A calm second look before you buy.
Odessa is a free browser extension that pauses at the moment it matters — right before an order goes through or a new website gets your details — explains it in plain words, and lets you ask someone you trust.
Free. No account. Nothing is ever bought, changed or sent without you pressing a button.
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$3.49 each−10+
How it works
Three moments, one job: make sure it's really what you meant.
Before the order goes through
When you press Place your order, Odessa shows exactly what is about to be bought: how many of each item, the cost, the total that will be charged, which card, and where it ships. Fix a quantity right there, or print the receipt.
Before a new site gets your details
On a site you haven't used before, Odessa speaks up at the first email, phone or address box, warns before a card number, and stops at a Social Security number. It also spots boxes pre-ticked to charge you every month.
Ask someone you trust
Every screen has an Ask ___ button with your helper's name on it. Press it and an email to them is ready in your own mail program, describing what was happening. You just press Send.
What it catches
Plain rules, explained in plain words. No jargon, no lectures.
- Large quantities of one item ("10 boxes of Raisin Bran")
- Something you already bought in the last month
- Several look-alike items — three brands of the same thing
- Gift cards in the cart (the #1 way scammers get paid)
- Subscribe & Save switched on by accident
- An order much bigger than usual
- Shipping somewhere other than home
- A store you've never used asking for your email or phone
- A card number about to be typed into a small, unknown shop
- Dates of birth, ID numbers, Social Security numbers
- "Monthly" or "recurring" pre-ticked on checkouts and donation pages
- Arriving from an email, text or ad link — "be extra careful"
For helpers
Setting it up for a parent, grandparent or neighbor takes about two minutes.
Install it on their computer
Add Odessa from the Chrome or Edge store. The setup page opens by itself.
Enter your name and email
That's who "Ask ___" goes to. Add your phone if you like — it's shown if email isn't set up on their computer.
Tune it once
Choose the text size, whether Odessa reads aloud, and what counts as "a lot." Mark things they always buy as normal so it stops asking.
Tip: if their "email" is Gmail in the browser, set Chrome as the email handler once (Gmail offers to do this) so the Ask button opens a Gmail draft.
Privacy, plainly
Odessa never reads card numbers, passwords, or what you type. It looks at what kind of box you clicked into, not what you put in it.
On Amazon it reads the items, quantities, prices, totals, the shipping address shown, and the card type and last four digits shown — so it can show them back to you.
Your settings, the purchases you confirmed, and the sites you trust are stored on your own computer. Nothing is sent anywhere unless a helper has set up an optional Odessa server for their family.
No advertising. No selling data. Ever. Read the full privacy policy.
Questions
Does it stop me from buying things?
No. It pauses and shows you what's about to happen. Every screen has a big green "Yes" button, a large Close button, and the Escape key works. You always decide.
Will it nag me on sites I use all the time?
No. The "new site" warning only appears on sites you've used on fewer than two separate days, and big well-known services are skipped. Mark a site as trusted once and it stays quiet.
I always buy five boxes of the same cereal. Will it ask every time?
Press "this is normal for me" once and it won't ask again for that item at that quantity. Your helper can clear the list from the setup page.
Does it work on stores other than Amazon?
The full order review is Amazon-only for now. On every other site Odessa guards the moments that matter most: personal details, card numbers, and recurring charges. More stores are coming.
Is it free?
Yes. Odessa was built by a family for our own parents and neighbors. The optional helper server for families who want emailed alerts and an activity log is also free to run on your own website.
Who makes it?
Odessa is made by RealCove, LC in Salt Lake City, Utah. Questions and ideas: brian@realcove.com.