Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 19, 2026
RealWage ("the app", "we") is a free calculator that converts gig-economy gross earnings into an estimated net hourly take-home wage. It has no login, no user accounts, and no backend server that stores your information — this page explains exactly what that means in practice, and the one third-party service (Google AdSense) that is involved.
The short version
Everything you type into the calculator — payout, hours, distance, fuel price, region, currency, tax rate, and so on — is saved only in your own browser, on your own device, using a standard web feature called localStorage. RealWage has no server to send that data to, so it never leaves your device, is never seen by us, and is never sold or shared with anyone. The only outside service RealWage uses is Google AdSense, to show the ads that keep the app free.
What RealWage stores, and why
RealWage saves two small pieces of information in your browser's localStorage, so the app remembers your setup the next time you visit:
realwage.driverInputs.v1— the calculator inputs you've entered (region, currency, units, payout, hours, distance, fuel price/efficiency, and any custom rates you've typed in for the Global region).realwage.adConsent.v1— whether you've accepted or declined ad cookies, if you were shown the choice (see below). This only exists so we don't ask you again on every visit.
Both are stored only because they make the app work better for you specifically — remembering your own numbers so you don't have to re-enter them, and remembering your own ad preference so we don't nag you. Neither is transmitted anywhere, and clearing your browser's site data for realwage.app deletes both permanently.
Google AdSense
RealWage shows ads through Google AdSense to stay free to use. When AdSense ads load, Google may set cookies or similar identifiers in your browser to deliver and measure those ads, and — depending on your region and settings — to personalize them. RealWage does not control what Google does with that information; Google's own Privacy Policy and how AdSense uses cookies explain this in detail. You can review or change your ad personalization settings directly with Google at myadcenter.google.com.
If our locale-based detection places you in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, RealWage asks for your consent before any request to Google's ad servers is made at all — no AdSense script loads, and no related cookie can be set, until you choose Accept. If you choose Decline, or you're outside those regions and later change your mind, you can update that choice any time via the "Ad & Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of the calculator page. Note that if ads had already loaded before you declined, we can stop our own requests for future page loads, but we cannot reach into your browser and delete cookies Google's servers already set — clearing your browser's cookies for google.com and doubleclick.net domains does that.
This detection is a best-effort guess based on your browser's language/locale settings, not real geolocation — RealWage has no server, so it has no way to check your IP address or true location. It's the same technique the calculator itself already uses to guess a starting currency and units for you.
Hosting
RealWage is hosted on Firebase Hosting (Google). Like virtually any web host, Firebase's infrastructure logs standard request metadata (such as IP address and timestamp) to serve pages and protect against abuse. RealWage doesn't have separate access to those logs beyond what Firebase's own dashboard provides, and doesn't use them for anything beyond ordinary hosting operation.
What RealWage does not do
- No account creation, login, or password of any kind.
- No forms are submitted anywhere — every number you type stays on your device.
- No analytics or tracking pixels beyond the AdSense integration described above (no Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or similar).
- We never sell or share your information, because we never receive it in the first place.
Your choices
- Calculator data: clear it any time via your browser's site settings ("Clear cookies and site data" for realwage.app), or simply overwrite the values in the app.
- Ad cookies: use the "Ad & Cookie Preferences" link in the calculator's footer to accept or decline, at any time.
- Ad personalization generally: manage this directly with Google at myadcenter.google.com, independent of any single site.
Changes to this policy
If RealWage's data practices change — for example, if a future version adds an account system or analytics — this page will be updated first, with a new "last updated" date above.
Not legal advice
This page describes RealWage's actual data practices as plainly as possible. It isn't a substitute for professional legal advice about your own rights under GDPR, CCPA, or any other law.