Our values

CostTruth Principles

Clarity over Illusion

CostTruth was built around a simple idea: Software should increase understanding, not dependency. Everything we design follows a small set of principles that guide how the system behaves.

In 60 seconds

CostTruth is built to maximize understanding and minimize dependency.

  • Clarity over illusion: no cosmetic metrics, no hidden assumptions.
  • User control first: visible cancellation, accessible deletion, exportable data.
  • Fair and transparent pricing: no engineered confusion, no loyalty penalties.
  • Privacy by default: minimal data collection, measurement-only tracking.
  • Integrity under pressure: success never justifies manipulation or extraction.

Detailed principles and rationale are listed below.

Clarity first

CostTruth exists to improve visibility and interpretation.

We prioritize

  • Transparency
  • Cognitive honesty
  • Explicit assumptions
  • Understandable metrics

We avoid

  • Misleading visualizations
  • Cosmetic metrics
  • Framing that hides risk or uncertainty

If something is uncertain, we say it is uncertain. If a model relies on assumptions, those assumptions are exposed.

No illusion engineering

CostTruth does not optimize for perception.

  • Inflating metrics
  • Hiding tradeoffs
  • Framing data to produce comfort

The system is designed to reflect operational reality as faithfully as possible.

Predictable interactions

CostTruth is designed to behave in a predictable and understandable way.

  • Artificial friction
  • Hidden constraints
  • Decision traps

Interactions should be clear, reversible, and unsurprising.

User control and data freedom

Your data belongs to you. Always.

Data freedom

  • Data export is always available
  • No artificial barriers to leaving
  • No pay-to-unlock your own data mechanics

Account control

  • Cancellation is visible and direct
  • Account deletion is accessible from settings
  • No hidden flows or exhausting loops

We do not use retention dark patterns.

Transparent pricing

Pricing should not require legal interpretation.

  • Clear tiers
  • Explicit feature boundaries
  • No hidden semantics
  • No engineered confusion

We do not introduce complexity simply to force upgrades.

Respectful system design

CostTruth explicitly rejects manipulative interface design.

  • Deceptive UX patterns
  • Coercive microcopy
  • Fabricated urgency
  • Guilt-driven interactions

The system is designed to support decision clarity, not influence behavior.

Fairness and loyalty

CostTruth is designed around a simple principle:

Customer loyalty must not become a liability.

We believe long-term relationships should be built on delivered value and continued trust, not on inertia, friction, or asymmetric pricing mechanics.

For this reason, CostTruth explicitly avoids practices commonly known as loyalty penalties.

We do not

  • Place long-term customers at a systematic disadvantage
  • Exploit customer inertia through pricing asymmetries
  • Hide better conditions behind acquisition-only mechanisms

When pricing differences exist

  • Time-limited promotions
  • Explicit eligibility criteria
  • Feature or plan differentiation
  • Contractual or volume-based agreements

Pricing evolution is treated as part of system integrity.

If conditions improve for new users, we evaluate their relevance for existing users under the same principles of fairness, sustainability, and operational reality.

Our goal is not uniform pricing at all costs.

Our goal is predictable, explainable, and non-extractive pricing behavior.

Fairness is not framed as a marketing promise.

It is treated as a stability constraint that protects long-term trust between CostTruth and its users.

Sustainable monetization

CostTruth is funded through delivered value.

We do not monetize cognitive manipulation, engagement addiction mechanics, or artificial dependency creation.

Revenue must align with utility, real feature differentiation, and fair exchange.

Data and privacy

We treat operational data as sensitive by default.

  • We collect only what is necessary
  • No surveillance-style analytics
  • No hidden tracking layers
  • No resale of customer data
  • No retention beyond operational necessity

System telemetry is limited to stability, security, debugging, and performance.

Advertising and measurement

CostTruth may use advertising and measurement technologies under strict limits.

Tracking is used only for

  • Understanding system performance
  • High-level attribution
  • Conversion measurement
  • Security and stability

Tracking is never used for

  • Behavioral profiling
  • Psychological modeling
  • Cross-context tracking
  • Advertising profile construction

Users may refuse non-essential tracking without loss of core functionality.

We comply with EU privacy regulations and consent requirements.

Tracking is allowed only for system measurement, never for user manipulation.

Fallibility and correction

No system is perfect.

  • When mistakes occur, we correct them
  • When mistakes occur, we document them
  • When mistakes occur, we prioritize impact over optics

Long-term trust

Trust is treated as infrastructure. Not branding. Not marketing.

When tradeoffs arise between short-term optimization and long-term integrity, we default to integrity.

Integrity under success

Failure is not the only risk for a system.

Success can be equally destabilizing.

As products grow, there is a natural temptation to justify decisions purely through optimization metrics, efficiency gains, or industry norms.

CostTruth treats this dynamic as a structural risk.

Sustained growth or profitability does not alter the principles that govern how the system behaves.

Integrity is preserved not only when conditions are difficult, but especially when success makes compromise appear rational.

Clarity requires trust. Trust requires restraint.