A software studio

Building software that feels like help.

Merle is a small studio that designs, builds, and quietly operates software for people who depend on it—three products today, and the occasional good side quest.

See our products → How we think
Products · three live today

Built with a commitment
to simplicity.

Each one serves a specific group of people doing specific work—IT teams, families caring for an aging parent, and concrete subcontractors. All three share the same operating principles.

Sally

Software Asset Management

For IT teams who've outgrown spreadsheets.

  • Multi-stage approval workflows
  • License and seat tracking
  • CVE security monitoring
  • Role-based access control
Explore Sally →

Whiskers

Family Health Coordination

For families quietly holding together care for an aging parent.

  • Shared medical history, in one place
  • Appointments, medications, caregivers
  • Private by default, HIPAA-aware
  • Invite-only family access
Request access →

Barker

Construction Estimating

Cloud takeoff and estimating for concrete contractors.

  • Digital plan takeoffs in the browser
  • Unit-cost libraries, reusable assemblies
  • Bid packages ready to send
  • Built with concrete subs in mind
Explore Barker →
How we think
"Software should reduce friction, not add it."

Every product we ship serves a group of people doing real work under real constraints—IT managers defending a license budget, families coordinating a parent's medication, subcontractors pricing a pour. Three principles keep us honest.

Principle 01

Simple by default

The fewest moving parts the problem allows. Complexity has to earn its place in the screen.

Principle 02

Written for tired people

Labels that read clearly on a bad day. Errors that say what to do. Defaults that do the obvious thing.

Principle 03

Secure and ours to run

We operate what we ship. Private data stays private, and the pager still rings at our house.

Contact

Work with us.

Evaluating Sally, introducing yourself about Whiskers or Barker, or sketching a project on a napkin—email reaches a human who actually writes the code.

Tell us what you're trying to solve, and we'll reply with a short, honest reply within two business days.

No forms, no ticketing queues, no autoresponders. One address, one inbox.

Compose a message →