Every website and SaaS application needs a privacy policy. Under GDPR Articles 13 and 14, you’re legally required to inform users about how you collect and process their personal data. This guide provides a complete, free privacy policy template designed specifically for SaaS companies, along with explanations of what each section means and how to customize it.

Why SaaS Companies Need a Specific Privacy Policy

Generic privacy policy templates often miss critical elements that SaaS businesses need:

Account data handling: How you store and process user credentials
Usage analytics: What behavioral data you collect and why
Third-party integrations: All the services your SaaS connects to
Data portability: How users can export their data
Multi-tenancy: How you separate customer data

A SaaS-specific privacy policy addresses these concerns while meeting GDPR requirements.

Article 13: Direct Collection

When you collect data directly from users (signup forms, account settings), you must disclose:

Identity and contact details of the controller
Contact details of your Data Protection Officer (if applicable)
Purposes and legal basis for processing
Legitimate interests pursued (if using legitimate interest)
Recipients or categories of recipients
International transfer information
Retention period
Data subject rights
Right to withdraw consent
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Whether provision of data is a statutory/contractual requirement
Existence of automated decision-making/profiling

Article 14: Indirect Collection

When you receive data from third parties (API integrations, SSO), you must additionally disclose:

The source of the personal data
Categories of personal data concerned

Free SaaS Privacy Policy Template

Below is a complete privacy policy template. Copy it, replace the bracketed sections with your information, and publish it on your website.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: [DATE]

1. Introduction

Welcome to [COMPANY NAME] (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use our [SERVICE NAME] platform and related services.

This policy applies to:

Our website at [WEBSITE URL]
Our application at [APP URL]
Any related services, sales, marketing, or events

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

2. Who We Are

[COMPANY NAME] [Street Address] [City, Postal Code] [Country]

Email: [privacy@yourdomain.com] Data Protection Officer: [DPO name and contact, if applicable]

For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, we are the “data controller” of your personal information.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide

Account Information When you create an account, we collect:

Name
Email address
Password (stored encrypted)
Company name (if applicable)
Billing address (if applicable)
Payment information (processed by [Stripe/PayPal/etc.])

Profile Information You may choose to provide:

Profile photo
Job title
Phone number
Preferences and settings

Content You Create When you use our service, we store:

[Describe the content users create in your app]
[E.g., “Documents, files, and data you upload”]
[E.g., “Messages and communications within the platform”]

Communications When you contact us, we collect:

Email correspondence
Support tickets
Feedback and survey responses

3.2 Information We Collect Automatically

Usage Data We automatically collect:

Pages and features you access
Time spent on pages
Actions taken within the application
Error logs and performance data

Device Information

Browser type and version
Operating system
Device identifiers
Screen resolution

Location Data

IP address
Approximate geographic location (city/country level)

Cookies and Similar Technologies We use cookies to:

Keep you signed in
Remember your preferences
Analyze usage patterns
Improve our service

See our Cookie Policy for details.

3.3 Information From Third Parties

Single Sign-On (SSO) If you sign in using [Google/Microsoft/GitHub/etc.], we receive:

Your name
Email address
Profile picture (if available)

Integrations If you connect third-party services, we may receive data as described in those integration settings.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

4.1 To Provide Our Service

Purpose	Legal Basis
Create and manage your account	Contract performance
Provide the features you request	Contract performance
Process payments and billing	Contract performance
Send transactional emails	Contract performance

4.2 To Improve Our Service

Purpose	Legal Basis
Analyze usage patterns	Legitimate interest
Fix bugs and errors	Legitimate interest
Develop new features	Legitimate interest
Conduct user research	Consent (when applicable)

4.3 To Communicate With You

Purpose	Legal Basis
Respond to support requests	Contract performance
Send service updates	Legitimate interest
Send marketing emails	Consent
Notify you of policy changes	Legal obligation

4.4 To Protect Our Service

Purpose	Legal Basis
Prevent fraud and abuse	Legitimate interest
Enforce our terms of service	Legitimate interest
Comply with legal obligations	Legal obligation

We do not sell your personal data. We share your information only as follows:

5.1 Service Providers

We use third-party companies to help provide our service:

Provider	Purpose	Location	Privacy Policy
[Cloud Provider]	Hosting and infrastructure	[Location]	[Link]
[Payment Processor]	Payment processing	[Location]	[Link]
[Email Service]	Transactional emails	[Location]	[Link]
[Analytics Tool]	Usage analytics	[Location]	[Link]
[Support Tool]	Customer support	[Location]	[Link]

These providers are bound by data processing agreements and may only use your data as instructed by us.

5.2 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to:

Comply with legal obligations
Respond to lawful requests from public authorities
Protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
Enforce our terms of service

We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

6. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including [countries where your servers/services are located].

