DoNotPay is a real online self-help service that says it uses AI to help with consumer tasks such as subscription cancellations, warranty claims, refunds, unclaimed money, privacy tools, and bureaucracy. If you have a legal or consumer task in front of you, start by identifying the actual form, agency, court, merchant, or deadline involved, then decide whether a guided tool is enough or you need a licensed lawyer. You may also have searched “do not pay.”
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| What to check | What this means for you |
|---|---|
| Service | AI-powered consumer self-help tools, as DoNotPay describes them |
| Legal role | Self-help and legal information platform |
| Cancellation route | Account, email, or phone, according to DoNotPay |
| Product Page | Product Page |
What does DoNotPay say it does?
DoNotPay says it has more than 100 AI-powered tools intended to help you deal with corporations, privacy tasks, hidden money, and everyday bureaucracy. Its feature pages describe guided tasks for chargebacks and refunds, warranty claims, subscription cancellation, virtual trial cards, parking and traffic tickets, FOIA requests, demand letters, small-claims paperwork, and finding unclaimed money.
Its own legal pages say it is a self-help and legal-information platform, not a law firm or legal service. That makes it most suited to organizing a straightforward task, producing a request, or helping you find the next step; use a lawyer when the result depends on applying state law to your facts, a court deadline, a disputed amount, immigration, criminal charges, a family-law conflict, or representation in court.
Keep your original notice, contract, bill, screenshots, and dates together before using any tool. A legal deadline organizer can help you make a clean timeline before you submit anything.
What happened with the FTC?
The FTC’s 2025 final order says the agency charged DoNotPay over claims that its AI chatbot could perform like a human lawyer. The FTC says its complaint alleged that DoNotPay had not tested whether the chatbot performed at a human-lawyer level and had not hired or retained attorneys to test the quality and accuracy of its law-related features.
In the FTC’s final order, DoNotPay was required to pay $193,000 in monetary relief, notify people who subscribed between 2021 and 2023 about the settlement, and stop claiming that its service performs like a real lawyer unless it has sufficient supporting evidence. For you, the practical takeaway is simple: treat generated letters and guided workflows as paperwork help, and keep the decision about your rights, deadlines, and court strategy with a licensed person when the stakes are high.
How much does DoNotPay cost?
Prices as of October 28, 2026: DoNotPay’s public home and feature pages direct you to sign up but do not display a subscription price. Check the amount, billing interval, renewal terms, and any in-app purchase before you confirm checkout, then save the order screen with your records.
Independent reviews report a standard subscription of about $36 every two months, plus a separate $10 monthly AI chat add-on some users carry. Use the checkout total you see for your own order.
How do you cancel a DoNotPay subscription?
DoNotPay says you can cancel any time in the app, by emailing its support team, or by calling its customer-service number. Start in your account settings, select the cancellation option, and keep the confirmation message or screenshot. If you used Apple’s in-app purchase route, also check the subscription controls tied to your Apple account.
If a charge is unfamiliar or you believe a cancellation did not take effect, gather the order confirmation, cancellation record, and bank or card entry before you contact the seller or card issuer. For a disputed online purchase, see online scam legal remedies for a record-keeping and reporting path.
Is DoNotPay safe to use for a legal task?
Use the same care you would with any service that handles account, payment, and personal details. DoNotPay says it does not sell your data, and its terms say it may review linked email accounts to find savings and may share information with service providers or in response to legal process. Enter only what the task requires, review the document before sending it, and retain a copy of everything submitted.
Rules and procedures can differ by state and court. The federal government’s legal-aid guide explains that free and low-cost help can be available through Legal Services Corporation organizations, LawHelp.org, law-school pro bono programs, and ABA Free Legal Answers. The Legal Services Corporation locator lets you search for an LSC-funded civil legal-aid organization by city or address.
Can you do the task yourself for free?
Before paying for a tool, check whether the company, relevant government office, or court provides a direct route for your task. DoNotPay can be useful when you want a guided, done-for-you workflow; the DIY version means finding the right destination, gathering documents, writing the request, tracking the response, and remembering follow-up dates yourself.
| Your task | Free first step | When paid legal help fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel a subscription | Use the merchant, bank, app-store, or account cancellation route | A lawyer may fit when a contract dispute or substantial loss is involved |
| Request a refund or chargeback | Contact the merchant and preserve receipts and messages | A lawyer may fit when there is a larger dispute or a lawsuit |
| Find unclaimed money | Search state unclaimed-property databases | Usually only after a complicated ownership or estate issue arises |
| Prepare a court filing | Use the court’s forms and instructions | Before filing if rights, deadlines, or evidence are contested |
For unclaimed property, the NAUPA property guide explains that inactive accounts and property can be turned over to a state after the applicable dormancy period. Its multi-state search guide points to MissingMoney.com for participating-state searches and links to state claim routes. If a federally insured credit union was liquidated, the NCUA unclaimed-deposits page gives a separate process for checking and claiming those deposits.
Who is DoNotPay for, and when is a lawyer worth paying for?
DoNotPay’s own descriptions fit a person who has a defined consumer task and wants help organizing a request, navigating a workflow, or creating paperwork. It may be a practical option when you can explain the problem in a few documents and you remain ready to read, correct, send, and follow up on the result yourself.
Paying for a lawyer becomes more sensible when a notice gives you a deadline, a lawsuit has been filed, the other side has counsel, the law varies materially by state, or the outcome could affect housing, work, family, immigration status, substantial money, or your ability to continue a business. The government’s legal-aid resources are a useful first stop if cost is the obstacle; this site’s how to find free legal aid guide explains the available routes.
Who runs DoNotPay?
DoNotPay’s about page says its timeline began in 2015 when Josh launched the service after contesting a parking ticket in London. For a current executive title, investor question, or business contact, use the company’s current contact route before relying on a third-party profile.
Comparing DoNotPay with other options
Free court self-help, legal aid, and the other online legal services are compared side by side in our online legal services guide, so you can weigh each route against your task before you pay for anything.
Before you order or submit anything
- Match the tool to one specific task, rather than assuming one subscription handles every legal problem.
- Read the checkout total, renewal timing, and cancellation path before payment.
- Save your notices, receipts, screenshots, account messages, and filing dates.
- Use the agency, court, creditor, merchant, or state unclaimed-property office directly when that is the free route.
- For a legal deadline or a dispute that turns on your personal facts, find licensed legal help before acting.
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team