India has banned 13 design tricks that make you pay more or agree to things you did not choose. We check the apps you use every week, and show you what we find, with proof.
Independent. No company pays us. A person confirms every finding.
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Added without asking
Shown only at the last step
Thirteen are banned in India. We added a fourteenth, wallet traps. Every example here is made up.
Checked in our scorecard
Saying something is almost gone, or that many people are looking, when that is not true.
Reload the page or check another day. If the "last few" never run out, be careful.
For example: a travel site says "Only 2 rooms left!" even though plenty are free.
More about false urgencyChecked in our scorecard
Adding extra items, fees or donations to your cart without your consent.
Read your cart line by line before you pay. Remove anything you did not choose.
For example: a shopping app adds a ₹29 "protect your order" fee to your cart without asking.
More about basket sneakingChecked in our scorecard
Using guilt or fear in the "no" button to push you towards "yes".
If saying no makes you feel bad, the wording is doing the work. Choose calmly.
For example: a button to skip travel insurance reads "I will stay unsecured."
More about confirm shamingChecked in our scorecard
Making you do something unrelated, like a sign-up, just to get what you came for.
Ask if the extra step is really needed for your purchase. If not, it may be forced.
For example: a shop makes you subscribe to a newsletter before you can buy one item.
More about forced actionChecked in our scorecard
Making it easy to sign up for a paid plan but hard to cancel.
Before you join, look for where to cancel. If you cannot find it, think twice.
For example: a streaming app lets you join in one tap but hides the cancel option deep in settings.
More about subscription trapChecked in our scorecard
Design that makes one choice loud and the other choice hard to see.
Look at the faint text and small corners. The choice you want may be hiding there.
For example: a pop-up has a bright "Yes" button and a pale grey "No" that is hard to read.
More about interface interferenceChecked in our scorecard
Showing you one thing, then giving you something else.
Take a screenshot of the offer. Compare it with what you get at the end.
For example: a cheap item is shown as "out of stock" at checkout, and a costlier one is offered instead.
More about bait and switchChecked in our scorecard
Showing a low price first, then adding costs bit by bit.
Go all the way to the payment screen and compare the final total with the first price.
For example: a ticket shows ₹499, and the total at the last step is higher after added charges.
More about drip pricingChecked in our scorecard
An ad made to look like normal content, like a review or a news item.
Look for small words like "ad" or "sponsored". If there are none, ask who paid.
For example: a "top picks" list in an app is really paid placement, with no clear label.
More about disguised advertisementChecked in our scorecard
Asking again and again until you give in.
If the same request keeps coming back and there is no real "no", that is nagging.
For example: a website keeps asking you to download its app every time you open a page.
More about naggingChecked in our scorecard
Confusing wording, like double negatives, that makes you choose the opposite of what you meant.
Read the sentence twice. If you need to decode it, pause before you tap.
For example: a box says "Untick if you do not want to not receive offers."
More about trick questionChecked on free trials only
Charging you again and again in a software plan, for example when a free trial turns into a paid one with no notice.
Note the trial end date in your phone. Check if the app warns you before it charges.
For example: a free trial ends and the first payment is taken with no reminder.
More about saas billingNot tested yet
Fake virus warnings or harmful downloads that try to scare you into installing something bad.
Real warnings do not come from random pop-ups. Close the page and do not install anything.
For example: a pop-up says your phone is infected and tells you to install a "cleaner".
More about rogue malwareChecked in our scorecard
Tricks that make it costly or confusing to use or take out your own money from a wallet.
Before you add money, find the withdrawal fee, where your full balance is shown, and how to close the wallet.
For example: a wallet app charges a fee to move your own balance to your bank account.
More about wallet trapsEvery report follows the same four steps, and every finding comes with the screen that proves it.
We pick about 50 of India's most used apps and sites, from shopping to rides to wallets.
We use each one like a normal customer, on the phone app or the website, and record the screen.
AI tools help us review the recordings for tricks that India's consumer regulator has banned, plus our own "wallet traps".
A person confirms every finding before it goes on the scorecard.
We use each app the way a normal customer would, on the phone app or the website, and record every check on screen. We test the tricks marked "checked" above. We do not test everything.
Every finding has a date, a screenshot or recording, and the steps anyone can repeat to see the same screen.
AI tools help us review the evidence, and a person confirms every finding. Nothing is published until a person has checked it against the evidence.
It means we did not look. It does not mean the app is clean. A pass means "we found nothing within what we tested", nothing more.
If you run an app we have listed, write to hello@kharaindex.in. We will review your reply, and we will correct anything that is wrong.
Every app starts at 24 karat, like pure gold. Each trick we confirm lowers its grade. This is how the scorecard will look.
| App | Tricks confirmed | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Example ShopChecked 4 times | None found | 24K |
| Example RidesChecked 4 times | Drip pricing | 22K |
| Example TicketsChecked 4 times | Drip pricing, false urgency, nagging | 18K |
| Example WalletChecked 4 times | Wallet traps, basket sneaking and 3 more | 14K |
24Knothing found22Kone trick18Ktwo or three14Kfour or more
Made-up apps for illustration. The first real scorecard is coming soon.
India's consumer regulator has named the tricks and asked platforms to audit themselves. We look at what ordinary customers actually see on screen, and publish it with the evidence.
India's Central Consumer Protection Authority bans 13 dark patterns for every seller, advertiser and platform in India.
E-commerce platforms are told to audit themselves for these tricks within three months.
Khara Index starts checking what ordinary customers actually see, every week, in public.
Sources: Guidelines, 2023 (CCPA), PIB release on the guidelines, PIB release on the 2025 advisory
खराkhara: pure, genuine
As in khara sona, pure gold, and khari baat, the plain truth. We want apps to be khara too, and we want you to know what to look for.
Founded by Ryan Sethi, a builder and entrepreneur from India and an Emergent Ventures India grantee. He designs the method and confirms every finding. More about us.
Independent: no company pays us, and we are not affiliated with the government. If you run an app we list and think we got something wrong, tell us. We read every reply and correct mistakes in public.
hello@kharaindex.in