lector / terms

Terms of Service

Last updated 8 July 2026

Lector is two things: open-source software you can run yourself, and a managed cloud service (coming soon) that runs it for you. These terms cover both, plus this website. By using Lector you agree to them.

Short version. The self-hosted software is free and open source, provided as-is with no warranty. The cloud service, when available, is a paid subscription sold through Paddle; your data stays yours, and you can cancel any time. See the Refund Policy and Privacy Policy.

1. The self-hosted software

Lector is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-only). Your rights to use, modify, and redistribute it are governed by that licence — read it in full here.

The software is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. When you self-host, you are responsible for your own deployment, your data and backups, and any third-party services or API keys you connect (and their costs). To the maximum extent permitted by law, the authors are not liable for any claim, damages, or other liability arising from the software or its use.

2. This website

This site is provided for information about Lector. We may change or update its content at any time. Links to third-party sites (GitHub, AnkiWeb, Discord, and others) are provided for convenience; we aren't responsible for their content.

3. The cloud service

The managed cloud service is not yet available. When it launches, the following will apply in addition to the terms above.

  • Billing. Subscriptions are sold and processed by Paddle.com Market Ltd, which acts as the merchant of record for your purchase. Paddle's own buyer terms also apply to the transaction. Refunds and cancellations are covered by our Refund Policy.
  • Your data. Content you import, create, or translate remains yours. You grant us only the limited rights needed to operate the service for you — storing your data, and processing text through translation providers to return results. We don't sell your data.
  • Acceptable use. Don't use the service to break the law, infringe others' rights, abuse the infrastructure, or resell access. We may suspend or terminate accounts that do.
  • Availability. We aim for a reliable service but don't guarantee uninterrupted uptime. Features and plans may change with reasonable notice.

4. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Lector and its authors are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for any loss of data or profits, arising from your use of the software, this website, or the cloud service. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

5. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the project and the cloud service evolve. Material changes will be reflected by the “last updated” date above. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated terms.

6. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email support@lector.dev, or reach us on GitHub or Discord.

Lector is operated by Luke Boyle. These terms are governed by the laws of Australia.