Frequently Asked Questions

We run four industry-standard formulas simultaneously:

• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level — the most widely used formula, adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense
• SMOG Index — preferred by AHRQ for health literacy assessment because it focuses on polysyllabic words
• Gunning Fog Index — emphasizes sentence length and complex words
• Coleman-Liau Index — character-based formula, consistent with machine processing

We show all four scores so you get a complete picture, not just one number.

Bobcat Toolbox Pro checks against:

• AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) — recommends 4th–6th grade reading level
• AMA (American Medical Association) — recommends 6th grade or below
• Joint Commission — recommends 5th grade or below for patient-facing documents
• NIH — recommends 7th–8th grade for general health materials

Each standard is scored separately so you know exactly which ones you pass and which need work.

The formulas are the same ones published by AHRQ and used by the U.S. government for health literacy assessment. They are mathematically precise for the inputs given (word count, syllables, sentence length). However, no readability formula is a perfect predictor of patient comprehension — they are diagnostic tools, not guarantees. We recommend using scores as a guide alongside patient testing and plain-language principles. See our Terms of Service for our full liability disclaimer.

Any plain text content — paste it directly into the analyzer. Common uses include:

• Patient discharge instructions
• Medication guides and drug information sheets
• Informed consent forms
• Pre-procedure instructions
• Post-operative care guides
• Health education handouts
• Patient portal messages

The tool works best with at least 100 words. For very short documents (under 30 sentences), SMOG scores may be less accurate — we note this in the results.

The free version gives you unlimited single-document analyses — no daily limit. The difference is what happens after the analysis:

• Free: Score and suggestions only. No history saved, no export, no bulk processing.
• Pro ($49/mo): Full analysis history, PDF and CSV export, bulk upload up to 50 documents, priority support.
• Team ($149/mo): Everything in Pro plus 5 team seats, shared workspace, white-label branding, REST API access, unlimited bulk upload.

No document text is stored long-term. When you analyze a document, we store only the computed scores and metadata (document name, date, grade level, pass/fail status) — never the actual text content. This is by design for HIPAA compliance. Your document text is processed in memory and discarded immediately after scoring. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Yes — genuinely free, no credit card required, no time limit. The free version gives you full readability scoring and improvement suggestions for individual documents. The catch is that results aren't saved (no history), you can't export reports, and you can't process documents in bulk. If you need those features for your team or accreditation review, that's what Pro and Team are for.

The free trial gives you full access to your chosen plan (Pro or Team) for 14 days — no credit card required. You get unlimited analyses, full history, PDF and CSV export, bulk upload, and (on Team) all 5 team seats and API access. At the end of 14 days you'll be asked to enter a card to continue. If you don't, your account automatically returns to the free tier — you never lose access to the tool.

Yes, at any time. Upgrading takes effect immediately and is prorated. Downgrading takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you keep full access until then. To change your plan, go to Dashboard → Settings → Billing, or email support@bobcattoolbox.com.

Yes — annual plans save approximately 20% compared to monthly. Pro annually is $470/year (vs $588 monthly). Team annually is $1,430/year (vs $1,788 monthly). Contact us at support@bobcattoolbox.com to switch to annual billing.

Yes. We offer 30% off for verified nonprofit healthcare organizations, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and academic institutions. Email support@bobcattoolbox.com with proof of nonprofit or academic status.

If you downgrade to free, your analysis history is preserved but you lose the ability to export it. If you close your account entirely, we delete your account data within 30 days. We do not sell or transfer your data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Bobcat Toolbox Pro is designed with HIPAA compliance in mind. Critically, we do not store document text — only computed scores and metadata. This means PHI (Protected Health Information) never persists in our system. For Team and Enterprise customers, we offer a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). However, you should not paste documents containing patient names, dates of birth, or other identifying information. The tool is designed for template documents and de-identified content. Contact us at compliance@bobcattoolbox.com to request a BAA.

No. Do not paste documents containing patient names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, or any other identifying information. The tool is designed for template documents — the generic versions of your handouts before patient-specific information is filled in. If you need to check a live patient document, remove all identifying information first. This protects both you and your patients.

Account data (email, name, plan, analysis scores) is stored in Supabase, hosted on AWS in the US East region. Document text is never stored — it is processed in memory and discarded immediately after scoring. Supabase performs automatic daily backups with 7-day retention. All data is encrypted at rest and in transit.

No. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing or any other purpose. The only third parties who process your data are our infrastructure providers: Supabase (database), Vercel (hosting), Stripe (payments), and Resend (email). Each operates under strict data processing agreements. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Yes. BAAs are available for Team and Enterprise plan customers. Email compliance@bobcattoolbox.com with your organization name and we'll send the BAA within 1 business day. We do not offer BAAs for free or Pro plan customers.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through Stripe. For Enterprise customers, we also accept ACH bank transfer and can issue purchase orders. Contact billing@bobcattoolbox.com for invoice-based billing.

We offer a full refund within 7 days of your first charge if you're not satisfied — no questions asked. After 7 days, we do not offer refunds for partial months. If you believe you were charged in error, contact billing@bobcattoolbox.com within 30 days and we will investigate and resolve promptly. See our full Terms of Service for the complete refund policy.

If a payment fails, Stripe automatically retries the charge after 3, 5, and 7 days. You'll receive an email notification each time so you can update your card. If all retries fail, your account downgrades to the free tier — you never lose your history, just the paid features. To update your payment method, go to Dashboard → Settings → Billing.

Cancel anytime in Dashboard → Settings → Billing → Cancel Subscription. Your paid access continues until the end of your current billing period. We do not charge cancellation fees. You'll receive a confirmation email when cancellation is processed.

Email billing@bobcattoolbox.com with your account email and the charge amount. We respond within 1 business day and resolve billing issues same day in most cases. If you feel a dispute is necessary, you can also contact your card issuer — but we prefer to resolve directly first as it's faster for you.

Go to Dashboard → Team → Invite Member. Enter their email address and select their role (Admin, Editor, or Viewer). They'll receive an invitation email and can join immediately. The Team plan includes 5 seats. For more seats, contact us for Enterprise pricing.

White-label lets you replace Bobcat Toolbox branding with your hospital or health system's logo and colors. Your team sees your organization's name in the interface. You can also embed the tool on your intranet under your own domain. Go to Dashboard → White-label to configure. Custom domains require a CNAME DNS record pointing to our servers — IT setup takes about 10 minutes.

Yes. Enterprise is for organizations needing more than 5 seats, custom EHR integration, SSO (single sign-on), dedicated support, SLA guarantees, or custom contract terms. Email enterprise@bobcattoolbox.com with your organization name and approximate number of users.

The API lets your existing software systems send documents to Bobcat Toolbox automatically and receive readability scores back — without anyone visiting the website. It's useful for:

• EHR systems that want to flag non-compliant documents automatically
• Content management systems that publish patient education materials
• Document management workflows that need readability as part of an approval process

If your team manually pastes documents into the website, you don't need the API. If you want the scoring to happen automatically as part of a software workflow, you do.

API access is included in the Team plan ($149/month) and Enterprise. It is not available on Free or Pro plans. Full API documentation is available at bobcat-toolbox.vercel.app/api-docs.html.

• Team plan: 200 requests per minute, unlimited monthly total
• Enterprise: Custom rate limits based on your needs

Rate limit headers are returned with every response. See the API documentation for full details.