Last updated: July 30, 2026
Vanilla Chat is a local-first application. We do not collect, store, transmit, or process any of your personal data. This applies to both the web version and the upcoming desktop application.
Vanilla Chat runs entirely on your own machine. The application connects only to your local Ollama instance (running on localhost). No data leaves your computer — whether you're using the web version or the desktop version.
We do not collect any information about you, your device, your conversations, or your usage patterns. There are no analytics, no telemetry, no tracking scripts, and no third-party services embedded in any version of the application.
The desktop app is built on Gelectron, an open-source Electron replacement. It runs entirely on your machine with no network access beyond what you explicitly configure (your local Ollama instance). Gelectron does not include any telemetry, analytics, or data collection of its own.
Your chat conversations are saved as Markdown files in a local data/conversations/ directory on your machine. These files never leave your computer unless you explicitly copy or share them yourself.
Any files you upload (images, documents, etc.) are stored locally on your machine. Images may be compressed using the sharp library on your local server. No uploads are transmitted to any external service.
Vanilla Chat does not embed any third-party services, trackers, or analytics. The only external connection made is to your local Ollama instance. When fetching models or streaming responses, all communication stays within your local network.
Vanilla Chat is open-source software (MIT licensed). You are free to inspect, audit, and modify the source code to verify that no data collection occurs. The complete source code will be published on GitHub. Gelectron is also MIT licensed and open source.
If this policy changes in the future, the updated date will be reflected at the top of this document. Since the application is open source, any privacy-relevant changes will also be visible in the commit history.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, you can open an issue on the project's GitHub repository.
MIT License · Vanilla Chat