Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 15, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information StudyOptima ("we," "us," or "our") collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to everyone who uses the Service.

1. Information We Collect

Account information

Email address, username, first/last name (optional), password (stored as a salted hash, never in plain text), and account preferences (theme, language, timezone, notification settings).

Payment information

When you subscribe to a paid plan, payment is handled directly by Stripe. We receive and store a Stripe customer/subscription reference and your billing status — we never see or store your full card number.

Usage & study data

Quiz attempts, answers, scores, streaks, points, study-material progress, and similar activity data, so we can show you your performance and progress over time.

AI feature submissions

If you use AI-assisted answer explanations or essay grading, the relevant question/answer text you submit is sent to our AI provider (OpenAI) to generate a response. See "Third-Party Service Providers" below.

Technical & log data

IP address, browser/device information, and error/crash reports (via Sentry), used for security, rate-limiting/anti-abuse, and fixing bugs.

Cookies

We use a small number of essential cookies to keep you signed in (session/authentication) and to protect the sign-up form from bots (Cloudflare Turnstile). We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

2. How We Use Information

  • To provide, maintain, and secure the Service, including your account and subscription;
  • To process payments and manage billing;
  • To generate AI-assisted explanations and grading feedback you request;
  • To send account-related emails (verification, password reset, receipts, and — if you opt in — study reminders/notifications);
  • To detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and unauthorized scraping of paid content;
  • To fix bugs and improve the Service.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party providers to operate the Service. Each processes a limited slice of data necessary for its function, under its own privacy/security commitments:

  • Stripe — payment processing and billing.
  • OpenAI — generates AI-assisted explanations and essay-grading feedback from the text you submit for that feature.
  • Resend — delivers transactional emails (verification, password reset, notifications).
  • Neon — hosts our database.
  • Vercel — hosts the application.
  • Cloudflare (Turnstile) — bot/abuse protection on sign-up.
  • Sentry — error and crash monitoring.

4. International Data Transfers

Our service providers may process and store data in countries other than your own, including the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing.

5. Data Retention

We retain account and study data for as long as your account is active, so your progress and history remain available to you. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records (e.g., billing records) for legal or accounting purposes.

6. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export a copy of your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing (for example, under the EU/UK GDPR, California's CCPA/CPRA, or similar laws). To exercise any of these rights, email support@studyoptima.com — we will respond within a reasonable time.

7. Data Security

We use industry-standard measures (password hashing, encrypted connections, access controls) to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date.

10. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your data? Email support@studyoptima.com.