Terms of Service

• Platform— the balbalo Services operated by us.
• Outlet— a publication created and run by a Creator on the Platform.
• Creator— a user who creates or manages an outlet (including their team members).
• Reader— a user who reads, follows, or subscribes to an outlet.
• Content— any text, media, files, or other materials created, uploaded, or submitted through the Services.

You must be at least 16 years old (or older if your jurisdiction requires) to use the Services. By using the Services, you represent that you meet this requirement and that you have the authority to enter into these Terms, including on behalf of any organization you represent.

You are responsible for the information you provide, for the activity under your account, and for keeping your credentials secure. Notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. We may offer sign-in through third parties such as Google; your use of those services is subject to their terms.

Creator plans

balbalo offers a free plan and a paid Pro plan. Pro is billed per outlet (for example, $12 per month per outlet, as described on our pricing page, which may change). Paid plans renew automatically for the billing period you select until cancelled. Any free trial converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel before it ends.

Reader subscriptions

Creators may offer free and paid subscription tiers to their Readers. When a Reader purchases a paid tier, they are entering into a transaction enabled by the Platform and processed through Stripe. The Creator sets their tiers, pricing, and the benefits they provide.

Payments, renewals, and cancellation

Payments are processed by Stripe, and your use of paid features is also subject to Stripe’s terms. You authorize us and Stripe to charge your payment method for applicable fees, including on renewal. You can cancel a subscription at any time; unless required by law or stated otherwise, cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period and fees already paid are non-refundable. You are responsible for any taxes associated with your purchases.

If you run an outlet, you are responsible for your outlet, your Content, and your relationship with your audience. In particular, you agree that:

• you have the rights necessary to publish and distribute your Content;
• you will comply with all laws that apply to you and your audience, including privacy and anti-spam laws (such as the GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and similar rules) for the emails you send and the data you collect, and you will maintain your own privacy disclosures to your Readers where required;
• you will obtain and honor appropriate consent for the contacts you import or email; and
• you are solely responsible for any custom code or third-party tools you add to your outlet on a verified custom domain, including compliance and any data those tools collect.

You agree not to use the Services to:

• violate any law or infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of others;
• post or distribute unlawful, harmful, harassing, hateful, deceptive, or sexually exploitative content, or content that endangers others;
• send spam or unsolicited or deceptive communications;
• upload malware, or attempt to disrupt, overload, probe, or gain unauthorized access to the Services or others’ accounts;
• scrape, bypass rate limits or security measures, or misuse our infrastructure; or
• impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation.

You keep ownership of your Content.To operate the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, process, adapt (for example, to create media renditions), publish, and display your Content solely to provide and improve the Services — including delivering it to the audiences and on the domains you choose. This license ends when you or we remove the Content, except for reasonable backup retention and where content has been shared with others who have not removed it.

If you send us feedback or suggestions, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable license to use them without obligation to you.

The Platform itself, including our software, branding, and design, belongs to balbalo and its licensors. Except as expressly permitted, you may not copy, modify, or create derivative works of the Platform.

We respect intellectual property rights and respond to valid notices of claimed infringement under the DMCA and similar laws. If you believe content on the Services infringes your rights or otherwise violates these Terms, you can report it through our reporting flow (the “Report” link) or by contacting us. Where appropriate, we may remove content and allow a counter-notice. We may terminate accounts of repeat infringers.

The Services integrate with third parties (such as Stripe, Google, Resend, Cloudflare, and Vercel). We are not responsible for third-party services, and your use of them is governed by their own terms and policies.

You may stop using the Services at any time. We may suspend, restrict, ban, or terminate your access — with or without notice — if you violate these Terms or our policies, if required by law, or to protect the Services or other users. On termination, your right to use the Services ends; sections that by their nature should survive (such as ownership, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and indemnification) will continue to apply.

The Services are provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. We are not responsible for the Content or conduct of Creators, Readers, or other third parties.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, balbalo and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill. Our total liability arising out of or relating to the Services will not exceed the greater of the amounts you paid us in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or one hundred US dollars ($100). Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless balbalo and its operators from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your Content, your use of the Services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE] and the United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. You agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in [STATE] for any dispute not subject to another agreed process, except that either party may seek injunctive relief where appropriate. Nothing in these Terms removes mandatory consumer protections available to you in your country of residence.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any policies referenced here, are the entire agreement between you and balbalo regarding the Services.

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at support@balbalo.com.

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