The short version
Cut the Nets is a game. The results are simulated, the history is public record, and purchases in the iOS app go through Apple. The browser version is free, shows ads and has no purchases, and its saves live only in your browser, so keep a backup. Play fair, and email us if something is wrong.
Agreeing to these terms
By downloading or using the Cut the Nets iOS app, by playing the browser version at play.cutthenets.io, or by using cutthenets.io, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the app, the browser version or the site. “We” and “us” means Cut the Nets, the independent studio that makes the app, the browser version and the site.
It's a simulation
Cut the Nets is a statistical simulation made for entertainment. Games, scores, statistics, ratings, grades and champions in the app and the browser version are produced by a probabilistic model. They are not real results, they are not predictions, and they say nothing about the actual abilities of any person or team.
Don't rely on the app or the browser version for betting, wagering or any financial decision.
No affiliation
Cut the Nets is an independent game. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any league, conference, school, athletic association, player or coach. Neither the app nor the browser version uses school logos or mascots.
Historical information and names
The app is built on publicly available historical information: seasons, seeds, results, rosters and box-score statistics. Player and team names appear as factual, historical references. In the browser version, players whose last season was 2022 or later appear by jersey number, position and year instead of by name.
The facts of history belong to everyone. What we made from them is ours: the ratings model, the way the data is compiled and organized in the app, the design and the code. Please don't copy, scrape or extract the compiled data, audio, artwork or code of the app or the browser version to redistribute them or build another product. That includes the data, audio and code files the browser version downloads to your browser.
If you are a player, current or former, and want your name removed from the game, email support@cutthenets.io. We'll review the request and remove the name from the iOS app in a future update and from the browser version when we next update it. Removal can't reach recaps or links that have already been shared, copies of the app that haven't been updated, game files a browser has already saved for offline play (until the updated version replaces them), or brackets, save files and Legacy codes that people already have.
Using the iOS app
We give you a personal, non-transferable license to use the Cut the Nets iOS app on Apple devices you own or control, as allowed by the App Store's Usage Rules. Apple's Licensed Application End User License Agreement also applies.
Please don't reverse-engineer, resell or tamper with the app or the browser version, interfere with leaderboards, or use the app, the browser version or the site to break the law or harass anyone.
Purchases (iOS app)
The Cut the Nets iOS app is free to download and shows ads. Remove Ads is an optional one-time in-app purchase. Its price is shown in the App Store before you buy.
Apple processes every payment, and we never see your payment details. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. If you reinstall the app or switch devices, restore Remove Ads from the app's Settings using the same Apple Account.
The browser version is free, shows ads and has no purchases. See The browser version.
Ads
The free iOS app shows ads served by Google AdMob. We don't choose individual ads and aren't responsible for advertisers' products, services or websites. Our Privacy Policy explains what the ads SDK collects.
The browser version shows ads served by Google AdSense between games. The same applies: we don't choose individual ads and aren't responsible for what advertisers offer. Please don't click ads you aren't interested in, and don't use tools that load, refresh or click ads automatically. Our Privacy Policy explains what Google's ad code collects and the choices you have.
Game Center (iOS app)
Leaderboards in the iOS app run on Apple's Game Center and are subject to Apple's terms. Your Game Center nickname is set by you in Game Center, not by us. The browser version has no leaderboards.
The browser version (play.cutthenets.io)
You can also play Cut the Nets in a web browser at play.cutthenets.io. The general terms on this page apply to it, along with the points below. Sections marked “iOS app” don't apply to it.
- Provided as is. The browser version is provided as is and as available. It may not work in every browser or on every device, and we may change it, take it offline for a while or stop offering it.
- Using it. We give you a personal, non-transferable license to play it in a web browser on devices you own or control. The rules above about copying, scraping and tampering apply to it too.
- Your save lives in your browser. Your brackets, career ledger, profile and settings are stored only in that browser on that device. We never receive a copy, so we can't recover, restore or move a save for you.
- Saves can be lost. Your save is lost if you or your browser clear the site's data: for example, when you clear your browsing data or close a private window, or when Safari erases data for a site you haven't visited in 7 days. Browsers may also clear site data when storage runs low. On an iPhone or iPad, a copy added to the Home Screen starts with its own separate save. To save space, the game also clears old finished brackets on its own, while your career ledger keeps every run.
- Backups are up to you. You're responsible for keeping a backup of your save. Use Export save file or Copy Legacy code in the game's Settings, and keep the file or code somewhere safe. They aren't encrypted, so anyone who has one can read what's inside.
- Free, with ads. It's free and supported by ads. It has no purchases, and Remove Ads from the iOS app doesn't apply to it. See Ads.
- Still a simulation, still independent. It's a simulation and No affiliation apply in full. Results in the browser version are simulated, not real results or predictions, and it isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any league, conference, school, athletic association, player or coach.
- Challenge links. A challenge link you share shows your first name (if your profile has a name the link can use) and, for a finished run, your result to anyone who gets it. Our Privacy Policy explains what a link contains.
Changes and availability
We may update, change or remove features, including the daily bracket, the weekly gauntlet, scenarios, leaderboards and challenge links, and we may stop offering the app or the browser version. When these terms change, we'll update this page and the date at the top. Using the app or the browser version after a change means you accept the updated terms.
What changed on September 13, 2026 (ads in the browser version): the browser version now shows ads from Google AdSense, so Ads covers it too, and recent players appear without their names in the browser version.
What changed earlier on September 13, 2026: we added the browser version at play.cutthenets.io and marked which terms apply only to the iOS app.
No warranty
The app, the browser version and the site are provided as is and as available. We work hard to keep them accurate and working, but we can't promise they will be free of errors or interruptions, that the historical data is complete, or that a save kept in your browser won't be lost.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, we aren't liable for indirect, incidental or consequential losses from using the app, the browser version or the site. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for Cut the Nets and its in-app purchases in the 12 months before the claim. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not apply to you.
About Apple (iOS app)
For the iOS app, these terms are between you and us, not Apple. Apple isn't responsible for the app, its content or its support. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms and may enforce them against you. Apple doesn't provide the browser version.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Email support@cutthenets.io.