Why we built SwearBy
Why we built this
Think about the last great rec you got. The Diwali biryani place your cousin won't shut up about. The show your office friend made you watch. None of that came from a star rating.
But these recos die in WhatsApp scroll. And the review sites you fall back on are half bots and paid posts.
SwearBy is just your friends' recs, in one place, easy to find later.
Heads up: things might feel slow sometimes. We run on free tiers, and those platforms put paying customers first (fair enough). We're constantly watching and tuning the app to keep it snappy, but the odd slow moment is part of keeping SwearBy free. Bear with us and keep enjoying the good stuff.
How your feed works
No black box. Here's the whole formula, in plain sight:
Most-loved first. The recs your Circles hit with a 🔥 rise to the top. The more friends who swear by something, the higher it sits.
Fresh stuff bumps up. A new rec, or a new comment on an old one, nudges it back up so you don't miss what's moving in your Circles.
Done drops down. Mark something as done and it slides to the bottom. Your feed stays about what's next, not what you've already tried.
Same rules for everyone. No ads, no paid placement, no engagement traps. Just your friends' reactions and what's recent. Inside a single Circle it's simpler still: newest activity first.
Our privacy stance
No follower counts. Whoever shares a Circle with you sees your Circle posts. Leave the Circle and it stops. No vanity numbers anywhere.
No mystery feed. Your feed is whatever your Circles loved most. We don't pick what shows up. Your friends do.
No ads. No tracking. No data selling. We store what we need to run the app. Nothing else.
How the lights stay on
Yes, it's actually free. No, your data isn't for sale. No ads, no investors, no premium tier waiting to nag you. Here's how that works.
Today
One person building this from India. The app runs on free tiers of trusted serverless infra, so the bill right now is ₹0.
That's enough room for the friend and family launch. Speaking of which: that launch is yours. Bring people in.
If it grows
If SwearBy takes off and outgrows the free tier, there won't be sneaky ads or paywalls on what you already use. Just a Buy Me a Coffee link, plain and visible. You chip in, the app keeps getting built. Simple.
But none of that happens unless people actually start using it. So go invite your Circle, swear by something, do the thing. 🦜
Common questions
How do I sign up?
Tap Continue with Google on the landing page. No passwords to remember, no separate account to make. We never post anything on your behalf.What's a Circle?
A small group of friends you actually trust. Make one for your college crew, your office lunch gang, your cousins, whatever. You see what people in your Circles swear by. That's it. Leave a Circle and their recos stop showing up.Why no algorithms?
Public feeds get gamed. Influencers, paid placements, bots. SwearBy just shows you what your friends loved, with the most-loved stuff at the top. Nobody decides what surfaces for you. Your friends do.Do I even need to install anything?
Nope. SwearBy is a web app on purpose, so there's nothing to download and no app store to deal with. Open it in any browser on your phone, laptop, or tablet and the same recos are right there. One less app cluttering your phone.Can I install SwearBy as an app?
Yes. Sign in, open your Profile page, and tap Install on Android. On iPhone, tap Share in Safari and pick Add to Home Screen. Either way you get a real app icon on your phone.What data do you store about me?
Your Google name and avatar, the recos and reactions and comments you post, and the Circles you're in. That's it. We don't track your location. We don't watch what you do outside SwearBy. We don't sell anything to anyone. Sign out anytime from your Profile page.Is SwearBy free?
Yes. Read "How we keep the lights on" above if you want the full story.Who built this?
Just one person, building this from India. Someone who loves swapping recs, has a tight crew of friends he trusts more than any algorithm or review site, and got tired of those WhatsApp recs disappearing into scroll. SwearBy is the app he wanted for his own group. You're welcome to use it for yours.
Got feedback or ideas?
SwearBy is built by one person, in the open. Bugs, feature wishes, or just a hello — it all reaches a real human.