Fakespot shuts down today after 9 years of fake review detection
Today marks the end of an era. After nearly a decade of helping millions of shoppers navigate the murky waters of online reviews, Fakespot has officially closed its doors. If you tried to check a product listing this morning and found Fakespot not working, you're not alone. The service has permanently shut down.
TL;DR: Fakespot, the popular fake review detection tool acquired by Mozilla in 2023, shut down today, July 1, 2025. Founded by Saoud Khalifah in 2016, it helped millions identify unreliable Amazon reviews with 90% accuracy before Mozilla discontinued it due to sustainability challenges.
Fakespot's origins
Back in 2016, Saoud Khalifah bought a product on Amazon, trusting the glowing reviews, only to discover he'd been duped by fake feedback. Instead of just leaving his own angry review, Khalifah took a more proactive approach: he built Fakespot.
What started as one person's frustration with deceptive sellers became a tool that analyzed millions of reviews across Amazon and other major retailers like eBay and Walmart. The premise was simple but powerful: use AI to spot patterns that human shoppers might miss, like suspiciously similar language or reviewer profiles that didn't quite add up.
The magnitude of the deception
Fakespot's technology revealed some eye-opening statistics. About 43% of the best-selling Amazon products had reviews that were unreliable or fabricated, according to a study by app company Circuit. The problem was even worse in certain categories. Clothing and jewelry led the pack with a staggering 88% of reviews deemed unreliable.
These numbers painted a sobering picture of the online shopping landscape. Most of us rely on product reviews as a major factor when deciding what to buy, but nearly half of the feedback you read might not be genuine.
Funding and acquisition
As Fakespot gained traction, investors took notice. In November 2020, the company raised $4 million in Series A funding, bringing their total funding to $7 million and signaling strong confidence in their mission to combat fake reviews.
Three years later, Mozilla acquired Fakespot, bringing the startup's 13-person team into the Firefox family. Mozilla integrated Fakespot's technology directly into Firefox as the "Mozilla Review Checker" feature, making it easier than ever for users to verify product reviews without installing separate extensions.
For many users, this felt like a perfect match. Mozilla's reputation for privacy and transparency aligned beautifully with Fakespot's mission to bring honesty to online shopping.
The final chapter
But as Mozilla announced in May, not all acquisitions fit into a sustainable long-term model. The company made the difficult decision to discontinue both Pocket and Fakespot as part of a strategic refocus on Firefox's core features and AI-powered innovations.
The reasons were practical, if devastating for users. A flood of reviews lamenting the closure have appeared on Fakespot's extension page on the Chrome Web Store:
Fakespot's mission resonated strongly with consumers, but Mozilla couldn't find a sustainable model to keep it running. Resources that once supported the service would now flow toward Firefox features like vertical tabs, smart search, and additional AI-powered features.
As we say goodbye to Fakespot, it's worth reflecting on what it accomplished. For nine years, it served as a defender against fraud in an increasingly deceptive marketplace. It gave shoppers a fighting chance against promotional reviewers and bot farms that undermine trust in online shopping.
What's next?
For those of us who came to rely on Fakespot's review analysis before making purchases, its absence leaves us less confident in our buying decisions. The need for trustworthy review analysis hasn't gone away. If anything, it's more critical than ever.
I know I'm not alone in feeling this gap, which is why I've begun building a tool that aims to be the spiritual successor to Fakespot. TrueStar will use modern AI, streamlined analysis techniques, and sustainable economics to keep costs manageable while maintaining the accuracy shoppers need.
Learning from Fakespot's challenges, TrueStar is being built to last. If you're interested, get notified when we launch.
Quick answers about Fakespot's closure
When did Fakespot shut down?
Fakespot officially closed on July 1, 2025, with the Mozilla Review Checker feature in Firefox having ended on June 10, 2025.
Why did Fakespot shut down?
Mozilla couldn't find a sustainable business model for Fakespot despite its popularity, choosing to redirect resources to core Firefox features and AI-powered browser tools.
What happened to Fakespot?
Mozilla acquired Fakespot in 2023 but announced in May 2025 that both Fakespot and Pocket would be discontinued as part of a strategic refocus on Firefox development.
What are the best Fakespot alternatives?
While several options exist including ReviewMeta, The Review Index, and emerging tools like TrueStar, the market is still developing sustainable solutions that balance accuracy with affordability.
A final farewell
As Fakespot's servers go dark, let's raise a glass to the tool that made online shopping so much more trustworthy for nearly a decade. Thanks to Saoud Khalifah and his team for showing us what's possible when technology serves truth over profit.
Rest in peace, Fakespot. You fought the good fight. 🥂
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