Liên Sơn Nguyễn Hoàng

Why do we still pay for subscriptions by the month in 2026?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the "Utility Gap" in crypto. We have this incredible technology designed for freedom and instant settlement, yet we’re still stuck using it like a speculative asset inside trading terminals.

When my friends and I sat down to build Utilsio, we realized the biggest point of friction wasn't the tech—it was the "honesty" of the subscription model itself.

The "Mid-Month" Anxiety

We’ve all had that moment where we want to cancel a service (like Netflix or a SaaS tool) mid-month, but we hesitate. “If I cancel now, am I losing the money I already paid? Will they cut me off immediately?” It feels like a trap.

We wanted to see if we could use crypto to solve this. Instead of the standard monthly "pull" from a credit card, we’re experimenting with Per-Second Billing. The idea is simple: the moment you hit stop, the billing stops. No refunds to chase, no "gotchas."

Moving beyond the "Stripe" wall

We aren't trying to replace the big players like Stripe—they are the gold standard for a reason. But they have walls. If you’re under 18, don't have the right ID, or live in a "unsupported" country, you’re essentially locked out of the global digital economy.

Our approach involves:

  • Sandboxed Wallets: Allowing people to subscribe to new tools with total privacy (no card leaks) without risking their main funds.

  • One Dashboard: Managing 10 different crypto subs in one place rather than hunting through 10 different sites.

  • Zero-Friction Access: If you have a wallet, you can participate. Period.

I’d love to get the community's take on this:

  1. As a user, does "pay-per-second" make you more or less likely to try a new tool?

  2. As a maker, what’s the biggest headache you face with traditional payment rails (fees, chargebacks, regional blocks)?

  3. Do you think "sandboxed" payment identities are the future of privacy, or just an extra step?

We’re really early and looking to build this with people who care about the future of internet subscriptions. If you want to dive deeper into the tech or share ideas, we’re hanging out in Discord: https://discord.gg/nAcWD5VUdu

Can’t wait to hear your insights! ⚡️

4 views

Add a comment

Replies

Be the first to comment