DoNotPay is a US app that helps consumers fight subscriptions, disputed charges, and bureaucracy using template letters and automated chat scripts, not a licensed attorney. It is still online and taking subscribers in September 2026, but the Federal Trade Commission fined the company $193,000 in 2025 for falsely marketing it as a “robot lawyer” that could substitute for a human one. Treat it as a self-help paperwork tool, not legal representation.
Last updated: September 2026
What is DoNotPay?
DoNotPay, Inc. is a San Francisco-based company founded in 2015 by Joshua Browder, according to the app’s own listings and FTC case filings. It launched as a free chatbot to help drivers contest parking tickets and expanded into a broad app covering subscription cancellation, bill negotiation, warranty claims, unclaimed-money searches, and template legal letters. The company branded itself for years as “the world’s first robot lawyer.”
That branding is the reason DoNotPay is controversial rather than obscure. In January 2023, the company backed away from a plan to have its AI whisper courtroom arguments into a defendant’s ear via earpiece for a real traffic case, after multiple state bar associations reportedly warned that doing so could amount to the unauthorized practice of law and threatened prosecution, according to contemporaneous reporting from NPR and the San Francisco Standard. That stunt never happened.
Then, in September 2024, the FTC filed a complaint and proposed settlement over DoNotPay’s marketing claims, which the Commission finalized in January 2025. The app itself kept running throughout, and remains available on iOS, Android, and the web as of September 2026, per its Apple App Store listing and Google Play listing, both updated for 2026.
The FTC settlement, explained
According to the FTC’s own case record, the Commission alleged that DoNotPay made three specific claims it could not back up: that it was “the world’s first robot lawyer” capable of replacing the “$200-billion-dollar legal industry”; that users could “sue for assault without a lawyer” and get “perfectly valid legal documents” generated automatically; and that a small-business tool would flag compliance violations on a company’s website that could otherwise cost roughly $125,000 in legal fees to catch. The FTC found DoNotPay never tested whether its AI performed at the level of a human lawyer and employed no attorneys to review or validate the legal-sounding output it produced, according to the FTC’s September 2024 press release.
The Commission voted 5-0 to finalize the order on January 16, 2025, which the FTC announced publicly in its February 2025 press release. The final order requires DoNotPay to pay $193,000 in consumer redress, bars the company from claiming its product can substitute for the services of a licensed professional (including a lawyer) unless it has competent and reliable evidence to support that claim, and requires DoNotPay to notify everyone who subscribed to its legal-related features between 2021 and 2023 about the settlement and the service’s actual limitations. This is a real, closed FTC enforcement action, and the case record is publicly viewable on the FTC’s case page for DoNotPay.
As of September 2026, DoNotPay’s own homepage no longer calls itself a robot lawyer. It states plainly: “DoNotPay is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help,” language consistent with what the FTC order required.
Key features of DoNotPay
Subscription cancellation and the Free Trial Card
DoNotPay’s virtual Free Trial Card is designed to be used when signing up for a free trial elsewhere. It auto-declines real charges, so if a company tries to bill it after the trial ends, the charge bounces and DoNotPay can help flag the attempted overcharge.
Bill negotiation
The app offers to contact providers on a user’s behalf to negotiate medical bills, utility bills, cable, and cell-phone charges down, framed as an automated version of what a consumer could do themselves by calling in.
Finding hidden or unclaimed money
DoNotPay searches for unclaimed property, forgotten deposits, and refunds a user may be owed, and helps file claims to recover them.
Fighting robocalls and scammers
Tools here generate complaint letters, help block spam callers, and walk users through reporting scams to relevant agencies.
Parking and traffic ticket appeals
The original DoNotPay use case: it generates an appeal letter based on the circumstances of a ticket, for the user to submit themselves.
Beating bureaucracy
This includes booking DMV appointments, notarizing documents, and handling routine mail and paperwork tasks that would otherwise mean standing in line or navigating a government website.
