In March 2026, Adobe paid $150 million to settle a federal lawsuit over hidden cancellation fees. Two months later, Shutterstock paid $35 million to settle a nearly identical case. Same practice, same regulator, same year.
The practice: selling "annual plans billed monthly" that feel like month-to-month subscriptions but charge a 50% early termination fee when you try to leave. The FTC called it deceptive. Both companies settled without admitting wrongdoing. Both still charge the fee.
Adobe and Shutterstock aren't outliers. They're examples. Research shows companies make up to 200% more revenue from subscribers who forget to cancel. The whole scoring exercise below exists because this is a deliberate industry pattern, not a series of individual mistakes. We scored 68 SaaS tools on how aggressively they use dark billing patterns, from hidden cancellation flows to charges that continue after you've already cancelled. The table below is what we found.
How the Scores Work
Each tool is scored from 1 to 10 based on six factors, weighted by severity. A tool gets a higher score for each tactic it uses. A tool can score points on multiple factors.
Post-cancellation charges confirmed by verified user complaints
Early termination fee not clearly disclosed at sign-up
No cancel button. Requires phone, chat, or human contact.
Hidden cancellation flow with 3 or more friction screens
Silent auto-renewal with no advance notice
Seat or feature additions billed without explicit consent
The Worst Offenders: 9 out of 10
Three tools scored 9/10. All three have verified post-cancellation charges in recent complaint data, all three have a Trustpilot rating below 1.5 stars, and all three have generated regulatory attention. They are not similar by coincidence.
Adobe Creative Cloud 9 / 10
Very High RiskAdobe's "annual, paid monthly" plan is the default option shown at sign-up. Cancelling after 14 days triggers a lump-sum fee equal to 50% of all remaining monthly payments. Cancel in month 3 of a 12-month Creative Cloud plan at $59.99 per month, and you owe $269.96 before you've left. The fee was disclosed via a tooltip, not in the sign-up flow itself, which is what the DOJ lawsuit targeted.
The March 2026 settlement requires Adobe to disclose the fee clearly before sign-up going forward. The fee itself was not removed. Adobe's AI Assistant for Acrobat is also a separate subscription from Acrobat Pro, which means cancelling one does not cancel the other. For the full fee breakdown, cancellation walkthrough, and the chat script that gets the fee waived, see our full Adobe cancellation guide.
Mailchimp 9 / 10
Very High RiskUsers report being locked out of their account at renewal time, unable to log in, while billing continues regardless. The account cannot be fully deleted while any balance is outstanding, which creates a loop: you can't access the account to cancel, but the account keeps charging you.
The most common resolution in Reddit threads is disputing the charge with the credit card issuer. Contacting Mailchimp's billing team after manually downgrading to the free plan has also produced refunds in documented cases. There is no clear recent policy change addressing the lockout pattern. The four reasons it keeps billing, and the order to fix them in, are in why Mailchimp is still charging you after you cancel.
DocuSign 9 / 10
Very High RiskMultiple 2025 and 2026 community threads describe DocuSign charging for a full year renewal with no advance reminder, and continuing to bill for months after a documented cancellation attempt. One user reported the in-app cancellation flow throwing "an unexpected system error" consistently across multiple browsers and devices. Another disputed $3,000 in unauthorized charges after submitting cancellation confirmation. The chargeback via Wells Fargo was the resolution that worked in that case.
No specific policy fix has been announced. Complaints are ongoing into mid-2026.
The 8 out of 10 Tools
Nine tools scored 8/10. They use fewer overlapping tactics than the 9/10 tools, but each has a specific, documented pattern. These are the ones most likely to catch users off guard because they're widely used and the friction is less obvious until you try to leave.
Zapier 8
High RiskThere's no dedicated cancel button in Zapier's billing section. To stop being charged, you have to manually downgrade to the free plan. Missing that step means the annual charge continues. One user was billed across 18 months of an entirely inactive account before catching it. Zapier also enforces a strict no-refunds policy, so unused annual time is rarely recoverable. A stronger no-refunds policy was confirmed via r/zapier roughly a year ago.
What users report losing: up to $600 on annual plans.
