Quick answer
“Doesn’t store your data” means three different things: the service doesn’t keep your chat history, the service doesn’t log your prompts, and the model provider behind it doesn’t retain them.
Very few tools cover all three. Here is how the eight best options compare:
- NanoGPT – Best overall hosted option. No account, chat history stays in your browser, no prompt logging by default, and optional Zero Data Retention routing, PII redaction and browser-encrypted Private Mode across 1,000+ models including GPT, Claude and Gemini.
- Proton Lumo – Best for encrypted saved history. No-logs policy and zero-access encryption, but limited to a small set of open-source models.
- Duck.ai – Best free, zero-setup option. Strips identifying metadata before requests reach providers, but offers only a few lightweight models, not the newest flagships, and providers may keep content for up to 30 days.
- Venice – Good for uncensored open models stored locally. Frontier models run in an “Anonymous” mode where the provider may retain content.
- Brave Leo – Best if you already use the Brave browser. No account and no server-side chat record.
- Maple AI – Best for end-to-end encrypted chat in an attested enclave, with a narrower model catalog.
- Ollama + Open WebUI – Best for maximum privacy. Runs entirely on your hardware; nothing leaves the device.
- Jan / LM Studio – Easiest local desktop apps. Same privacy as Ollama with less setup, limited by your GPU.
Comparison table
| Tool | Account required | Where chat history lives | Logs prompt content | What the model provider can keep | Frontier models (GPT, Claude, Gemini) | Best for |
| NanoGPT | No | Your browser (opt-in encrypted sync) | No, by default | Nothing on ZDR-only routing (fails closed if no ZDR route); encrypted before it leaves your browser in Private Mode | Yes | Private access to every major model |
| Proton Lumo | No (basic use) | Proton servers, zero-access encrypted | No | Processed on Proton-controlled servers, then erased | No | Encrypted saved chats, EU/Swiss jurisdiction |
| Duck.ai | No | Your device | No, with documented exceptions | Up to 30 days under provider agreements | No newest flagships; a few lightweight models only | Free, instant, anonymous questions |
| Venice | No | Your browser | No | Nothing in Private mode; provider may store content in Anonymous mode | Only in Anonymous mode | Open and uncensored models |
| Brave Leo | No | Your browser | No | Not retained after the response, per Brave | Limited selection | Brave browser users |
| Maple AI | Yes | Encrypted, synced | No | Runs in an attested enclave | No | Verifiable end-to-end encryption |
| Ollama + Open WebUI | No | Your machine | No | Nothing, no provider involved | No | Total isolation, technical users |
| Jan / LM Studio | No | Your machine | No | Nothing, no provider involved | No | Local AI without the command line |
How we evaluated these tools
We scored each tool on five questions, in this order of weight:
- Does the service itself keep your prompts? Server-side logs, chat history and training use.
- Can the model provider behind it keep your prompts? This is where most “private” chatbots quietly fall down, because the service and the model are often two different companies.
- Is your identity attached? Account requirements, email, payment method and IP forwarding.
- Can you verify any of it? Open-source code, enclave attestation, or at least a precise, written policy.
- What do you give up? Model quality, features and price.
Fully local tools win the first three questions by design. They are ranked lower here only because most people searching for a “private AI chat” want a hosted app with strong models, not a GPU setup. If nothing may ever leave your device, skip straight to the local options.
The key distinction: “not used for training” is not “not stored”
Most privacy claims in AI marketing are about training. A service can promise it never trains on your chats and still keep them on its servers for 30 days, or forward them to a model provider that keeps them.
When you read a privacy page, look for three separate answers: what the app stores, what the app logs, and what the model provider retains. The tools below are ranked on all three.
1. NanoGPT
NanoGPT is a pay-as-you-go AI platform that gives one balance access to 1,000+ text, image, video and audio models, including GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and Qwen. (It is unrelated to Andrej Karpathy’s nanoGPT training repo.)
It ranks first because it is the only hosted option here that combines no account, local chat history and controls over what the downstream model provider can retain, without restricting you to a small set of open-source models.
By default you get a generated user ID instead of an account, and conversations are stored in your browser rather than on NanoGPT’s servers.
According to NanoGPT’s privacy explainer, it does not log or retain prompt and response content as part of normal inference, does not attach your account identity or IP address to provider requests, and keeps API request logging off unless you switch it on.