Template legal letters and small-claims help
DoNotPay generates demand letters and small-claims filing paperwork from a questionnaire. Per the FTC settlement, the company can no longer imply these substitute for a lawyer’s work without evidence, and the current site frames them as self-help templates rather than legal advice.
Benefits of DoNotPay
- Low cost relative to a lawyer or a paid negotiation service: a flat subscription covers many unrelated administrative tasks.
- Covers genuinely tedious chores: canceling subscriptions, appealing a parking ticket, and chasing unclaimed money are the kind of small tasks people put off.
- No legal training required to use it: most tools work from a short questionnaire rather than legal terminology.
- Available on mobile and web, so tasks can be started from a phone.
DoNotPay use cases by role
- Renters and consumers: disputing surprise subscription charges, appealing fees, or drafting a demand letter to a landlord or merchant.
- Drivers: generating a parking or traffic ticket appeal letter.
- Budget-conscious households: negotiating recurring bills and hunting for unclaimed refunds.
- People who dislike phone calls with customer service: using automated scripts and letters instead of waiting on hold.
- Small business owners: DoNotPay still advertises compliance-related tools, but given the FTC’s finding that its earlier violation-detection claims were unsubstantiated, treat any output as a starting point to review with an actual attorney, not a compliance audit.
How much does DoNotPay cost?
As of September 2026, DoNotPay’s Apple App Store listing shows the app as free to download with an in-app subscription, priced at roughly $12 per month or billed at $35.99 for a recurring three-month period. Pricing is not published as a standalone page on donotpay.com; the figures below come from the App Store listing, and App Store/Play Store prices can vary by region and change without a dedicated pricing-page update.
| Plan | Price (US App Store, Sept 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | App download; limited access before subscribing |
| Monthly subscription | ~$12/month | Auto-renewing; exact figure shown at checkout may vary |
| Recurring 3-month plan | $35.99 / 3 months | Works out to roughly $12/month; auto-renews |
Multiple 2026 Trustpilot reviews describe continued billing after cancellation and slow refund responses, so if you subscribe, cancel through your Apple or Google account settings (not just inside the app) and screenshot the confirmation.
DoNotPay pros and cons
Pros
- Covers a wide range of unrelated consumer chores in one subscription
- Cheaper than hiring help for routine tasks like ticket appeals or bill negotiation
- Now discloses clearly that it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice
- Free Trial Card is a genuinely useful anti-overcharge tool
Cons
- Fined $193,000 by the FTC in 2025 for previously overstating its AI’s legal capabilities
- Trustpilot rating of 1.8 out of 5 as of September 2026, with recent reviews citing stuck tasks, disputed charges, and slow refunds
- Does not employ or provide access to licensed attorneys
- Outputs are templates and letters you still submit yourself; DoNotPay does not represent you
- Some advertised features, such as hold-time automation, are described by recent reviewers as missing or unreliable
How to use DoNotPay
- Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or visit donotpay.com.
- Create an account and pick the specific task you need, such as canceling a subscription or appealing a ticket.
- Answer the questionnaire with the specifics of your situation.
- Review the generated letter or script before it is sent or submitted; DoNotPay’s output is a draft, not verified legal advice.
- If a subscription-based task is not resolved within a reasonable time, contact support directly rather than assuming it happened automatically.
- Cancel the subscription through your app store account settings if you decide not to continue, and keep a confirmation record.
DoNotPay alternatives
- Rocket Lawyer: pick it when you want actual attorney access alongside AI document tools; its subscription tiers include a set number of discounted attorney consultations on lower plans and unlimited attorney Q&A on its top plan.
- Pine AI: pick it for bill negotiation and subscription cancellation specifically, since it uses a pay-per-outcome model rather than a flat monthly fee, so you generally pay only when it actually saves you money.
