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
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) measures how visitors use the Site — which reviews are useful, which aren't. GA4 data is processed by Google; see Google's Privacy Policy for details.
When you click an affiliate link, the affiliate network (Impact, PartnerStack, or a vendor's own program) may drop a cookie to track whether you eventually sign up. The cookie is set by the affiliate network, not by us. We don't see your personal information from these cookies — only aggregated commission reports.
Some cookies are required for the Site to function — for example, preserving your dark/light mode preference if you set one. Disabling these may break parts of the Site.
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.
Community Polls and Voting Data
If you submit a vote on a product or category page (whether on contractortoolstack.com directly or via an embedded widget on a third-party site), we collect:
- Your star ratings (1–5 per dimension)
- Your selected trade
- An anonymous voter cookie ID (random, no PII)
- SHA-256-hashed IP address (for rate limiting + abuse detection — never plaintext)
- SHA-256-hashed user-agent string
- The page or embed origin you submitted from
- Optional: a quote you typed (verified contractors only, opt-in only for public display)
Verified Contractor Data
If you complete the contractor verification flow at /verify/, we additionally collect:
- Email address (for confirmation, license-approval notification, and optionally newsletter)
- First name + last initial
- Business name
- State and license number
- Primary trade and (optional) secondary trades
What we don't collect: driver's licenses, Social Security Numbers, payment information, or any government-issued IDs. We never run credit checks, never call your customers, and never sell your data.
Verified Quote Display
If you opt into public quote display during verification, your first name + last initial, business name, state, trade, and license number appear alongside any quote you submit. You can toggle this off at any time by emailing info@contractortoolstack.com; the verified attribution disappears from every product page within 24 hours.
Your Data-Rights Self-Service
Under GDPR and CCPA, you can use /data-rights/ to:
- Export your data — download a JSON dump of everything we have on you
- Delete a specific vote — wipe one vote without affecting the rest
- Delete your account — full GDPR Article 17 erasure of your verified contractor record + all votes + email opt-ins
All data-rights actions confirm via email before any deletion or export runs.
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:
Server logs (including IPs) are retained briefly for operational and security purposes.
Aggregate visitor behavior — page views, referrers, geography to country/region level. No ad targeting.
Sees request metadata; does not receive analytics-level data.
Track activity on their sites to attribute commissions to us. Governed by their privacy policies, not ours.
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
- Know what personal information we collect
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Opt out of "sale" or "sharing" (we don't, but you may opt out as a precaution)
- Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights
- Access, correct, or delete your personal data
- Restrict or object to processing
- Data portability (export)
- Lawful basis: legitimate interest (operation) or consent (newsletter)
To exercise these rights, use the self-service portal at /data-rights/ or email info@contractortoolstack.com.
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.
