A private AI chatbot is one that doesn't train on your chats, keeps little or nothing on its servers, or runs entirely on your own computer. The honest catch: most privacy promises are the company's own word, and only a model running on your device keeps your prompts off someone else's machine.
Here's the part most people don't realise: the big mainstream chatbots aren't private by default. OpenAI's own help centre says ChatGPT may use your conversations to train its models unless you switch off a setting called Improve the model for everyone. It's one toggle, and most people have never opened that menu.
The three levels of private
| Level | What happens to your chat | Examples | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud chatbot with training switched off | Your chat goes to the company's servers and can stay in your history, but it isn't used for training once you opt out | ChatGPT with Improve the model for everyone off, Mistral Vibe with data sharing off | People who want the big, polished assistants and are fine with a company holding their history |
| Privacy-first cloud chatbot | Still processed on a server, but the company says it keeps no logs, strips identifying details or stores history only on your device | Proton Lumo, DuckDuckGo Duck.ai, Brave Leo, Venice | Everyday questions you'd rather not tie to your name or account |
| Fully local chatbot | The model runs on your own computer; once it's downloaded, your prompts don't leave the machine | Ollama, LM Studio, Jan, GPT4All | Client documents, sensitive drafts and offline use, if your laptop has enough memory |
The catch people miss: "we don't train on your chats" isn't the same as "we don't keep your chats". OpenAI says a Temporary Chat isn't used to improve its models, yet a copy may still be kept for up to 30 days for safety reasons. Always look for both promises, not just one.
Privacy-first cloud services sit in the middle. They can't promise what a local model can, because your words still travel to a server for the answer. What they do is cut the trail: no account in some cases, no IP address passed on, no training, and history kept on your device or encrypted so the company can't read it.
10 private AI chatbots, in no particular order
This list is in no particular order and there's no winner. Each one suits a different person, so pick by the level you need from the table above.
- Proton Lumo: best for people already using Proton Mail or Proton Drive who want an assistant with a no-logs policy and encrypted saved chats.
- DuckDuckGo Duck.ai: best for quick, anonymous questions to well-known models, with your IP address removed before the prompt is passed on.
- Brave Leo: best for Brave browser users who want help summarising the page in front of them, with no sign-up on the free version.
- Venice: best for people who want their chat history kept in their own browser rather than on the company's servers.
- Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat): best for anyone who prefers a European company and is happy to switch off data sharing in the settings.
- Ollama: best for people comfortable typing a few commands who want to run open models on their own computer. My step-by-step Ollama guide walks through the setup.
- LM Studio: best for running local models in a friendly desktop app with a built-in model browser. See how to use LM Studio if you're starting from zero.
- Jan: best for an open-source desktop app that looks like a normal chatbot but keeps everything on your machine.
- GPT4All: best for chatting with your own local documents on an everyday laptop.
- ChatGPT with Temporary Chat and training off: best for people who need ChatGPT's features but want fewer chats saved and none used for training.
A quick word on the local three. They're free to download, but the model itself has to come down to your computer first, and bigger models need more memory. Start with a small model, see how fast it answers on your machine, then try a larger one if you've got room.
Settings to change in any chatbot today
Whatever you use, these steps take a few minutes and close the biggest gaps.
- Find the training switch. In ChatGPT it's Settings, then Data controls, then Improve the model for everyone. In Mistral's app it's under Data & Account Controls, where you untick Enable data sharing. In other tools, look for anything mentioning training, data sharing or model improvement.
- Use the temporary mode for one-off sensitive questions. ChatGPT calls it Temporary and you pick it when you open a new chat. It stays out of your history unless you save it.
- Turn off memory if you don't want a profile building up. Memory makes answers more personal because the bot remembers details about you. That's useful for some people and the opposite of what you want for others.
- Skip the thumbs up and down on private chats. Mistral says rating a reply can let it use that conversation to improve its models even after you've opted out. Other tools have similar rules in their terms.
- Delete chats you no longer need. Old history is the thing most likely to leak if your account is ever compromised.
- Check what's connected. Email, cloud drives and calendar connections widen what a chatbot can read. OpenAI notes that data sent to a third party through a GPT action follows that third party's privacy policy, not OpenAI's.
App menus change often. If a menu name above looks different on your screen, search the app's settings for the word "data" or "training" and it'll usually come straight up.
What never to paste into any AI, private or not
Even a local model sits on a laptop that gets backed up, synced and sometimes lost. Keep these out of every chatbot:
- Passwords, recovery codes, API keys and anything that opens an account
- Card numbers, bank details and full ID or passport numbers
- Other people's personal details, such as a client list, a customer complaint with names, or a colleague's health information, unless you've got permission and a good reason
- Contracts, financial results or product plans covered by a confidentiality agreement
- Screenshots that show more than you meant to share, like open tabs, notifications or email addresses in the corner
If you need help with a sensitive document, strip it first. Swap real names for "Client A", remove figures that identify the business, and paste only the paragraph you need help with. You'll get the same quality of answer with a fraction of the risk.
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How to choose in one minute
Ask yourself one question: would it matter if a stranger read this chat? If the answer is no, any mainstream assistant with training switched off is fine. If it's "I'd rather they didn't", use a privacy-first cloud tool. If it's "that would be a real problem", run it locally or don't put it in an AI at all.
Searching the web privately is a separate question from chatting privately. If you're weighing up DuckDuckGo for both, my look at whether DuckDuckGo is safe covers what it does and doesn't protect.
My verdict
I'd switch off training in whatever chatbot you already use today, because that's the biggest win for the least effort. For anything involving clients or money, I'd keep a local model like LM Studio or Ollama on the laptop and use that instead.
Make a private AI chatbot? See how to get it featured on this list.
Frequently asked questions
Is any AI chatbot completely private?
Only a model running on your own device keeps your prompts away from other people's servers. Cloud chatbots, even privacy-first ones, rely on the company keeping its promises about logs, training and storage.
Does ChatGPT train on my chats?
It can, unless you turn off Improve the model for everyone in Settings under Data controls. Temporary chats aren't used for training while they stay temporary, although OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety.
Is Duck.ai private?
DuckDuckGo says it removes your IP address and other identifying details before your prompt reaches the model provider, and that providers have agreed not to train on Duck.ai chats. It's a strong option for anonymous everyday questions, but it's still a cloud service.
Do I need a powerful computer to run a local chatbot?
Not to get started. Smaller open models run on many recent laptops, while larger ones need more memory and answer more slowly on modest machines. Try a small model first and move up if your computer copes.
