How to vibe codeIncogni
Fully automated personal data removal and privacy service
incogni.com ↗Privacy & Data Removal
The verdict: can you vibe code Incogni?
Build a personal CLI scraper for 3 sites, but keep paying for Incogni if you want real coverage; maintaining scrapers across 420+ hostile data brokers is an endless second job.
Writing a script to check your own name on Whitepages takes an afternoon. Cloning a production SaaS that automatically submits opt-outs, parses unstructured tables, bypasses aggressive Cloudflare bot detection, and handles hundreds of shifting target site DOM structures is an impossible maintenance nightmare for a solo builder. Target sites intentionally break their layouts and introduce CAPTCHAs to block automated removal.
Estimated effort: 6+ months of full-time maintenance
What you can't replicate
- Maintained parsers and proxy pools for 420+ hostile target websites
- Deloitte-audited compliance infrastructure
- Continuous legal escalation teams
Founded
2021
Raised
—
Team
2,000+ (parent group Surfshark / Nord Security)
Cheapest paid tier
$7.99/mo
What Incogni does
Scubs personal identifiable information (PII) from data broker databases, people-search websites, and marketing lists using legal opt-out frameworks.
Core features
- User profile configuration (names, previous addresses, phone numbers)
- Automated matching against people-search engines
- Asynchronous removal request scheduling and status tracking dashboard
- Recurring cron jobs to re-scan and resend opt-out demands
- Legal authorization document generator (GDPR/CCPA templates)
- Progress analytics and summary reporting
The business
Pricing
- Standard (Individual)$7.99/mo
- Unlimited (Individual)$14.99/mo
- Family (Up to 5 members)$15.99/mo
Funding
Unknown / bootstrapped
Pay vs build, cumulative
Break-even at month 5 — after that, every month is money kept.
The hard parts of vibe coding Incogni
- Bypassing enterprise anti-bot walls (Cloudflare, DataDome, Akamai) on hundreds of data broker sites
- Constantly maintaining DOM scrapers and form submission APIs as broker site layouts shift
- Managing complex asynchronous state machines for requests taking anywhere from 2 hours to 45 days
- Handling proxy rotation and headless browser fingerprinting at scale
How to vibecode Incogni
Prerequisites
Node.jsfree
Runtime for the TypeScript backend and automation scripts.
GitHubfree
Source control and CI/CD actions to run scheduled scraping cron jobs.
AI coding tools
Recommended stack
| Frontend | Next.js |
|---|---|
| Backend | Next.js API routes |
| Database | Turso |
| Auth | better-auth |
| Payments | none |
| Other | Playwright, Resend |
Hosting & infrastructure
| Cloudflare | Hosting the Next.js frontend, API endpoints, and scheduled cron triggers for daily scans. | $0-5/mo |
Build guide
01Scaffold the Personal Privacy Dashboard
Initialize a Next.js application with Tailwind CSS and better-auth to manage your personal profile data.
Initialize a new Next.js project with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and better-auth configured for local SQLite/Turso. Create a user profile onboarding flow where the user inputs their full legal name, current and past addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. Build a main dashboard page displaying an overview table of target data broker sites, their current status (Scanned, Removal Requested, Removed), and expected resolution timelines.02Build the Target Site Configuration Schema
Define the database models and configuration structures representing individual data brokers and people-search directories.
Create a Turso database schema using Drizzle ORM containing tables for 'brokers' (name, url, category, requires_manual_form, difficulty_score) and 'user_removals' (user_id, broker_id, status, last_checked_at, tracking_id). Seed the database with 3 sample target people-search sites that allow public opt-outs.03Implement Automated Scraping & Submission Pipeline
Write Playwright-based automation scripts that check target sites for exposed user profiles and submit opt-out requests.
Write a modular TypeScript scraping service using Playwright that takes user profile data and checks a target people-search directory. If a matching profile is found in the search results, automate the interaction sequence to submit the opt-out/removal web form. Handle basic error catching, screenshot logging for debugging anti-bot blocks, and update the 'user_removals' table status to 'Removal Requested'.04Schedule Recurring Cron Jobs
Configure automated background tasks to re-scan directories and verify removal statuses periodically.
Implement Cloudflare Workers Cron Triggers or Next.js scheduled endpoints that iterate through active user removal records every 14 days. Re-run the verification script against the target broker site to confirm whether the profile has been successfully scrubbed or if it has reappeared, updating the status and sending an email notification via Resend if status changes occur.05Polish Dashboard Reporting & Edge Cases
Add status history logs, exportable progress reports, and robust error handling for broken DOM layouts.
Add a detailed modal view for each broker in the Next.js dashboard showing the history of requests, screenshots of successful opt-outs or error states, and a summary stats banner tracking total hours saved and requests completed. Implement fallback alert logging via Sentry when scraper selectors fail due to target site DOM updates.
Cost vs paying for Incogni
What will you build it with?
Starting total with Claude Code$0 one-time
Starting costs (one-time)
- Domain name$12 one-time
Total~$12 one-time
Ongoing costs (monthly)
- Cloudflare Workers & Turso$0-5/mo
Total~$5/mo
Paying for Incogni
$7.99/mo
Your time to build
40-60 hours of scraper maintenance
AI tool credits
$20 (Claude Pro)
Break-even
Infinite (paying is cheaper when factoring maintenance time)
Vibe code Incogni: FAQ
- Can you vibe code Incogni yourself?
- Don't bother — 12/100 vibecodeable. Build a personal CLI scraper for 3 sites, but keep paying for Incogni if you want real coverage; maintaining scrapers across 420+ hostile data brokers is an endless second job.
- How long does it take to vibe code Incogni?
- 6+ months of full-time maintenance — roughly 40-60 hours of scraper maintenance of hands-on time with an AI coding agent.
- How do you build your own Incogni?
- Scoped to personal use: Next.js on the front, Next.js API routes behind it, Turso for data. Follow the 5-step build guide on this page — each step has a paste-ready prompt for an AI coding agent.
- How do you code your own Incogni without being an expert?
- Use an AI coding tool (Claude Code or Cursor) and work in small steps: scaffold, data model, core screens, then deploy. Realistic effort: 6+ months of full-time maintenance. The prompts on this page are written so the AI does the heavy lifting.
- How much does it cost to vibe code Incogni instead of paying?
- About ~$12 one-time to start and ~$5/mo to run, versus $7.99/mo for Incogni. Break-even: Infinite (paying is cheaper when factoring maintenance time).
- What stack should you use to vibe code Incogni?
- Next.js; Next.js API routes; Turso; plus Playwright, Resend.