Workbench Budgeting ("the app") is a desktop budgeting app made by Garden Studio ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information we collect through the app and this website (workbenchbudgeting.com), why, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
The short version: your budgets, transactions, and other financial data are stored on your own computer, not on our servers. Our server keeps only what it needs to run your account, your subscription, and your bank connections. We don't sell your information, show ads, or use tracking cookies.
Information stored on your computer
Everything you enter or import into the app (budgets, accounts, balances, transactions, categories, and plans) is saved in a database on your computer. We don't receive a copy. If you sign in, the app keeps your sign-in token and the result of its last subscription check in your operating system's secure credential store (Keychain on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows). Uninstalling the app doesn't delete your data; you can delete the app's data folder yourself.
Information we collect
Your account
- Your email address, and whether you have verified it.
- A password, stored only as a one-way hash. We can't see your password.
- If you use "Sign in with Google": your Google account ID and the email address on it. We ask Google only for your basic profile (name, email, and account ID) and don't access your Gmail, contacts, files, or anything else in your Google account.
- For each computer you sign in on: the device name the app reports (for example "Max's MacBook"), when it signed in, and when it last checked in.
Your subscription
Payments are handled by Stripe. Your card details go directly to Stripe and never reach our servers. We keep your Stripe customer ID and your subscription's status, renewal date, and whether you've used your free trial.
Your bank connections
Bank syncing uses Plaid. When you connect a bank, you sign in to your bank through Plaid's window; we never see your bank username or password. Plaid gives our server an access token for that connection, which we store encrypted. We also keep the bank's name, the connection's status, and when it last synced.
When the app syncs, our server asks Plaid for your accounts (names, types, last four digits of account numbers, and balances) and transactions (dates, amounts, descriptions, merchants, and categories), and passes them straight to the app on your computer. We don't store your accounts or transactions on our servers.
Plaid collects and processes your information under its own End User Privacy Policy. By connecting a bank, you allow Plaid to do so.
Emails
We send emails needed for your account: verifying your email address, resetting your password, and reminding you before a free trial ends. We don't send marketing emails unless you ask for them. If you leave your email on our "notify me" form, we use it only to tell you about the app.
Technical information
Like most websites, our hosting provider records basic request logs, including IP addresses, browser type, and the pages requested. We use them to keep the service running and to limit abuse (for example, too many sign-in attempts). The app itself doesn't send usage analytics.
To count visitors, the website records each view of its public pages and each installer download: the page, the time, your browser type, and the website that linked you here. It doesn't store your IP address. Instead it keeps a scrambled code made from your IP address and browser that changes every day, so we can count visitors per day but can't recognize you from one day to the next. We don't use cookies or third-party analytics for this.
Cookies
The website uses one cookie, a session cookie that keeps you signed in and protects forms from forgery. We don't use advertising or analytics cookies. Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser connects to Google when you visit; see Google's Privacy Policy.
How we use your information
- To create and secure your account and sign you in on the website and in the app.
- To bill your subscription and tell the app whether it's active.
- To connect and sync your banks.
- To send the account emails described above and answer your questions.
- To prevent fraud and abuse and meet legal obligations.
We don't sell your personal information or share it for advertising.
Who we share it with
We share information only with the service providers that run parts of the service:
- Stripe (payments): privacy policy
- Plaid (bank connections): End User Privacy Policy
- Google (only if you use Sign in with Google): privacy policy
- Render (website and database hosting): privacy policy
- Resend (sending account emails): privacy policy
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or the service. If Garden Studio is ever sold or merged, this information would move with the service and stay covered by this policy.
Information from Google
Our use of information received from Google follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. We use it only to sign you in.
How long we keep it
- Account and subscription information: until you delete your account.
- Bank connections: until you remove them, your subscription ends, or you delete your account. In each case we also disconnect the bank at Plaid.
- Request logs: for a limited time set by our hosting provider.
- Visit counts (page views and downloads): about one year.
- Payment records: Stripe keeps records of charges as required by tax and financial laws, even after your account is deleted.
Your choices and rights
- See and correct: your account page shows your email, sign-in methods, and subscription. Email us to change anything you can't change there.
- Delete: "Delete account" on your account page removes your account, disconnects your banks at Plaid, and deletes your Stripe customer record. Data stored on your computer is yours to keep or delete.
- Disconnect a bank: remove it in the app at any time.
- Ask us: you can request a copy of your information or ask any privacy question by email. Depending on where you live (for example California, or the EU or UK), you may have additional rights, such as to access, correct, delete, or move your information, or to object to how it's used. We honor these requests for everyone, and won't treat you differently for making one.
Security
All connections to our server are encrypted with HTTPS. Passwords are hashed, bank access tokens are encrypted, and the app's sign-in token is kept in your system's secure credential store. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will tell you promptly if a breach affects it.
Children
The service isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us information, email us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also email account holders before it takes effect.
Contact
Questions about this page? Email max@gardenstudiosoftware.com. Workbench Budgeting is made by Garden Studio, a one-person software shop.