Is our data backed up in case of an emergency?

Data is backed up nightly and written to multiple disks instantly. We can perform full backup recovery in the event of a system-wide emergency. Our hardware is also fully redundant so even if one disk or server fails nothing will be lost and the system will not go down. Our uptime is over 99%.

Is Basecamp reliable, secure, and confidential? Is our data safe? Where is the data hosted?

We take all reasonable precautions to keep your information safe and secure. Our state-of-the-art redundant server cluster is hosted and professionally managed by Rackspace, a recognized leader in high-end hosting. You can read about their Zero-Downtime network and data center and what makes Rackspace the best place to host mission-critical websites. We also use Amazon's S3 storage technology to store and serve uploaded files.

Can we export our data if we don't want to use Basecamp anymore? What format is the export in?

You can export your messages, comments, to-do lists, milestones, and time tracking data in XML format. We also offer an API that allows you to access your data from other tools that you use or create.

To export data, the Primary Account Holder should go to the Dashboard, click the "Account" tab, and then click the "Please create an XML export of my account" link at the bottom of screen.

You can also export time tracking data on a project-by-project basis by going into a project, clicking the Time tab, and then clicking the "Create a report" link.

Then create the report and click the "Export this table to CSV" link at the bottom of a report.

Can I keep certain people/clients from seeing specific projects? How do we set permissions?

You can give anyone permission to access any project, or keep anyone from seeing any project. Simply log into the project, click the "People & Permissions" link (top right corner of the screen), then the link that says "Change project permissions."

How do I set up chat with my team and clients?

You can chat with your team and clients in real-time from within your Basecamp projects using Campfire.

Campfire is a simple web-based group chat tool from 37signals, the makers of Basecamp. When you set up Basecamp to work with Campfire you'll see a "Chat" tab in each project.

Watch this video demonstration to see how easy it is to set up Basecamp to work with Campfire.

Here are step by step directions: Go to your Dashboard and click the "Settings" tab in the upper right.

Then click the "Chat Settings" link at the top of the screen.

Enable chat by selecting the "Yes enable chat" button.

Now Basecamp needs your Campfire login information to connect to your Campfire account. If you don't have a Campfire account you'll need to sign up for one (it's free to start). Then enter your Campfire URL, Campfire email address, and Campfire password in the appropriate fields.

Again, you can watch a brief movie (Quicktime) to see how this works.

Can we install Basecamp on our own server?

We don't offer installable versions of any of our products. Our products are only available as hosted products. We maintain the servers, the security, all the updates and improvements so you don't have to worry about anything.

Do you provide phone support?

We provide unlimited support via email for our paying customers, but we do not provide support over the phone. We do our best to respond to every email within just a few hours of receiving it. We also make sure one of the company owners or a knowledgeable 37signals employee answers the email. We do not outsource our support overseas or employ unqualified support staff.

Can you customize Basecamp for us?

Everyone who uses Basecamp uses the same version of Basecamp. While we don't offer customization options, you can always change the colors, upload your own logo, and set up custom categories for your account.

Are there signup fees? Termination fees? Any hidden fees we should know about?

Absolutely not. We think one-time extra fees aren't the right way to do business. We don't charge signup fees, termination fees, or any additional fees. The price you pay is simply the fixed monthly fee based on the plan you've chosen. We also don't charge by the person. You can have 1 person or 100 people using Basecamp and you'll still pay the same price.

How does your refund policy work?

Basecamp is a month-to-month, pay-as-you-go service so we don't provide refunds. You are billed every 30 days for the service. You can cancel the service at any time and you won't be charged again, but you are responsible for any charges already incurred.

Can we pay for Basecamp a year in advance? Do you accept POs or payment by check?

We only accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover). You can pay monthly, or in one lump sum for as many months in advance as you'd like. Once you've signed up you can set up the lump sum payment on your Account page. Invoices are automatically emailed to the account owner every time you are charged.

Do you have special pricing for non-profits, universities, or other groups in need?

We believe everyone is entitled to the best possible price we can offer. Those are the prices you'll find on the signup page. Our prices are among the lowest in the industry. In fact, our regular prices are actually lower than many competitor's special non-profit pricing. We do make exceptions based on extraordinary circumstances (we offered free accounts to rescue workers at their request during Hurricane Katrina to help coordinate supplies and other related operations).

Do you have an affiliate or reseller program?
Do you white label your products?

Yes, we have a popular affiliate program that allows account owners to earn 50% of the first month's payment for anyone they refer to Basecamp. We do not have a reseller program or white label our products.

The affiliate program allows you to earn free service. The earnings are not paid in cash, they are paid in credit towards your account.

You can read all about it and get started earning credits today -- just log into your account and click the "Account" tab.

Then click the "Affiliate program" link at the top of the screen. You'll see a full rundown on how the program works.

Is Basecamp available in other languages besides English?

At this time the Basecamp interface is only available in English, but Basecamp does allow UTF-8 character sets so you can enter content in many languages including Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. Localization and translation of the interface is something we will be considering at a future date.

If we upgrade will we be billed twice this month? If we downgrade will we be prorated?

When you upgrade you are instantly upgraded to the higher plan but you don't have to pay the higher price until next month's bill. When you downgrade you are instantly downgraded, but you don't begin paying the lower rate until next month's bill.

Whenever I try to log in, the login page just reloads and doesn't display an error message. What's up?

The most common cause of this is that your browser isn't set to accept cookies (a cookie is a text-only string that gets entered into the memory of your browser). Basecamp requires that cookies are turned on so the application can track your session and know who you are as you use Basecamp.

Instructions for turning on cookies in most web browsers can be found at Turning on Cookies. For more information on cookies, see this Wikipedia entry.

The other possibility is you have a firewall or security system set up that is too strict. It's preventing cookies from being accepted or Javascript from being run. Basecamp needs both cookies and javascript in order to function properly.

Why might I want to put my logo in a white box?

Some logos don't look that great against Basecamp's grey sidebar. If your logo works better against a white background, you can place it inside a white box instead. Just click the "Settings" tab and select the checkbox next to your logo that says, "Put the logo in a white box."

Why is our old logo (or an old photo) still showing up after I upload a new one?

This is caused by a browser-caching issue that rears its ugly head on a few browser/version/platform combinations.

If you upload your new logo (or a person's photo), and you still see the old one, just force reload your browser. The reloaded page should show the new logo. To force-reload on a Mac browser, hold down the "option" key and click the reload/refresh button in your browser. On the PC, hold down the "alt" key and click your browser's reload/refresh button.