Privacy Policy

BudgetBuddy is built with privacy as a core principle, not an afterthought. Your financial data is some of the most sensitive information in your life, and we treat it that way.

We believe budgeting tools shouldn't spy on you. BudgetBuddy does not use:

• Tracking cookies — none, not even "essential" ones
• Analytics scripts — no Google Analytics, no Mixpanel, nothing
• Advertising trackers — no ad networks, no pixel trackers
• Fingerprinting — no browser or device fingerprinting of any kind

If you don't believe us, check the network tab in your browser's developer tools. You'll see zero outbound requests to tracking services. We have nothing to hide.

Currently, BudgetBuddy stores all data locally on your device using your browser's localStorage. This means:

• Your data never leaves your device
• No servers store your financial information
• You have full control — delete it anytime

Note on clearing browser data: Because your data lives in your browser, clearing your cache or browsing data will remove your transactions. We recommend using the export/backup feature regularly.

We're building optional cloud sync so you can access your budget across devices. Here is exactly how it will work:

• Optional: Cloud sync is opt-in. You can use BudgetBuddy entirely offline forever.
• Encrypted end-to-end: Your data is encrypted on your device before it leaves. The server only sees encrypted blobs — never your transaction details, amounts, or category names.
• Zero-knowledge: We cannot read your data even if we wanted to. Your password is never stored in plain text. Only you can decrypt your data.
• You control it: You can disable sync, delete your cloud data, or export everything at any time.

BudgetBuddy uses minimal third-party services. Here is the complete list:

• Authentication providers (e.g., Google, Apple) — When you choose "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Apple," those companies verify your identity. They only share your email address and a unique ID with us — nothing else.
• Cloud infrastructure (when sync launches) — Our hosting provider stores your encrypted data on our behalf. They cannot read it because it is encrypted before it reaches their servers.

We will never:

• Sell your data to anyone, for any reason
• Share your data with advertisers or data brokers
• Allow third parties to access your decrypted information
• Use your data to train AI models or machine learning systems

You have the right to:

• Access — View all data stored in the app at any time (it's your data)
• Export — Download all your data in a portable format
• Delete — Clear your data locally or from the cloud at any time
• Refuse — Decline cloud sync and use the app entirely offline
• Leave — Delete your account and all associated data permanently

We don't make any of this difficult. No phone trees, no "please allow 30 days," no retention periods. Your data, your decision.

We take security seriously, even though we hold minimal data:

• All data in transit is protected with TLS/HTTPS encryption
• Cloud-synced data is encrypted end-to-end before leaving your device
• Authentication credentials are never stored in plain text
• We follow industry-standard security practices

That said, no system is perfectly secure. We encourage you to:

• Use a strong, unique password for your account
• Keep your device locked with a PIN, password, or biometric
• Clear browser data on shared or public devices
• Export regular backups of your financial data

BudgetBuddy is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If we learn that a child under 13 has created an account, we will delete it promptly.

BudgetBuddy is designed to comply with privacy regulations worldwide, including GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California), and PIPEDA (Canada). Regardless of where you live, you have the same rights outlined in this policy.

We may update this policy as the app evolves (especially when cloud sync launches). When we do:

• We will notify you clearly within the app
• We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Material changes will require your explicit consent before taking effect
• We will never quietly weaken your privacy protections

Privacy shouldn't be confusing. If anything in this policy is unclear, or if you have concerns about how your data is handled, please reach out: