Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 1, 2026
1. Who we are
PantryPal IQ ("we," "us," "our") is a service operated by Vibe Works Studio LLC, a Colorado limited liability company. Our mailing address is [YOUR_PO_BOX_ADDRESS]. You can reach us at privacy@pantrypaliq.com.
2. What we collect
We collect the following categories of personal information:
Account information
Your name, email address, and password. Your password is stored as a secure hash and we never see it in plain text.
Pantry and dietary information
Items you add to your pantry, dietary preferences (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.), allergies, and household members you add. You provide this directly when you set up your account or scan a receipt.
Receipt images
When you scan a receipt, we store the image temporarily to extract item data. Images are encrypted at rest and automatically deleted within 90 days unless you choose to keep them in your settings.
Usage data
Recipes you've cooked, recipes you've liked or hidden, and how you interact with the app. This helps us improve recipe matching for you.
Technical information
Your IP address, browser type, and device type. This is collected automatically when you visit the site and we use it for security and to fix bugs.
Payment information (Plus subscribers only)
If you upgrade to PantryPal IQ Plus, payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number — Stripe handles that. Stripe maintains its own privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.
3. What we do with it
We use your information to:
- Provide the core functionality of the app — track your pantry, suggest recipes, deduct ingredients
- Send you essential service emails — account confirmation, password resets, receipt processing notifications
- Send marketing emails only if you opted in when you signed up or in your settings
- Process payments if you subscribe to Plus
- Improve our recipe matching and app features
- Detect fraud, abuse, or security issues
- Comply with legal obligations
4. AI features (Plus subscribers only)
If you use AI features (recipe generation, cooking assistant, ingredient substitutions), the relevant inputs — your pantry items, dietary needs, your questions — are sent to Anthropic, our AI provider, to generate a response. Anthropic does not use your data to train their models when accessed through their API. Their privacy practices are at anthropic.com/legal/privacy.
5. Who we share data with
We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with service providers who help us operate the app:
- Hosting: DigitalOcean (servers, database, file storage)
- Email delivery: Resend or Postmark (transactional emails)
- OCR processing: Google Cloud Vision (receipt text extraction)
- AI processing: Anthropic (Plus subscribers only)
- Payment processing: Stripe (Plus subscribers only)
Each provider is contractually required to protect your data and use it only to provide their service to us. We may also share data if required by law (subpoena, court order) or to protect our rights and the safety of our users.
6. Analytics
We currently do not use third-party analytics. If we add analytics in the future, we'll use privacy-friendly tools (such as Plausible or Fathom) that don't track you across other sites and don't use cookies. We'll update this policy and notify you before any change.
7. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access the data we have about you — download from your account settings, or email us
- Delete your account and all associated data
- Correct inaccurate information about you
- Opt out of marketing emails — unsubscribe link in every email, or change your settings
- Port your data to another service — we provide a JSON export
- Object to certain processing or automated decision-making
California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Colorado residents have rights under the Colorado Privacy Act. Virginia, Connecticut, Utah, and other state privacy laws may also apply depending on where you live.
To exercise any of these rights, log into your account and visit Settings → Privacy, or email privacy@pantrypaliq.com. We respond within 30 days. You can authorize someone else to make a request on your behalf, but we'll need to verify your identity first.
We will not discriminate against you in any way for exercising your privacy rights.
8. Children
PantryPal IQ is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has registered, contact us at privacy@pantrypaliq.com and we'll delete their account immediately.
9. How we protect your data
We use industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (HTTPS), encryption at rest (database and file storage), hashed passwords, and regular security updates. No system is 100% secure, but we follow current best practices and will notify you of any breach as required by law.
10. Data retention
We keep your account data while your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we're legally required to keep certain records (for example, tax records related to your subscription, which we keep for 7 years). Receipt images are deleted within 90 days of upload.
11. Cookies
We use only essential cookies needed for the app to work — keeping you logged in, remembering your preferences. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies. If we add analytics in the future, we'll update this policy and obtain your consent first.
12. International users
PantryPal IQ is currently designed for users in the United States. Our servers are located in the United States. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy occasionally. If changes are material, we'll notify you by email or in the app at least 30 days before they take effect. The "last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the current version.
14. Contact us
Privacy questions, concerns, or rights requests: privacy@pantrypaliq.com
Mailing address:
Vibe Works Studio LLC
Attn: Privacy
[YOUR_PO_BOX_ADDRESS]