Terms of use
Last updated 2026-10-11Your membership, your reading, and your rights.
Who provides Commonplace
Commonplace is provided by Posterity Finance Ltd. Contact commonplace.support@icloud.com for help, complaints, or rights enquiries. These terms apply to the Commonplace app and narration service. The app's commercial release is intended for the United Kingdom and United States.
The iOS application is licensed under Apple's Standard End User Licence Agreement, linked below. These service terms supplement that agreement; they do not replace any mandatory store terms or consumer rights.
The publisher is registered in England and Wales, company number 14743318. Registered office: 19 Thornhope Close, Washington, NE38 8DU, United Kingdom.
The collection
Commonplace offers a curated reading path, source editions, original reading guides, notes, EPUB downloads, and listening. Older editions can contain historical language and ideas. The collection is intended for a general adult readership, rather than children.
The opening 5% of each source edition is available without membership. Full-library membership unlocks complete in-app texts, downloads, and narration while access remains active. Human readings are used where edition matching and territorial rights permit; other works use clearly labelled Google Gemini synthetic narration. Listening requires an internet connection. Generated speech may contain pronunciation or reading errors.
Joining and the free trial
For eligible new subscribers, the planned offer is a 14-day free trial starting immediately when you confirm a subscription in the store purchase sheet. Creating an account or opening the app does not start a subscription or charge you. You can skip the membership offer after the introduction and explore each free opening; the offer appears again at the 5% boundary. Trial availability and eligibility are determined by the store; the purchase sheet is the authoritative offer.
An eligible trial converts automatically into the monthly or annual subscription you selected unless you cancel through the store before it ends. Returning subscribers may be charged immediately. The app must show your actual offer, price, billing period, and renewal terms before confirmation. If no trial is offered to you, do not assume one will be applied.
Price, renewal, cancellation and restoration
The full price, currency, and billing period shown in the app and store confirmation apply. Prices vary by storefront and may include applicable taxes. Monthly and annual plans renew automatically until cancelled through Apple or Google subscription settings. Deleting the app, deleting an account or notes, or contacting support does not itself cancel a store subscription.
Use Manage subscription in the membership or support page to cancel or change a plan, and Restore purchases to recover access on a compatible device using the same store account. Cancellation normally stops the next renewal and leaves access until the paid period ends. For a free trial, the store may end access immediately when cancelled. Follow the cancellation deadline shown by your store; Apple's guidance recommends cancelling at least 24 hours before a trial ends.
Refunds and consumer rights
For App Store purchases, request a refund through Apple's Report a Problem service; for Google Play purchases, use Google's refund process. Contact us if access fails or you need help. Refund eligibility is determined by the store and applicable law.
Nothing in these terms excludes your statutory rights, including rights concerning faulty or misdescribed digital content or services and any applicable cancellation rights. Starting a trial is not a blanket waiver of those rights. Any legally required agreement to early supply or acknowledgement about cancellation must be obtained in the appropriate purchase flow.
Your notes and downloads
Your notes remain yours and are stored on your device. They are not uploaded to Commonplace. Keep a backup using Export reading data if they matter to you; uninstalling or clearing local data may remove them. Downloaded editions can be opened in compatible readers, including through Send to Kindle. Reading progress and notes do not automatically sync between devices. Within Commonplace on one device, reading and listening share a saved position. Matching between text and audio is approximate, particularly for human recordings with different editorial material. Exported books and external audiobook apps do not share this position.
We do not claim copyright over public-domain works or impose new copyright restrictions on their underlying text. Membership charges cover the curated app experience and services. Original Commonplace guides, interface, and software remain subject to their applicable rights. Open-source software and third-party material keep their own licence terms.
Books and audiobooks from other retailers
Links to printed editions open independent retailers. Retail purchases, prices, availability, delivery, refunds, and retailer accounts are handled by that retailer. They are separate from Commonplace membership and do not unlock in-app access. We currently use ordinary links without Amazon Associates tracking IDs.
Comparison notes are original reading guidance. Retail results can contain other translations, abridgements, collections, formats, or study guides. Check the author, translator, contents, narrator, and format before purchasing. We do not reproduce or supply the copyrighted retail edition or commercial recording.
Using the service responsibly
Do not interfere with other users, misuse the narration service, bypass technical access controls, or use the app to infringe someone else's rights. Please report rights concerns or errors with the work title, edition, and a description. We may remove material or suspend abusive service use when reasonably necessary and will respect applicable consumer remedies.
Service changes and responsibility
We may correct editions, replace recordings, and maintain or improve the service. Material changes affecting paid access will be explained in advance where reasonably possible, with cancellation or other remedies required by law. Network or hosting interruptions can affect narration; we remain responsible for providing the service with reasonable care and skill.
We do not exclude liability for fraud, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or anything that cannot lawfully be limited. These terms do not require you to waive statutory remedies or accept mandatory arbitration. Consumer protections and courts available in your country of residence remain available.
Changes to these terms
The date at the top identifies this version. We will notify readers of material service-term changes through the app before they take effect when practicable. Contact commonplace.support@icloud.com if you need a saved copy or have a complaint.