Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

click-stitch ("we", "us", or "our") operates the website click-stitch.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our embroidery digitizing service.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information: When you register, we collect your username, email address, and a securely hashed password.

Payment Information: Payments for new subscriptions are processed by Paddle, which is the Merchant of Record for the sale and handles billing and tax on our behalf. Subscriptions started before we moved to Paddle continue to be billed by Stripe. We never see or store your credit card number. We retain the customer ID and subscription ID issued by whichever provider bills you, together with your email address, so we can manage your subscription and match payments to your account.

Uploaded Images: Images you upload for conversion are processed on our servers. Completed conversions (including the original image, output file, and preview) are stored in our database so you can access your conversion history, and are deleted after the retention period described in section 5.

Usage Data: We collect information about how you use our service, including conversion settings, timestamps, and IP addresses for rate limiting and security.

Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous usage data. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and maintain our embroidery digitizing service
• To process your subscription payments
• To send transactional emails (account verification, password resets, conversion completion notifications)
• To enforce usage limits and prevent abuse
• To improve our service based on usage patterns
• To respond to your support requests and feedback

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with:

• Paddle — Merchant of Record for new subscriptions: payment processing, invoicing and sales tax/VAT
• Stripe — payment processing for subscriptions started before we moved to Paddle
• Google Analytics — for anonymous usage analytics
• Our hosting provider — to serve the application
• Email service provider — to deliver transactional emails

5. Data Retention

Design files: The files stored with each conversion — your original uploaded image, the generated embroidery file, and the preview — are kept for a limited time and then permanently deleted from our servers:

• Free plan: 30 days from the date the design is saved.
• Premium plan: 365 days (1 year) from the date the design is saved.

Upgrading to Premium extends the retention period of designs already in your history, not just new ones. If a Premium subscription later lapses, designs that were already extended keep their existing retention date; designs created afterwards use the Free plan period.

Each design shows its remaining time in your account history. Please download any design you want to keep before it expires — expired files cannot be recovered.

Design details: The non-file details of a conversion (filename, dimensions, colour count, format, and date) remain in your account history after the files expire, so your history stays complete.

Account data: Your account data is retained as long as you have an active account. You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time from your account page, or by contacting us at nick@click-stitch.com.

6. Cookies

We use cookies for:

• Session management — to keep you logged in
• Theme preference — to remember your light/dark mode choice (stored in localStorage)
• Google Analytics — to collect anonymous usage data
• Guest conversions — if you convert a design without an account, we store a random identifier in your browser for 90 days so that we can tell whether people who try the tool this way go on to create an account. It is not linked to your identity, and is only ever set if you actually run a conversion without signing in.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your account and data
• Opt out of analytics tracking

To exercise any of these rights, email us at nick@click-stitch.com.

8. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and secure payment processing through Paddle and Stripe — card details are entered on their systems and never reach ours. However, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

9. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at:
nick@click-stitch.com