Why We Built SubSnitch: Our Mission to End Subscription Traps

It started with a fitness app. I wanted to try a 7-day workout program, so I downloaded an app that looked promising, tapped "Start Free Trial," and entered my card details without thinking twice. The app was fine, nothing special. I used it twice and forgot about it.

Three weeks later, I noticed a $49.99 charge on my credit card. Then another $49.99 the month after that. By the time I caught it, I had been charged nearly $150 for an app I had used twice. Cancelling required emailing their support team and waiting 5 business days for a response. The refund? "Not eligible per our terms of service."

I am a software developer. I build things for a living. And even I fell for it.

The Problem Nobody Was Solving

After that experience, I looked for tools that could prevent it from happening again. What I found was a landscape of products designed to help after the damage was done. Subscription trackers that scan your bank statements and show you what you are already paying for. Bill negotiation services that try to get refunds on charges you have already incurred. Budgeting apps that categorize your existing subscriptions.

All of these tools share the same fundamental limitation: they only work after you have already been charged. They are reactive, not proactive.

That tool did not exist. So we built it.

How SubSnitch Works Differently

Real-time, at the point of decision. SubSnitch does not wait until after you have been charged. It scans checkout pages as they load, analyzing the DOM for known deceptive patterns. When it finds something — a pre-checked subscription checkbox, a hidden recurring charge buried in fine print, a misleadingly short free trial — it shows you a clear, prominent warning before you click "Buy."

Privacy-first by design. We built SubSnitch with a simple rule: no data leaves your browser. Ever. All scanning and analysis happens locally using JavaScript. There are no servers collecting your browsing data, no analytics tracking your activity, no accounts to create. Your browsing habits are none of our business.

Free, and staying that way. A tool designed to protect people from predatory charges should not itself be a subscription. SubSnitch is free to use, and it always will be. Consumer protection is not a premium feature.

Our Vision

We believe the internet should be honest. When you buy something online, you should know exactly what you are paying for, how much it costs, and what you are committing to. That should not require a law degree or pixel-level examination of checkout pages.

Right now, the burden of vigilance falls entirely on consumers. Companies spend millions optimizing their checkout flows to maximize revenue through confusion, and individual shoppers are expected to catch every trick. That is an unfair fight.

SubSnitch is our attempt to level the playing field. We want to build a future where subscription traps do not work — not because every company has been regulated into compliance, but because consumers have the tools to see through them instantly.

We are starting with a Chrome extension. But our vision extends beyond that. We want to build the most comprehensive dark pattern detection system in the world — one that works across browsers, across platforms, and across the ever-evolving landscape of deceptive design.

Every subscription trap that SubSnitch catches is money that stays in someone's pocket instead of flowing to a company that did not earn it honestly. That is what gets us up in the morning.

If that mission resonates with you, give SubSnitch a try. It takes one click to install, and it starts protecting you immediately. No account needed, no data collected, no strings attached.