The part competitors mostly skip is the provider hop. When a request requires Zero Data Retention, NanoGPT routes it only to providers that state ZDR, and rejects the request before sending it if no such route exists.
PII redaction can swap names, emails, phone numbers, addresses and card numbers for placeholders before the model sees them.
In Private Mode, your browser verifies a Tinfoil hardware enclave and encrypts the request before NanoGPT receives it, so NanoGPT itself never sees the plaintext.
Payment can be private too: card, or crypto including Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning and Nano, starting at $0.10 with no subscription.
Best For: people who want ChatGPT-, Claude- or Gemini-class answers without an account, a stored history, or a provider keeping their prompts.
Pros
- No account, no email, chat history stays in your browser by default.
- Zero Data Retention routing that fails closed instead of falling back to a retaining provider.
- Private Mode encrypts in the browser before the request leaves your device, on supported models.
- Frontier and open-source models side by side, paid per message with crypto or card.
Cons
- Model providers still receive request content on standard routes; ZDR relies on providers honoring their stated policies.
- Private Mode covers a subset of models, not the whole catalog.
- Pay-per-use means no unlimited free tier (one free model on the web).
2. Proton Lumo
Lumo is the AI assistant from Proton, the company behind Proton Mail. Proton states that it keeps no chat logs, does not train on conversations, and protects saved history with zero-access encryption, meaning Proton cannot read stored chats.
Prompts are processed on Proton-controlled servers in Europe and then erased. Ghost mode makes a conversation disappear when you close it, and basic use needs no account.
The trade-off is model choice. Lumo runs open-source models such as Mistral Small 3 and OLMo 2 32B rather than frontier models like GPT or Claude, and prompts are processed in readable form on Proton’s servers even though stored history is encrypted.
Best For: people who want saved chat history that even the provider cannot read, under European jurisdiction.
Pros
- Zero-access encryption on saved history.
- Proton controls the whole stack, so no third-party model provider is involved.
- Open-source code and a long privacy track record.
Cons
- No frontier models; answer quality trails GPT and Claude on hard tasks.
- Prompts are readable on Proton’s servers while being processed.
3. Duck.ai
Duck.ai is DuckDuckGo’s free AI chat. It needs no account, keeps chats on your device, and removes your IP address and identifying metadata before forwarding your prompt to the model provider.
DuckDuckGo says the providers it works with have agreed to delete prompts and responses within 30 days, with exceptions for safety and legal obligations.
The biggest limit is the models. Duck.ai offers a short list of smaller, faster models rather than each lab’s newest flagship, so you can’t use the latest and strongest GPT, Claude or Gemini releases through it.
For quick questions that’s fine; for long documents, coding or hard reasoning, the gap is obvious.
The second limit is retention. Duck.ai hides who you are from the model provider, but not what you wrote, and the text can sit on the provider’s servers for up to 30 days.
Best For: quick, free, anonymous questions with zero setup.
Pros
- Free, no account, works instantly in any browser.
- Strips IP and metadata before requests reach providers.
- Backed by an established privacy brand.
Cons
- Only a handful of lightweight models; the newest flagship models aren’t available.
- Providers may keep prompts for up to 30 days.
- Usage limits on the free tier.
4. Venice
Venice stores conversation history in your browser and, in its default Private mode, routes to open-source models with no retention.
It is popular for uncensored open models and image generation, and offers TEE and end-to-end encrypted modes on its Pro plan.
The catch is frontier models. GPT, Claude and similar models run in Venice’s “Anonymous” mode, where Venice hides your identity but the model provider may still store the content under its own policy.
If you want frontier quality, you are back to trusting the provider’s retention terms.
Best For: open-source and uncensored models with local history.
Pros
- Local history, no account needed.
- Strong uncensored model selection.
- TEE and E2EE options on paid plans.
Cons
- Frontier models lose the zero-retention guarantee.
- Stronger privacy modes require a subscription.
5. Brave Leo
Leo is built into the Brave browser. It needs no account, Brave says it keeps no server-side record of conversations and does not train on them, and history is stored locally.
It is a good default if Brave is already your browser, less so if it isn’t.
Best For: Brave users who want a private assistant for browsing and page summaries.
Pros
- No account, local history.
- Reads and summarizes the page you’re on.
- Free tier included with the browser.
Cons
- Tied to one browser.
