DEV Community: JoyZhang

Why I Built YooAI — An AI Platform Without Subscriptions

JoyZhang — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 13:17:22 +0000

Have you ever had this experience?

You only used ChatGPT three times in a month, but still paid the full \$20 subscription fee.

What’s worse, if you want to try Claude, MidJourney, or Runway, you need to subscribe to each of them separately. Your monthly bill can easily go over \$100, even though you barely used any of them. Most of the time, that money just goes down the drain.

Personally, I find this wasteful. Many people don’t use AI tools every day — they just need them occasionally. But current pricing models don’t offer that freedom. You either subscribe, or you don’t use the tool at all.

And beyond the cost, tool switching is a huge pain.

Today’s AI tools are scattered across different websites. Every time you want to use a feature, you open a new tab, log in to a new account. You use GPT for writing, Kling for video, MidJourney for images, Runway for editing...

Constantly switching windows, tabs piling up — the experience is terrible, and productivity takes a big hit.

You're paying premium prices, but getting complexity and inefficiency in return.

That’s exactly why I created YooAI.

The idea behind YooAI is simple: bring the major AI tools together in one place, and let you pay only for what you use.

No more being locked into subscriptions. No more paying “just in case.”

Want to try a new feature? Go ahead. Only need it a few times a month? No problem — you won’t feel guilty about it.

All tools are accessible from a single entry point. No more jumping between platforms.

You can write, draw, generate videos — all in one place. No more account switching, tab overload, or billing confusion.

And most features on YooAI are free. Only advanced models require payment due to higher usage costs.

The goal of YooAI is simple:To let everyone use AI — easily, freely, and without pressure.

I Made a Browser Extension That Makes Browsing Just a Bit Better

JoyZhang — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:30:46 +0000

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of a browser extension called NoTab.

It's a pretty simple tool: it lets you open and preview link content directly on the current page, without having to switch to a new tab.

Originally, I made it to solve a personal pain point. I spent a lot of time every day browsing different websites and checking rankings to find interesting product ideas. Over time, I noticed a problem — every time I clicked a link, a new tab opened. After reading, I had to close it, return to the original page, take some notes, and repeat. Some links opened even more links. It was tiring and inefficient.

That’s when I created NoTab.

You may have seen similar features before — for example, the Arc browser has something like this built-in — but I still prefer using Chrome.

Let me walk you through how NoTab works.

How Do You Use NoTab?

Here are a few common use cases:

1. Researching information

When searching on Google, you get a list of links. Normally, you'd click into each one, then come back. With NoTab, you just drag the link, and a small window pops up right on the current page with the content. You can read it, close it, and continue — no switching tabs. Not sure which link is best? You can drag multiple links and preview them side by side to compare.

2. Browsing forums

Sites like Reddit have endless posts. I used to lose my place when jumping in and out of threads. With NoTab, dragging a link opens the post in a floating window. When I’m done reading, I can just continue scrolling the homepage — smooth and easy.

3. Looking up unfamiliar terms

When I run into an unfamiliar term, I used to copy it, open a new tab, search, read, and return. Now, I just select the text and drag — search results show up instantly in a small window right on the page. I confirm the meaning and keep reading, without breaking flow.

4. Watching videos

Say I find an interesting YouTube link. I drag it, and the video plays in a floating window. I can adjust the transparency, place it to the side, and continue browsing while watching — no interruptions.

And these are just a few examples. You can also use NoTab to compare products on shopping sites, and much more.

The idea behind NoTab is simple: reduce switching, reduce waiting, and reduce interruptions.

On top of that, it has some handy features:

You can pin the popup so it stays in place when scrolling.
You can adjust its transparency, roundness, and size.
You can customize how you trigger it — different drag gestures to match your habits.
You can switch themes to match your style.

All these came later. The first version of NoTab was just a basic preview window.

The Story Behind NoTab

In the beginning, NoTab could only preview and close windows. A friend used it and asked if it could preview multiple pages at once — so I added multi-window support.

Another user wanted to quickly look up words, so I added “highlight and search” and translation features.

Later, someone asked if they could watch videos on the same page, so I built floating video mode.

NoTab slowly evolved from a small tool I made for myself into what it is today.

It’s still improving, but it wouldn’t be where it is now without user feedback and suggestions.

FAQ

Q1: Does NoTab use a lot of system resources?
NoTab is lightweight. It only activates when you interact with it. The popup windows are temporary — once you're done reading, just close them. Even with several open at once, it performs well.

Q2: What sites does it work on?
It works on most websites — news, blogs, communities, search engines, e-commerce, docs, and more. Some rare cases may not work perfectly yet — if you find one, let me know and I’ll try to fix it quickly.

