Terms of Service

Last Updated: July 2026

Welcome to CommentShark

CommentShark is a YouTube comment management tool that helps content creators engage with their audience more effectively. By using CommentShark, you agree to these Terms of Service and YouTube's Terms of Service.

What CommentShark Does

CommentShark uses the YouTube Data API to provide comment management features for your YouTube channel. When you use CommentShark, the service will request specific permissions from Google to access your YouTube channel data.

Revoking Access

You can revoke CommentShark's access to your channel at any time through Google's security settings:

Eligibility and Your Account

You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in your country) to use CommentShark, and at least 18 years old to purchase a subscription. If you are under 18, you may use the service only with the involvement and permission of a parent or legal guardian. You must own, or be authorized to manage, any YouTube channel you connect to the service. You agree to provide accurate account information, keep your credentials secure, and accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using CommentShark, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the service.

The following definitions apply throughout these terms: "you" and "your" refer to you, the user of CommentShark; "we", "us", and "our" refer to CommentShark; "the service" refers to the CommentShark platform and all related features, including our free tools.

YouTube Data API Compliance

Data Processing and Authentication

CommentShark keeps you signed in using a signed session token stored in a secure, HttpOnly cookie. Google's OAuth authentication service may also use cookies during the login process. By using CommentShark, you consent to this authentication mechanism.

Your use of the service is also subject to our Privacy Policy, which covers how we collect, use, share, and store your personal information. We strongly encourage you to review it: Privacy Policy.

Your Content and Feedback

You retain ownership of the content you create in CommentShark, including your automation rules, channel context, reply text, and any other material you write. You grant CommentShark a worldwide, non-exclusive license to host, store, process, and display that content solely to operate and improve the service for you, including processing it with the AI providers listed in our Privacy Policy.

If you send us feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the service, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use them without restriction or compensation. We will never publish your name, channel, or testimonial in marketing material without your permission.

Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, CommentShark owns all intellectual property rights for the service and its contents. All rights are reserved. You may use CommentShark for your personal or business YouTube channel management subject to these terms.

You must not:

• Republish, sell, rent, or sub-license CommentShark's content
• Reproduce, duplicate, or copy material from CommentShark
• Redistribute content from CommentShark (unless specifically made for redistribution)
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code

Nothing in this section limits your rights to your own content, your channel's data, or the exports and reports you generate with the service.

User Responsibilities

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account and for any content posted through CommentShark, whether manually or through automated rules. You agree to:

• Comply with YouTube's Community Guidelines, YouTube's Terms of Service, and all applicable YouTube posting policies at all times
• Not use CommentShark for spam, harassment, hate speech, impersonation, or any abusive purpose
• Not use automation features to post repetitive, deceptive, or misleading replies on your videos (i.e., spam as defined by YouTube)
• Not attempt to circumvent any service limitations, rate limits, or usage quotas
• Keep your account credentials secure
• Monitor automated rules you create and ensure their output remains compliant with platform policies

Team and Delegate Access

CommentShark lets you grant other people (for example, an editor or channel manager) delegate access to your account. If you do, you are responsible for their actions in your account as if they were your own. Only grant access to people you trust, and remove access when it is no longer needed. Anyone who accesses an account as a delegate is also bound by these Terms.

Acceptable Use Policy

You must not use CommentShark to:

• Spam your own comment sections: This includes posting repetitive, generic, or deceptive replies to manipulate engagement or mislead your viewers
• Harass, bully, or threaten others: Automated or manual replies must not target commenters with abusive, hateful, or threatening language
• Deceive or mislead viewers: Do not use AI features to fabricate endorsements, post misleading information, or generate replies that misrepresent your views or intentions
• Manipulate engagement metrics: Do not use CommentShark to artificially inflate comment counts, engagement rates, or to game YouTube's recommendation algorithms
• Post illegal or harmful content: This includes replies that promote violence, illegal activities, or violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Circumvent YouTube enforcement actions: Do not use CommentShark to evade bans, strikes, or other moderation actions taken by YouTube against your channel or content

Your obligation: You are the publisher of all content posted through CommentShark on your behalf, including content generated by AI or executed automatically by your rules. YouTube holds channel owners responsible for comments posted from their accounts, and so do we.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate this Acceptable Use Policy. Repeated or egregious violations may result in immediate termination without prior notice.

