Terms of Service

Last updated: February 2026

1. License Grant

TheChatApp software is licensed, not sold. Upon purchase, you receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the software according to the tier you selected:

  • Community: Free for personal and small group use, up to 10 users.
  • Business: One-time license for up to 50 users, plus optional annual maintenance.
  • Enterprise: One-time license for up to 200 users, includes cloud hosting, plus annual maintenance.

The license is perpetual — your software continues to work even if you do not renew maintenance. However, access to relay services, cloud storage, and software updates requires an active maintenance subscription.

2. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software
  • Use the software for illegal activities
  • Circumvent user limits or license restrictions
  • Redistribute or resell the software without written permission
  • Use our cloud infrastructure to store illegal content

3. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the TheChatApp software, including but not limited to source code, design, and documentation, remain with TheChatApp. Your license grants you the right to use the software, not ownership of it.

Content you create, send, or store using TheChatApp remains your property. We claim no rights to your data.

4. Maintenance and Support

Paid tiers include an optional annual maintenance subscription. Active maintenance includes:

  • Software updates and security patches
  • Access to relay services for NAT traversal
  • Access to encrypted cloud storage
  • Priority support (Business and Enterprise)

Maintenance can be renewed at any time. There is no penalty for lapsed maintenance — renew whenever you need updates or cloud services.

5. Refund Policy

All paid licenses come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with TheChatApp, contact us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. No questions asked.

Maintenance renewal fees are non-refundable after the renewal period begins.

6. Limitation of Liability

TheChatApp is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee uninterrupted service, and we are not responsible for data loss resulting from:

  • Hardware or network failures on self-hosted installations
  • Lost encryption keys (we cannot recover encrypted data)
  • Unauthorized access to your devices or server

In no event shall our total liability exceed the amount you paid for your license in the 12 months preceding the claim.

7. Cloud Hosting (Enterprise)

Enterprise cloud hosting is provided on a best-effort basis with a target uptime of 99.9%. Scheduled maintenance windows will be communicated at least 48 hours in advance. We reserve the right to suspend service for security reasons with immediate notice.

8. Termination

You may stop using TheChatApp at any time. We may terminate your license if you violate these terms. Upon termination:

  • Self-hosted: You must delete all copies of the software
  • Cloud-hosted: Your encrypted data will be deleted within 30 days

9. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the European Union and the applicable laws of the Netherlands. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of the Netherlands.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to license holders via email at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use of the software after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

Contact

For questions about these terms: contact@thechatapp.chat