Last updated: July 8, 2026
PrintPilot ("we," "our," or "the Service") is a browser-based 3D printer simulator available at printpilothq.com. This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, and your choices regarding that information.
By using PrintPilot, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
PrintPilot can be used without creating an account. We do not collect your name, and no account is required to use the simulator. We do collect limited, privacy-respecting usage analytics to understand how the tool is used and to improve it — this is described in detail in Section 5g. If you choose to create an optional account to participate in the Community (submit mounts, post questions, or comment on threads), the following additional information is collected through Clerk:
PrintPilot's analytics are first-party (collected and stored by us, not a third party) and aggregate. We do not use third-party analytics platforms, advertising networks, cross-site trackers, or fingerprinting to identify individual devices across sites, and we never sell your data. No payment information is collected — PrintPilot is free and does not process payments.
When you upload G-code, 3MF, or image files to PrintPilot, all processing occurs entirely within your web browser using a Web Worker. Your files are:
You retain full ownership of all files you upload. The Service does not access, copy, store, or share your file content.
PrintPilot uses your browser's localStorage and sessionStorage for two purposes: saving your preferences, and holding the identifiers used by our analytics (Section 5g).
Preferences — these contain no personal information and never leave your device:
| Key | Purpose |
|---|---|
| v3dp-ui-settings | UI layout preferences, panel sizes, viewport toggles, active modes |
| v3dp-touch-plate | Touch automation configuration (phone model selection, stylus dimensions) |
| v3dp-drawing | Drawing mode preferences (paper size, pen feedrates) |
Analytics identifiers — these contain no personal information, but the session and visitor identifiers are sent to our first-party analytics so we can measure usage:
| Key | Storage | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| pp_sid | sessionStorage | Temporary session identifier (random). Cleared when you close the tab. Used to measure pages-per-visit, duration, and bounce rate. |
| pp_vid | localStorage | Persistent anonymous visitor identifier (random). Used only to recognize returning visitors in aggregate. Not set for visitors in the EU/EEA, the UK, or Switzerland (see Section 5g). |
| pp_visited | localStorage | A single flag noting you've visited before (used for the returning-visitor rate). Not an identifier. |
| pp_geo | sessionStorage | Caches whether your region requires the persistent identifier to be withheld, to avoid re-checking each page. |
| pp_played_session, pp_chunk_reload | sessionStorage | One-time per-session flags (prevent duplicate counting of a simulation play; recover from stale-deploy load errors). |
All of this can be deleted at any time via Settings > Delete All Data, or by clearing your browser's site data.
PrintPilot uses the Inter and JetBrains Mono typefaces, which are self-hosted and served directly from our domain. No third-party font requests are made. No data is shared with font providers.
PrintPilot is hosted on Vercel's infrastructure. When you access the Service, Vercel may automatically collect standard web server logs including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamps. This data is collected and processed by Vercel in accordance with Vercel's Privacy Policy. We do not have direct access to Vercel's server-level logs.
PrintPilot uses Clerk for optional user authentication and account management. If you choose to create an account or sign in, Clerk processes the following data:
This data is processed by Clerk in accordance with Clerk's Privacy Policy. PrintPilot does not store your password or OAuth credentials.
Creating an account is entirely optional. You can use PrintPilot without signing in or providing any personal information.
PrintPilot links to a third-party donation page on Buy Me a Coffee for users who voluntarily wish to support the project. If you click the donate link, you leave the PrintPilot Service and any payment is processed entirely by Buy Me a Coffee under their privacy policy. PrintPilot does not receive, store, or have access to your payment information.
PrintPilot uses Sentry for automated error reporting in the production environment. When an unhandled JavaScript error occurs, Sentry may automatically collect:
Sentry does not collect: your name, email, IP address (we use Sentry's data scrubbing), uploaded files, G-code content, simulation data, or any personally identifiable information. Error data is processed by Sentry in accordance with Sentry's Privacy Policy. Sentry maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance.
PrintPilot uses Upstash Redis for server-side data storage supporting the Community feature (mount submissions, discussion posts, comments) and administrative features. If you interact with these features while signed in, the following data may be stored:
This data is processed by Upstash in accordance with Upstash's Privacy Policy. Upstash servers are encrypted at rest and in transit.