Salesforce 8
High RiskSalesforce's Master Subscription Agreement states that payment obligations are "non-cancelable" and fees are "non-refundable," with seat quantities unable to be decreased mid-term. Cancellation requires contacting the Customer Service Billing Department directly. There is no self-service path. One Reddit user reported Salesforce refusing to stop billing after giving 89 days' written notice. A 30-day auto-renewal notice window means missing a narrow annual deadline locks you into another full term.
Semrush 8
High RiskSemrush's cancellation flow ends with an email confirmation link that frequently lands in spam. Miss it and the subscription silently renews. Trustpilot's AI-generated review summary independently identifies "hidden steps like email validations with short validity periods" as a top complaint theme. Adobe completed its acquisition of Semrush in April 2026, prompting speculation about whether the combined billing practices will worsen. Users report losing between $69.99 and $400 per incident.
Hootsuite 8
High RiskHootsuite has a documented pattern of charging users who never fully completed account setup. One Trustpilot reviewer was billed roughly €1,400 via PayPal despite never using the account. Refunds are restricted to a 30-day window regardless of the circumstances. No policy change has been announced.
Notion 8
High RiskA widely upvoted Reddit thread (280+ comments) identifies Notion's guest-adding flow as a billing dark pattern. Adding a team member is easy enough to do accidentally, and the billing implication is not clearly surfaced at the moment the seat is added. Annual plan renewals also arrive with minimal advance notice. Notion's Trustpilot score reflects recurring complaints about unexpected charges on annual renewal dates.
Loom 8
High RiskAn Atlassian Community thread documents a user being unable to cancel via the in-app flow, with the recommended workaround being to freeze the card through their banking app. Since Atlassian acquired Loom, cancellation now runs through Atlassian's account system rather than a standalone Loom interface, which has added a layer of complexity for existing Loom subscribers trying to leave.
Sprout Social 8
High RiskSprout Social's official cancellation guidance includes a phone number and a step to "contact your Customer Success Manager," routing paid-plan cancellations through a human rather than a self-serve billing interface. This is a classic enterprise dark pattern: making the exit path dependent on a scheduled conversation with a retention specialist.
Teachable 8
High RiskA Reddit user reported being charged $189 after downgrading, due to a new student-cap restriction added to lower-tier plans after they had already signed up. Support refused a refund citing the new plan terms. As of November 2025, Teachable also stopped refunding transaction fees on student refunds, generating additional backlash on r/elearning.
Thinkific 8
High RiskThinkific's cancellation flow requires removing all course content before the account can be fully closed, creating a barrier that delays cancellation for active course creators. Multiple March 2026 Trustpilot reviews describe continued billing after both in-app and support-assisted cancellation was completed, suggesting a recent uptick rather than a longstanding issue.
All 68 Tools: The Full Scorecard
The table below covers every tool BillSensor detects. Filter by risk tier, or scroll through the full list. Every cancel URL is direct. No search required. For a step-by-step look at how 30 of these cancellation flows behave, see the cancellation flow audit.
