Legal
Terms of Service
Last updated: May 2, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the SnailText desktop application and website at snailtext.app (collectively, the "Services"). By downloading, installing, or using SnailText, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.
1. Who Can Use SnailText
You must be at least 13 years old to use SnailText (or 16 years old if you are located in the European Union or EEA). If you are under the applicable age of majority in your jurisdiction, your parent or legal guardian must agree to these Terms on your behalf.
By using SnailText, you represent and warrant that:
- You are of legal age as described above
- You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
- You will comply with these Terms and all applicable laws
2. Your Account
To access certain features (cross-device sync, Pro subscription), you must create an account with a valid email address. You may also sign in via Google OAuth.
You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep it up to date.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. You must notify us immediately at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorized access to your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from your failure to protect your credentials.
You may not create multiple accounts, share account credentials with others, or use automated means to create accounts.
The free plan is truly free — we do not require a credit card and we do not sell your data. See our Privacy Policy.
3. What You Own — Content and Outputs
You retain full ownership of all audio you record and all transcriptions produced by SnailText. We claim no ownership over your content.
By using SnailText, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to process your audio solely to provide the transcription service to you. We do not use your audio or transcriptions to train AI models. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
SnailText uses AI-powered speech recognition. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy of transcriptions. You should not rely on transcriptions for medical, legal, financial, or other critical decisions without independent human verification.
4. Acceptable Use
4.1 You agree not to:
- Use SnailText for any illegal purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation
- Record or transcribe another person's speech without their knowledge and consent
- Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of SnailText
- Remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notices in the app
- Use the Services to transmit spam, malware, or other harmful content
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts
- Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems
- Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Services without our written permission
- Create derivative works based on the Services
- Use the Services to build a competing product
4.2 AI-specific restrictions. You may not use SnailText or its outputs to:
- Train or fine-tune AI or machine learning models
- Generate content that infringes third-party intellectual property rights
- Represent AI-generated transcriptions as certified, official, or human-verified without disclosure
- Make fully automated decisions with significant legal or financial consequences affecting others, without human review
4.3 Enforcement. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at our sole discretion if we determine you have violated these Terms, without prior notice and without liability to you.
5. Privacy and Your Data
Your privacy matters to us. Key commitments:
- In offline mode, your audio never leaves your device. Nothing is sent to our servers or any third party.
- We never use your audio or transcriptions to train AI models — our own or anyone else's.
- Analytics are opt-out — you can disable all usage tracking in Settings → Privacy.
- We will never sell your data.
These commitments will not be reduced without giving you advance notice and the opportunity to delete your account.
Please read our full Privacy Policy for details on what data we collect, how it is used, and your rights.
6. Subscriptions and Payments
SnailText is free to download and use with the compact local models. No account or payment required.
Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, billed in advance. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled.
Payments are processed by Lemon Squeezy, our Merchant of Record. Lemon Squeezy handles payment collection, taxes, and invoicing. We never see or store your card details. By subscribing, you agree to Lemon Squeezy's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
All prices are inclusive of applicable taxes where Lemon Squeezy is required to collect them as Merchant of Record.
We may change subscription prices at renewal with at least 30 days' notice via email. You may cancel before the new price takes effect.
You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — you retain Pro access until then. We do not provide partial refunds for unused subscription time, except as required by applicable law.
We offer a 30-day refund from the date of your first paid charge if you are not satisfied with Pro. After 30 days, payments are non-refundable except where required by law. To request a refund, email [email protected].
7. Beta Features
We may release features labeled "Beta," "Preview," or "Experimental." These features:
- Are provided as-is, without any guarantees of reliability or continued availability
- May be discontinued or significantly changed at any time
- May be subject to additional terms disclosed at the time of access
Your feedback on beta features is welcome and may be used to improve the product without any obligation to you.
8. Our Intellectual Property
SnailText, its design, code, trademarks, and all related intellectual property are owned by us or our licensors. These Terms do not grant you any ownership interest in the Services. You may not:
- Use our name, logo, or trademarks without our prior written consent
- Represent that your product or service is endorsed or affiliated with SnailText
9. Availability and Modifications
SnailText is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or meet your specific requirements.
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time, with or without notice. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of significant changes.
Because offline transcription runs entirely on your device, its availability depends on your hardware and locally installed model files, which are outside our control.
10. Termination
You may stop using SnailText and delete your account at any time. Account deletion removes your account data from our systems in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
We may suspend or terminate your account if you:
- Violate these Terms
- Create legal risk or harm for us or other users
- Have not used your account for 12 consecutive months (for free accounts)
Where possible, we will notify you before taking action and give you the opportunity to address the issue. In cases of serious violations, we may act immediately.
Upon termination, your right to use the Services ends. For paid accounts terminated by us without cause, we will refund any prepaid unused subscription fees on a pro-rata basis.
Sections 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 15 survive termination.
11. Disclaimer of Warranties
We make no warranty that:
- Transcriptions will be accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose
- The Services will meet your requirements
- Any errors will be corrected
Nothing in these Terms limits your statutory rights as a consumer that cannot be excluded by contract under applicable law.
12. Limitation of Liability
Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the Services shall not exceed the total amount you paid us in the 6 months preceding the claim.
EU/EEA residents: Nothing in this section limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
13. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SnailText and its team members from and against any claims, damages, losses, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:
- Your use of the Services in violation of these Terms
- Your content or recordings
- Your violation of any third party's rights
- Your violation of applicable law
This does not apply to EU/EEA residents for consequences that were not reasonably foreseeable at the time of the breach.
14. Dispute Resolution
Before filing any formal legal claim, you agree to contact us at [email protected] and give us 60 days to resolve the dispute informally.
These Terms are governed by the laws of Spain, without regard to conflict of law principles.
Any disputes that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Asturias, Spain.
If you are a US resident, disputes that cannot be resolved informally shall be settled by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration takes place in your county or by videoconference. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of creating your account by emailing [email protected].
To the extent permitted by law, you may only resolve disputes with us on an individual basis. You waive the right to bring claims as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, or representative action.
15. General
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and SnailText regarding the Services and supersede all prior agreements.
We may update these Terms at any time. For material changes that reduce your rights, we will notify you by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance. You can always find the current version at snailtext.app/terms.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. The remaining provisions remain in full force.
Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not waive our right to enforce it in the future.
You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights to an affiliate or successor without restriction.
We are not liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
16. Contact
Questions about these Terms:
Email: [email protected]
Product: snailtext.app
Adapted from the open-source Basecamp/37signals policy template, used under their open license.