For transfers outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards through:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
Adequacy decisions (where applicable)
[Other mechanisms you use]

You can request a copy of the safeguards we use by contacting us.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

Data Type	Retention Period	Reason
Account data	Duration of account + [X] days	Service provision
Usage logs	[X] months	Analytics and debugging
Support tickets	[X] years	Legal compliance
Billing records	[X] years	Tax and legal requirements
Marketing preferences	Until withdrawal	Consent management

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within [30/60/90] days, except where we are required to retain it by law.

8. Your Rights

Under GDPR and other applicable laws, you have the following rights:

8.1 Right of Access

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

8.2 Right to Rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data. You can also update most information directly in your account settings.

8.3 Right to Erasure

You can request deletion of your personal data. We will comply unless we have a legal obligation or legitimate reason to retain it.

8.4 Right to Restrict Processing

You can ask us to temporarily stop processing your data while we address your concerns.

8.5 Right to Data Portability

You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format. [Describe export functionality if available]

8.6 Right to Object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

[If applicable: Describe any automated decision-making and how users can request human review] [If not applicable: We do not use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.]

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights:

Email us at [privacy@yourdomain.com]
Use the data export/delete features in your account settings
[Other methods you support]

We will respond to requests within 30 days. We may ask for verification of your identity before processing requests.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data:

Technical Measures

Encryption in transit (TLS 1.3)
Encryption at rest (AES-256)
Regular security testing
Access controls and authentication
[Other measures you implement]

Organizational Measures

Employee training on data protection
Access limited to those who need it
Vendor security assessments
Incident response procedures

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you have concerns about security, please contact us.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our service is not intended for children under [13/16] years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by:

Posting the new policy on this page
Updating the “Last updated” date
Sending an email notification (for material changes)

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices:

Email: [privacy@yourdomain.com] Address: [Your address]

Supervisory Authority If you are in the EEA and believe we have not addressed your concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

[Link to list of EU DPAs: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en]

13. Additional Information for Specific Jurisdictions

For California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

Right to know what personal information is collected
Right to delete personal information
Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal data)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at [privacy@yourdomain.com].

For UK Residents

The UK GDPR applies to our processing of your personal data. Our practices comply with UK data protection requirements. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority: ico.org.uk

Effective Date: [DATE]

How to Customize This Template

Step 1: Company Information

Replace all bracketed placeholders with your actual information:

Company name and address
Contact email addresses
Website and app URLs
DPO contact (if you have one)

Step 2: Data Collection Details

Customize Section 3 to accurately reflect what you collect:

List all data fields in your signup form
Describe content users create in your app
List analytics and tracking tools you use

Step 3: Third-Party Services

Section 5.1 needs your actual service providers. Common ones:

Category	Common Providers
Hosting	AWS, GCP, Azure, Vercel, Heroku
Payments	Stripe, PayPal, Paddle
Email	SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark
Analytics	Google Analytics, Mixpanel, PostHog
Support	Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp
Error tracking	Sentry, Bugsnag

Step 4: Retention Periods

Set realistic retention periods in Section 7. Consider:

Legal requirements (tax records: often 7 years)
Business needs (analytics: 12-24 months)
User expectations (account data: while account exists)

Step 5: Jurisdiction-Specific Sections

If you serve users in California or the UK, keep Section 13. Add other jurisdictions as needed (Brazil’s LGPD, etc.).

Common Privacy Policy Mistakes

Mistake 1: Copy-Paste Without Customization

Problem: Generic templates mention services you don’t use or miss ones you do.

Fix: Audit every third-party service that handles user data. Check your:

package.json for SDKs
Environment variables for API keys
DNS records for third-party scripts

Mistake 2: Vague Language

Problem: “We may collect information” doesn’t meet transparency requirements.

Fix: Be specific. Name the exact data points, purposes, and legal bases.

Mistake 3: Missing Legal Basis

Problem: GDPR requires a legal basis for each processing activity.

Fix: For each purpose, specify: consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public interest, or legitimate interest.

Mistake 4: Outdated Information

Problem: Your privacy policy mentions services you stopped using years ago.

Fix: Review and update your privacy policy quarterly. Set a calendar reminder.

Mistake 5: Hidden or Hard to Find

Problem: Privacy policy buried in footer with tiny font.

Fix: Link to it from:

Website footer
Signup/registration forms
App settings menu
Email footers

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Summary

Every SaaS company needs a privacy policy that accurately describes their data practices. Use this template as a starting point, customize it for your specific situation, and keep it updated as your service evolves.

Key requirements:

Be transparent: Describe exactly what you collect and why
Specify legal basis: GDPR requires this for each processing activity
List third parties: Every service that handles user data
Explain rights: Make it easy for users to exercise their rights
Keep it current: Review and update regularly

For growing SaaS companies, automating privacy policy management with GDPR.Direct saves time and ensures you don’t miss critical disclosures.

SaaS Privacy Policy Template: Free GDPR-Compliant Template 2025