| Tool | Score | Risk Tier | Primary Tactic | Cancel Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Cloud | 9 / 10 | Very High | Early termination fee | Cancel → |
| Mailchimp | 9 / 10 | Very High | Account lockout / roach motel | Cancel → |
| DocuSign | 9 / 10 | Very High | Post-cancellation charges | Cancel → |
| Zapier | 8 / 10 | High | No cancel button | Cancel → |
| Notion | 8 / 10 | High | Seat addition without consent | Cancel → |
| Semrush | 8 / 10 | High | Hidden confirmation step | Cancel → |
| Sprout Social | 8 / 10 | High | Human-gated cancellation | Cancel → |
| Hootsuite | 8 / 10 | High | Post-cancellation charges | Cancel → |
| Teachable | 8 / 10 | High | Stealth charges on plan changes | Cancel → |
| Thinkific | 8 / 10 | High | Content hostage + post-cancellation | Cancel → |
| Salesforce | 8 / 10 | High | Non-cancelable contract terms | Cancel → |
| Loom | 8 / 10 | High | Broken cancellation flow | Cancel → |
| RingCentral | 8 / 10 | High | Cancellation only through account support | Cancel → |
| HubSpot | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Sales-assisted cancellation | Cancel → |
| Calendly | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Downgrade vs. cancel confusion | Cancel → |
| Typeform | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Feature-stripping on downgrade | Cancel → |
| ActiveCampaign | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Contact-based billing increases | Cancel → |
| Klaviyo | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Contact-based silent upgrades | Cancel → |
| Webflow | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Site goes offline on cancellation | Cancel → |
| QuickBooks | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Annual plan, chat-required cancel | Cancel → |
| Monday.com | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Seat minimums + annual lock-in | Cancel → |
| Zendesk | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Required notice period | Cancel → |
| Squarespace | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Annual auto-renewal, no refund | Cancel → |
| Wix | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Annual plan, 14-day refund cap | Cancel → |
| Shutterstock | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | 50% fee to cancel an annual plan early | Cancel → |
| WP Engine | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | 30-day notice and a cancellation form | Cancel → |
| PandaDoc | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | No cancel button on some plans, no prorated refunds | Cancel → |
| LinkedIn Premium | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Immediate cancel needs support, refunds restricted | Cancel → |
| X Premium | 7 / 10 | Medium-High | Cancel only where you bought it, 24-hour deadline, no refunds | Cancel → |
| ClickUp | 6 / 10 | Medium | Friction on plan downgrade | Cancel → |
| Intercom | 6 / 10 | Medium | Usage-based billing surprises | Cancel → |
| Jira | 6 / 10 | Medium | Complex Atlassian billing system | Cancel → |
| Confluence | 6 / 10 | Medium | Complex Atlassian billing system | Cancel → |
| Freshdesk | 6 / 10 | Medium | Agent-based billing auto-scales | Cancel → |
| Shopify | 6 / 10 | Medium | App subscriptions billed separately | Cancel → |
| AWS | 6 / 10 | Medium | Usage-based surprise billing | Cancel → |
| Microsoft 365 | 6 / 10 | Medium | Auto-renewal, seat minimums | Cancel → |
| Miro | 6 / 10 | Medium | Member addition billing | Cancel → |
| Hotjar | 6 / 10 | Medium | Session-based auto-upgrade | Cancel → |
| Freshbooks | 6 / 10 | Medium | Client-based billing tiers | Cancel → |
| AWeber | 6 / 10 | Medium | Identity check and a clear balance to cancel | Cancel → |
| Ahrefs | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual plan lock-in | Cancel → |
| Moz | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual plan, limited refunds | Cancel → |
| Grammarly | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual auto-renewal | Cancel → |
| Canva | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Team seat auto-addition | Cancel → |
| Zoom | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual plan, limited pro-rating | Cancel → |
| Dropbox | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual auto-renewal | Cancel → |
| Pipedrive | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual plan lock-in | Cancel → |
| Asana | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Annual plan, seat-based billing | Cancel → |
| ConvertKit | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Subscriber-based billing tiers | Cancel → |
| Brevo | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Email-based billing tiers | Cancel → |
| SendGrid | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Email volume-based auto-upgrade | Cancel → |
| Heroku | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Dyno-based billing complexity | Cancel → |
| Google Workspace | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Seat minimums on annual plans | Cancel → |
| Airtable | 5 / 10 | Low-Medium | Workspace-based billing confusion | Cancel → |
| Figma | 4 / 10 | Low | Editor seat billing | Cancel → |
| Slack | 4 / 10 | Low | Fair billing, pro-rated refunds | Cancel → |
| Trello | 4 / 10 | Low | Straightforward cancellation | Cancel → |
| Mailerlite | 4 / 10 | Low | Subscriber-based tiers, clear flow | Cancel → |
| Twilio | 4 / 10 | Low | Usage-based, no lock-in | Cancel → |
| Cloudflare | 4 / 10 | Low | Clear self-serve cancellation | Cancel → |
| DigitalOcean | 4 / 10 | Low | Usage-based, no term lock | Cancel → |
| WooCommerce | 4 / 10 | Low | Annual renewal, manageable | Cancel → |
| Lottiefiles | 4 / 10 | Low | Standard subscription model | Cancel → |
| GitHub | 3 / 10 | Minimal | Transparent billing, easy cancel | Cancel → |
| GitLab | 3 / 10 | Minimal | Straightforward self-serve | Cancel → |
| Linear | 3 / 10 | Minimal | Clear pricing, no friction | Cancel → |
| Claude | 3 / 10 | Minimal | One-click cancel in settings | Cancel → |
The Regulatory Picture Is Moving Fast
The Adobe and Shutterstock settlements aren't isolated. The FTC has been running parallel enforcement on subscription dark patterns throughout 2025 and 2026, and state-level law has moved independently while the federal rule stalled.
