Privacy Policy

Chargd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is an offline-first invoicing and business finance app. This policy explains what data the Chargd app and the chargd.pro website handle, where that data goes, and what rights you have over it.

Summary

• Chargd is available for Windows and macOS.
• Your invoices, quotes, clients, payments, expenses and other business records are stored only on your device. We don't run servers that store them, and the app never uploads or syncs them.
• Chargd has no user accounts, no analytics, no advertising, and no tracking.
• The app connects to the internet only for Pro purchase and licence checks, and for optional update checks. Which services it contacts depends on where you got Chargd (see below).
• We never sell data. We don't hold your business data, so we have none to sell.

Which version do you have?

Chargd is distributed through four channels: a direct download from chargd.pro for macOS, a direct download from chargd.pro for Windows, the Mac App Store, and the Microsoft Store. Every version stores and handles your business data in the same way, on your device. The versions differ in how the Pro upgrade is bought and verified, and in how updates are delivered:

Microsoft Store purchases work differently from the Mac App Store.The Microsoft Store distributes and updates Chargd, but it doesn't sell the Pro upgrade. Pro is unlocked with a Lemon Squeezy licence key bought at chargd.pro, the same as the direct-download versions. Microsoft never sees your licence key, device identifier, or any data in the app.

The rest of this policy applies to all versions unless a section says it covers only one of them.

Who controls your data

For the data you create inside Chargd, you are the data controller. It stays on your device and we never receive a copy. We (and our service providers, listed below) process only the small amount of data needed to sell and verify Pro licences, deliver updates, and answer support requests you send us.

Data stored on your device

Chargd stores the following locally, on the device where you use it:

• Business details: business name, address, email, phone number, tax or VAT number, and logo.
• Client details: names, contact people, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and tax IDs that you enter or import from a CSV file.
• Financial records: invoices, quotes, credit memos, payments, expenses, recurring invoice schedules, saved items, pipeline cards and reports.
• Bank details: bank name, account number, sort code and IBAN, used only to print on your own documents.
• Files: PDFs you generate, logos you upload, and receipt files you attach to expenses.
• App settings and drafts: preferences, document numbering, templates, and unsaved drafts kept so they can be recovered after an unexpected quit.
• A local error log: technical error messages kept in the app's log folder on your device to help with troubleshooting. It is never uploaded automatically.

This data lives in a local SQLite database and files inside Chargd's app data folder, which belongs to your user account on your operating system:

• macOS direct download: ~/Library/Application Support/pro.chargd/
• Mac App Store: inside the app's sandbox container, ~/Library/Containers/pro.chargd/
• Windows (direct download and Microsoft Store): %APPDATA%\pro.chargd\

Chargd does not upload, sync, or share any of it. Your data is used only to run the app: creating documents, tracking payments and expenses, producing reports, and exporting PDFs and backups.

What is sent over the internet

During normal use Chargd works fully offline. The only network requests the app makes are listed below. None of them include your invoices, clients, payments, expenses, bank details or any other business records.

Like any internet request, these reach the receiving service together with your IP address and basic technical details such as the app name and version. Each service handles that information under its own privacy policy.

1. Pro licence activation (Microsoft Store and direct-download versions)

These versions unlock Pro with a licence key bought through Lemon Squeezy, our payment provider and merchant of record. When you enter your licence key, Chargd sends Lemon Squeezy:

• your licence key; and
• a device identifier, which is a one-way SHA-256 hash (explained below).

Lemon Squeezy returns an activation (instance) ID. Each licence can be active on up to 3 devices, and this is how that limit is enforced. If you deactivate a device in Settings, Chargd sends the licence key and that device's activation ID to Lemon Squeezy to free up the slot.

2. Pro licence re-validation (Microsoft Store and direct-download versions)

If Pro is active, Chargd checks with Lemon Squeezy that your licence is still valid, for example that it hasn't been refunded. The check runs shortly after the app opens and then about once every 24 hours while the app is open. It sends only your licence key and activation ID. If you're offline or the check fails, Pro keeps working. Pro is removed only when Lemon Squeezy confirms the licence is no longer valid.

