Privacy Policy | What CalcTrail Stores and How

Introduction

At CalcTrail, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our calculator platform.

Last Updated: July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

Local-First Storage: Guest users benefit from local-first storage, meaning data never leaves your device unless you create an account.
Account & Usage Data: We collect account details (if you sign in) and usage data to run the service.
Search Queries: Searches are stored locally for guests and synced for logged-in users to improve search results.
Analytics: Google Analytics 4 only runs if you accept it in the cookie banner or Cookie Preferences — nothing is tracked until you choose, and it never sends personal data or calculation values. We also use Ahrefs Web Analytics, a cookieless tool with no persistent identifier that runs for every visitor and only ever sees page views and a short list of coarse, non-identifying events.
Data Storage: Logged-in data is stored in secure cloud infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest.
Your Control: You can export your data, request deletion, and disable search tracking in Settings.

Information We Collect

Account Information: If you create an account, we collect your email address and any name you provide.
Usage Data: We collect information about how you use CalcTrail, including your calculations, workspaces, and preferences.
Search Queries: When you use Global Search, we store your search queries to improve search suggestions and personalize your experience. For guest users, search queries are stored locally in your browser (localStorage). For logged-in users, search queries are stored in our secure database and synced across your devices.
Device Information: We may collect information about your device, browser, and operating system for technical support purposes.

Google Analytics & Tracking

CalcTrail uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how users interact with our platform and improve the service. Analytics does not run until you accept it — when you first visit, a cookie banner asks you to Accept, Deny, or view more options. Nothing described below is collected unless you accept, and you can withdraw your consent at any time from Cookie Preferences.

What We Track

We track the following user activities:

Page Navigation: Pages and calculators you visit, navigation patterns and flow
Calculator Usage: Which calculators you open and when you perform a calculation
Tab Management: Opening and closing calculator tabs, switching between tabs
History Operations: Saving calculations to history, deleting history entries, restoring previous calculations, clearing workspace history
Variable Management: Creating custom variables, updating variables, deleting variables, importing variables from CSV
Workspace Management: Creating workspaces, switching between workspaces, deleting workspaces
Search Activity: Search query length (not the actual query text) and number of search results
Authentication: Account signups, user logins, user logouts
Error Tracking: Application errors (to help us fix bugs), error locations and types

What We Do NOT Track

We do NOT collect or send the following to Google Analytics:

Your name, email address, or phone number
Your actual calculation values or results
Your workspace names or variable names
Your full search queries sent to Google Analytics (queries are stored locally or in our database for search improvement, but not sent to Google Analytics)
Your user ID (we use hashed/anonymized identifiers)
Any personally identifiable information (PII)

Data Anonymization

All analytics data is anonymized:

IP Address: Anonymized by Google Analytics
User IDs: Hashed before sending (e.g., workspace IDs)
No PII: Personal information is never sent to Google Analytics

Why We Track

We use analytics data to:

Improve user experience and interface design
Identify and fix bugs and errors
Understand which features are most used
Make data-driven decisions about product development
Ensure platform stability and performance

Third-Party Service

Analytics data is processed by Google Analytics, a service provided by Google LLC. For information about how Google handles data, please review:

Your Choices

Analytics is off until you turn it on. The choice is entirely yours:

Choose "Deny" on the cookie banner, or later switch Analytics Cookies off in Cookie Preferences (the cookie icon on the site) — Google Analytics will not load or send anything
Choose "Accept" to turn analytics on; you can withdraw this at any time from Cookie Preferences
Disable search query storage separately in Settings

Note: The app is designed to work fully whether or not you accept analytics — no feature depends on it.

Consent

Analytics follows an opt-in model: Google Analytics is not loaded and nothing is sent until you actively accept it. A cookie banner appears on your first visit with Accept, Deny, and "More options" (which opens full per-category controls). You can change your choice at any time from Cookie Preferences (the cookie icon on the site) — switching Analytics Cookies off immediately stops Google Analytics.

Cookie Storage: Your consent choice is stored in cookies for 13 months. When you return to the site, we check for a stored choice; if it is not found or has expired, the cookie banner appears again and analytics stays off until you choose.

Ahrefs Web Analytics

Alongside Google Analytics, CalcTrail uses Ahrefs Web Analytics — a cookieless analytics tool that runs for every visitor, independent of the cookie banner above. It does not set cookies, does not use localStorage, and does not assign you a persistent identifier, so the analytics cookie consent choice you make for Google Analytics does not apply to it and cannot turn it off.