AI-Powered Features

About AI Features:

• AI-powered features use machine learning models that may occasionally produce incorrect, unexpected, or inappropriate results
• AI classification may incorrectly match or fail to match comments that should trigger your rules
• AI-generated replies may not always reflect your intended tone, message, or brand voice
• AI outputs are not reviewed by CommentShark staff before being suggested or posted

Autonomous Execution Mode:

When you enable "Auto-execute" mode for rules using AI features, CommentShark will automatically post replies, delete comments, or take moderation actions without your manual review. By enabling autonomous AI actions, you:

• Accept full responsibility for all actions taken by the AI on your behalf
• Acknowledge that AI may make errors that could affect your channel's reputation or violate YouTube's policies
• Agree that CommentShark is not liable for any consequences resulting from autonomous AI actions
• Understand that you cannot hold CommentShark responsible for any damages, account penalties, or other negative outcomes

Recommendation: We strongly recommend using "Needs approval" mode for rules with AI features until you are confident in how the AI handles your specific use case.

Automation Rules and User Responsibility

CommentShark's rule builder lets you configure automated actions, including replying to comments, moderating comments, or deleting comments. You understand and agree that:

• You are solely responsible for the rules you create and the actions taken on your behalf based on those rules
• Automated actions can affect your channel's reputation, visibility, or compliance with YouTube policies
• You are responsible for reviewing, testing, and monitoring your rules to ensure they behave as intended
• CommentShark is not liable for any losses, damages, or claims arising from automated actions executed by your rules

Free Tools

We offer free tools (such as the YouTube Comment Audit and the YouTube Comment Exporter) that fetch publicly available YouTube data on your request, without an account. These tools are provided as-is, are rate limited, and may change or be withdrawn at any time. You may use them only for lawful purposes. Do not use them to harass or profile individuals, to build or resell bulk datasets, or to circumvent rate limits. You are responsible for how you use any data you export, including complying with YouTube's Terms of Service and applicable privacy laws.

Subscriptions and Billing

CommentShark offers both free and paid subscription tiers. All payment processing is handled securely by Stripe. CommentShark does not store your credit card or payment details. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to the following:

• Subscriptions are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually, depending on the plan you select) and automatically renew until cancelled
• By subscribing, you authorize CommentShark and its payment processor (Stripe) to charge your chosen payment method for the applicable subscription fees on a recurring basis until you cancel. These charges appear on your statement as COMMENTSHARK.COM
• You may cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard's billing page. Cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period, and you will retain access to paid features until then
• 7-day money-back guarantee: if CommentShark is not for you, email us within 7 days of your first payment and we will refund it in full, no questions asked. The guarantee covers your first paid subscription on a self-serve plan, once per account. Email support@commentshark.com; we refund to your original payment method and your account returns to the free plan
• Outside that 7-day window, annual subscriptions are charged upfront for the full year and are non-refundable, except where required by law. Cancelling an annual subscription stops automatic renewal but does not refund the unused portion of the current annual period; you retain full access to paid features through the end of the period you have already paid for
• Outside that 7-day window, refunds on monthly subscriptions may be issued on a prorated basis depending on usage during the current billing period, at our discretion
• We reserve the right to change pricing with reasonable notice. Continued use after a price change constitutes acceptance

Billing Authorization and Chargebacks

CommentShark is a digital service that is delivered immediately and continuously. You authenticate through Google OAuth, and your access to the service, together with any replies, moderation, or other actions performed on your behalf by the rules you configure, constitutes delivery of the service. We maintain records of your authentication, account activity, and the actions taken on your behalf.

You can cancel at any time from your account or billing portal to stop future charges, and you can revoke access at any time through Google's security settings. If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact us first at support@commentshark.com. We resolve the large majority of billing questions quickly.

Initiating a chargeback or payment dispute for a subscription period in which the service was made available to you is a breach of these Terms. Where a dispute is filed, you authorize CommentShark to provide your payment provider, bank, or card network with records of your account authentication, activity, and service delivery in order to demonstrate that the charge was authorized and the service was rendered. A chargeback immediately terminates your account, and we reserve the right to recover the disputed amount and any associated fees.

Service Quotas and Limits

Each subscription tier includes defined usage quotas and limits, such as the number of automation rules, monthly rule executions, reply posts, AI completions, and other feature-specific allocations. Current limits for each tier are displayed on our Pricing page.

