Terms of Service

Last updated: 21 September 2026

These terms govern your use of the Finances desktop app and the thefinances.app website, operated by Steve Harrison, an independent developer based in Australia ("we", "us"). By downloading the app or buying a license, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, don't use Finances.

1. What Finances is

Finances is a Mac desktop app for tracking and organising your personal finances. Your data is stored in a folder on your own computer — see our Privacy Policy for details on how data is handled.

2. Your license

When you buy Finances, you get a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install and use the app for your own use. Depending on what you buy:

• Free trial — you may use the app free for 30 days from first launch, with no sign-up required. When the trial ends, the app won't open your data again until a license key is entered; your data stays on your computer throughout.
• Subscription — you may use the app, including all features and updates, for as long as your subscription is active.
• Version license (e.g. "1.x License") — a one-time purchase covering the major version you bought and all its updates (a 1.x license covers every 1.x release). New major versions (e.g. 2.0) may require a separate purchase or upgrade price.

Your license key is yours: don't share it, publish it, or resell it. We may limit a license to a specific device, and we may deactivate keys that are shared, resold, refunded, or charged back.

3. Payments, renewals, and cancellation

Payments are processed by Stripe. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. You can cancel any time via the billing portal link provided after purchase (or by contacting us); when a subscription or trial ends without a valid license, the app stops opening until a valid license key is entered, but your data remains on your computer as files and an SQLite database. If database encryption is on (the default), you'll need your encryption key to open it outside the app; otherwise it can be read by standard tools like TablePlus and Querious.

Prices are shown on the pricing page before you buy. We may change prices for future purchases and renewals; if a renewal price changes, we'll let you know before it takes effect.

4. Refunds

If something's wrong with the app, contact us — we'd rather fix it. If you're not happy with a purchase, contact us within 14 days and we'll work out a refund. If we ever can't fulfil a purchase (for example, a capped plan sells out as you buy), we'll refund it in full automatically. When a purchase is refunded, the associated license key is deactivated. Because bank and third-party integrations depend on services we don't control (see section 5), the loss or degradation of an integration isn't a defect in the app and doesn't by itself entitle you to a refund outside the 14-day window.

Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law or any other consumer law that applies to you, including guarantees that software is of acceptable quality and fit for purpose.

5. Bank connections and third-party services

Finances can optionally connect to your bank through third-party providers such as Redbark. If you use these features:

• You authorise the connection and the retrieval of your account and transaction data onto your device.
• Your use of those providers is subject to their own terms and privacy policies.
• You're responsible for keeping any API keys or credentials you supply secure. (The app stores these for you encrypted on your device.)
• We don't control these providers and can't guarantee their availability or the accuracy of the data they return. Integrations with banks and third-party services (for example, Up or Redbark sync) may change, degrade, or stop working entirely because of changes outside our control — such as a provider altering or discontinuing its API, changing its pricing or terms, or a bank withdrawing access. We'll make reasonable efforts to keep integrations working, but we can't promise that any particular integration will remain available for the life of your license.

6. Your data and backups

Your financial data lives only on your computer. That's a feature, but it comes with responsibility: we cannot recover your data or your encryption key if you lose them. Keep backups of your data folder. The app automatically keeps a local Git history of this folder (a snapshot each time the app opens and closes) so you can recover earlier versions; this history stays on your computer and is never sent anywhere, but it's not a substitute for a backup on separate storage. You're free to open, export, and build on your local database — it's your data.

7. Not financial advice

Finances is a tool for organising and visualising your own financial information. Nothing in the app or on the website is financial, tax, or investment advice. Figures shown in the app (including imported or synced data) may contain errors — verify anything important against your bank's records.

8. Acceptable use

Don't use Finances or our services to break the law, and don't attempt to circumvent license checks, abuse our servers or metered services, or interfere with other users. You're welcome to inspect and build on your own local data — including with third-party tools — but you may not copy, redistribute, or resell the app itself.

9. Updates and availability

We may update the app to add, change, or remove features. Online components — license validation, merchant lookup, bank sync, and the website — are provided on an "as available" basis; as a small independent product, we don't guarantee uninterrupted availability. The core app works offline with your local data.

10. Intellectual property

The Finances app, website, and branding are our intellectual property. These terms give you a license to use the app; they don't transfer ownership of it. Your data remains yours.

11. Disclaimer and limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the app and website are provided "as is", and our total liability to you for any claim arising out of these terms or your use of Finances is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose. We're not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for loss of data where you haven't kept backups.

Where the law (including the Australian Consumer Law) gives you guarantees that can't be excluded, nothing here excludes them; our liability is limited, where permitted, to re-supplying the software or refunding what you paid for it.

12. Termination

We may deactivate your license if you materially breach these terms (for example, sharing or reselling keys, or charging back a payment you actually received the product for). You can stop using Finances at any time; your local data stays on your computer regardless.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We'll update the date at the top, and material changes will be noted on the website. Continuing to use Finances after a change means you accept the updated terms.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, and disputes are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of its courts — without limiting any consumer protections you have in your own country.

15. Contact

Questions about these terms, your license, or a refund? Email us at finances@steveharrison.dev.