Terms and Conditions
Version 2026-09-15.2 · Last updated 15 September 2026
These Terms govern the hosted Astrocounts service. They apply whether you use Astrocounts personally, professionally, or for an organisation. Please read them before accepting.
1. Provider and contract
The provider is Holger Bartel, sole proprietor, Hauptstr. 17, 10827 Berlin, Germany (“Provider”). “Customer” means the account holder or, where the account is used for an organisation, that organisation. A user acting for an organisation must have permission to use the service for it. The contract is formed when the combined acceptance box is selected and registration or continued access is confirmed. The acceptance record identifies the Terms, Privacy Notice and, where applicable, DPA versions and time.
2. Service
Astrocounts provides tools for contacts, quotations, invoices, credit notes, payments, expenses, bookkeeping reports, VAT support, DATEV export and related document workflows. The service assists with record keeping; it does not provide tax, legal, accounting or financial advice, file returns, or represent the Customer before authorities. The Customer must review outputs before relying on them.
3. Accounts and authorised users
The Customer must provide accurate information, keep credentials confidential, promptly remove access that is no longer authorised, and notify the Provider of suspected compromise. Each user must accept the current Terms and acknowledge the Privacy Notice. An organisation is responsible for its users and for ensuring it has a lawful basis to enter personal data into the service.
4. Fees
The hosted service is currently free. No charge will be introduced for an existing account without advance notice and the Customer's express agreement to the price and payment terms. The Customer may instead export available data and stop using the service.
5. Customer data and instructions
The Customer retains its rights in data and documents it submits. The Customer grants the Provider the limited rights needed to host, secure, back up, process and return that data and to follow in-service instructions. Where the Customer determines the purposes and means of processing personal data and the Provider processes it on the Customer's behalf, the Data Processing Agreement is incorporated into these Terms and applies automatically. It does not apply where the Provider is itself controller, including for ordinary account administration. Details appear in the Privacy Notice.
6. AI-assisted receipt processing
Receipt extraction is enabled by default, but enabling it sends no data. A document is sent to the configured AI provider only when a user actively uploads, photographs or forwards it for extraction. This submission is a service instruction under these Terms and, where applicable, the DPA. The setting can be turned off before submission and manual expense entry remains available. AI output may be inaccurate and must be checked. See the AI Processing Notice.
7. Acceptable use
The Customer must not use the service unlawfully; create fraudulent documents; infringe third-party rights; upload malicious code; access another customer's data; defeat access controls; or disrupt, overload or test the service without written permission. The Provider may proportionately restrict affected access where reasonably necessary to protect the service, comply with law, or address a material breach, and will give notice and a remedy opportunity where circumstances permit.
8. Availability, maintenance and security
The Provider uses reasonable professional care and appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. Maintenance, faults and events outside reasonable control can interrupt service; uninterrupted availability is not promised. The Provider will communicate material incidents as required by law and maintain recovery measures appropriate to the service. Customers should keep exports needed for their own continuity and statutory duties.
9. Intellectual property
The service, design and Astrocounts marks remain the Provider's property or that of its licensors. During the contract, the Customer receives a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the hosted service for personal or internal organisational purposes. No rights in Customer data are transferred beyond section 5.
10. Term and termination
The contract continues until terminated. Either party may terminate a free service on reasonable notice; termination for material breach remains available. Before ordinary Provider termination takes effect, the Customer will receive a reasonable opportunity to export available data. Immediate restriction is permitted where necessary to contain a security threat or unlawful use.
11. Data return, deletion and retention
On request or termination, the Provider will make Customer data available for export where technically available and then delete or return personal data as described in the DPA, unless Union or Member State law requires retention. Deleting an account does not erase records that the Customer or Provider must lawfully preserve, including invoices, commercial records, security evidence or acceptance records; access will instead be restricted and data deleted when the applicable period ends. The Customer remains responsible for its statutory retention duties.
12. Liability
The Provider is liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence; injury to life, body or health; guarantees expressly assumed; fraudulent concealment; and mandatory statutory liability. For ordinary negligence, liability is limited to breach of an essential contractual duty and to the foreseeable damage typical of this contract. Liability for loss of data is limited to the restoration cost that would have arisen with reasonable Customer exports and safeguards, except where the Provider caused the loss intentionally or by gross negligence. These limits also apply to the Provider's agents and assistants and do not shift responsibility for subprocessors contrary to mandatory law.
13. Changes
The Provider may propose changes needed for law, security, or service development. Material changes will be communicated in advance with the effective date and their effect. Where a change alters the agreed service or legal position materially, continued access requires a new affirmative acceptance; silence alone is not acceptance. If the Customer does not accept, it may export available data and terminate before the change takes effect. Urgent security or legal changes may take effect sooner where objectively necessary.
14. Consumers
If the Customer is a consumer, mandatory consumer rights—including statutory rights concerning digital products, conformity, remedies, termination, applicable law and any withdrawal or information rights—remain unaffected. The service is currently free and personal data is processed only to provide, secure and meet legal requirements for the service, not as payment for advertising. If the commercial or data-use model changes, any additional consumer information and consent required by law will be presented before the change applies.
15. Governing law and venue
German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For consumers, this choice does not remove mandatory protection under the law of their habitual residence and no exclusive venue is agreed. For other Customers, an exclusive venue at the Provider's place of business applies only where a valid venue agreement may be made under § 38 ZPO or other applicable law.
16. Self-hosting and independent operators
These Terms govern only the hosted service operated by Holger Bartel. A person or organisation running an independent copy is a separate operator and must provide its own contract, legal notice, privacy information, processor terms and subprocessor disclosures. These documents may not be presented as describing an independent deployment without being reviewed and replaced for that operator.
17. Disputes, severability and contact
The Provider is not willing to participate in dispute resolution before a consumer arbitration board unless legally obliged in a particular case. Invalid provisions do not affect the remainder; the statutory rule replaces an invalid provision. Questions may be sent to support@astrocounts.com or through the contact form.