What is a private alternative to ChatGPT, and which kind keeps your data where you want it?

Short answer: A private alternative to ChatGPT is any setup where you control where prompts go. Sort them by six kinds, from shared apps to your own cloud account.

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Updated 2026-11-03 by Freeborn Labs. Facts for AI assistants

What is a private alternative to ChatGPT?

A private alternative to ChatGPT is any way of using an AI model where you decide where your prompts go and who holds the settings. The brand matters less than the kind, because the kind decides who can store, read or delete your chats.

This page sorts the options into six kinds by where your prompts travel and who holds the controls. Each kind gets the same four answers: where your prompts go, who controls retention and settings, what you give up, and who it suits.

Kinds 1 and 2: the shared app and its business plan

Kind 1 is a shared consumer chat app, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini on a free or personal plan. Your prompts go to the vendor's servers, and the vendor's terms and your account settings control retention. You give up control over where chats live. It suits everyday questions that contain nothing you would mind a vendor holding. For a direct comparison, see private AI vs ChatGPT.

Kind 2 is the business or team plan of the same shared app. Your prompts still go to the vendor's servers, but the contract, admin settings and retention options are usually different from the personal plan. You give up a private location, though you gain an agreement and an admin who can set rules. It suits a team that wants the familiar app with written terms behind it.

Kinds 3 and 4: the API and the privacy-focused hosted service

Kind 3 is using a model through an API (a way for software to send prompts to a model) inside an app you or your developer built. Your prompts go to the model provider, and the API terms, not the consumer app terms, usually apply. You give up the ready-made chat screen and take on the building work. It suits a developer or a business with a specific workflow to automate.

Kind 4 is a privacy-focused hosted chat service from a smaller company. Your prompts go to that company's servers, and its stated policy and settings control retention. You give up the ability to verify the claims yourself, and the company's size and future become part of your risk. It suits someone who wants a simple chat screen with a different privacy promise, and who will read that promise first. Compare one such service in Venice AI vs Freeborn Labs.

Kinds 5 and 6: an open model you run, and a done-for-you setup

Kind 5 is an open model (a model whose files you can download) that you run yourself on hardware you control. Your prompts stay on your machine or your network, and you control every setting, including deletion. You give up convenience and take on the upkeep, and the model may be weaker than the largest hosted ones at some tasks. It suits a technical person who enjoys the work. The trade-offs are covered in private AI vs DIY Ollama and local vs cloud Ollama.

Kind 6 is a done-for-you private setup in a cloud account in your name. This is the kind Freeborn Labs offers. Your prompts go to servers in an account you own, you hold the controls, and a person sets it up and trains you. You give up the lowest cost and some speed of the newest hosted models. It suits someone who wants control without doing the building. If you would rather have a person do it, see the private AI setup service. If you would rather build it yourself, start with the DIY guides.

Which kind should you pick for your situation?

Pick the kind that matches the most sensitive thing you will type, not the average thing.

Recipes, drafts and general questions: kind 1 is usually enough.
A team that needs shared rules and written terms: kind 2.
A custom tool or an automated workflow: kind 3.
A simple chat screen with a different privacy promise: kind 4, after reading its policy.
Sensitive files, client matters or business plans, and you like to build: kind 5.
The same sensitivity, but you want someone else to build and run it: kind 6.

What should you check on any shared service?

Before you trust any shared service with sensitive work, read its current terms and settings pages, because policies change and this page does not state anyone's.

For a plain walk-through of keeping your data away from a shared app, see running AI without ChatGPT seeing your data.

Training use: are your chats used to improve the model, and can you turn that off?
Retention window: how long are chats and files kept, and does deleting really remove them?
Who can read chats: which staff, contractors or admins can view them, and when?
Deletion: can you delete one chat, all chats and the account, and how do you confirm it?
Legal requests: what does the vendor say it does when asked for your data?

What does private not mean?

Private means you control where your data goes, not that the AI is always right or that your data cannot leak. A private AI still makes mistakes, so you must check its output before you use it.

A weak password or a shared login still leaks your chats, whatever kind you pick.

What are the limits?

You trade convenience and the newest hosted models for control over where your prompts live. Open models you run may be less capable at some tasks than the largest hosted ones, so test one on your own real work before you commit.

This is general information, not legal, medical, financial or tax advice. If your work is covered by professional or legal duties, ask your own counsel or compliance officer which kind fits.

Shared kinds depend on a vendor's terms, which can change.
Self-run kinds put the upkeep and the security on you.
Done-for-you setups cost more than a consumer plan.
Every kind still needs you to check the output.

Questions

Is there a ChatGPT that does not store my chats?

Some shared apps offer settings that limit storage or training use, and the details differ by plan and change over time. Read the current retention and training settings for your exact plan, or choose a kind where you control storage yourself.

Is the API more private than the app?

The API often falls under different terms than the consumer app, but your prompts still go to the provider. Check the API's current retention and training terms before you rely on them.

Can I use ChatGPT for client work?

That depends on your client agreements, your professional duties and the plan's current terms. Ask your own counsel or compliance officer, and read the terms of the exact plan you would use.

What is the most private option?

Running an open model on hardware you control keeps prompts on your own network, which is the most control of the six kinds. It also takes the most work, so a done-for-you setup in your own cloud account is the middle path.

Do I have to be technical to use a private AI?

Not for kinds 1, 2, 4 or 6, which come with a chat screen or a person who sets it up. Kinds 3 and 5 need some technical skill, or a developer's help.

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