Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

PlotMyGarden ("we", "our", or "the app") is a garden planning tool offered as a free plan with an optional Pro subscription. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we handle your data. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how it is stored, who else processes it on our behalf, and your rights regarding that data.

2. Our Privacy Commitment

3. Data We Collect

When you create an account and use PlotMyGarden, the following data is collected and stored on our server:

• Account information — Your name, email address, and a securely hashed password. Your email is verified during sign-up via a confirmation link.
• Garden layouts — Your garden designs including plant placements, grid dimensions, custom plot shapes, and canvas items.
• User preferences — Display settings such as measurement units, default garden dimensions, and notification preferences.
• Profile information — Optional profile data you choose to enter such as your bio, gardening experience level, and favorite plant categories.
• Location data — If you choose to set your location (for hardiness zone detection and weather), your latitude, longitude, and detected zone are stored with your profile.
• Session data — A session token, your IP address, and user agent string are stored to keep you logged in securely. Sessions expire after 7 days of inactivity.
• Subscription data — If you subscribe to Pro, we store your Stripe customer ID, subscription ID, the plan you selected, current billing period dates, cancellation flag and reason, and any retention-offer history. We never store your card number, CVV, or any raw payment details — those stay with Stripe.
• AI chat data — If you use the AI assistant, we store your conversations: conversation titles, your messages, the AI's replies, the garden snapshot sent with each turn, daily usage counters, and call metadata (model, token counts, latency).
• Uploaded photos (Pro) — Photos you attach to AI chat messages (Pro feature only) are stored alongside the message. Max 2 MB, JPEG/PNG/WebP only. Deleting the conversation or your account removes the photos.
• Newsletter signup — If you opt in to our newsletter, we store your email address, double-opt-in confirmation status, and subscribe/unsubscribe timestamps.

4. How We Store Your Data

Your data is stored in a PostgreSQL database on a self-hosted server managed by us. We do not use third-party cloud databases. Your password is never stored in plain text — it is hashed using a secure one-way algorithm before storage.

Payment data:Card numbers, CVV codes, and any raw payment details are handled exclusively by Stripe and never reach our servers. We only see and store Stripe's identifiers and subscription state.

Cookies and browser storage: the app uses a small number of first-party cookies and localStorage entries, summarized in our Cookie Policy. In short:

• • Essential— HTTP-only session cookies that keep you logged in; cannot be disabled without breaking login.
• • Analytics— PostHog drops cookies and localStorage entries to attribute usage events; respects Do-Not-Track; can be disabled with browser settings or privacy extensions.
• • Preference— the locale you choose may be remembered in a small cookie.
• • No advertising cookies, no cross-site tracking, no ad networks.

We do not sell, share, or otherwise monetize your personal data. Some preferences (weather cache, display settings) may also be cached locally in your browser for performance — this data never leaves your device.

5. Emails We Send

We send the following transactionalemails via Brevo (see Section 6): email verification on sign-up, password reset, subscription welcome / cancellation / renewal notices, and payment confirmation or failure alerts. These emails are not optional — they are part of operating the service.

We send marketing emails (occasional product updates) only if you separately opt in to our newsletter and confirm the double-opt-in email. Every newsletter contains a one-click unsubscribe link.

6. Third-Party Services (Sub-Processors)

PlotMyGarden uses the following external services to operate the product:

No other third-party services, advertising networks, or tracking tools are used by PlotMyGarden.

7. AI Chat & Image Data

When you send a message to the AI assistant, the following is transmitted to the third-party AI provider listed in Section 6 to generate a response: your message text, a snapshot of the garden you are currently working on (grid dimensions, plant placements, inventory items), plant reference data needed for the answer, and — if you uploaded a photo on the Pro plan — that single image. Photos are limited to 2 MB and must be JPEG, PNG, or WebP.

Retention. Your AI conversations, including any uploaded photos, are stored with your account. Deleting a conversation deletes its messages and any associated photos. Deleting your account deletes all conversations, messages, and photos.

Quotas. Free accounts can send a small number of AI messages per day; Pro accounts have a higher daily limit. Photo upload is a Pro-only capability. The exact limits may change over time and are shown in the chat interface.

Tool-use confirmations. The AI can proposechanges to your garden (adding a plant, removing one, adjusting layout). These proposals are never applied automatically — you must explicitly confirm each suggestion before it takes effect. The confirmation interaction is recorded with the message metadata so you can review or revert.

Disclaimer. AI-generated suggestions are informational and should not be treated as professional horticultural advice. See our Terms of Service for the full disclaimer.

8. Location Data

PlotMyGarden can optionally use your device's geolocation to determine your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone and provide local weather forecasts. This is entirely optional — you can skip this feature or manually enter your location coordinates instead.

When you grant location permission, your coordinates are stored with your user profile and used to estimate your hardiness zone and request weather data from Open-Meteo. Your location is never shared with any third party besides Open-Meteo for weather forecasts.

9. Children's Privacy

PlotMyGarden is not directed at children under 13. Creating an account requires providing a name and email address. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has created an account without your consent, please contact us and we will promptly delete the account. Parents and educators are welcome to use PlotMyGarden as an educational gardening tool with appropriate supervision.

10. Your Rights

Under the GDPR and equivalent privacy laws you have the right to:

• • Access the personal data we hold about you
• • Rectify inaccurate data (you can edit most fields directly in your profile)
• • Erase your account and associated data (self-serve account deletion is available in your account settings)
• • Restrict processing in certain circumstances
• • Portability — receive your garden data in a portable format on request
• • Object to processing where we rely on legitimate interests

Account deletion removes all garden data, AI chat history, uploaded photos, and cancels any active subscription. Some records (such as past payment records) may be retained by Stripe and by us as required by tax and accounting law.

If you wish to opt out of analytics tracking, you can use browser extensions that block tracking scripts, or enable "Do Not Track" in your browser settings. PostHog respects the Do Not Track header.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the app's features, sub-processors, or applicable regulations. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page is bumped on every change. Material changes — such as new sub-processors or new categories of data — will be highlighted in-app on your next sign-in.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or PlotMyGarden's data practices, please reach out through our contact page.