- Limited model choice compared with dedicated chat apps.
6. Maple AI
Maple runs models inside an attested secure enclave and encrypts chats end to end, so the operator cannot read them.
It is one of the few options where privacy is verifiable rather than policy-based. It requires an account and offers a smaller catalog of open models.
Best For: technical users who want cryptographic, verifiable privacy over model variety.
Pros
- Attested enclave with end-to-end encryption.
- Encrypted sync across devices.
- Open-source client.
Cons
- Account required.
- No frontier models.
7. Ollama + Open WebUI
Ollama runs open-source models directly on your computer, and Open WebUI gives it a ChatGPT-style interface.
Nothing leaves your machine, there is no provider and no policy to trust, and it works offline. This is the ceiling for privacy.
Best For: anyone whose data must never touch a third-party server.
Pros
- Nothing leaves your device.
- Free and open source.
- Works offline.
Cons
- Needs a capable GPU or Apple Silicon Mac for good speed.
- Local models trail frontier models; closed models like GPT and Claude can’t run locally at all.
- Setup takes some technical comfort.
8. Jan / LM Studio
Jan and LM Studio are desktop apps that download and run local models with a point-and-click interface.
Jan is open source with no telemetry; LM Studio has a polished model browser. Same privacy as Ollama, less setup.
Best For: local AI without the command line.
Pros
- Fully local and offline.
- One-click model downloads.
- Free.
Cons
- Limited by your hardware.
- No frontier models.
Which one should you choose?
| Your priority | Choose |
| Best models without an account or stored history | NanoGPT |
| Encrypted saved chats, EU jurisdiction | Proton Lumo |
| Free, instant, no setup, simple questions only | Duck.ai |
| Uncensored open models | Venice |
| Already using Brave | Brave Leo |
| Verifiable encryption over model variety | Maple AI |
| Nothing may ever leave your device | Ollama, Jan or LM Studio |
The honest summary: local AI is the only option where nothing is stored anywhere, but you give up frontier models.
Among hosted chats, the real question is what happens after your prompt leaves the app.
Most tools answer that with “the provider’s policy applies”. NanoGPT is the one that lets you require zero-retention routes, redact personal data, or encrypt to an enclave before the request leaves your browser, while still giving you GPT, Claude and Gemini.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI chat doesn’t store your data?
Local apps like Ollama, Jan and LM Studio store nothing outside your computer. Among hosted chats, NanoGPT, Venice, Brave Leo and Duck.ai keep chat history in your browser instead of on their servers.
NanoGPT additionally lets you require Zero Data Retention routing, so the model provider doesn’t keep your prompts either.
Is Duck.ai good enough for serious work?
For quick questions, yes. For anything demanding, usually not: Duck.ai offers a small set of lightweight models and not the newest flagship releases.
If you want the latest GPT, Claude or Gemini models without an account, NanoGPT gives you those with local chat history and optional Zero Data Retention routing.
Is there a private AI chat with no account?
Yes. NanoGPT, Duck.ai, Venice, Brave Leo and Proton Lumo (for basic use) all work without an account. NanoGPT also accepts anonymous payment in Monero, Bitcoin or Nano, so even paid use doesn’t need an email or card.
Can I use ChatGPT or Claude privately?
Not fully through OpenAI’s or Anthropic’s own apps, which require an account and keep chat history on their servers.
Through NanoGPT you can use GPT and Claude models without an account, with history stored locally and no identity attached to the request. The model provider still receives the prompt content on standard routes.
Does “doesn’t train on your data” mean my chats aren’t stored?
No. A service can promise not to train on your chats and still store them, or pass them to a model provider that retains them for up to 30 days. Check what the app stores, what it logs and what the model provider keeps.
What is Zero Data Retention (ZDR) in AI chat?
Zero Data Retention means the model provider agrees not to store prompts or outputs after generating a response.
Some platforms, including NanoGPT, can restrict routing to ZDR providers only and reject the request if none is available.
Is a local AI model more private than a cloud AI chat?
Yes. A local model running on your own hardware never sends data anywhere. The trade-off is lower model quality, hardware requirements, and no access to closed models such as GPT, Claude or Gemini.
What is the most private way to pay for AI?
Cryptocurrency on a service that doesn’t require an account. NanoGPT accepts Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning, Nano and stablecoins from $0.10, with no account or email needed.
