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Privacy Policy Generator

Generate a GDPR and CCPA compliant Privacy Policy for your website or app. Covers data collection, cookies, user rights, and third-party sharing.

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GDPR & CCPA Compliant

Why Use FreeTOS for Your Privacy Policy?

Just instant, professional legal documents.

GDPR & CCPA Ready

Our generator includes all required GDPR disclosures (lawful basis, data subject rights, retention periods) and CCPA opt-out rights automatically.

AI-Tailored to Your Site

Select which tools you use (Analytics, Pixel, payment processors) and our AI generates a policy that accurately reflects your actual data practices.

Instant, Publishable Output

Get clean HTML ready to paste into your website footer, WordPress page, or Shopify store in under 60 seconds. Download as PDF too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Privacy Policies

Yes, if you collect any personal data (even just an email address or IP address), most laws including GDPR, CCPA, and CalOPPA require a publicly accessible privacy policy. Google Analytics alone triggers this requirement.
A GDPR-compliant privacy policy must include: identity of the data controller, purposes and legal basis of processing, data retention periods, third-party sharing details, all eight user rights (access, erasure, portability, etc.), and contact details for your DPO if applicable.
Yes: our AI generates a policy tailored to your inputs covering all legally required disclosures. The validity comes from the content, not whether you paid for it. For complex businesses or high-risk processing, an attorney review is recommended.
GDPR fines can reach €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. CCPA fines range from $2,500 to $7,500 per intentional violation. Many app stores also reject apps that lack a privacy policy link.
A privacy policy explains how you collect, use, and protect personal data. Terms of service set the rules for using your website or product. Most websites and apps need both documents: they serve different legal and compliance purposes.

Further Reading

Go deeper on this topic with our guide.

Blog Post
Privacy Policy vs Terms of Service: What's the Difference?
People confuse these two all the time. They cover completely different things and you almost certainly need both. Here's what each one actually does.

Other Free Legal Generators

Terms of Service Generator
Complete ToS for websites & apps
GDPR Privacy Policy
Full EU GDPR compliance documentation
CCPA Privacy Policy
California consumer rights compliance
Cookie Policy Generator
Policy + consent banner code included

Why a Privacy Policy Actually Matters

It's not just legal boilerplate. It protects your users, your business, and your ad accounts.

Let's be real: most people posting a privacy policy online are not doing it because they love legal documents. They're doing it because they have to. And that's completely fine. But understanding why you have to can save you a lot of money and headaches down the road.

The numbers are not small.

GDPR fines can hit €20 million or 4% of your global annual turnover. CCPA violations cost $7,500 per intentional infraction. British Airways was fined £183 million after a data breach. Marriott International got hit with £99 million. These are not theoretical numbers. These happened to real companies with real legal teams who still got it wrong.

Here's the thing most website owners don't realize: the moment you install Google Analytics, you are collecting personal data. Full stop. Google Analytics tracks IP addresses, which are legally considered personal data in the EU, Canada, and most of the world. So even if your site is just a blog with no contact form, no store, no newsletter, you still need a privacy policy the second you turn on analytics.

And it's not just regulators you need to worry about. Apple requires a privacy policy link before they'll approve your app in the App Store. Google Play does too. Facebook can suspend your ad account if your landing page doesn't have one. Shopify Payments requires it as part of their merchant terms. So even if no government ever looks at your site, your revenue streams can get cut off without this document in place.

A bad privacy policy is almost worse than none. If your policy says you don't collect cookies but you clearly do (because every site using Google Analytics does), that's an active misrepresentation. Regulators treat that more seriously than simply not having one. The good news is generating a proper one now takes about 60 seconds.

Who Needs One

Every website with a contact form, analytics, newsletter, comments section, user accounts, or ad pixels. Basically every website built after 2005.

Without One

Risk of GDPR or CCPA fines, Apple or Google app rejection, Facebook ad account suspension, and Shopify payment processing termination.

With a Good One

Clear user expectations, regulatory compliance across US, EU, and Canada, and full access to ad platforms and app stores without roadblocks.

What's Included in Your Generated Privacy Policy

A thorough breakdown of every clause our generator produces for you.

Data Collection Disclosure

Clearly lists every category of personal data your site collects, from email addresses and names to IP addresses and device identifiers.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Specifies the lawful basis under GDPR for each type of processing, such as consent, contract performance, or legitimate interests.

Cookies and Tracking Section

Covers what cookies you use, their purpose (analytics, advertising, essential), and how users can control or opt out of them.

Third-Party Sharing

Discloses which third parties receive user data, including analytics providers, payment processors, email services, and advertising platforms.

All 8 GDPR User Rights

Access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, and rights related to automated decision-making, all spelled out clearly.

CCPA Opt-Out Rights

California-specific section covering the right to know, right to delete, right to opt out of data sale, and right to non-discrimination.

Data Retention Periods

Explains how long you keep different types of data and the criteria used to determine those periods, as required by GDPR Article 13.

