Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using CostBench (the "Site"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Site.

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Site. We may modify these Terms at any time, and your continued use of the Site constitutes acceptance of any modifications.

2. Description of Service

CostBench provides software pricing information, comparisons, and analysis ("Service"). Our Service includes:

• Pricing data for enterprise software products
• Cost comparisons and analyses
• The Trends Report—monthly cost intelligence via email
• Educational content about software pricing

The Service is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional financial, legal, or procurement advice.

3. Accuracy Disclaimer

You acknowledge that:

• Pricing information may be outdated, incomplete, or contain errors
• Actual prices you receive from vendors may differ from prices shown on our Site due to negotiations, promotions, regional variations, or other factors
• "True cost" estimates are based on typical scenarios and may not reflect your specific situation
• Hidden costs and implementation fees vary significantly based on your requirements and vendor negotiations
• We are not affiliated with the software vendors whose products we cover, and they do not endorse our data

You should always verify pricing directly with vendors before making purchasing decisions. Our data should be used as a starting point for research, not as a definitive source.

4. Use of Service

You may use the Service for lawful purposes only. You agree to:

• Use the Service only for personal or internal business research purposes
• Provide accurate information when subscribing to the Trends Report or submitting contact forms
• Not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service
• Not interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers connected to it
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations

5. Intellectual Property

Our Content

The Service and its original content (excluding user-submitted content), features, and functionality are owned by CostBench and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Our pricing analyses, comparisons, and editorial content
• Our methodology and confidence scoring system
• The CostBench name, logo, and brand elements
• The design, layout, and appearance of the Site

Limited License

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Service for personal or internal business purposes. You may:

• View and print content for personal reference
• Share links to our content
• Quote brief excerpts with proper attribution

Restrictions

You may not:

• Reproduce, distribute, or republish substantial portions of our content without permission
• Use automated tools to scrape, harvest, or extract data from the Site
• Create derivative works based on our content
• Use our content in any way that suggests endorsement by CostBench
• Remove any copyright or proprietary notices from our content

Third-Party Trademarks

Product names, logos, and brands mentioned on the Site are trademarks of their respective owners. Their use is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

6. User Content

When you submit content to us (such as software quotes for review, pricing corrections, or contact form messages), you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, process, and store that content to provide our Service.

You represent that:

• You have the right to share any content you submit
• Content you submit does not violate any confidentiality agreements or third-party rights
• Information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge

We may use anonymized and aggregated data from user submissions to improve our pricing database, without identifying individual users or companies.

7. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation
• Transmit spam, malware, or other harmful content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or user accounts
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or connected networks
• Collect or harvest user information without consent
• Use the Service for competitive analysis to create a similar product
• Resell or redistribute our data without authorization

8. Third-Party Links

The Site may contain links to third-party websites or services. These links are provided for convenience only. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of third-party sites.

Links to vendor pricing pages are provided for verification purposes. We do not receive compensation for these links, and they do not constitute an endorsement of the vendor or their products.

9. Disclaimers

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Pricing data will be accurate, complete, or current
• Results obtained from using the Service will be accurate or reliable
• Any errors in the Service will be corrected

We are not a licensed financial advisor, attorney, or procurement consultant. Our content should not be relied upon as professional advice. Always consult qualified professionals for significant purchasing decisions.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COSTBENCH AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• Loss of profits, revenue, or business opportunities
• Loss of data or goodwill
• Procurement costs for substitute services
• Any damages arising from reliance on pricing information

Our total liability for any claims arising from the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve months prior to the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CostBench and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Content you submit to us

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will cease immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including intellectual property provisions, disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

14. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated Terms on the Site with a new "Last updated" date.

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you should stop using the Service.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: