I've used creative design software almost every day of my life for more than 30 years. I've grown with it, but sadly the costs of using it have grown too. A few years ago Adobe and Pantone even started charging creators just to access basic colour palettes. Their greed was obvious.

FREETONE: A LINE IN THE SAND

That moment pushed me to act. I built and gave away FREETONE, a free colour plugin that tens of thousands of designers still use every day so they don't have to pay those unfair fees. But it was clear that wasn't enough. Against the background of rising rental payments for our tools, I knew something bigger had to change. That's where the idea for ABODE was born.

A WAVE OF SUPPORT

I launched it as a Kickstarter a couple of years ago. The response blew me away. Thousands of designers and creatives rallied behind the idea, showing just how urgently this was needed at a time when the cost of living keeps climbing and AI is reshaping the creative landscape.

SETBACKS, THEN LIFTOFF

It hasn't all been easy. Developers disappeared or failed to deliver, and for a while it looked like ABODE might never happen. But in August 2025 I picked it up myself and restarted the project. Since then, huge progress has been made.

ABODE is now on its way to becoming a full creative suite that combines photo editing, illustration, and desktop publishing in one place. Think of all the tools you know and love, but without the stress of endless rent payments. I'm building it hand in hand with the community, with backers already stepping up as Test Pilots to help shape the direction of the software feature by feature.

This site is where you can keep up with my progress, or join the waitlist to be one of the first to try it.

My goal is ambitious but clear: to have ABODE ready for the world by spring 2026. And this time, it's happening.

Cheers,
Stuart Semple