Children's Data (COPPA)

Includes a section clarifying your site is not directed at children under 13 and that you don't knowingly collect their data.

International Data Transfers

Covers transfers of personal data outside the EU or EEA, including the safeguards in place such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

Contact and DPO Details

Your contact email for privacy requests, and space for a Data Protection Officer if your organization requires one under GDPR.

More Privacy Policy Questions

The questions people are actually searching for answers to

Under GDPR, a data controller is the person or organization that decides why and how personal data is processed. If it's your website, you're the data controller. The company that hosts your data (like AWS or Google) is typically a data processor. You're responsible for making sure both you and your processors handle data lawfully.
Almost certainly yes. If your blog has any of these, you need a privacy policy: Google Analytics, Google AdSense, a comment section, a contact form, a newsletter signup, social sharing buttons, or embedded YouTube videos. That covers pretty much every blog on the internet. The only exception might be a completely static page with no scripts and no way for visitors to interact, which is essentially no blog at all.
Technically the text itself usually isn't copyrighted in a way that would stop you. But copying someone else's policy is a bad idea for a different reason: it almost certainly doesn't accurately describe your data practices. If your policy says you use Stripe but you use PayPal, or says you don't use cookies when you clearly do, that's a misrepresentation that can cause more trouble than no policy at all. Use a generator that tailors the document to your actual situation.
A GDPR privacy notice and a privacy policy are largely the same thing. GDPR requires you to provide certain disclosures to people whose data you collect. That set of disclosures is commonly published as a privacy policy on a dedicated page. The terms are often used interchangeably. Some organizations have a detailed internal policy plus a shorter public-facing notice, but for most small to medium websites, one comprehensive document covers both requirements.
No. A cookie banner is a consent mechanism. A privacy policy is a disclosure document. You need both. The cookie banner asks users to agree to cookies. The privacy policy explains everything about your data practices including but not limited to cookies. EU law (the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR together) requires both. Your cookie banner should also link to your privacy policy and cookie policy so users can read the details before consenting.
Any time your data practices change. Added a new analytics tool? Update it. Started running Facebook ads? Update it. Added a chatbot that collects conversations? Update it. A good rule of thumb is to review it every 6 to 12 months even if you don't think anything changed. Laws also change. The CCPA got amended into the CPRA in 2023. New state privacy laws keep passing. An annual review is a reasonable minimum.
Yes. A contact form collects personal data: at minimum a name and email address. Under GDPR, you must tell people what you're doing with that information at the time you collect it. Under CalOPPA (California law), any website that collects personal info from California residents must have a privacy policy, and since you can't control who fills out your form, you can assume you're getting California visitors. Add a privacy policy. It's a five-minute fix.

FreeTOS vs Paid Generators

See how we stack up against the tools that want your credit card number.

Feature FreeTOS Termly TermsFeed
Price $19 a month $14/mo $9/mo
PDF Download Included Paid plan Paid plan
HTML Download Included Paid plan Paid plan
GDPR Coverage Full Full Full
CCPA Coverage Full Full Full
AI-Tailored Output Yes Template-based Template-based
Instant Generation Yes Yes Yes

How to Add Your Privacy Policy to Your Website

Step-by-step instructions for the most common platforms. Takes less than 5 minutes.

WordPress

  1. Generate and copy the HTML from FreeTOS
  2. Go to WordPress Admin, then Pages, then Add New
  3. Title it "Privacy Policy"
  4. Switch to the HTML editor (not the visual editor)
  5. Paste the copied HTML
  6. Publish the page
  7. Go to Settings, then Privacy, and link to this page
  8. Add a link in your footer menu under Appearance, then Menus

Shopify

  1. Generate your privacy policy on FreeTOS
  2. In Shopify Admin, go to Settings, then Legal
  3. Find the Privacy Policy section
  4. Paste the text content there (Shopify has its own editor)
  5. Save and the page is automatically created
  6. Shopify links it in the footer automatically
  7. Review and update the pre-filled template sections with your specifics

Any Other Website

  1. Download the HTML file from FreeTOS
  2. Save it as privacy-policy.html in your site root
  3. Upload it to your web server via FTP or your hosting panel
  4. Open your main layout or footer template
  5. Add a link: <a href="/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a>
  6. Make sure this link is visible on every page of your site
  7. If your site collects data at signup, link to it on those forms too
Best practice tip: Your privacy policy link should be in the footer of every page. If you have a signup form or checkout, also link to it directly near the submit button with a line like "By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy." This covers your consent requirements for GDPR and gives users notice at the point of data collection.

Further Reading

Legal Basics
Privacy Policy vs Terms of Service: What's the Difference?
Two documents, two completely different jobs. One protects your users' data rights. The other protects your business from user behavior. Here's the plain-English explanation of what each one actually covers.
Comparison
Best Privacy Policy Generators Compared (2026)
We tested the top free privacy policy generators side by side. Same inputs, different outputs. Here's which ones actually give you a usable document and which ones hide the real thing behind a paywall.