Is JustAnswer legit? What to know about the Q&A service

What is JustAnswer?

JustAnswer is a subscription-based question-and-answer platform. Users can turn to it for support with a variety of concerns related to legal, medical, tech, car repair, veterinary, and more. 

The people answering these questions aren’t JustAnswer employees. Rather, they’re independent contractors who receive a variable fee per query.  

When you ask a question in one of the 150+ available categories, JustAnswer will pair you with an expert they believe is most appropriate for the matter. Ideally, this will occur within just a few minutes. You’re then able to chat with the expert and ask them follow-up questions. You may also be offered a Premium service like a remote control session or a phone call.

The platform’s services are available via the website and the app (iOS and Android).

Is JustAnswer a legit website?

JustAnswer is a real, established company. It was founded in 2003 by Andy Kurtzig, who is the current CEO. Its payments are processed through standard, traceable systems, and it provides public policies, terms, and disclosures.

The service is quite popular; in fact, website rankings company Similarweb named it the “#1 Fastest-Growing Website” in its 2025 Digital 100 Rankings. JustAnswer is now reportedly working to add more than 4,000 new experts, particularly in the areas of veterinary care, finance, and consumer electronics. 

Its popularity stems from the fact that it provides an actual service—not fake interactions—with real, credentialed experts (not AI chatbots). Many people are enticed by the possibility of having their questions answered directly and without needing to set up an appointment.  

Things you should know before using JustAnswer

Despite its popularity, JustAnswer receives frequent complaints for several reasons—particularly, the discovery of deceptive billing practices at the point of sign-up. (These may be a breach of user trust, but it doesn’t mean the company itself is illegitimate.)

Following are a few things to keep in mind if you’re considering using the service. 

Experts aren’t necessarily reliable

Per JustAnswer’s FAQs, experts are required to go through an 8-step verification process. This process starts with an application in which experts provide their credentials (certifications, degrees, work experience), then a third-party service verifies them. 

Once experts are accepted, they must continue to prove their capability through:

• Customer ratings that will show up on their profile 
• Peer reviews of answer quality from other experts 
• Secret shoppers who anonymously tell JustAnswer whether an expert answered their questions well 

Despite these measures, users aren’t always satisfied with the answers provided. It’s important to note that JustAnswer doesn’t guarantee expertise in a given specialty or sub-specialty. In fact,  per its Terms of Service, the word “expert” is simply meant for users who answer questions—it doesn’t bear a guarantee of any actual expertese. 

Additionally, JustAnswer isn’t responsible for mediating disputes between customers and experts. Essentially, there’s no liability if the answer or advice is incorrect or insufficient. 

Your queries aren’t fully confidential

JustAnswer is essentially a public forum, and anyone considering asking a revealing or embarrassing question should be aware that a completed conversation with an expert might be posted for the public to view. There’s no attorney-client or doctor-patient privilege in place to protect sensitive queries.

You can stay anonymous by choosing a username that doesn’t reveal your identity. If you reveal personal information in a question, you may be able to have that information removed, but the question itself will stay up. 

Controversies over deceptive patterns in billing

Judging by reviews online, many users found out they’d been enrolled in an expensive monthly subscription when they thought they were paying a small, one-time fee to ask a single question. 

In fact, in the early 2020s, JustAnswer agreed to pay a $4.7M settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company enrolled customers in automatically renewing subscriptions without clearly disclosing the recurring charges. JustAnswer denied any wrongdoing, claiming that its subscription practices complied with the law.

However, the company is now facing another lawsuit, filed in January 2026 by the Federal Trade Commission. Similar to the previous case, the FTC alleges JustAnswer deceives users into a recurring subscription without obtaining their affirmative consent. At the time of writing, the lawsuit is ongoing and pending in federal court. 

What JustAnswer.com reviews say 

JustAnswer reviews are highly polarized.

Unsurprisingly, a huge number of negative reviews state the company wasn’t discreet enough about users signing up for a subscription instead of paying a one-time fee. On top of that, other common complaints are difficulty cancelling and getting a refund. These can be found on various platforms, including Quora, Reddit, ConsumerAffairs, Trustpilot, and BBB.org.

At the same time, the company’s ratings are quite high: 4.6 stars out of 5 both on Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs. People praise helpful experts and quick responses. Many state the service saved them time or gave them peace of mind without needing to schedule an in-person appointment. 

Is JustAnswer worth it?

With the costs of legal, medical, and veterinary help skyrocketing, it’s understandable why people might prefer to pay a subscription fee of $30+ to quickly consult a variety of professionals at a moment’s notice. 

Although the service might work just fine for urgent, simple questions and non-life-critical advice, it’s important to understand the differences between consulting an “expert” on JustAnswer and actually seeing a doctor or hiring a lawyer. JustAnswer doesn’t give you attorney-client privilege, it doesn’t run laboratory diagnostic tests, and it doesn’t keep things confidential—to name just a few things. 

If you’re someone who does a lot of DIY work on your house or you’re curious about some very niche field that a particular JustAnswer expert knows a lot about (like this art and antique expert who made $47,000 answering questions on the platform last year), then it could very well be worth it. 

Just be careful to read the fine print when signing up and evaluate whether the subscription cost is truly worth it in your particular case. 

FAQs

Why am I being charged by JustAnswer?

It’s possible that you’ve inadvertently signed up for a JustAnswer subscription. JustAnswer has been sued for deceiving users into getting subscriptions when they thought they were simply paying a one-time fee to ask a single question. 

Is JustAnswer a scam?

JustAnswer is not a scam, although the company has been found to engage in deceptive practices in its advertisements that make people think it’s possible to do a trial run of asking one question for $5. In reality, you’re immediately enrolled in a monthly subscription. 

Is JustAnswer.com legit?

Yes, JustAnswer is a legitimate company that’s been around for more than two decades. That said, legitimacy doesn’t mean that all users are satisfied with the services, and even legitimate businesses can engage in deceptive practices. 

Are JustAnswer experts verified?

JustAnswer experts must go through a multi-step verification process that involves showing credentials in their field. However, they may or may not have the qualifications to answer questions in specific sub-categories of their fields, and JustAnswer doesn’t check this.