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Privacy Policy

What TodoBar collects, what it doesn't, and what happens to your data.

Last updated: August 2026

TodoBar is a single-developer indie app built with privacy as a first principle. The short version: your todos stay on your Mac and, if you opt in, in your own iCloud account. They are never sent anywhere else, and there is no analytics or tracking of any kind.

The longer version is below. If anything here is unclear, email support@todobar.app.

This policy covers both versions of TodoBar: the one on the Mac App Store and the direct download sold on this site. They treat your task data identically. They differ only in how you pay and how you get updates, and those differences are marked below.

What TodoBar stores on your Mac

TodoBar stores the following locally, in its own sandboxed UserDefaults container on your Mac:

  • Your tasks (title, due date, completion state, creation and completion timestamps)
  • Your settings (custom hotkey, iCloud-sync preference, statistics-tracking preference, launch-at-login preference, in-app-purchase unlock state)
  • Statistics, if you’ve enabled them (lifetime completion count, daily-completion buckets for the last 60 days, your fastest and slowest completed tasks, earned achievements)
  • A counter of how many tasks you’ve completed since you last saw the in-app review prompt

This data lives only on your Mac and never leaves it through TodoBar.

If you bought the direct download, your license key is also stored on your Mac, in the macOS Keychain rather than alongside the settings above, because it is a credential. If you use iCloud Keychain, macOS syncs it between your own Macs. Unlike everything above, the license key does leave your Mac: it is sent to the licensing service, as described under Network requests.

What TodoBar syncs to iCloud (only if you opt in)

If Sync via iCloud is enabled in Settings (it is on by default), TodoBar synchronizes your task list to your private iCloud Key-Value Store using Apple’s CloudKit infrastructure. This is end-to-end between your devices and Apple - TodoBar’s developer never sees this data.

The iCloud-synced data is your task list only. Statistics, settings, and the unlock state are not synced via this path. On the App Store version the unlock state comes from the App Store with your Apple ID; on the direct download it comes from your license key.

If you disable iCloud sync, the most recent local copy stays on your Mac and TodoBar stops talking to iCloud. Existing iCloud data remains in your iCloud account until you remove it (see Deleting your data below).

What TodoBar does NOT collect

TodoBar has no analytics and no tracking of any kind, and your tasks are never sent to any server of mine. Specifically, it does not:

  • Send your tasks, settings, or statistics anywhere except your own iCloud account
  • Use any third-party analytics SDKs (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Sentry, etc.)
  • Track your usage, app opens, click patterns, or session duration
  • Read your other apps, files, browser history, or system state
  • Access your contacts, calendar, mail, photos, microphone, camera, or location
  • Use advertising identifiers
  • Profile you for advertising

The macOS sandbox enforces most of this at the system level - TodoBar wouldn’t be able to access those things even if it tried.

Network requests

TodoBar makes network requests only in the situations below. Which of them apply depends on where you bought it.

  1. iCloud sync (both versions) - when iCloud sync is enabled, your tasks are synchronized through CloudKit, which is Apple infrastructure.
  2. App Store / StoreKit (App Store version) - when you click “Unlock for $9.99” or “Restore Purchase,” macOS contacts Apple’s StoreKit service to process the purchase. TodoBar’s developer never sees your payment details.
  3. License checks (direct download) - the direct version verifies your license key with keybee, a licensing service I run, at api.keybee.app. This happens when you enter a key, once per launch when a key is already stored, and when you choose Deactivate This Mac. Each request sends your license key, the product name, and your Mac’s hardware UUID. The UUID is what lets an activation be counted per machine rather than per install, so reinstalling macOS doesn’t use one up. Activating also sends your Mac’s name, so you can recognize your own machines if you ever need support. No task data, settings, or usage information is ever sent.
  4. Update checks (direct download) - the direct version looks for new versions with Sparkle, which downloads https://todobar.app/appcast.xml. That is a plain file fetch; no system profile or identifying information goes with it, and you can turn automatic checks off in Settings. The App Store version does not do this, because the App Store handles its updates.

Beyond these, nothing: no analytics ping, no crash reports, no telemetry.

Buying TodoBar

On the Mac App Store: Apple handles the whole transaction. I receive Apple’s anonymized sales reports, and never see your payment details or your email address.

Direct from this site: payment is processed by Stripe, who handle your card details - I never see them. Stripe passes your email address to keybee, the licensing service, which generates your license key and emails it to you. keybee keeps your email address, your license key, and the list of Macs it is activated on, for as long as the license exists. That record is what makes “please resend my key” and “release my old Mac” possible. It is not used for marketing, and it is not sold or shared.

On-device AI (Foundation Models)

On macOS 26 (Tahoe) and newer, TodoBar uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Models framework as a fallback when the regex-based natural-language date parser doesn’t find a date. This processing happens entirely on your Mac using Apple’s local model - your task text never leaves your device for parsing.

In-app review prompts

TodoBar uses Apple’s RequestReviewAction to ask for a rating after you complete your fifth task. This prompt is shown by macOS, throttled by Apple (max 3 per user per 365 days), and never re-prompts within the same TodoBar version. No data about your usage is sent to anyone.

Deleting your data

To delete TodoBar’s local data: quit the app and drag TodoBar.app from Applications to the Trash.

To delete TodoBar’s iCloud data: System Settings → Apple Account → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → TodoBar → Delete Data.

If you bought the direct download and want your licensing record erased, email support@todobar.app. Deleting it invalidates your license key, so this cannot be undone.

Children

TodoBar is not directed at children under 13. There’s no account, no profile, and no data collection that would be relevant to children’s privacy frameworks like COPPA or GDPR-K.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes meaningfully, the “Last updated” date at the top will change. The previous wording is in the public Git history of this site if you want to compare.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email support@todobar.app.