3. Mac App Store purchases (Mac App Store version only)

In the Mac App Store version, you buy Pro as an in-app purchase handled entirely by Apple through StoreKit. Apple processes your payment. We never see your payment details or your Apple Account information. Chargd asks StoreKit, on your Mac, whether you own the Pro upgrade, and StoreKit handles any communication with Apple. This version does not use Lemon Squeezy, licence keys, device identifiers, or Chargd's own update checker, and it sends nothing about your purchase to us. See Apple's Privacy Policy.

4. App updates

• Mac App Store version: updates come through the Mac App Store. The app doesn't check for updates itself.
• Microsoft Store version: updates come through the Microsoft Store. The app doesn't check for updates itself. See the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
• Direct-download versions (macOS and Windows): Chargd has a built-in update checker that is off by default. If you turn it on in Settings, Chargd checks at most once per launch by downloading a small version file from our public release repository on GitHub. If a new version is available, Chargd asks you first and then downloads the signed update from GitHub. Updates are never installed without your consent. These requests contain no personal data beyond what every internet request carries (such as your IP address).

5. Things that happen only when you choose

• Bug reports: the bug report feature opens your own email app with a pre-filled message to our support address, or lets you copy the report to your clipboard. The report contains your description plus technical details: app and OS version, language setting, database size and schema version, theme, the screen you were last on, and recent error log entries. Email addresses, licence keys and file paths are automatically removed. Nothing is sent unless you send the email yourself, and you can review and edit it first.
• Links: buttons such as “Buy Pro” or support links open chargd.pro in your web browser. Chargd itself does not send any data when this happens.

Crash reporting

Chargd does not currently send crash reports or diagnostics automatically. If we ever add crash reporting, it will be off by default, it will ask for your consent, and we will update this policy first.

Licence keys and device identifiers

This section covers the Microsoft Store and direct-download versions.

• Device identifier:to recognise a device for the 3-device limit, Chargd combines three values from your computer and runs them through a one-way SHA-256 hash. On macOS these are the computer's hostname, its hardware UUID, and your username. On Windows they are the computer name, the Windows machine GUID (from the registry), and your username. Only the hash is ever sent. The original values never leave your device and can't be recovered from the hash.
• Licence key: the licence key itself is not hashed. It is sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection to Lemon Squeezy, which issued it and needs it to check your purchase.
• Stored on your device:your licence key, activation ID, hashed device identifier, activation and last-checked dates, and Pro status. These are stored in your operating system's secure credential storage (Keychain on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows), together with an integrity check that detects tampering.

In the Mac App Store version, Chargd stores the Pro status and Apple's transaction ID for your purchase in the macOS Keychain on your Mac. No device identifier is created.

The chargd.pro website

• The website does not use analytics, advertising or tracking scripts.
• The support contact form opens your own email app. It does not submit data to a server.
• Pro licence purchases on the website are handled on Lemon Squeezy's checkout. Lemon Squeezy collects your name, email, billing and payment details as merchant of record. We receive order details from Lemon Squeezy (such as your name, email and order number) so we can provide support.
• Direct downloads of the app are served from our public release repository on GitHub.
• Like all websites, our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, such as IP addresses and request times, for security and operations.

Third-party services

We use only these third parties, and only for the purposes listed:

• Lemon Squeezy (Microsoft Store and direct-download versions, and purchases on chargd.pro): payment processing, merchant of record, and licence activation and validation. It receives your purchase details at checkout and, from the app, your licence key, hashed device identifier and activation ID. Privacy policy.
• Apple (Mac App Store version): distribution, in-app purchase through StoreKit, and updates. Privacy policy.
• Microsoft (Microsoft Store version): distribution and updates. Privacy statement.
• GitHub (direct-download versions): hosts the download files and, if you turn on update checks, the version file and updates. It receives standard request data such as your IP address. Privacy statement.

Chargd includes no analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs. We don't sell or share personal data for advertising.