Beyond the community and analytics data described here, no data is stored in Upstash on your behalf.
PrintPilot collects privacy-respecting, aggregate usage analytics to understand how the tool is used and to improve it. This data is first-party — collected by PrintPilot and stored in our own Upstash Redis (Section 5f). It is never sold or shared, is not used for advertising, and no third-party analytics platform is involved. We collect:
Counting unique visitors. To estimate distinct visitors without storing identifying data, we compute a one-way (irreversible) hash of your IP address and user-agent and feed it into a statistical counter. The original IP address and user-agent cannot be recovered from it.
Returning visitors, and why there is no cookie banner. For visitors outside the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, PrintPilot stores a random, anonymous identifier in your browser (pp_vid) so we can recognize returning visitors in aggregate. It contains no personal information and is used only by PrintPilot. For visitors in the EU/EEA, the UK, and Switzerland, this persistent identifier is never set — those visitors are measured with the session-scoped methods above, plus a single non-identifying flag (pp_visited) that records only that a prior visit occurred (it cannot distinguish or identify individual visitors). Because we do not place a persistent identifier where prior consent would be required, no consent banner is shown. You can remove all of these at any time via Settings > Delete All Data or by clearing your browser's site data.
Bots. Automated traffic (bots and crawlers) is detected and excluded from these analytics.
PrintPilot does not use any third-party analytics platforms, advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, customer support widgets, or any other third-party scripts or services beyond those listed above. The usage analytics described in Section 5g are first-party and self-hosted.
PrintPilot does not set advertising cookies or cross-site tracking cookies. For its own analytics it uses browser storage (localStorage/sessionStorage) rather than cookies, as detailed in Sections 4 and 5g; the persistent analytics identifier is not set for visitors in the EU/EEA, the UK, or Switzerland. If you sign in with Clerk, Clerk sets session cookies to maintain your authentication state — these are considered "strictly necessary" for the Service to function when you are signed in. Third-party services (Vercel, Clerk) may use their own cookies or similar technologies as described in their respective privacy policies.
pp_vid) persist in your browser until you clear them via Settings > Delete All Data or your browser's site data controls; session-scoped keys clear when you close the tab.You can request deletion of all server-side data associated with your account by contacting us at support@printpilothq.com.
Your uploaded files and simulation data never leave your browser. Account data (if you create one) is secured by Clerk, which maintains SOC 2 compliance and uses encryption in transit and at rest. Server-side data in Upstash Redis is encrypted at rest and in transit. Error reports in Sentry are processed with data scrubbing enabled to remove potentially sensitive values. The security of your local data depends on the security of your own device and browser.
PrintPilot is hosted on Vercel's global CDN, which means page requests may be served from data centers in various countries. Server-side data stored in Upstash Redis and error reports processed by Sentry may also be stored or processed in data centers outside your home country. Our third-party sub-processors (Vercel, Clerk, Upstash, Sentry) each maintain their own data processing agreements and compliance certifications. For users in the European Economic Area, data transfers to countries outside the EEA are governed by the standard contractual clauses or other approved transfer mechanisms maintained by each sub-processor.
PrintPilot is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@printpilothq.com and we will promptly delete it.
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights regarding your personal data under laws such as the GDPR (EU), CCPA (California), or similar regulations. These may include the right to:
You can delete all locally stored preferences at any time through the Settings menu. For server-side data (account information, mount submissions, votes, rewards), contact us at support@printpilothq.com. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.
California residents (CCPA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of its sale. We do not sell personal information to third parties.
We use the following sub-processors to deliver the Service:
| Provider | Purpose | Data Processed |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosting & CDN | Server logs (IP, browser, pages) |
| Clerk | Authentication (optional) | Email, password hash, session tokens |
| Upstash | Data storage & first-party analytics | Community submissions, posts, comments, votes, rate limits; aggregate usage analytics (Section 5g) |
| Sentry | Error reporting | Error traces, browser info (no PII) |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Optional donations (external link only) | None — PrintPilot does not receive any donation data |
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, data deletion requests, or to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at support@printpilothq.com.