Last updated 11 September 2026.
Fractal Chat is a chat interface at fractal-chat.com. There is no sign-up: you can use it without telling us anything. If you subscribe, a small record is kept so we know your plan is paid, described below. This page lists everything that gets stored, on your device and on our server, and what we do not store.
| What | Where | Why | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device id | Cookie fc_deviceHttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Lax |
Counts the free messages you have used, so a free tier can exist at all | 1 year |
| Your API key | localStorage["fractal-key-…"] |
So you do not retype it every visit | Until you clear site data |
| Provider choice | localStorage["fractal-provider"] |
Remembers which provider you picked | Until you clear site data |
| Model choice | localStorage["fractal-model"] |
Remembers which model you picked | Until you clear site data |
| Your analytics answer | localStorage["fractal-consent"] |
Remembers whether you allowed analytics, so we stop asking | Until you clear site data |
None of these are shared with anyone, and none of them can be read by another site. The device cookie is the only one the server ever sees, and it contains a random id and nothing else — no name, no email, no address.
If you paste your own API key it is kept in your browser's
localStorage and sent to your chosen provider through our
server, which does not record it. Be aware that
any script running on this page could read it; that is true
of every browser-stored key anywhere. Use a key scoped to this purpose and
revoke it if you stop using the site.
We use DataFast to count visits. It is not loaded at all unless you accept it, and declining leaves the site fully working. If you accept, it sets these:
| Name | Where | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
datafast_visitor_id | Cookie | Recognises a returning visitor |
datafast_visitor_first_seen_at | Cookie | When that visitor first arrived |
datafast_session_id | Cookie | Groups one visit together |
datafast_visitor_session_count | Cookie | How many visits that is |
datafast_pageview_state | sessionStorage | Avoids double-counting a page view |
Page views are sent to datafa.st. You can change your mind whenever you like: .
| What | Why | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Device id and credits used | Enforces the free allowance | Until we reset the free tier |
| A salted hash of your IP address, per day | Stops one person draining the free tier from many browsers | 7 days |
| If you subscribe: your email, the subscription id, and its status | So we know the plan is paid and how many credits it carries | While the subscription exists |
The address is hashed with a secret salt before it is written, so the stored value cannot be turned back into your IP address. The raw address is never written down.
Subscriptions are handled by Polar, who are the merchant of record. That means Polar is the seller, takes the payment, and handles sales tax and VAT. Your card details never reach us — the checkout page is theirs and we never see, hold, or store a card number.
When a subscription starts, Polar tells our server the subscription id, its status, and the email you gave them, and we attach that to your device id so the paid credits land in the right browser. Polar's own handling of your data is governed by their privacy policy. To cancel or change payment details, use the customer portal link on your Polar receipt.
Messages are relayed to OpenRouter, which passes them to the model you picked. Their handling is governed by their own terms. If you use your own key, the message goes to whichever provider that key belongs to. We do not keep a copy either way.
Clear site data for fractal-chat.com in your browser settings. That removes the device cookie, your stored key, your choices, and any analytics cookies in one go. The server-side credit count is keyed to the device cookie, so it stops being connected to you the moment that cookie is gone.