How much does a lawyer charge for a privacy policy and terms of service?
Written by For Founders Law, a Toronto firm licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. About us
Short answer
At For Founders Law, a privacy policy starts at $500 and terms of service start at $500, both fixed fees plus HST. The launch pack, with terms of service, a privacy policy and AI product terms, starts at $1,600. The price depends mainly on your data flows and features: users in Quebec or outside Canada can change the privacy policy scope, and marketplace or user-generated content features can change the terms, and any change is quoted before work starts.
A privacy policy and terms of service are usually the first legal documents a product needs in public. Here is what we charge, what the price covers, and what moves it.
What do we charge?
| Work | Starting fixed fee | What the starting price includes | What can change the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy | $500 | A privacy policy and a review of your data practices under PIPEDA | Users in Quebec (Law 25) or outside Canada |
| Terms of service | $500 | Terms of service or terms of use for your product | Marketplace or user-generated content features |
| AI product terms | $760 | AI-specific terms for inputs, outputs and training use, and acceptable use terms | |
| Launch pack | $1,600 | Terms of service, privacy policy and AI product terms together | As for each item |
| SaaS or master services agreement | $920 | Your business customer contract and an order form template | Enterprise-specific terms; data processing terms |
All fees exclude HST. Your scope and fixed fee are agreed in writing before we begin, and most work is delivered within three business days. Current prices are always on our fees page.
Why does the price depend on the product?
Because the work is in finding out what your product does with personal information, not in the document itself. A site with a contact form and one analytics tool takes less review than an app with location data, several SDKs, AI features and users in Quebec. Quebec’s private sector act adds its own requirements, such as a published person in charge of privacy and an assessment before information leaves Quebec. See does Quebec’s Law 25 apply to my startup. Marketplaces and user content need extra terms for sellers, buyers, content licences and takedowns.
How does a lawyer compare with a generator?
A generator costs little or nothing and is quick, but it writes from your answers and a template. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada advises businesses to avoid templates and boilerplate and describe their own practices. What you pay us for is the review: mapping your data flows, vendors and features against PIPEDA, Quebec law where it applies, and app store and payment processor rules, then writing documents that match. See privacy policy generators: what they miss.
Do I need both documents?
Most products do. The privacy policy tells people what you do with their personal information, which privacy law requires. The terms of service are the contract you rely on for liability limits, acceptable use, payments and suspension. See do I need a privacy policy and do I need terms of service.
What isn’t included?
Anything outside the written scope, such as a data processing agreement for business customers, a cookie banner configuration, a CASL review of your email flows or French translations. If something comes up, we quote it first and you decide whether to add it. See how our fixed fees work and plan a budget with the legal budget planner.
How often will I need to update them?
Whenever the product changes in a way the documents don’t describe: a new vendor that receives user data, a new market, an AI feature, a new pricing model or a move from consumers to business customers. Quebec requires notice of amendments to your privacy policy (s. 8.2), and the Privacy Commissioner’s tips recommend telling people when material changes occur.
What to do next
See the privacy policy and terms of service service pages for what each includes.
This guide is general information about Ontario and Canadian law, not legal advice for your situation. To get your scope and fixed fee, book a free 15-minute consult.