Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Project Cost Estimator is operated by Scopebit (projectcostestimator.com). We provide a free web project cost estimation tool. For privacy questions, contact us at hello@projectcostestimator.com.

2. What data we collect

We collect minimal data to operate the service:

• Usage data: Anonymous analytics via Google Analytics 4 (page views, session duration, feature usage). No personally identifiable information is collected by default.
• Email address: Only if you voluntarily submit your email to receive your estimate results or expert review. This is optional and clearly labelled.
• Payment data: Processed entirely by PayPal. We do not store card numbers, PayPal credentials, or payment details. PayPal's privacy policy applies to payment transactions.
• Project configuration: The wizard inputs you enter (project type, features, budget range) are processed in-browser and in-memory. We do not store them on our servers unless you explicitly save or share a report.
• Log data: Standard server logs (IP address, browser type, referring URL) retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

3. How we use your data

• To operate and improve the estimation tool
• To send your estimate or report to your email (only if you provided it)
• To respond to expert review requests
• To understand aggregate usage patterns and improve accuracy
• To detect and prevent abuse or fraudulent activity

We do not sell your data. We do not use it for advertising profiling. We do not share it with third parties except as described in Section 4.

4. Third-party services

We use the following third-party services, each subject to their own privacy policies:

• Google Analytics 4 — anonymous usage analytics. You can opt out via Google's opt-out tool.
• PayPal — payment processing. Governed by PayPal's Privacy Statement.
• Vercel — hosting and edge delivery. May collect standard request logs.

5. Cookies & Consent

We use a cookie consent banner that lets you control which categories of cookies are active. No analytics or marketing cookies are set until you give explicit consent. We use Google Consent Mode v2 to ensure GA4 respects your choice from the very first page load.

We group cookies into three categories:

• Essential: Required for the site to function (session state, wizard progress, payment unlock status, consent preference stored in pce_cookie_consent). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics: Google Analytics 4 and PostHog — anonymous usage data to improve the tool. Only active after you click "Accept All" or enable Analytics in the cookie settings.
• Marketing: Reserved for future use (retargeting, personalized ads). Currently no marketing cookies are set. Only active if you explicitly enable this category.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser's local storage for this site or using your browser's cookie management settings. Your consent choice is stored locally and never sent to our servers.

6. Data retention

Email addresses provided voluntarily are retained only as long as needed to deliver the requested service (typically 90 days). You can request deletion at any time by emailing hello@projectcostestimator.com. Analytics data is retained per Google Analytics default (14 months, anonymized).

7. Your rights (GDPR / CCPA)

If you are in the EU, EEA, or California, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of your data
• Object to or restrict processing
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, email hello@projectcostestimator.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Security

All data in transit is encrypted via TLS. We apply industry-standard security practices. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children

This service is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the latest revision. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email hello@projectcostestimator.com.