SaaS terms of service for a consumer app

A consumer app is sold to people whose rights the terms cannot take away, and the document has to be written around that: digital content rights that cannot be excluded, a cancellation right the first payment carries unless the consumer gives it up knowingly, subscription rules on renewal and cancellation, and unfair terms rules that strike out anything one-sided. The terms also have to grant a licence, set the rules of conduct, deal with data and with children, and end the contract cleanly. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Businesses in England and Wales offering a web or mobile app to consumers on a paid subscription or one-off purchase, from a fitness or productivity app to a content service, who need terms that work under consumer law rather than terms written for business customers and applied to individuals.

What matters in consumer app terms of service

Digital content and the consumer's rights

Under section 34 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 digital content supplied for a price must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, with remedies of repair or replacement and then a price reduction, and section 46 makes the trader liable for damage the content causes to the consumer's device or other content. Those rights cannot be excluded, and the terms should describe the app accurately, say that features may change, and provide the remedies rather than pretend they do not exist.

The cancellation right and consent to immediate access

A subscription bought online carries a fourteen-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, which for digital content is lost only where the consumer expressly consents to immediate supply and acknowledges losing the right under regulation 37. The terms and the checkout should capture that consent, and the terms should say what is refunded where a consumer cancels within the period without having given it. Purchases made through an app store are subject to the store's rules as well.

Subscriptions, renewal and cancellation

The terms should state the interval, the renewal date and price, and a cancellation route no harder than signing up, because the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats an unclear renewal as unfair under Schedule 2, and Part 4 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 is introducing rules for subscription contracts on pre-contract information, reminder notices and cancellation. Free trials that convert to paid subscriptions need a reminder before the trial ends and a way to stop the conversion.

The licence, accounts and conduct

The consumer receives a personal, non-transferable licence to use the app for their own purposes, and the terms should say so, prohibit sharing accounts, copying, reverse engineering and use to harm the service or other users, provide for suspension and closure for breach with reasons given, and, where the app hosts user content, take a licence to display it and set conduct rules, with reporting and removal, because a service that hosts user content may have duties under the Online Safety Act 2023.

Data, children and age

The privacy notice under the UK GDPR governs the data the app collects, and the terms should refer to it rather than repeat it. If the app is likely to be accessed by children, the age appropriate design code issued under section 123 of the Data Protection Act 2018 applies to how it is designed, and the terms should state a minimum age and the position on parental consent. Marketing to users follows the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Price changes, liability and ending the contract

Price changes take effect from the next renewal after notice with the consumer free to cancel first. Liability cannot be excluded for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for the consumer's statutory rights or for fraud, and the terms should limit other liability to what is fair under Schedule 2 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 rather than to nothing. The trader may close the service on notice with a refund of prepaid fees for the unexpired period, and may end a consumer's account for serious breach with reasons; the terms should say which law applies, which for a consumer is the law of their home, and how complaints are handled.

What it costs

SaaS terms of service, £995. Your standard customer-facing terms. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the saas and technology contracts page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A bespoke contract drafted for how your product is sold, delivered and supported
• Service levels you can meet, with remedies that are proportionate rather than aspirational
• A liability position that is defensible and will survive enterprise procurement
• IP and data provisions that fit together rather than contradicting each other
• A commercial note on where you will get pushback and what is worth conceding
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Negotiating individual enterprise deals, which I quote separately
• Advice on the law of jurisdictions outside England and Wales
• Technical security certification or audit
• Regulatory advice for regulated sectors such as financial services or health

Questions I am often asked

A user subscribed, used the app for a week and asked to cancel under their fourteen-day right. Do they get a refund?

Not if the checkout captured their express consent to immediate access and acknowledgement of losing the right. Without that, the right survives and the refund is due, which is why the terms and the checkout have to match.

Can we limit our liability to the subscription fee?

For losses beyond the statutory rights, a limit can be fair if it is proportionate. You cannot exclude the digital content rights, liability for damage to the user's device caused by the app, or liability for negligence causing injury. The terms draw the line where the law does.

Do the subscription rules under the 2024 Act apply to our app?

Where subscribers are consumers, yes, as the rules come into force: information before the contract, reminders before renewal, and cancellation that is not harder than joining. The terms are drafted to those requirements.

Related guidance and services

• SaaS and technology contracts, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795
• Terms of service for a mobile app
• Free trial terms for a SaaS product

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.