Terms of Service
Last updated: May 2026
Scope and Acceptance
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of EchoType, a voice dictation service operated by Christian Grieger, Zur Melmke 6, 59846 Sundern, Germany ("we", "us", "our"). By registering an account or using the service, you enter into a binding agreement on the basis of these Terms. If you do not agree with any provision, you must not use the service. You must be at least 16 years old to use EchoType. These Terms apply equally to free and paid usage of the service.
Description of the Service
EchoType is a voice dictation service that converts spoken language into polished, formatted text. The service comprises a desktop application available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, paired with cloud-based speech-to-text transcription and text polishing. After pressing a configurable keyboard shortcut, your spoken words are captured, transmitted to our processing infrastructure, and the resulting text is injected directly into whichever application is currently active on your device (e.g. Slack, email clients, text editors, or browser fields). A stable internet connection is required for all cloud-based processing. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability and reserve the right to temporarily restrict access for maintenance or security reasons.
Account Registration
To use EchoType, you must create a user account. During registration, you must provide accurate and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Each account is intended for a single natural person — sharing accounts between multiple users is not permitted. You must be at least 16 years of age. If you become aware of any unauthorized access to your account, you must notify us immediately at privacy@echotype.cloud. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that were created with false information or that violate these Terms.
Subscription and Payment
EchoType offers a Pro plan as a monthly subscription. Payment processing is handled exclusively by Paddle (Paddle.com Market Limited, acting as Merchant of Record). Paddle is the contractual partner for all payment-related matters, including billing, tax collection, invoicing, and chargebacks. Your subscription automatically renews at the beginning of each billing period unless cancelled before the renewal date. Current pricing is displayed on our website. By subscribing, you authorize Paddle to charge the applicable fee to your selected payment method. Paddle's own terms of sale and privacy policy apply to the payment process.
Price Changes
We reserve the right to adjust subscription pricing. Any price increase will be communicated to you via email at least 30 days before the new price takes effect. If you do not agree with the revised pricing, you may cancel your subscription before the change becomes effective. If you continue using the Pro plan after the new price takes effect, the revised price is deemed accepted. Price reductions apply automatically and do not require your consent.
Cancellation
You may cancel your Pro subscription at any time through the Paddle customer portal or by contacting us at privacy@echotype.cloud. Upon cancellation, your Pro access continues until the end of the current billing period. No partial refund is provided for the unused portion of a billing period. After the billing period ends, your account automatically reverts to the Free tier. Cancellation does not affect your right to use the Free tier or your data protection rights. Paddle manages the cancellation process as Merchant of Record.
Free Tier
EchoType provides a Free tier with a weekly usage limit of 2,000 words. Free tier usage is subject to fair-use principles and may be rate-limited during periods of high demand to ensure service stability for all users. Free tier users enjoy the same data privacy and security protections as Pro subscribers, including the commitment not to store audio recordings or transcribed text. We reserve the right to modify Free tier limits with reasonable notice.
Right of Withdrawal (Consumers)
If you are a consumer within the meaning of § 13 of the German Civil Code (BGB), you have a statutory right of withdrawal. You may withdraw from the subscription contract within 14 days of its conclusion without giving any reason (§ 356 BGB). Since EchoType is a digital service provided on a subscription basis, the right of withdrawal only expires after the service has been fully performed for the respective subscription period. To exercise your right of withdrawal, please contact us at privacy@echotype.cloud or contact Paddle directly at paddle.net. For detailed instructions and the model withdrawal form, please refer to our Refund Policy at echotype.cloud/en/refund. All refunds arising from withdrawal are processed by Paddle as Merchant of Record.
Refund Policy
Within 14 days of your initial Pro subscription purchase, you are entitled to a full refund as described in the Right of Withdrawal section above. Refund requests submitted after the 14-day period are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. No refund is available for subscription periods that have been fully utilized. Pro access obtained through administrative grants is not eligible for any monetary refund. All refund processing is handled by Paddle. To initiate a refund, contact Paddle at paddle.net or email us at privacy@echotype.cloud.
Acceptable Use
You agree to use EchoType solely for lawful purposes. You must not use the service to create, transmit, or process content that is illegal, defamatory, threatening, harassing, or that infringes upon the intellectual property or privacy rights of third parties. You must not attempt to compromise the integrity or availability of the service, including through spam, malware, automated abuse, or excessive resource consumption. We do not actively monitor user content. However, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these usage conditions and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities where legally required.
Intellectual Property
You retain full ownership of and all intellectual property rights in the text produced using EchoType. We do not claim any ownership, license, or other right in your transcribed or polished content. The EchoType name, logo, desktop application, service infrastructure, documentation, and all associated materials are the intellectual property of Christian Grieger and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the EchoType software or service without our prior written consent.
Updates and Service Modifications
We will provide updates to the EchoType service, including security-related updates, for as long as the service is offered. Material changes to the scope or functionality of the service will be communicated to you in advance. Where updates significantly affect the service you subscribed to, we will provide you with the opportunity to continue on revised terms or to terminate your subscription. These obligations are in accordance with § 327 of the German Civil Code (BGB) regarding updates to digital products and services.
Limitation of Liability
The service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties beyond those mandated by applicable law. Our liability for damages arising from the use of EchoType is limited to cases of gross negligence and willful misconduct. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including loss of profits, data loss, or business interruption, unless such exclusion is prohibited by mandatory law. Mandatory statutory liability provisions under German law, in particular those concerning injury to life, body, or health, and those under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz), remain unaffected. Paddle bears separate liability for all aspects of payment processing in its capacity as Merchant of Record.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed exclusively by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the provisions of international private law (conflict of law rules). The exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms is Germany, unless mandatory consumer protection law requires otherwise. If you are a consumer domiciled outside of Germany, you additionally retain the right to rely on the mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence.
Changes to These Terms
We reserve the right to amend these Terms. Material changes will be communicated to you via email at least 30 days before they take effect. If you continue to use the service after the revised Terms become effective, the changes are deemed accepted. If you do not agree with the amended Terms, you may terminate your account before the changes take effect. Non-material changes, such as corrections of typographical errors, take effect without separate notification.