You just shipped your side project. It's live. Users are signing up. Then someone asks: "Where's your privacy policy?"
And you think: I need a lawyer for this, don't I?
No. You don't. Not for a standard web app or SaaS. You need a clear, honest document that tells users what data you collect, why, and how they can delete it. That's it.
But writing one from scratch is painful. Privacy policy generators online are either:
- Free but sketchy — outdated templates, no GDPR compliance
- "Free" but actually $49 — generate it for free, pay to download (seriously?)
- Lawyer-grade — 30 pages nobody will read
So I built PrivacyPolicyGen.
How It Works
- Fill in your details — app name, URL, contact email, what data you collect
- Toggle what applies — cookies, analytics, third-party services, user accounts
- Pick your regulations — GDPR, CCPA, or both
- Generate — get a clean, readable privacy policy in seconds
- Copy or download — HTML or plain text, ready to paste into your site
The whole process takes about 60 seconds.
What It Covers
- GDPR compliance — lawful basis, data subject rights, DPO contact, EU-specific clauses
- CCPA compliance — California consumer rights, opt-out instructions, "Do Not Sell" language
- Cookie disclosure — what cookies you use and why
- Third-party services — Google Analytics, Stripe, auth providers, etc.
- Data retention — how long you keep data
- Contact information — where users can reach you about their data
Is it a substitute for actual legal counsel if you're processing health data or running a fintech? No. But for 90% of indie projects, SaaS apps, and small business websites, it's more than adequate.
Why I Built This
I've launched a bunch of small tools recently. Every single one needs a privacy policy. I was copy-pasting from my previous projects and editing by hand. It was tedious and error-prone.
Now I just use my own tool. Takes a minute, covers the bases, and I can regenerate whenever I add a new feature that touches user data.
The Indie Hacker Privacy Checklist
While building this, I distilled what most small projects actually need:
- ✅ State what data you collect (be specific)
- ✅ Explain why you collect it
- ✅ List third-party services that receive data
- ✅ Describe how users can request deletion
- ✅ Include a real contact email
- ✅ Date the policy and update it when things change
That's it. You don't need 30 pages.
Try It
👉 PrivacyPolicyGen — Free GDPR/CCPA Policy Generator
Runs in your browser, no signup, no data stored anywhere. The irony of a privacy policy generator that respects your privacy is not lost on me.
I build free tools for developers and indie hackers. Check out SigCraft for professional email signatures, CronWords for cron expressions in English, and the full collection on GitHub.
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