FAQs

General

How is Brace.to different from Raindrop, Pocket & Google Bookmarks?

Brace.to is a privacy-focused bookmark manager. We offer end-to-end encryption with an encryption key only you know. Our app encrypts everything, including all your saved links, and only you can decrypt them and see the content inside.

What are the benefits of using Brace.to?

1. Your account cannot be locked, banned, or deleted by anyone, as it is cryptographically generated. Your Secret Key is required to access and modify it.
2. No one can see the content inside your data, as everything is encrypted. Your data cannot be used to create targeted ads, and if your data is stolen, no information is leaked.
3. You can manage your data and set permissions directly, as you can host your own data server or choose any data server provider.

What do you mean by encrypting everything?

Every file generated to store your data is encrypted, such as a file of a saved link and its information or a file of your app settings.

How does end-to-end encryption work in Brace.to?

Our app encrypts your data on your device with your Secret Key. Only your encrypted content leaves your device to be stored on servers. At the same time, your Secret Key always stays in your device, ensuring that only you know your Secret Key. No one can see the content inside your encrypted content because only your Secret Key can decrypt it. Your encrypted data must be downloaded to your device to decrypt and access the content inside.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of only me knowing my Secret Key?

It guarantees that only you can decrypt your data and see its content. But if you lose your Secret Key, it'll be lost forever, and no one can help you recover it.

Do you store any data about my usage or run analytics?

No, we take data privacy very seriously. There are no trackers, cookies, or fingerprinting done.

Does Brace.to work on both web and mobile platforms?

Yes. Our web app supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and similar browsers on desktops, smartphones, and tablets. We also have an iOS app on the App Store and an Android app on Google Play.

Is Brace.to open source?

Yes, our source code is published on GitHub.

Pricing

How much does Brace.to cost?

Brace.to is free, and we offer a simple, no-tricks subscription plan to unlock all extra features. Unlocking all extra features is around $4.99 per year with a 14-day free trial.

What is the catch of the free tier? How long will it be free?

Our business model is to create a lean, useful piece of software that grows with our users and can sustain us from every angle. The way everything is set up allows us to do that. If no one uses our service, it costs us almost nothing to run. If we have a lot of users, costs will go up, and so will revenue.

We intend to keep all the current free features free forever and never show advertisements. We believe if our service is valuable, our users will support us. We wouldn't force it in any way. If users aren't ready, they can always close the popup and continue using our service.

Does Brace.to show ads?

No, we do not show ads. We intend to never show advertisements. We don't rent, sell, or share your information with other companies. Our optional paid subscription is the only way we make money.

Can I cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes, you can cancel your subscription anytime, no questions asked. You will still have access to extra features until your subscription expires.

Do you offer a refund?

No, we do not offer refunds, but you will be charged only after a 14-day trial period.

What happens after my subscription expires?

Everything will be the same, except you cannot use extra features. All existing data from extra features, such as pins or tags, will be there. You can also manage them but cannot create a new one.

Lifetime plan?

We're sorry, but we don't currently have a lifetime plan. We'll consider it. Our service has ongoing expenses, and we must be cautious with our pricing model for a sustainable business.

Can I pay in BTC, ETH, STX, etc?

We're sorry, but it's not possible right now. Our company relies on payment processing services for sale taxes and account booking.

We'll keep an eye on it. Our payment processing services are constantly adding new payment methods (we believe cryptocurrencies are also in consideration). When they're available, we'll enable them in our app ASAP.

I've subscribed, but I can't find it?

If you visit Brace.to and extra features are still locked, please go to Settings -> Subscription -> Restore purchases. If the issue persists, please feel free to contact us.

Sign Up and Sign In

What information is required for sign up?

Nothing. We offer an anonymous sign-up; no personal information, such as an email address or credit card, is required.

What's a Secret Key?

A Secret Key acts like a password. You use it to access your account, and it's used to encrypt/decrypt your data. It's generated when you sign up and is only known to you, ensuring that only you can decrypt your data and see the content inside.

You sign in on different devices with them. Make sure to save them somewhere safe. If you lose these words, you'll lose your account.

Where should I save my Secret Key?

Save your Secret Key in a place where only you can find it. For example:

• A password manager such as Bitwarden
• Your notes app, protected with a password
• Written down and kept somewhere safe Don't save it anywhere others can find it or on a website you do not trust. Anybody with your Secret Key will have access to your data.

Why don't I have a password?

Your Secret Key is your password. Multiple words are needed for the encryption mechanism and to prevent brute-force attacks.

What if I lose my Secret Key?

If you lose your Secret Key, it'll be lost forever. Only you know your Secret Key to ensure that only you can decrypt your data, which means no one can help you recover it.

When will I need my Secret Key?

You'll need your Secret Key to access your account, such as when you sign in on different devices, such as your new phone or laptop.

Can I change or reset my Secret Key?

Your Secret Key cannot be changed or reset. As it's used to encrypt your content file by file, if you change your Secret Key, every file needs to be decrypted with your old Secret Key and encrypted again with your new Secret Key.

What can I do if I lose my Secret Key?

If you've signed in on any device and you can still access it, we recommend:

1. Export all your data (Settings -> Data -> Export All Data)
2. Create a new account
3. Import your data from the exported file (Settings -> Data -> Import Data)

Features

Why do my links not show the names or display images?

Extracting the title and image from a link takes some time, usually less than one hour. Links' titles and images will be shown after the extraction is complete.

How does Brace.to get the name and image of a link?

Our app sends the link to our server to extract the title and image. We send it without other information, and this feature can be disabled.

Sometimes, our server might retrieve incorrect link titles or images as some websites think we're bots or crawlers and block us, or some guide us to the bad ones to use. We open-source our retrieval logic on GitHub, and we'll keep improving it.

Can I create new folders and subfolders or lists and nested lists?

Yes, please go to Settings -> Lists. You can create a new list and move it into any list.

Can I choose a card layout on my desktop and a list layout on my phone?

Yes, you can have a different layout on each device. To do so, go to Settings -> Misc. -> Layout View and select "Device" first.

Does Brace.to have a dark mode/dark theme?

Yes, we do. You can change the app's appearance in Settings -> Misc. Our dark is dark grey, not true black or AMOLED black.

Can I share my lists?

We're sorry it's impossible now. All data are encrypted, and only you can decrypt them and see the content inside. We'll also need to consider laws and regulations. As a company, we might need to block or remove some content. (We don't want to, but we need to comply.)