Privacy Policy

BetterStage ("we," "our," or "us") is a macOS workspace manager application. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use the BetterStage desktop application and the website at betterstage.app.

We built BetterStage with a privacy-first approach. We collect only the minimum data necessary to provide licensing and account management. We do not collect telemetry or app usage analytics, and we do not collect personal data beyond what is required for licensing, support, and limited website analytics. We do not run ads and we never sell your data.

AI Staging is an opt-in feature that is off by default. It does nothing unless you enable it and explicitly run it. You can power it two ways: with your own AI provider and API key, or — if you subscribe to BetterStage AI — with BetterStage's managed AI service. If you never use it, none of the following applies and nothing leaves your Mac.

Where your data goes. This depends on which mode you use. In both modes the same window metadata (listed below) is sent only when you run AI Staging.

• Your own API key (bring-your-own-key). The information is sent directly from your Mac to the AI provider you configured (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, a local server like Ollama or LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint you specify), authenticated with your own API key. BetterStage's servers never receive or store it. How that provider handles the data is governed by their privacy policy and terms — not ours.
• BetterStage AI (managed). If you subscribe to BetterStage AI, the same information is sent from your Mac to BetterStage's managed service, which forwards it to a third-party AI provider we engage to run the model and generate your layout. We may change the underlying provider over time, and your data may be processed on infrastructure located outside your country. We use it only to produce the requested staging and to meter your monthly AI Staging Credits.

When and your control. Data is sent only at the moment you actively trigger AI Staging (via the menu bar, Snap Wheel, or its shortcut) — never in the background, on a schedule, or at launch. You can stop all egress by not using it, removing your API key (or cancelling BetterStage AI), and leaving the feature off. Your API key, if you use one, is stored locally on your Mac.

BetterStage requires one macOS permission to function. This permission is used exclusively for window management and is never used for surveillance, data collection, or any purpose other than providing the app's core functionality.

Your stage configurations, window layouts, tiling preferences, and keyboard shortcut bindings are stored entirely on your Mac. This data is never sent to our servers or any third party.

We use the following third-party services to operate BetterStage. Each has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data:

We take reasonable measures to protect your information. All communication between the BetterStage app, our website, and our backend services is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS). Server-side data is stored in Convex's infrastructure with encryption at rest. Authentication is managed by Clerk with industry-standard security practices.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your account data (email, license status, device identifiers) for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will delete all associated data from our systems within 30 days.

Stripe may retain payment-related records independently in accordance with their own data retention policies and legal obligations.

Anonymous first-party website traffic records are retained for up to 400 days and then removed by a bounded scheduled cleanup. Traffic history begins when this measurement is deployed; earlier visits cannot be reconstructed.

Local data stored on your Mac (stage configurations, window layouts, preferences) is under your control and can be removed at any time by uninstalling the application.

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with additional rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know — You can request details about the personal information we collect, use, and disclose.
• Right to Delete — You can request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale — We do not sell your personal information. We have never sold personal information and have no plans to do so.
• Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@betterstage.app. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.

Our website respects your cookie preferences through our consent banner. If you decline, Google Analytics and marketing attribution are disabled, the anonymous first-party visitor and session cookies are cleared, and future eligible visits from that browser are not recorded while the opt-out cookie remains present.

Our website uses the following categories of cookies:

BetterStage is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@betterstage.app and we will promptly delete such information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify you by email or through a notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.