Adobe settled with the DOJ and FTC in March 2026 for $150 million. The allegation: hiding a 50% early termination fee in fine print on "annual paid monthly" plans. Two months later, Shutterstock settled with the FTC for $35 million for the same practice. Neither company was required to eliminate the fee. Both were required to disclose it more clearly going forward.
The pattern is identical: sell what feels like a monthly subscription, lock users into an annual contract via the default checkout flow, and charge 50% of remaining payments when they try to leave early. Two settlements, two companies, same tactic, same year.
Genesis Tech: $250M halted (July 2026)
Federal court temporarily halted a Cyprus/Ukraine/Delaware-linked network of subscription businesses (fitness apps, PDF tools, psychic-chat products) for hidden recurring charges and blocked cancellation. The FTC described this as part of "robust enforcement" under current administration priorities.
Amended Automatic Renewal Law (July 2025)
California now limits companies to one retention offer during cancellation and requires a simultaneously visible click-to-cancel option. This is the most actionable consumer-facing rule currently in force and applies to any company selling to California residents, regardless of where they're based.
Click-to-Cancel Rule: Vacated (July 2025)
The FTC's Click-to-Cancel rule, finalized October 2024, was vacated by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in July 2025 on procedural grounds. It is not currently in effect at the federal level. The FTC continues pursuing individual cases under existing ROSCA authority instead.
§312k BGB Two-Button Rule
Germany's existing law requires a clearly visible "cancel here" button alongside any subscription sign-up. It's the most concrete enforceable cancellation UI requirement currently in force in Europe, and it applies to any tool selling to German users.
DMCC Act: January 2027
The UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 introduces a subscription contract regime with fines up to 10% of global turnover. The government has scheduled the regime to start in January 2027, after earlier delays.
Digital Fairness Act: Proposal expected by end of 2026
The EU's Digital Fairness Act, targeting dark patterns and addictive design, has a proposal expected from the European Commission by the end of 2026. It builds on the existing Digital Services Act and Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, with stronger enforcement teeth for subscription billing specifically.
If you're cancelling a subscription and the company presents a discount or a "pause" option, California law now requires the actual cancel option to be visible at the same time, not buried behind the retention offer. If you're in California and a company makes you decline the retention offer before you can see the cancel button, they're potentially in violation of state law.
What to Do If You're on a High-Risk Tool
The scorecard tells you the risk. Here's what to do about it before a renewal hits.
For any tool scored 8/10 or above, check your account right now for multiple active subscriptions under different product names. DocuSign, Adobe, and Teachable all have documented patterns of add-on subscriptions that don't cancel when the main subscription does.
For tools that require a phone call or human contact to cancel (Sprout Social, Salesforce, HubSpot), start the process at least 30 days before your renewal date. The 30-day window is also the auto-renewal deadline for Salesforce specifically. Missing it locks you into another full term. The guide to what to do when a SaaS won't let you cancel covers each cancellation pattern in turn.
For any tool using the "annual paid monthly" structure (Adobe, Shutterstock's model, and others), calculate your early termination fee before you cancel. The table above links directly to the cancellation page for every tool so you can check the current terms without hunting through account settings.
Get alerted before any of these tools charge you
BillSensor detects billing emails from the tools above and alerts you 7 days before renewal. It shows the dark pattern score next to every detected subscription and gives you a direct cancel link, so you're not checking this table at 11pm the night before a charge.
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