Privacy policy
How Balance handles your information.
Balance is designed to give you clarity and calm over your recurring commitments. We treat your privacy with the same mindfulness. This policy explains what information we collect, why we need it, and how we safeguard your personal data under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in South Africa.
What we collect
We only collect the minimum details necessary to run your subscription tracking workspace:
- Your name: First and last name to personalize your greetings and export reports.
- Email address: Used as your unique account sign-in identifier and to send requested password reset links.
- Country: To configure your local currency formatting and default regional settings.
- A securely hashed password: Stored strictly as a one-way bcrypt cryptographic hash. We never see or store your raw password.
- The subscriptions you enter: Service names, costs, billing frequencies, renewal dates, categories, and optional personal notes.
Why we collect it
Under POPIA, personal data must be collected for specific, explicitly defined purposes. We collect and process your information exclusively to:
- Create, authenticate, and manage your private Balance account.
- Calculate and display your subscription totals, cost projections, and upcoming renewal dates.
- Send you single-use, time-limited password reset links when you request them.
What we don't do
Where it's stored
Your personal information and subscription data are housed in a production Supabase database hosted in the European Union (Ireland). Supabase enforces high-grade encryption at rest and in transit (TLS/SSL).
Transactional emails (such as password reset links) are dispatched via Resend, an enterprise-grade transactional email service that complies with international data privacy and security standards.
Who we share your information with
- Supabase: database hosting (European Union, Ireland).
- Resend: sending account emails such as password resets and reminders.
- Vercel: hosting the website.
- PayFast: payment processing for Balance Pro. Balance does not store card details.
- Frankfurter: exchange rates only. No personal information is sent.
How long we keep it
We retain your information only until you choose to delete your account.
You can delete your account at any time via your Settings page. Deleting your account immediately triggers a database cascade delete, which permanently erases your user record, authentication tokens, and all recorded subscriptions. Nothing is kept in cold storage.
Your rights
Under POPIA, you have full control over your personal information:
- Right to access: You can view all information held about you directly on your dashboard and account settings.
- Right to correct: You can modify your name, country, or password at any time in Settings.
- Right to delete: You can permanently wipe your account and all subscriptions whenever you choose.
- Right to request a copy: You may request an export copy of your stored records by submitting a request through our Support page.
Cookies and storage
We believe in minimal, purposeful web technologies:
- We use one session cookie (
balance_session) solely to keep you securely signed in to your account. - We do not use tracking cookies, analytics trackers, or third-party advertising cookies.
- Your theme preference (light or dark mode) is remembered locally on your device via standard browser storage.
Information Officer
Balance's Information Officer can be reached at support@balanceapp.co.za for any question about how we handle your personal information.
Balance is registered with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Contact and enquiries
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or wish to exercise your POPIA rights, please reach out to us:
Last updated: 1 November 2026
Balance — Simple. Honest. Fair.