- Your state or county small-claims self-help center: for small-claims filings, most US courts publish free official forms and instructions online; this avoids paying any third party for a document a court will accept for free.
- A local attorney consultation: for anything with real money or legal risk on the line (an eviction, a lawsuit, a contract dispute), a paid consultation with a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction is the only option that comes with professional liability and accountability.
- Your bank’s or card issuer’s dispute process: for recurring charges or subscription overbilling, disputing directly through your card issuer is free and often faster than routing the request through a third-party app.
Frequently asked questions
Is DoNotPay still around in 2026?
Yes. As of September 2026, DoNotPay is still listed on the Apple App Store and Google Play and operating its website, offering subscription cancellation, bill negotiation, and template legal letters. It is not, and never was, a licensed law firm.
What did the FTC find against DoNotPay?
The FTC found that DoNotPay falsely marketed itself as “the world’s first robot lawyer” capable of replacing human attorneys, without ever testing whether its AI performed at a lawyer’s level or employing attorneys to verify its legal-sounding output. The Commission finalized a settlement in January 2025 requiring $193,000 in consumer redress and barring unsubstantiated professional-substitute claims going forward.
Did DoNotPay actually have AI argue in a courtroom?
No. In January 2023, DoNotPay planned to have its AI feed courtroom arguments to a defendant through an earpiece in a real traffic case, but the company withdrew the plan after multiple state bar associations reportedly warned it could constitute the unauthorized practice of law and threatened legal consequences, according to contemporaneous news reports. The stunt never occurred.
Is DoNotPay a lawyer or law firm?
No. DoNotPay’s own site states it is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, describing itself instead as a platform for legal information and self-help tools. For anything with real legal stakes, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
How much does DoNotPay cost?
As of September 2026, the Apple App Store lists DoNotPay’s subscription at roughly $12 per month or $35.99 billed every three months, with the app itself free to download. Prices can vary by platform and region, so confirm the exact figure shown at checkout.
Is DoNotPay safe to subscribe to?
DoNotPay is a real, operating company, but its Trustpilot rating sat at 1.8 out of 5 as of September 2026, with recent reviewers reporting stuck or incomplete tasks and continued billing after cancellation. If you subscribe, cancel through your app store account rather than only inside the app, and keep proof of cancellation.
What is a good free alternative to DoNotPay?
For small-claims filings, most US courts publish free official self-help forms and instructions on their own websites, which avoids paying a third party for something the court accepts free of charge. For subscription overcharges, disputing the charge directly through your bank or card issuer is also free.
Verdict
DoNotPay is still a functioning app in September 2026, but it should be evaluated as what it actually is: a template-letter and task-automation tool for routine consumer chores, not a substitute for legal representation. That gap between marketing and reality is exactly what triggered a $193,000 FTC settlement in 2025, and it is why the company’s current site now carries an explicit “not a law firm” disclaimer.
If you want help canceling a subscription, appealing a ticket, or drafting a demand letter and are comfortable with a flat monthly fee and mixed recent reviews, DoNotPay can still save time. For anything involving real legal or financial stakes, or if the FTC history and current Trustpilot rating give you pause, a licensed attorney, your court’s free self-help resources, or a service like Rocket Lawyer that includes actual attorney access are safer starting points.
Sources
- FTC Finalizes Order with DoNotPay (February 2025 press release)
- FTC Announces Crackdown on Deceptive AI Claims and Schemes (September 2024 press release)
- DoNotPay case record (FTC Legal Library)
- FTC Complaint against DoNotPay, Inc. (PDF)
- A robot was scheduled to argue in court. Then came the jail threats (NPR)
- ‘Robot lawyer’ yanked from courtroom after legal outcry (San Francisco Standard)
- DoNotPay official site
- DoNotPay App (Apple App Store)
- DoNotPay (Google Play)
- DoNotPay reviews (Trustpilot)
- Rocket Lawyer pricing
- Pine AI: DoNotPay alternatives
