1. Who we are
ApplyBench is operated as a solo-founder product. When we say “we”, “us”, or “ApplyBench”, we mean the operator of this service. For data protection inquiries, contact us at support@applybench.com.
2. What data we collect
When you use ApplyBench, we collect and store:
- Account information: name, email address, and a securely hashed password (bcrypt, salt factor 12). We never store your password in plain text.
- Resume content: the extracted text from your uploaded resume or CV (PDF, DOCX, or other supported formats). We store the parsed text for analysis. For reasonably sized PDF uploads, we may also store the original PDF so you can download it later with its original formatting.
- Job descriptions: text you paste or URLs you provide for job postings.
- Browser extension capture data: if you use the ApplyBench browser extension, we receive the URLs of tabs you explicitly capture. For direct-job captures, the extension may also send a bounded snapshot of visible job text and public JobPosting metadata from the active captured tab so ApplyBench can read a job page that blocks server-side imports. The extension does not read your full browsing history or background tab contents.
- Analysis results: the output from every tool you run (scores, suggestions, generated content). These are stored so you can access them in your history.
- Credit transactions: a record of credit purchases, usage, and refunds for billing transparency.
- Stripe customer ID: linked to your account for payment processing. We do not store credit card numbers — Stripe handles all payment data.
- Email preferences: whether you want optional product reminders, tips, or offers. You can change these settings from your account page.
3. How we use your data
- To provide the service: your resume / CV and job descriptions are sent to our AI processing system to generate tool results. This is the core function of ApplyBench.
- To store your results: so you can review past analyses, track application outcomes, and review your analyzed roles.
- To process payments: credit purchases are handled through Stripe.
- To send service emails: account verification, password reset, welcome messages, purchase receipts, and other messages needed to operate your account.
- To send optional emails you choose: next-step or low-credit reminders when product emails are enabled, and occasional tips or offers when that separate preference is enabled. You can turn either preference off from your account page.
- To enforce rate limits and prevent abuse: we track request patterns to protect the platform.
- To process browser captures: captured job URLs and bounded active-tab job snapshots are used only to open the relevant ApplyBench workflow, import the job posting, rank captured roles, and handle job pages that cannot be read directly from our servers.
4. Third-party processors
We use the following third-party services to operate ApplyBench:
- AI processing providers: your resume text and job descriptions are sent to AI services to generate tool output. These providers process data according to their own privacy and data retention policies. We do not disclose which specific providers we use.
- Stripe (payments): handles credit card processing and checkout. Stripe’s privacy policy applies to payment data.
- Resend (email): delivers account, purchase, and preference-controlled product emails. Your email address, name, and the content needed for that message are shared for delivery.
- Sentry (error monitoring): may receive anonymised error data to help us diagnose and fix bugs. No personal content (resume / CV text, job descriptions) is sent to Sentry.
5. Where your data is stored
The application is hosted on Vercel, and application data is stored in Neon-hosted PostgreSQL databases. Data may be transmitted to third-party AI processing services located outside your country or region for the purpose of generating tool results.
6. How long we keep your data
- Account data: retained for as long as your account exists.
- Analysis results and resume / CV text: result summaries are retained for as long as your account exists unless you clear saved results. Source resume snapshots and job descriptions used for Resume Analyzer runs are normally pruned after 180 days. Your current reusable resume, including any preserved original PDF, is kept until you delete it or delete your account.
- Credit transactions: retained for as long as your account exists, for billing audit purposes.
- After account deletion: your ApplyBench account, profile, stored resume / CV, analyses, applications, assistant history, credit ledger, and remaining credits are deleted from our operational database. We retain the deleted email address and deletion date in a separate anti-abuse record solely to prevent repeated first-account credit grants. Payment, email, hosting, and backup providers may retain their own records for their normal legal, security, and recovery periods. This action cannot be undone.
7. Your rights
Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar laws, you have the right to:
- Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification: update or correct your account information through the account settings page.
- Erasure: delete your account and associated product data through the account settings page, or contact us about the limited retained records described above.
- Portability: request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Objection: object to processing of your data for specific purposes.
To exercise any of these rights, email support@applybench.com. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Cookies
ApplyBench uses a minimal set of cookies:
- Session cookie (
authjs.session-token): required for authentication. Expires when you sign out or close your browser session. - Maintenance bypass cookie (optional): set only when an administrator bypasses maintenance mode. Expires after 24 hours.
We do not use analytics cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party tracking cookies.
9. Browser extension limited use
The ApplyBench browser extension is user-triggered. It does not register persistent content scripts, modify webpages, collect browsing history, or send page contents in the background. It uses browser permissions only to provide the extension's single purpose: sending the job or careers page you choose into ApplyBench for resume analysis or opportunity ranking.
We do not sell extension capture data, use it for advertising, or transfer it for unrelated profiling. We use it to provide or improve the capture feature, operate and secure ApplyBench, comply with law, and handle support requests you initiate.
10. Children
ApplyBench is not intended for users under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify registered users by email. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.