shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use JustAnswer?

Ask a question and get an expert answer — 24/7 - justanswer.com

Skip. In January 2026 the FTC sued JustAnswer for deceiving consumers into recurring subscriptions, and Australia's Federal Court fined it $10M over misleading pricing — billing is the core risk, not expertise. Only viable for a rare one-off expert question if you treat every charge as non-recurring and cancel immediately; most people are better served by free forums or a licensed professional.

Confidence

High. Based on ~30 public sources including the FTC lawsuit, Australian Federal Court penalty, BBB/Trustpilot/Reddit reviews, and infostealer credential data.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence in sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Pay-per-question

varies by category and expert

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo
Monthly membershipvaries by category

Best for

  • One-off urgent expert question
  • Car, appliance, or pet diagnosis on demand
  • Users who read terms and cancel immediately

Not for

  • Anyone allergic to surprise recurring charges
  • Businesses needing accountable, documented professional advice
  • People unwilling to dispute charges to get refunds
  • Budget users — single interactions reportedly ran $60-70

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Question fee reportedly auto-converts to monthly membership; users say canceling is hard

high

FTC alleges enrollment without clear consent; case is ongoing

medium

Refunds often require persistent disputes; complaints span 300+ BBB pages

medium

Membership pricing varies by category; true monthly cost unclear before signup

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 24/7 expert answers via app across medical, legal, vet, and tech categories
  • Dozens of category pages cover law, medicine, computers, pets, and TV repair
  • BBB-accredited with an official complaint channel

Cons

  • FTC sued in Jan 2026 for deceptive subscription enrollment
  • Ordered to pay $10M in Australia for misleading pricing
  • Numerous r/Scams reports of surprise membership charges
  • Ongoing class action over subscription practices
  • 881 user credentials from found in infostealer logs

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/26/2026 - 16 sources - No product vulnerabilities; 881 site credentials surfaced in infostealer logs; FTC suit is consumer-protection, not security.

official x3review x7security x1news x5
  • 881 credentials in infostealer logs, Hudson Rock lists 881 credentials sourced from in cybercrime infostealer data.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 1/5

    Rating

  • varies by category and expert

    Starting price

  • 16

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 1/5. FTC suit plus $10M AU billing penalty
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence in sources
  • Feature depth: 3/5. 24/7 experts across medicine, law, vet, tech
  • Support quality: 1/5. Refund battles dominate Reddit and BBB
  • Security posture: 2/5. 881 credentials leaked via infostealers
  • 2003 Founded Per 20-year anniversary blog, Oct 2023
  • $25.7M Series B Funding TechCrunch, 2012 (as Pearl.com)
  • Sued Jan 2026 FTC action Deceptive subscription enrollment
  • $10M AU penalty Federal Court, misleading pricing

Pricing

Pay-per-question

varies by category and expert

  • Single question to a verified expert
  • No evidence of a free tier

Monthly membership

varies by category

  • Recurring monthly fee
  • Central to FTC deception allegations

Security

No product vulnerabilities; 881 site credentials surfaced in infostealer logs; FTC suit is consumer-protection, not security.

  • 881 credentials in infostealer logsHudson Rock lists 881 credentials sourced from in cybercrime infostealer data.12

What users say

Users split between those who got useful one-off answers and a large group reporting surprise recurring charges and refund fights.

“Justanswer is a scam.”
Reddit, r/Scams
“JustAnswer.com tricked me into paying a membership fee”
Reddit, r/Scams
“JustAnswer is a SCAM. But I got refunded.”
Reddit, r/Scams

Alternatives

Compare JustAnswer with each alternative.

  • Reddit expert communities

    Guess: free answers for most DIY, tech, and pet questions.

  • Avvo

    Guess: free lawyer Q&A directory; hire directly when needed.

    JustAnswer vs Avvo

  • Stack Exchange

    Guess: free, community-verified technical answers.

Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources including the FTC lawsuit, Australian Federal Court penalty, BBB/Trustpilot/Reddit reviews, and infostealer credential data.

FTC sued it (2026) over subscription traps; experts are real but billing complaints dominate. Try free forums or hire a pro directly.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources including the FTC lawsuit, Australian Federal Court penalty, BBB/Trustpilot/Reddit reviews, and infostealer credential data.

Sources

  1. FTC Sues JustAnswer for Deceiving Consumers into Enrolling in Costly Recurring Monthly Subscriptionftc.gov
    news
  2. JustAnswer to pay $10m in penalties for misleading pricing representationsnationaltribune.com.au
    news
  3. JustAnswer LLC | The ClassAction.org Legal News Wireclassaction.org
    news
  4. FTC Sues JustAnswer for Deceptive Subscription Practicesadvertisinglaw.foxrothschild.com
    news
  5. Is justanswer a scam? — Reddit r/Scamsreddit.com
    review
  6. JustAnswer.com tricked me into paying a membership fee — Reddit r/Scamsreddit.com
    review
  7. Scammed out of $60 from JustAnswer.com — Reddit r/Scamsreddit.com
    review
  8. JustAnswer Customer Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  9. JustAnswer Reviews — ConsumerAffairsconsumeraffairs.com
    review
  10. JustAnswer Review: 5 Things To Know Before You Sign Up — Clark.comclark.com
    review
  11. JustAnswer Complaints — BBBbbb.org
    review
  12. JustAnswer — 881 Infostealer Credentials (Hudson Rock)hudsonrock.com
    security
  13. JustAnswer pricing help pagejustanswer.com
    official
  14. JustAnswer — Google Play listingplay.google.com
    official
  15. Pearl.com (JustAnswer) lands $25.7M Series B — TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
    news
  16. JustAnswer's 20-Year Journey — JustAnswer blogjustanswer.com
    official

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