Pacing and daily ceilings. Your plan allowance is monthly, but automated actions are paced rather than posted all at once, and a single channel is subject to a per-day ceiling on automated actions. This ceiling is set above every plan's monthly allowance, so it does not reduce what your plan includes. It protects the shared YouTube API capacity all customers depend on and limits the damage from any misconfiguration or abuse. Actions above the ceiling are queued and resume automatically, normally the following day; they are not discarded. Any additional capacity you purchase on top of your plan is subject to the same pacing, so a large amount of extra capacity may take more than one day to use.

We reserve the right to modify, adjust, or introduce new system quotas and limits at any time without prior notice. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Adjusting the number of permitted rules, executions, or AI-generated replies per billing period
• Introducing or modifying rate limits on API calls and automated actions
• Changing resource allocations to ensure fair usage across all users and maintain platform stability
• Updating limits in response to changes in third-party service constraints, including YouTube API quota allocations

While we will make reasonable efforts to communicate significant changes to paying subscribers, operational adjustments, such as rate limiting or quota rebalancing to protect system integrity, may take effect immediately. Continued use of the service after any quota or limit change constitutes acceptance of the updated limits.

Service Availability

We strive to provide reliable, uninterrupted service. However:

• The service may be unavailable at times for maintenance
• Features may change or be discontinued with notice

We endeavor to ensure the information and functionality on CommentShark is accurate and available, but we do not warrant its completeness, accuracy, or uninterrupted availability.

Disclaimer of Warranties

We specifically disclaim any and all warranties and conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, and any warranties arising out of course of dealing or usage of trade.

CommentShark makes no warranty that:

• The service will meet your requirements
• The service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
• The results obtained from the use of the service (including AI content) will be accurate or reliable
• Any errors in the service will be corrected

Limitation of Liability

This limitation applies to any liabilities arising from:

• Your access to or use of or inability to access or use the service
• Any conduct or content of any third party on the service
• Any content obtained from the service
• Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content

In no event shall CommentShark's aggregate liability for all claims relating to the service exceed the greater of $100 USD or the amount you paid CommentShark, if any, in the past 12 months for the services giving rise to the claim.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some or all of the exclusions and limitations in this section may not apply to you.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold CommentShark harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) arising from:

• Your use of and access to the service
• Your violation of any term of these Terms of Service
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including YouTube's policies
• Any claim that your content caused damage to a third party

This defense and indemnification obligation will survive these Terms of Service and your use of the service.

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

CommentShark is operated from San Francisco, California, United States. These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Talk to us first. Before filing any claim, you agree to contact us at support@commentshark.com and give us 30 days to work with you to resolve the issue informally. Most issues are resolved this way.

Arbitration. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally shall be finally settled by binding arbitration in San Francisco County, California, in English, in accordance with the Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. ("JAMS") then in effect. Either party may instead bring an individual claim in small claims court, and either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property rights.

Class action waiver. To the extent permitted by law, disputes must be brought on an individual basis only; neither you nor CommentShark may participate in a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Opt-out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by emailing support@commentshark.com with your name and account email, stating that you opt out of arbitration.

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. We will notify users of material changes by email and by posting the updated terms on this page with a new "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of CommentShark after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to CommentShark at any time, with or without notice, for any of the following reasons:

• Violations of these Terms of Service or the Acceptable Use Policy outlined above
• Use of the service in a manner that violates YouTube's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, or any other applicable platform policies
• Spamming, harassment, or any abusive behavior conducted through the service
• Attempts to circumvent service quotas, rate limits, or other technical restrictions
• Any other reason at our reasonable discretion

You may terminate your use of CommentShark at any time by deleting your account from the Profile page in your dashboard, cancelling your subscription (if applicable), and revoking access through Google's security settings. Upon termination, your data is deleted according to the retention schedule in our Privacy Policy. If we terminate your account for a violation of these Terms, you are not entitled to a refund.

General

• Entire agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any plan-specific terms we agree with you in writing, are the entire agreement between you and CommentShark regarding the service.
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• No waiver: Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
• Force majeure: Neither party is liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including outages of YouTube or other third-party services.
• Survival: Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Your Content and Feedback, Disclaimer of Warranties, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law and Dispute Resolution) survive.

Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Service, please contact us at support@commentshark.com