FAQ
Before you add it, and after.
Evaluating NeedBack
- What does NeedBack do?
- It is a review tool that lets people leave comments directly on the page they are looking at. Each comment records the URL, viewport width, scroll position, and target element. A screenshot is saved when capture succeeds; if it does not, the comment can still be posted without visual evidence.
- Do reviewers need to create an account?
- No. Reviewers open the shared review URL and click on the page. Entering a display name lets you tell who wrote what; leaving it blank shows the reviewer as “Guest.” There is no signup and nothing to install.
- Does setup require code changes?
- Paste the one-line <script> tag issued in the console into your page. It works on pages that can load an external script; if a Content Security Policy restricts network destinations, allow the NeedBack CDN and API.
- What kinds of sites does it work on?
- Any page where you can add a <script> tag — static sites and SPAs alike. Each project registers one domain, and the widget only runs on pages of that domain.
- Can reviewers use it on a phone or tablet?
- No. NeedBack is for desktop browsers. On phones and tablets the widget does not start, so comments cannot be posted or viewed there.
- Does it work on pages behind a login, or on staging before launch?
- Yes. As long as you can install the tag and the page is on the domain registered to the project, pages behind authentication work too — reviewers just need to be able to reach the page themselves.
- Will it affect my site's styling or CSS?
- The widget UI is fully isolated inside a Shadow DOM. There is no global CSS leakage and no permanent styles injected into your elements.
- Will it slow down my page?
- It adds a script and a settings request, so the impact is not literally zero. The initial production bundle is capped at 80KB gzipped in CI, while screenshot, recording, and Markdown rendering code is loaded only when needed.
- Will passwords or sensitive data end up in screenshots?
- input[type="password"] and any element marked with data-needback-redact are masked before capture. Other sensitive information is not detected or hidden automatically, so mark every additional element you want redacted with data-needback-redact.
- Where are screenshots and recordings stored, and how long do they stay?
- They are stored in NeedBack’s private storage. Space members can view evidence for comments in the projects visible to them, while a shared-link reviewer can view evidence only for comments posted by their current session. Authorized MCP clients receive the available evidence, while Pro Markdown / CSV exports include signed evidence links that expire after 10 minutes. CSV + evidence ZIP exports include the original files. Retention is 30 days on Free and 1 year on Pro; comments and evidence beyond that window are deleted automatically.
- How much can I do on the free plan?
- Free includes 3 projects, 30 comments per month, 3 screen recordings per month, 30-day retention, and 1 member. No credit card required.
- Do I pay per reviewer?
- No. Shared-link reviewers are not billed by headcount. The Pro subscription price is based on seats for managing-side space members. One-time comment or video add-on packs are charged separately from the subscription when purchased.
- What does Pro cost, and how do I pay?
- Pro costs ¥2,900 per month for the first seat (excl. tax; ¥3,190 incl.) and ¥1,500 per month for each additional seat (excl. tax; ¥1,650 incl.). Annual billing is ¥29,000 for the first seat (excl. tax; ¥31,900 incl.) and ¥15,000 for each additional seat (excl. tax; ¥16,500 incl.), starting from a single seat. Payment is by credit card through Stripe. Prices are shown excluding tax, and 10% consumption tax is added at checkout. Billing is in Japanese yen only; we do not charge in other currencies.
- Can AI agents use it?
- MCP-compatible clients such as Claude and Cursor can read comments and update their status. It is available on every plan, and what a client may do is decided by the scopes on its token.
- How do I get started?
- Sign up, create a project with one domain, install the tag it issues on that page, and share the review URL.
Already using it
- Reviewers see "comment limit reached".
- When the Free monthly comment allowance runs out, reviewers can no longer post and NeedBack notifies the space owner and admins in the app. An owner can buy an add-on pack or upgrade to Pro to resume. The monthly allowance resets the following month.
- How do the monthly allowance and add-on packs differ?
- The monthly allowance resets every month; add-on packs are one-time purchases valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. The monthly allowance is consumed first, then pack balances, starting with the lots that expire soonest. An add-on pack is a single charge separate from the subscription, paid at the moment you buy it. It does not change your seat count or your next subscription invoice. Which packs you can buy depends on your plan: Free can buy the 50-comment pack and the 10-video pack; Pro can buy the 10-video and 50-video packs (Pro has unlimited comments, so there is no comment pack). Prices are shown on the Plans & pricing page in the console.
- When and how much am I charged when I subscribe to Pro?
