Is Monkeytype Safe? What It Collects and Stores

The Short Answer

I read Monkeytype's privacy policy, which was last updated on May 12, 2025. Then I checked the result format in its open source code on GitHub.

Here's what it collects, what it doesn't, and how to remove your data.

What Monkeytype Is

Monkeytype is a free typing test that runs in your browser. You type a set of words, and it shows your speed, accuracy and a chart of how your pace changed.

You don't install anything. There's no app to download, so there's no program on your computer that could do harm.

Its code is public. The whole site lives in an open source repository on GitHub under the GPL 3.0 license, so anyone can read how it works.

That matters for a safety question. You don't have to trust a promise, because the code that handles your results is there to check.

What the Privacy Policy Says It Collects

The Monkeytype privacy policy gives a short list. It collects your email, your user name, and your Discord id and avatar id if you link Discord.

It also keeps information about each typing test, your current settings, how many tests you started and finished, and how long you spent typing on the site.

The policy says it uses this data to show your result history and stats, remember your settings and run the leaderboards.

That's a fairly small list for a site with accounts. There's no phone number, no home address and no payment card.

What It Doesn't Collect

The policy names one thing it does NOT collect, and that's custom texts.

If you paste your own text into custom mode, the policy says it stays in your browser's local storage. It isn't sent to Monkeytype's servers as part of your data.

The code agrees with that. When I checked the result format, the custom text part only holds details like the text length and the mode, not the words themselves.

That's useful if you practice with work notes or private writing. Still, I wouldn't paste passwords or anything secret into any website's text box, Monkeytype included.

What Each Test Result Stores

Your saved results hold more than one speed number.

The result format in the code includes your WPM, raw speed, accuracy and consistency. It also stores character counts, the test mode, the language, the date and the test length.

Then come the extras. There's chart data for each second of the test, how many times you restarted, how long you sat idle, and which settings you used, like lazy mode or punctuation.

None of that is personal in the usual sense. It's a detailed record of how you type, tied to your account. Our guide to Monkeytype raw, burst and WPM explains what those numbers mean.

Is Monkeytype a Keylogger?

No. A keylogger records what you type everywhere, often to steal passwords. Monkeytype can't do that.

A website only receives the keys you press while its tab is open and selected. It can't see what you type in another tab or another app.

The test does send timing numbers for your key presses, how long you held each key and the gap before the next one. Those are numbers, not letters. Your saved result keeps only their average and spread.

So it records how fast you type on its test, which is the whole point of a typing test.

Analytics and Crash Reports

Like most sites, Monkeytype runs Google Analytics. The policy says it can collect your IP address, browser type, internet provider, the time of your visit and the pages you came from and went to.

The policy says this data has no personally identifiable information. Some privacy laws, like the EU's, can treat an IP address as personal data, though.

Monkeytype also uses Sentry, a service that reports crashes. It collects details about your device, your browser and the error.

The policy adds that Sentry sometimes includes an anonymized replay of your session. That's a recording of what happened on the page, used to find bugs.

Ads and Tracking Cookies

The ads are where most of the tracking lives.

Monkeytype's ads come from an outside company called Playwire. Before any ads load, the policy says you see a consent form, and your answer decides what information is used for ads.

The policy also mentions a Common ID cookie. It stores a unique user id that Monkeytype's ad partners can access. The policy says this improves user matching, especially for ads on iOS and macOS browsers. The policy offers an opt out link for it.

If you're in the EU, the policy says you can change your ad consent later. It points to the settings page, in the danger zone section, under cookie preferences.

How to Turn the Ads Off

You don't have to live with the ads. The policy calls them optional.

Monkeytype has an ads setting with four choices. Its own description says you can disable or enable ads at any time.

The choices are off, result, on and sellout. Result shows one ad on the result page. On adds floating vertical banners. Sellout adds multiple ads on every page.

Pick off if privacy is your main worry. The ads section of the policy only applies to you if you haven't disabled them.

Do You Need an Account?

No. You can open Monkeytype and start typing straight away.

Without an account, there's no email or user name for the site to keep. You lose your result history and the leaderboards, though, since those need a profile.

If you do sign up, the login page offers Google, GitHub, or an email and password.

Signing in with Google or GitHub means you don't create a new password. An email login works just as well if you'd rather not link those accounts. Either way, the analytics run for every visitor, with or without an account.

Keeping Your Account Secure

The policy says Monkeytype stores your data in a database called MongoDB. It doesn't go into more detail than that.

On your side, the usual rules apply. Use a unique password if you sign up with email, and there's a reset option if you forget it.

The account settings also have an Ape keys tab. Its text says Ape keys let you access certain parts of Monkeytype's API. Treat any key you generate like a password, and delete it if you stop using it.

Monkeytype also has a security policy. It asks anyone who finds a weakness in the site to report it by email.

What Happens If You Cheat

There's one part of the policy most people miss.

If you're found cheating or exploiting the site, Monkeytype may store hashed versions of your user name, email or Discord id. A hash is a scrambled code, used here to stop you from making new accounts.

That hashed data has an exception. The policy says it won't be deleted, even if you ask Monkeytype to erase your data.

The terms of service also ban bots, hacks and cheats. So scripts that type for you can get an account flagged, and that flag can follow you.

How to Delete Your Monkeytype Data

You can remove your account yourself.

Open the account settings and go to the danger zone tab. There are two choices there.

Reset account "completely resets your account to a blank state." Delete account "deletes your account and all data connected to it." Both warn that you can't undo them.

The policy also lists your data rights. You can ask for a copy of your data, ask Monkeytype to correct it, or ask it to erase it, under certain conditions. The contact details sit at the end of the privacy policy.

If you just want a clean start, reset is enough. Delete is for leaving.

My Checklist for Using Monkeytype Safely

Here's what I'd do.

1. 1Type as a guest if you don't need saved results.
2. 2Set ads to off if tracking cookies bother you.
3. 3Never paste secrets into custom mode.
4. 4Use Google, GitHub or a unique password to sign in.
5. 5Delete your account from the danger zone when you're done.

Want to compare your speed on a second site? You can practice on TypingFastest and see how your numbers line up.