Thanks to global hotkeys, which even work when the app is hidden, you have Better Shot's capturing capabilities right at your fingertips.

With the auto-apply background feature, you can add a background to your screenshot and save it instantly, no clunky editor needed. Additionally, it also provides you with annotation tools like shapes, arrows, text, and numbered labels.

Better Shot is available for macOS, it is open source, and 100% free, no subscriptions, no paywalls, no hidden costs. Give it a try.

Setapp Mobile is sunsetting on February 16, 2026 →

Setapp Mobile launched as an alternative iOS marketplace with availability only in the EU, as EU legislation changed Apple's long monopoly on iOS marketplaces. It offered access to over 50 apps under a single recurring subscription. However, while the legislation may have forced Apple to allow such third-party app marketplaces, it seems like it could not make users actually embrace them, as MacPaw, the makers behind Setapp, just announced that they will sunset the service on February 16, 2026, due to still-evolving and complex business terms that do not fit Setapp's current business model.

With the service being sunset, all Setapp Mobile apps will be removed from the platform. This means, if you have used apps via Setapp Mobile, it is important to make sure to transfer your data in advance, as it will no longer be accessible after the sunset.

It is without a doubt sad to see Setapp Mobile go. I have been a fan of the service and used a couple of apps. There are still a few alternatives available in the EU though, AltStore PAL and Epic Games Store.

Mental Wealth

❯ Exiting the Billionaire Castle – “In 2025 I have spend some time to untangle my digital life from billionaire/fascist (that Venn diagram is becoming more of a circle each and every day) run platforms. So at the beginning of 2026 maybe it makes sense to talk a bit about what I did, why I went certain ways and what works and what doesn’t.”

❯ 500,000 tech workers have been laid off since ChatGPT was released – “One of the key points I repeated when talking about the state of the tech industry yesterday was the salient fact that half a million tech workers have been laid off since ChatGPT was released in late 2022. Now, to be clear, those workers haven’t been laid off because their jobs are now being done by AI, and they’ve been replaced by bots. Instead, they’ve been laid off by execs who now have AI to use as an excuse for going after workers they’ve wanted to cut all along.”

❯ Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time – “Every now and then I get an email from a student preparing for a hard exam. They have their schedule planned out for how they’re going to study, and they end the email with a nervous “What do you think?” Invariably, my answer disappoints: “Well, it depends 
” There are some obvious reasons: I don’t know the exam. I don’t know their ability level. I don’t know what they already know.”

❯ Do not give up your brain – “It's tempting to just let tools think for you, but you still need to be able to think for yourself and stay sharp. In case you missed it, I have a little AI Manifesto here on this blog. I do use AI for work, and often shill AI for work, and use it often on side projects. That being said, I really care about using AI as a tool, rather than a replacement for my own thoughts and ideas. I think it’s very important to not default to laziness and just asking for the answer to something, especially when thinking a liiiiittle bit can get you there.”

Do not miss out on this ...

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These are paid promotions or affiliate links to support Creativerly. If you are interested in putting your tool, product, or resource in front of over 2000 creative minds, consider advertising in Creativerly and book a sponsor or classified ad spot. Find all the important information at creativerly.com/advertise.

Appendix

❯ ICYMI

You’ve saved 500 articles, 200 videos, and 100 podcasts, promising to revisit them ‘someday.’ But will you? Explore the ‘save for later’ paradox: why we hoard digital content, the illusion of productivity, and how to embrace (or break) the cycle in an age of AI-generated overload.

❯ Quick Bits

Till next time! 👋‌‌‌‌

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