- Subscribing sends you to Stripe checkout, where you pay the first period right away. Billing starts with the first-seat price and adds the additional-seat price for every member after the first, with a minimum of one seat. There is no trial period and no setup fee. After that the subscription renews automatically on the same date each month or each year, counted from the day you subscribed. Your next renewal date and your paid history are on the Plans & pricing page in the console.
- What happens to my bill if I add a member during an annual term?
- Seats follow the number of members in the space, so accepting an invitation adds one seat. Each additional seat after the first uses the ¥1,500 monthly or ¥15,000 annual price (both excluding tax), prorated over the remainder of the term. With nine months left on annual billing, that is roughly three quarters of the additional-seat annual price. That difference is not charged on the spot — it is added to your next invoice: the next renewal on annual, next month on monthly. Removing a member does the reverse: the unused part is prorated as a credit and subtracted from your next invoice. We do not pay it back in cash. An invitation that has been sent but not yet accepted is never billed. Before sending one, the member management page and the group invite panels show your current seat count and price, what it becomes once the invite is accepted, and your next invoice date (owners and admins only). Those figures are full-period amounts; what actually gets added is the prorated share of them. Pro’s monthly recording allowance is per member, so adding a member also raises the recording allowance for the whole space.
- When does the price change if I switch between monthly and annual?
- Monthly to annual takes effect immediately. You move to annual at that moment, and the difference between the unused part of the month you already paid for and the annual price is prorated onto your next invoice. Annual to monthly is scheduled for the end of the current term. The price never drops to monthly partway through; you keep Pro on annual until the term ends, and you can cancel the scheduled switch at any point before then. If members join or leave while the switch is scheduled, the seat count applied at the switch is adjusted to the latest member count.
- Where do I change or cancel my plan?
- The space owner manages billing from Plans & pricing in the console. Switch between monthly and annual billing on that page; use the Stripe customer portal to move to Free, cancel, or update a payment method. If cancellation is scheduled for period end, Pro remains available until the subscription ends.
- If I cancel, do I get a refund for the rest of the term?
- No. Payments already made are non-refundable on both monthly and annual plans, including any prorated or unused part of the term, and cancelling an annual plan partway through is no exception. Because you keep Pro and your data until the current term ends, cancelling close to your renewal date wastes the least. Billing errors on our side, such as a duplicate charge, and refunds required by law are the exceptions — get in touch if you think one applies.
- What happens to my projects if I go back to Free?
- Projects beyond the Free limit of 3 are archived automatically, but the project records themselves are not deleted. You can choose which 3 stay active in the console, and upgrading back to Pro restores projects archived by the downgrade. Comments and evidence are then subject to Free’s 30-day retention period.
- Where can I find invoices and payment history?
- An owner can review paid invoice history under Billing history on the Plans & pricing page in the console. Each row shows the amount actually paid and links to the Stripe invoice page or PDF when Stripe has provided them.
- I received a payment failure notification.
- An expired card or declined charge may be the cause. The owner should open the Stripe customer portal from Plans & pricing and review the payment method and invoice status. If Stripe ends the subscription, NeedBack switches the space to Free.
- A reviewer says they cannot comment.
- Check in this order: 1. They are not on a phone or tablet — it is desktop only. 2. The page domain exactly matches the project’s registered domain. 3. The link is not an old review URL from before the share token was regenerated. 4. The widget is enabled. 5. The monthly comment limit has not been reached.
- A reviewer session has expired.
- A reviewer session expires 30 days after the reviewer last opened the review screen, on every plan. Opening it with fewer than 15 days left pushes the expiry back to 30 days, so it does not run out while a review is still going. After expiry, review the display name on the join screen and start again; leaving it blank shows the name as “Guest” instead. Existing comments remain, but the new session cannot edit or delete comments from the old session or view their evidence.
- How do I delete my account?
- A space owner requests account deletion from Account information, opened from the avatar at the bottom of the side navigation. On every plan it runs 14 days later, and you can cancel it any time before then. Spaces where you are the only owner are deleted along with your account — including spaces that still have other members — so the spaces about to go are listed before you confirm. When it runs, the account, those spaces, their projects, memberships, and stored data are deleted and any paid plan is cancelled. Unused add-on balance is forfeited and the remaining term is not refunded. Ownership cannot be handed to another member, and non-owners cannot leave a space on their own.
- How can I contact you?
- Contact us by email at hello@needback.io. NeedBack does not offer phone support.
Simple to start
Install the tag and share the URL
Create a project in the Console and add the embed tag to the page you want reviewed.
Then open the review URL and start leaving feedback.
