MaxAI

MaxAI claims that its web browser extension allows consumers to “[s]ummarize, search, explain, analyze, translate, write, and more,” using an array of AI models from DeepSeek, Google and OpenAI, which created ChatGPT.

But according to a number of consumer complaints, MaxAI may be better at maxing out your credit card than the full capabilities of AI.

Prompted by a consumer tip, TINA.org took a closer look at MaxAI’s marketing and checkout process on its website.

We found that while MaxAI offers a free version of its product for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users, that version only includes “basic AI features.” If you want “more accurate answers” and “higher-quality results,” you need to sign up for a paid subscription, the full terms of which are not adequately disclosed to consumers during the checkout process.

Checking out

After selecting the paid subscription and choosing their billing cycle (yearly at $12/month or monthly at $30/month), consumers are taken to a payment page. Here, under prompts to enter payment information and a button to subscribe, consumers are informed that:

By confirming your subscription, you allow MaxAI to charge you for future payments in accordance with their terms. You can always cancel your subscription.

But the company doesn’t actually link to its terms anywhere on the payment page. (It’s also unclear why MaxAI on its website refers to the paid version of its software as Elite, as opposed to Pro, which is the name given for the paid product on the extension’s pages in the Chrome and Edge stores. MaxAI did not respond to TINA.org’s request for comment.)

To read MaxAI’s terms of service, consumers need to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the company’s pricing page. This is also where MaxAI discloses, in a long paragraph of gray fine print that is barely legible, that the financial services company Stripe handles its subscriptions and if you want to cancel, you need to use “Stripe’s customer portal.”

As for the actual terms of service, it contains some important information related to the company’s paid subscriptions. For example, under the heading “Paid Accounts,” MaxAI discloses that the company has a “no-refund policy” and that it “may change the fees in effect on renewal of your subscription, to reflect factors such as changes to our product offerings, changes to our business, or changes in economic conditions.” In other words, while MaxAI advertises that an automatically applied 70% discount carries over to the second year of an annual subscription, it doesn’t guarantee that the paid subscription will always be $144 a year.

In fact, in Trustpilot and Chrome store reviews, consumers have complained about being charged double that amount, or more, without any notice or their consent, and about difficulties canceling subscriptions despite MaxAI’s claims that you can “cancel anytime.”

In addition, while MaxAI touts that it has “14K+ 5-star ratings,” a number of the company’s five-star reviews on its Chrome store page also raise questions, namely, why do some five-star reviews show up twice under different names?

The bottom line

There is growing consumer demand for products equipped with artificial intelligence. But consumers need to do their research, including reading all the terms associated with an AI-related offer, before they hand over their payment information.

Find more of our coverage on artificial intelligence.