Terms of Service

Last updated: August 30, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Socketo (the "Service"), operated by Socketo ("we," "our," or "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service.

2. Description of Service

Socketo is a managed, Pusher-compatible WebSocket service. It provides real-time WebSocket connections, public/private/presence channels, client event broadcasting, and a web dashboard with connection statistics.

3. Account Registration

3.1 Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.

Account creation is performed via OAuth providers (including GitHub and Google). By signing in, you authorize us to access your profile information (name, email, avatar) as described in our Privacy Policy.

3.3 Account Responsibility

You are responsible for:

Maintaining the confidentiality of your app keys and app secrets
All activities that occur under your account and applications
Ensuring your use of the Service complies with applicable laws and regulations

You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account or app secrets by emailing support@socketo.dev.

3.4 Teams

Your account is organized into teams. Each team has its own apps, subscription plan, and billing. Team members with the Owner role are authorized to manage subscription and app settings on behalf of the team.

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

Use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any applicable law
Transmit malware, viruses, ransomware, or any other malicious code via WebSocket messages
Use the Service to send spam, unsolicited messages, or phishing content
Attempt to disrupt, overwhelm, or degrade the Service (including DoS/DDoS attacks)
Circumvent any rate limits, connection limits, or plan quotas
Impersonate Socketo or misrepresent your affiliation with us
Use the Service for any activity that violates the rights of others, including intellectual property rights
Use the Service to transmit Social Security numbers, government-issued identification numbers, protected health information subject to HIPAA, or full financial account numbers through WebSocket channels
Use the Service to send unsolicited commercial communications (spam) to end users who have not opted in to receive them

4.2 Content Responsibility

You are solely responsible for the content transmitted through your WebSocket channels, including messages, channel names, presence channel data, and client events.

Socketo does not monitor, review, or control the content of your WebSocket communications. However, we reserve the right to investigate and take action on reported violations.

4.3 Enforcement

We reserve the right to:

Suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms
Remove or disable applications that engage in prohibited activities
Limit, throttle, or block connections from IPs exhibiting abusive behavior
Report illegal activity to law enforcement

5. Plans, Pricing, and Billing

5.1 Plans

Our plans and current pricing are published on our pricing page. Each paid plan includes a dedicated concurrent WebSocket connection capacity. All paid plans include 1 million broadcasts per month, with additional broadcasts billed at $1 per million.

5.2 Billing

Billing is handled by Polar (polar.sh) as the merchant of record
Subscription fees are charged in USD at the beginning of each billing period
Usage-based charges (broadcasts exceeding the included 1M allowance) are calculated and billed through Polar
You are responsible for providing accurate and complete billing information

5.3 Plan Changes

Upgrades take effect immediately. Prorated charges are calculated and billed via Polar.
Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. You retain access to your current plan until the period ends.
Plan changes do not refund previously paid amounts unless required by law.

5.4 Non-Payment

If payment fails or is not received, we may:

Suspend or disable your managed applications
Revert your team to an unsubscribed status
Delete inactive resources after prolonged non-payment following prior notice

5.5 Development and Free Use

Development and local testing are supported at no cost via the Local CLI (@socketo/cli) and the self-hosted open-source edition (GPLv3). Deploying and running managed applications on Socketo infrastructure requires an active paid subscription plan (Starter, Indie, or Growth).

5.6 Refunds

Subscription fees are non-refundable except as required by law. If you upgrade, prorated charges are applied. If you downgrade, you retain access to your current plan until the billing period ends — no partial refund is issued.

If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at support@socketo.dev within 30 days of the charge. We review refund requests on a case-by-case basis.

6. Service Levels and Availability

6.1 No SLA

While we strive to maintain high availability, the Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not currently offer a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) or uptime guarantee.

6.2 Maintenance

We may perform scheduled maintenance from time to time. We will make reasonable efforts to provide advance notice for maintenance that may cause significant disruption.

6.3 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, war, terrorism, labor disputes, internet infrastructure failures, or governmental action.

7. Technical Limits

The Service is subject to technical limits that vary by plan. Full technical limits are documented in our Limits & Rules reference.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our IP

Socketo, the Socketo logo, the socketo.dev domain, and our proprietary server code and infrastructure are the exclusive property of Socketo. These Terms do not grant you any rights to our intellectual property beyond the limited right to use the Service.

8.2 Your IP

You retain all rights to your application code, data, channel content, and configurations. By using the Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to process your data solely as necessary to provide the Service.

8.3 Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or feature requests you provide are voluntary and may be used by us without obligation or compensation.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW:

Socketo and its affiliates, officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, use, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with the Service.
Socketo's total liability for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.
These limitations apply regardless of the theory of liability (contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Some jurisdictions do not allow these limitations. In such cases, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Socketo and its affiliates from any claim, liability, damage, or cost (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

Your use of the Service
Content you transmit through the Service
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any third-party rights

11. Termination

11.1 By You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at support@socketo.dev. Upon termination, your access to the Service will cease, and your data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy. No refunds will be issued for unused portions of your current billing period.

11.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, without prior notice or liability, if:

You breach these Terms
You use the Service for illegal or abusive purposes
Payment is overdue beyond the grace period
We cease offering the Service or undergo a material business change

Upon termination for breach, you remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page and displaying a notice in the dashboard.

The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Service and terminate your account.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction where Socketo is established, as indicated on our website, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

14. General Provisions

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full effect.
No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision does not constitute a waiver.
Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Socketo regarding the Service.

15. Contact

For legal notices and questions about these Terms:

Email: support@socketo.dev

Website: https://socketo.dev