The latest articles on DEV Community by Securityscore (@securityscore). https://dev.to/securityscore https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3656123%2Fbd56037a-be3c-41e3-957c-b7054e919068.png https://dev.to/securityscore en Securityscore Wed, 10 Dec 2025 20:02:50 +0000 https://dev.to/securityscore/built-a-side-project-in-3-weeks-got-40-users-cant-flip-the-payment-switch-14p9 https://dev.to/securityscore/built-a-side-project-in-3-weeks-got-40-users-cant-flip-the-payment-switch-14p9 <p>So my mom asks me like once a month if her email got hacked. I always send her to Have I Been Pwned but she finds it confusing. Last month I finally just built her something simpler.</p> <p>That's how SecurityScore.me happened.</p> <h2> What it does </h2> <p>Pretty basic honestly - you type your email, it checks 800+ breaches via the HIBP API, shows you results in a few seconds. </p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fthzp5p7stfmmf8xe27ic.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fthzp5p7stfmmf8xe27ic.png" alt=" " width="800" height="401"></a></p> <p>Added a timeline view and some explanations in normal language instead of tech speak.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F9dj7kmynsr5kdkf5gi35.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F9dj7kmynsr5kdkf5gi35.png" alt=" " width="800" height="400"></a></p> <p>No signup, no BS. Just check and go.</p> <h2> The tech </h2> <p>Next.js because that's what I know, HIBP API for the data, Tailwind for styling. Took about 3 weeks of evenings.</p> <p>Nothing fancy - just wanted something my mom could actually use without calling me.</p> <h2> Where I'm stuck </h2> <p>Here's the weird part. I built the whole payment system already. Stripe works, subscriptions are ready, premium features are coded. Everything.</p> <p>But I haven't turned it on.</p> <p>Been live for a month now with 40 people using it. Getting some traffic from weird places (apparently people ask ChatGPT about breach checkers and it mentions mine sometimes?).</p> <p>But I keep chickening out on actually charging money.</p> <h2> Why though </h2> <p>Mostly just - what if nobody pays? HIBP is free and honestly does the job. Am I just adding a coat of paint and calling it premium?</p> <p>The premium stuff I built:</p> <ul> <li>Real time alerts when new breaches happen</li> <li>Check multiple emails at once</li> <li>Password strength checker</li> <li>Some phishing detection thing</li> </ul> <p>Is that worth $5-10/month? I genuinely don't know.</p> <h2> Questions for you </h2> <p>If you've launched something paid before - how did you know when to just do it? Did you wait until you had X users? Or just flip the switch and see?</p> <p>And if you're a potential user - would you actually pay for this? Or is checking HIBP manually once in a while good enough?</p> <p>Link if you wanna try it: <a href="https://securityscore.me" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://securityscore.me</a></p> <p>Honest feedback appreciated. If it's dumb just tell me lol.</p> <p>Anyone else get stuck like this? Built everything but can't hit publish on the paid tier?</p> showdev webdev startup discuss