The latest articles on DEV Community by wayknow (@wayknow123). https://dev.to/wayknow123 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4049103%2F90366d7b-f4a8-41ee-aa6f-f7cbc7454ed9.png https://dev.to/wayknow123 en wayknow Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:12:25 +0000 https://dev.to/wayknow123/building-privacy-first-developer-tools-no-accounts-no-tracking-one-time-purchase-4p54 https://dev.to/wayknow123/building-privacy-first-developer-tools-no-accounts-no-tracking-one-time-purchase-4p54 <p>Hey DEV! I'm building the WayKnow family of developer tools after getting frustrated with the state of browser extensions.</p> <p>The origin story: The most popular JSON Formatter extension (2M users) was sold and started injecting ads + tracking geolocation. EditThisCookie (3M users) got killed by Manifest V2. I realized there was a gap for tools that are genuinely private, open source, and don't force subscriptions.</p> <p>So far I've shipped:</p> <ul> <li>ClearJSON — JSON viewer that handles 100MB+ files without crashing, $29 lifetime</li> <li>SnapMark — Screenshot + annotation tool, $39 lifetime (vs competitors at $72/year)</li> <li>CrumbKit — Free cookie editor, MIT licensed, minimal permissions</li> <li>ColorPeek — macOS color picker for developers, $19 lifetime</li> </ul> <p>Everything is local-first, MIT licensed, one-time purchase. No backend, no user accounts, no telemetry.</p> <p>Happy to answer questions about building Chrome extensions, dealing with CWS review, or the buy-once business model!</p> webdev javascript chrome opensource