That’s the story of why I built NoTab, and the problems I hope it helps you solve.

If you have any feedback or ideas, I’d love to hear from you. Your suggestions often shape the next version of NoTab.

Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll give NoTab a try.

How I Built a Chrome Extension in 3 Days — and Got Paying Users the Day After Launch

JoyZhang — Sat, 10 May 2025 09:25:43 +0000

1. An Unexpected Surprise: My First Paying User on Day Two

About a month ago, I made a decision that turned out to be one of the best I’ve made lately — I decided to build a browser extension.

What surprised me even more was that the extension, called NoTab, got its first paying user just one day after being published on the Chrome Web Store.

I was both thrilled and nervous — thrilled that someone was actually willing to pay for something I built, and nervous because I wasn’t sure how I’d handle things if more users started coming in.

From idea to the first usable version, the entire process took just three days. Looking back, the lessons I learned from this short sprint far outweighed the time and effort I put in.

2. Why I Built NoTab: Solving My Own Frustration

NoTab does one thing, really well: it lets you preview link content in the current tab without opening a new one. The idea came straight from a pain point I faced almost every day as a developer.

During work, I constantly read technical documentation. A typical scenario would be: I’m reading an API doc, click on a related link, it opens a new tab, I read it, then go back to the original. After doing this a dozen times, I’d end up with a mess of open tabs.

Worse, I’d often forget which page I started on or where I left off.

Same story on dev forums. I’d click on interesting threads, each one opening in a new tab, and by the end, I’d be completely lost in a sea of tabs.

It was overwhelming — and frankly, really annoying.

Then one day, while staring at yet another overloaded browser window, I thought:
“Why can’t I just preview these links right on the same page?”

It would let me stay in flow, get the info I need, and avoid the tab chaos. I searched for existing tools, but most were too bloated or clunky. So I figured: why not build it myself?

3. Fast & Focused: From MVP to Launch in 3 Days

Day 1: Define the MVP & Build the Core

I gave myself a strict rule: ship something in 3 days. That meant cutting every non-essential feature and just focusing on the core.

The first version of NoTab did one thing only: when you hover over a link, it shows a small preview window of the content — no styling, no options, just raw functionality.

Day 2: Basic UX Improvements

With the core working, I focused on improving usability:

Smart positioning for the preview window (so it wouldn’t spill off screen)
A simple loading indicator
Basic styling to make it feel less hacky

Day 3: Package & Publish

On the final day, I:

Wrote a short “how to use” blurb
Took a few screenshots
Used my existing Chrome Developer account (if you’re publishing for the first time, you’ll need to pay a one-time \$5 fee)
Packaged everything and submitted it for review

That night, NoTab went live.

Post-launch Iteration

Based on early user feedback, I started adding more useful features:

Multi-link preview — compare multiple pages at once
Quick translate — drag text to translate instantly
Quick search — drag text to search
Custom settings — preview size, position, trigger behavior, and more

None of these were part of the original plan. They all came from real users telling me what they wanted.

4. Advice for Indie Developers

Here are a few lessons that might help if you’re building something on your own:

1. Find Real, Frequent Pain Points

NoTab gained traction quickly because it solved a real, common problem. The best product ideas often come from your own daily struggles. If you keep bumping into the same issue and existing tools aren’t cutting it — that’s a sign of opportunity.

2. Launch Fast with an MVP

Don’t try to make it perfect. Just build the simplest version that solves the core problem. My first version didn’t even have a settings page — every value was hardcoded. But it worked. Real user feedback will show you where to go next.

3. Let Your Users Shape the Product

Some of NoTab’s best features came straight from user suggestions. Set up an easy way for people to give feedback (even just an email address works). Listen carefully, but don’t blindly add everything — focus on the requests that come up repeatedly.

4. Keep Pricing Simple

I went with a freemium model: core features are free, advanced features require a one-time payment (not a subscription). It gives people a chance to try the value first, and only pay if they really need more.
The price? $5.90 for lifetime access. Honestly, I think that’s pretty fair.

Final Thoughts

NoTab now has a few hundred active users every day. It’s not making me rich, but it’s proven that solo developers can create real value — and get rewarded for it.

Most importantly, I realized something along the way:
You don’t need a “revolutionary” idea to build something meaningful.

Start with a small pain point from your own life.
Build fast.
Listen to real users.
Keep iterating.

That’s often all it takes to make something people are actually willing to pay for.

If you’ve been thinking about building something — I hope this encourages you to start today.
Make the simplest version you can. Shipping matters more than perfection. And feedback from the real world beats any guesswork.

Oh — and if you want to give NoTab a try, you can check it out here.