Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2026

Summary

SaneHosts does not collect, transmit, or store your hosts entries or profiles on SaneApps servers. Your hosts file configurations and profiles remain entirely on your Mac. The app may send anonymous aggregate product events, such as whether it launched in Basic or Pro mode or whether a first free launch occurred.

Data Collection

The SaneHosts app does not collect:

Personal information
Your hosts entries or profiles on SaneApps servers
Crash reports
Your admin password

Local Storage

SaneHosts stores the following data locally on your Mac:

Profiles: ~/Library/Application Support/SaneHosts/Profiles/
Backups: ~/Library/Application Support/SaneHosts/Backups/
Preferences: Standard macOS UserDefaults

This data never leaves your computer.

Network Access

SaneHosts accesses the network only when:

You explicitly import a blocklist from a remote URL
Checking for app updates via Sparkle (can be disabled in Settings)
Sending anonymous aggregate product events such as Basic vs Pro launch state or first free launch counts

No data about your hosts entries or profile contents is transmitted to SaneApps.

System Access

SaneHosts requires administrator privileges to modify /etc/hosts. This is handled through macOS's standard authentication dialog. SaneHosts does not store or have access to your admin password.

Third-Party Services

SaneHosts uses:

Sparkle: For checking app updates. Only checks for updates from sanehosts.com. No personal content is transmitted.
SaneApps distribution service: Receives anonymous aggregate product events such as Basic vs Pro launch state and first free launch counts. These events do not include your hosts entries or profile contents.
Cloudflare Web Analytics (website only): The sanehosts.com website uses privacy-respecting, anonymous aggregate analytics to measure website traffic. This applies to the website only, not the app.

100% Transparent Code

SaneHosts publishes its source code for full transparency. You can review the code at github.com/sane-apps/SaneHosts. Licensed under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0 — free for any use except building a competing product.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Open an issue on GitHub.