Building privacy-first developer tools — no accounts, no tracking, one-time purchase

#webdev #javascript #chrome #opensource

Hey DEV! I'm building the WayKnow family of developer tools after getting frustrated with the state of browser extensions.

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.

So far I've shipped:

ClearJSON — JSON viewer that handles 100MB+ files without crashing, $29 lifetime
SnapMark — Screenshot + annotation tool, $39 lifetime (vs competitors at $72/year)
CrumbKit — Free cookie editor, MIT licensed, minimal permissions
ColorPeek — macOS color picker for developers, $19 lifetime

Everything is local-first, MIT licensed, one-time purchase. No backend, no user accounts, no telemetry.

Happy to answer questions about building Chrome extensions, dealing with CWS review, or the buy-once business model!