Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Contractor ToolStack ("we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, and protects information when you visit contractortoolstack.com (the "Site"). We're an independent editorial publication reviewing contractor software and AI tools. We take privacy seriously because most of what you read here assumes you trust us enough to act on our recommendations.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Voluntarily

If you sign up for our newsletter, send us an email, or submit a contact form, we collect the information you choose to share — typically your email address and the contents of your message. We use this information solely to respond to you or send you the content you requested.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, our hosting provider (Netlify) and analytics tools automatically collect certain technical information, including:

Your IP address (typically anonymized before storage)
Browser type, version, and language settings
Device type and operating system
The pages you visit, time spent on pages, and referring website
General geographic location (country and region level, not precise)

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for three purposes:

Analytics cookies — Google Analytics 4 (GA4) drops cookies to measure how visitors use the Site. This helps us understand which reviews are useful and which aren't. GA4 data is processed by Google; see Google's Privacy Policy for details on how they handle it.
Affiliate tracking cookies — When you click an affiliate link on our Site, the affiliate network (such as Impact, PartnerStack, or a vendor's own program) may drop a cookie to track whether you eventually sign up or purchase. This is how we earn commissions. The tracking cookie is set by the affiliate network, not by us. We do not see your personal information from these cookies; we only see aggregated commission reports.
Essential cookies — Some cookies are required for the Site to function (for example, preserving your dark/light mode preference if you set one).

You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time. Most of the Site will still work, but some analytics signals will be lost and your preferences may not persist.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Operate, maintain, and improve the Site
Respond to inquiries, emails, and contact form submissions
Send newsletter content (only if you opted in)
Understand which reviews and topics readers find most valuable
Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security issues
Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for advertising targeting. We do not share your information with data brokers.

Third-Party Services We Use

Running a modern website means using third-party services that may process your information. Here are the ones we currently rely on:

Netlify — Our hosting provider. Server logs (including IPs) are retained briefly for operational and security purposes.
Google Analytics 4 — Analytics platform. Processes visitor behavior data in aggregate form.
Affiliate networks — When you click affiliate links, networks such as Impact, PartnerStack, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, or vendor-direct programs may track your activity on their sites to attribute commissions to us. This tracking is governed by their privacy policies, not ours.
Cloudflare — DNS and basic DDoS protection. May see request metadata but does not receive analytics-level data.

Affiliate Links and Sponsored Content

Many of the outbound links to software vendors on this Site are affiliate links. If you click one and sign up or purchase a product, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This revenue funds our work.

Our editorial opinions are never influenced by affiliate relationships. We disclose our affiliate relationships clearly at the top of every page that contains affiliate links, in compliance with the FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255). See our How We Review page for our editorial methodology.

Your Privacy Rights

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you live in California, you have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect about you
Request deletion of your personal information
Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (we don't sell or share in the legal sense, but you may opt out as a precaution)
Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights

To exercise these rights, email us at info@contractortoolstack.com.

European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you're visiting from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation including the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data, restrict or object to processing, and data portability. To exercise these rights, email us at the address above.

Our lawful basis for processing is typically legitimate interest (operating an editorial website) or consent (for newsletter signups).

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" (DNT) signal. There's no industry consensus on how to respond to DNT signals, so our Site does not currently respond differently based on DNT. However, you can disable cookies in your browser at any time to limit tracking.

Data Retention

We retain information only as long as necessary for the purposes described above. Analytics data is typically retained for 14 months in Google Analytics 4. Newsletter subscriber information is retained until you unsubscribe. Email correspondence is retained for operational reference until it's no longer useful.

Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us information, please email us and we'll delete it promptly.

Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures (HTTPS everywhere, security headers, limited data collection) to protect the information we hold. No website can guarantee absolute security, but we keep our attack surface small by collecting as little personal information as possible.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we'll provide more prominent notice (such as a banner on the Site or an email to newsletter subscribers).

Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out via our contact page or email info@contractortoolstack.com.