Privacy policy

Octostitch ("we", "us") makes embroidery digitising software. This policy explains what personal data we collect through this website and the Octostitch app, why we collect it, and the rights you have over it. The short version: we collect very little, we never sell it, and analytics only runs if you say yes.

Who we are

Octostitch is the data controller for this website and the Octostitch app. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at support@octostitch.com.

What we collect and why

• Analytics (only with your consent). If you accept analytics cookies, we use PostHog to understand how the site is used — pages visited, buttons clicked, browser and device type, and approximate location derived from your IP address. If you decline, or simply ignore the banner, nothing is tracked and nothing is stored on your device. The lawful basis for this is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time on our cookie policy page.
• Purchases. Octostitch is sold through Lemon Squeezy, our merchant of record. When you buy, your purchase is made with Lemon Squeezy: they process your payment, collect any VAT or sales tax, issue your receipt, and handle refunds, all under their own privacy policy. Your card details go to them and their payment processors — never to us. Lemon Squeezy shares your name, email address, and order details with us so we can deliver your licence, provide support, and send you important updates about the software you bought. The lawful basis for our use of that data is performance of a contract.
• Correspondence. If you email us, we keep the conversation so we can help you. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries.

The Octostitch app (desktop and iPad)

• Your designs stay yours. Designs, images and fonts you work with are stored on your device, or wherever you choose to save them (such as iCloud Drive or a USB stick). We never receive them.
• No analytics, ads or tracking in the app. The app contains no analytics or advertising, has no user accounts, and does not track you across other apps or websites. Crash reports are saved on your device only and are never sent to us.
• Licence keys. When you activate an Octostitch licence key, the app sends the key and a device name to Lemon Squeezy to activate and validate it. On iPad the device name is simply "iPad". This is used only to confirm your licence.
• App Store purchases. If you unlock Octostitch on iPad through an in-app purchase, the payment is handled entirely by Apple. We don't receive your payment details or Apple ID.
• Update checks (desktop only). The desktop app checks octostitch.com for new versions, which means our server receives a standard web request including your IP address. You can turn this off in Preferences. The iPad app is updated through the App Store and makes no such check.

Where your data lives

Analytics data is processed by PostHog and hosted in the European Union. You can read PostHog's own privacy policy at posthog.com/privacy. Purchase and billing data is handled by Lemon Squeezy (a Stripe company based in the United States); their privacy policy describes the safeguards they apply to international transfers.

How long we keep it

Analytics data is retained by PostHog in line with our project settings and deleted when no longer needed. Purchase records are kept for as long as we're required to for tax and accounting purposes. Correspondence is kept for as long as it's useful for supporting you.

Your rights

Under UK and EU data protection law, you have the right to:

• access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to correct or delete it;
• object to or restrict our processing of it;
• withdraw consent for analytics at any time via the cookie policy page;
• complain to a supervisory authority — in the UK that's the Information Commissioner's Office.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@octostitch.com.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your data, we'll update this page and the date at the top. Significant changes will be flagged clearly on the site.