Who we are

Costara (“Costara,” “we,” “us”) provides an AI-assisted product-costing and pricing application available at costara-app.com. This policy applies to the marketing site and the authenticated application.

Information we collect

Account information. When you sign up we collect your name, email address, and authentication identifiers. Sign-in and password handling are managed by our authentication provider (Clerk); we do not store your password.
Business and costing data. The materials, products, recipes, batch yields, prices, and related notes you enter to cost your products.
Receipts and uploads. Images or documents you upload so Costara can extract material costs from them.
Billing information. Subscription status and the details required to process payments. Card details are collected and stored by our payment processor (Stripe), not by Costara.
Usage and technical data. Log data such as IP address, browser type, and actions taken in the app, used to operate, secure, and improve the service.

How we use your information

To provide, maintain, and improve the Costara application.
To extract material costs from the receipts you upload (see AI processing below).
To authenticate you, process payments, and manage your subscription.
To respond to support requests and send service-related communications.
To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues.
To comply with legal obligations.

AI processing of receipts

When you upload a receipt, the receipt image and its extracted text are sent to a third-party AI provider that performs text and line-item extraction so we can populate your material costs. This is the only purpose for which the image is shared, and it happens only when you choose to scan a receipt.

The AI provider acts as our sub-processor under data-processing terms: it may use your upload solely to return the extraction result to us, and does not retain it to train its models. We likewise do not use your business data or uploads to train general-purpose AI models. The processed image is stored in our own encrypted, access-controlled storage so you can review the source of each extraction; you can delete a receipt (and its image) at any time.

We share information only with service providers that help us run Costara, including:

Authentication (Clerk)
Payment processing (Stripe)
Cloud hosting and infrastructure (Microsoft Azure)
AI extraction providers used to read uploaded receipts

These providers may process your information only on our instructions and to perform their service. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect the rights, safety, and security of Costara and its users. We do not sell your personal information.

Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal data as described in our Data Deletion instructions, except where we must retain certain records to meet legal, tax, or accounting obligations.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. You can exercise these rights by contacting us at privacy@costara-app.com, or follow our Data Deletion instructions to erase your account.

Security

We use industry-standard measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and reputable infrastructure providers — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data and review our practices regularly.

International transfers

Your information may be processed in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

Children

Costara is intended for businesses and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.

Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy? Email privacy@costara-app.com.