Legal bases for processing (UK / EU GDPR)

• Licence activation and validation: needed to provide the Pro licence you bought (performance of a contract), and our legitimate interest in preventing licence misuse.
• Support emails: our legitimate interest in answering your request, or performance of a contract where it relates to your purchase.
• Update checks (direct download): your choice to turn the feature on.

Security

• Your data stays on your device and is not exposed to any server we run.
• Chargd's data folder is private to your user account. On macOS, the database file is restricted to your user account (owner read/write only). The Mac App Store version also runs inside Apple's App Sandbox.
• Licence information is kept in your operating system's secure credential storage.
• All network requests the app makes use encrypted HTTPS connections.
• Chargd does not encrypt its database separately. To protect your data if your device is lost or stolen, we recommend turning on your operating system's disk encryption (FileVault on macOS, BitLocker or Device Encryption on Windows) and using a strong account password.

Backups

• You can export a full backup file whenever you like, from Settings. The file is not encrypted and contains all your records, including client and bank details, so store it somewhere secure.
• Chargd never uploads or syncs backups automatically. Where you save them and how you protect them is up to you.
• Operating-system backup or sync tools you use (such as Time Machine, File History, OneDrive or iCloud) may copy Chargd's data or your exported files like any other files. Those tools are controlled by you and your OS provider, not by Chargd.

Data retention and deletion

• On your device: your data stays until you delete it.
• Trash: deleted records go to Trash, where you can restore them for 30 days. After that they are permanently deleted automatically.
• Reset App (Settings): permanently deletes all records, generated PDFs and uploaded logos, and restores the default settings. This can't be undone. Your Pro status is kept so you don't have to buy or activate again. Receipt files attached to expenses may stay in the app data folder until you delete that folder yourself.
• Uninstalling: removing the app does not delete your data. Your records stay in the app data folder listed above, because they're yours, not ours. To remove everything, uninstall Chargd and then delete that folder. On Windows, you can also delete its saved credential in Credential Manager. On macOS, you can also delete its entry in Keychain Access.
• Licence data held by Lemon Squeezy (order and activation records) is kept by Lemon Squeezy as merchant of record, under its own retention policy and legal obligations such as tax records. Deactivating a device in Chargd removes that device's activation.
• Purchase data held by Apple or Microsoft is kept under their own policies.
• Support emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to help you and keep a reasonable support history. You can ask us to delete them.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, including under UK and EU GDPR, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, and to object to or restrict how it is processed.

• Data in the app: this is on your device and fully under your control. You can view and edit it in the app, export it with a backup, and delete it with Reset App or by removing the data folder. We can't access it, so we can't disclose or delete it for you.
• Licence and purchase data: email us and we'll help with any request about order data we hold, and pass requests to Lemon Squeezy where needed. For Mac App Store or Microsoft Store purchases, contact Apple or Microsoft directly.
• Support correspondence: email us to access or delete it.

You can also complain to a data protection authority. In the UK, that is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). In the EU, contact your local data protection authority.

International data transfers

Your business data is never transferred, because it stays on your device. The limited licensing, purchase and download data described above may be processed by Lemon Squeezy, Apple, Microsoft or GitHub in countries outside the UK or EU, including the United States. Each provider uses its own safeguards for these transfers, such as standard contractual clauses.

Children's privacy

Chargd is a business tool for adults. It is not aimed at children, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16.

Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy when Chargd's data handling changes, and we'll change the “Last updated” date above. If we make a significant change, such as a new network feature or a new third party, we'll update this policy before the change ships and, where appropriate, tell you in the app.

Version history

• 3.0 (24 September 2026): rewritten to cover Windows (direct download and Microsoft Store) alongside macOS (direct download and Mac App Store), with the differences between the four channels set out separately.
• 2.0 (10 July 2026): rewritten for GDPR alignment; clarified update checks and licence re-validation.
• 1.0 (4 May 2026): initial privacy policy for the v1.0 launch.

Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, email support@chargd.pro.