How It Counts Visitors Without Cookies

Ahrefs counts unique visitors using a one-way hash of your IP address, browser, and a daily-rotating salt. Your raw IP address is discarded immediately and never stored, and the daily salt means the same visitor cannot be linked across different days.

What It Collects

Page views — which pages are visited, and approximately how many times
A short list of coarse, non-identifying signals: a search was performed, a calculator was opened, a saved variable was inserted into a field, a Quick Calc result was used, or you made your first real edit in a calculator
General device/browser information (device type, browser, approximate location at a country/city level) — the same category of data any web server sees

What It Does NOT Collect

Your name, email address, or any account information
Your actual calculation values, workspace names, or variable names
Your search query text
Which specific calculator you used, or any other detail beyond the events above
Anything that could identify you individually across visits

Ahrefs Web Analytics is provided by Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. For details on how they handle data, see the Ahrefs Privacy Policy.

How We Use Your Information

To provide and maintain our service
To improve and personalize your experience
To communicate with you about your account or our services
To ensure the security and integrity of our platform
To analyze usage patterns and improve our services (via Google Analytics)

Data Storage

Your calculation data, workspaces, and settings are stored securely in our cloud infrastructure. For authenticated users, all data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and synced across all your devices. Guest users' data is stored locally in your browser only and is not transmitted to our servers.

Search Query Storage

Guest Users:Search queries are stored locally in your browser's localStorage. This data remains on your device and is never sent to our servers. You can clear this data at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage or disabling search tracking in Settings.
Logged-In Users: Search queries are stored in our secure database and synced across all your devices. This allows us to provide personalized search suggestions and improve your search experience. You can disable search tracking in Settings, and you can request deletion of your search history at any time.
Purpose: Search query storage is used solely to improve search functionality, provide personalized suggestions, and enhance your user experience. We do not use search queries for advertising or share them with third parties.
Control: You can disable search tracking at any time in Settings → Search Settings. When disabled, search queries are not stored, but search functionality remains fully available.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share data only in these limited circumstances:

Service Providers: With trusted third-party services that help us operate CalcTrail (hosting, analytics, authentication)
Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government request
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (users will be notified)
Protection: To protect our rights, property, safety, or the safety of users and others

Third-Party Websites and Links

CalcTrail may link to external websites, products, or services — for example, from calculator content, guides, or reference material. When you follow one of these links:

You leave CalcTrail, and the third party's own privacy policy and cookies apply — we do not control how they collect or use data
We do not share your CalcTrail account data, calculation data, or search history with linked third parties
We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site before providing it with personal information

Your Data Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: Request a copy of your personal data
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
Export: Export your data in machine-readable format (JSON/CSV/PDF)
Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
Objection: Object to certain processing activities

Data Retention

We retain your data only as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

Account Data: Retained while your account is active
Usage Analytics: Retained in anonymized form for service improvement
Search Queries: Retained until you disable tracking or request deletion
Deleted Accounts: Data is permanently deleted within 30 days of account deletion request

International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed and stored in countries outside your residence. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, including standard contractual clauses and compliance with applicable data protection laws.

GDPR and CCPA Compliance

We comply with major privacy regulations including:

GDPR (EU/EEA): Right to access, rectification, erasure, portability, and objection
CCPA (California): Right to know, delete, and opt-out of data sale (we do not sell data)
Other Jurisdictions: We respect applicable local privacy laws and user rights

Children's Privacy

CalcTrail is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

Encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
Encryption at rest for stored data
Secure authentication and session management
Regular security audits and monitoring
Access controls and least-privilege principles

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on this page, revise the "Last Updated" date at the top, and display a notice on the website for significant changes. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:

Email: privacy@calctrail.com
Support: Use the feedback page within the app

Frequently Asked Questions

For guest users, all data is stored locally in your browser and never leaves your device. For logged-in users, data is encrypted and stored in our secure cloud database to enable synchronization across your devices.

Yes. You have full control over your data. You can delete individual history items, clear entire workspaces, or request full account deletion at any time through the settings menu.

No. We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we do not use your calculation data or search history for advertising.

You can export your data at any time. Guest users can export calculation history to JSON format. Sign in is required to generate PDF reports and export to CSV formats for specific calculations.