OwnNothing.io

Tools, knowledge, and collective power to understand and resist extractive digital systems.

About

OwnNothing.io is a platform that helps people understand how much they're paying in "digital rent" — recurring subscriptions, platform fees, and gig economy commissions that extract value without providing ownership.

Phase 1 MVP includes:

• Digital Rent Calculator: Track your subscriptions and see your total monthly/yearly costs
• Shareable Results: Generate cards showing your digital rent breakdown
• Educational Content: Learn about platform capitalism and digital ownership
• Email List: Join the community working to resist digital extraction

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 16 + React 19 (App Router)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4
• Language: TypeScript (strict mode)
• Analytics: Plausible (privacy-respecting)
• Email: Resend
• Database: PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM (wired but dormant in Phase 1)
• Hosting: Hostinger + Dokploy (Docker-based)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• (Optional) PostgreSQL for database features

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/smallthinkingmachines/ownnothing.io.git
cd ownnothing.io

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local

# Run the development server
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to see the app.

Environment Variables

All environment variables are optional in Phase 1. The app will boot and run without them.

• DATABASE_URL: PostgreSQL connection string (not used in Phase 1)
• RESEND_API_KEY: Resend API key for email (will log to console if not set)
• NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_DOMAIN: Your Plausible analytics domain

See .env.example for the full list.

Development

# Run dev server
npm run dev

# Type check
npm run typecheck

# Lint
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

# Build for production
npm run build

Project Structure

ownnothing.io/
├── src/
│   ├── app/              # Next.js App Router pages
│   ├── components/       # React components
│   │   ├── ui/           # Primitive UI components
│   │   ├── calculator/   # Calculator-specific components
│   │   ├── marketing/    # Landing page components
│   │   └── layout/       # Header, footer, nav
│   ├── lib/              # Pure functions and utilities
│   ├── hooks/            # React hooks
│   ├── types/            # TypeScript types
│   └── db/               # Database schema (dormant)
├── content/              # MDX articles
└── public/               # Static assets

Philosophy

We believe:

• You should own what you pay for — Recurring payments should lead to ownership, not endless rent
• Your data belongs to you — Platforms shouldn't lock you in or extract value from your content
• Transparency matters — People should understand the true cost of digital platforms
• Collective action works — Together, we can build alternatives to extractive systems

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether it's:

• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• Code contributions
• Documentation improvements
• Sharing your digital rent calculation

Please open an issue or pull request.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

Roadmap

Phase 1 (Current)

• Digital Rent Calculator
• Landing page
• Email capture
• Shareable result cards
• First cornerstone articles

Phase 2

• User accounts & saved calculations
• Community features
• Alternative recommendations
• Collective bargaining tools

Contact

• Website: ownnothing.io
• GitHub: smallthinkingmachines/ownnothing.io

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Built with 🛠️ by people who believe in digital ownership.