CostCritter Privacy Policy

Effective date: 14 May 2026 App: CostCritter App package: com.signius.costcritter Provider: Signius Contact: signiusprojects@gmail.com

This Privacy Policy explains how CostCritter handles information when you use the CostCritter mobile app and web app.

CostCritter is designed as a local-first, privacy-first subscription and expense tracker. The app does not require an account, does not use advertising, and does not send your subscription or financial tracking data to a CostCritter server.

Summary

CostCritter stores the information you enter in the app on your device or in your browser.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not use third-party advertising SDKs. We do not use analytics SDKs to track how you use the app.

Some limited data may leave your device only when required for app store purchases, receipt validation, local notifications, exports, backups, or actions you choose to perform.

Information You Enter Into CostCritter

Depending on the features you use, CostCritter may store the following information locally:

• Subscription names, categories, prices, currencies, billing cycles, renewal dates, statuses, notes, trial dates, and reminder settings.
• Recurring expenses, budgets, budget log entries, and optional income values.
• Bank statement import data, if you choose to import a CSV file, including transaction dates, descriptions, amounts, account labels, and categorisation rules.
• Local profile names, profile icons, default currencies, custom categories, tags, groups, and app preferences.
• Price change history and other app-generated records based on information you enter.

This information is stored locally on your device or, for the web app, in your browser storage. CostCritter does not operate an account system or cloud database for this data.

Local Storage

On mobile, CostCritter stores app data using local device storage, including SQLite and platform storage provided by the operating system.

On the web, CostCritter stores app data in browser-based local storage/database technology. Browser storage can be cleared by you, your browser, or your device settings.

If you uninstall the app, clear browser data, delete a profile, or reset the app, locally stored data may be deleted.

Data That May Leave Your Device

CostCritter is designed so your subscription and finance data stays on your device. However, data may leave your device in the following situations.

In-App Purchases and Receipt Validation

CostCritter offers a one-time lifetime premium purchase.

When you buy or restore premium access, the transaction is handled by Apple App Store or Google Play. CostCritter may send purchase receipt data or purchase tokens to a CostCritter receipt validation endpoint in order to confirm your entitlement.

The receipt validation process may involve:

• Apple App Store or Google Play.
• A CostCritter receipt validation serverless function.
• Hosting infrastructure used to operate that function.

Receipt validation is used only to confirm premium access. It is not used to collect your subscription list, budgets, bank import data, notes, or other financial tracking content.

Apple and Google process purchase information according to their own privacy policies and terms.

Exports, Imports, Sharing, and Backups

CostCritter allows you to export data to files such as JSON, CSV, PDF, or calendar files, depending on the feature and platform.

When you export, share, import, or back up data, you choose where that file goes. For example, you may save it to your device, send it through another app, or place it in a folder managed by a third-party cloud provider such as iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or another sync tool.

CostCritter does not control those third-party services. If you choose to store or share exported data using another service, that service may process the data according to its own privacy policy.

Local Notifications

CostCritter can schedule local notifications for renewal reminders, trial reminders, and budget alerts. These notifications are scheduled on your device. CostCritter does not send notification content to a CostCritter server.

Your operating system may process notification metadata as part of providing notification functionality.

Web App Hosting

If you use the CostCritter web app, your browser connects to the website hosting provider to load the app. The hosting provider may process standard technical information such as IP address, request time, browser type, and requested URL as part of normal website delivery and security logging.

CostCritter does not use this information to build user profiles or track your in-app subscription and finance data.

Information We Do Not Collect

CostCritter does not require you to create an account.

CostCritter does not collect your name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos, messages, precise location, or device advertising ID for app tracking purposes.

CostCritter does not use third-party advertising SDKs.

CostCritter does not use analytics SDKs to monitor your usage of the app.

CostCritter does not sell your personal data.

Permissions

CostCritter may request permissions only when needed for app features.

Notification permission is used to provide local reminders.

File or document access may be used when you choose to import, export, share, or back up data.

Any permission request is used for the feature you select and not for advertising or tracking.

Third-Party Services

CostCritter may rely on the following third-party services or platforms:

• Apple App Store, for iOS app distribution and in-app purchases.
• Google Play, for Android app distribution and in-app purchases.
• Netlify or another hosting provider, for hosting the web app and receipt validation endpoint.
• Cloud storage providers, only if you choose to save exported files or backups to a cloud-synced folder.

These third parties process information according to their own privacy policies.

Data Retention

Data stored locally in CostCritter remains on your device or in your browser until you delete it, clear app/browser data, delete a profile, reset the app, or uninstall the app.

Purchase receipt data used for validation is processed to confirm premium access. Server logs, if any, may be retained by the hosting provider for operational, security, or debugging purposes.

Exported files and backups remain wherever you choose to save or share them until you delete them from that location.

Data Deletion

You can delete CostCritter data by deleting entries in the app, deleting local profiles, clearing app storage, clearing browser storage, or uninstalling the app.

If you exported or backed up data to another location, you must delete those files from that location separately.

Because CostCritter does not use accounts, we generally cannot identify or delete local data stored only on your device.

Children's Privacy

CostCritter is not directed to children. The app is intended for users who manage subscriptions, expenses, budgets, and related financial information.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us using the details above.

International Processing

If limited technical information is processed by app stores, hosting providers, or other third-party services, it may be processed in countries other than your own. Those services are responsible for their own processing practices.

Security

CostCritter is designed to minimise data collection by keeping your app data local. However, no app, device, browser, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You are responsible for protecting access to your device, browser, exported files, and any cloud storage locations you choose to use.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make changes, we will update the effective date above and publish the revised policy at the same privacy policy URL or another active URL linked from the app and store listing.

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or CostCritter's privacy practices, contact:

signiusprojects@gmail.com

Hosted policy URL:

https://signius.netlify.app/privacy/costcritter