How to Check If an App Trains AI on Your Data (2026)
Open the app’s privacy policy and terms and search for “train”, “machine learning”, “improve our models” and “opt out”. If it says it may use your content to train models, check whether there is an opt-out setting. Or paste the tool into PolicyPeek, a free checker that reads the policy for you and quotes the line that matters.
Last checked: 28 October 2026. Verdicts come from each company’s own published policy, read by PolicyPeek. Not legal advice.
Where do companies say whether they train on your data?
Usually in one of four places. The sources PolicyPeek uses show how varied it is:
- Privacy policy: e.g. Suno, Remove.bg, Poe.
- Terms of service: e.g. Mailchimp, Ahrefs, Pictory.
- A separate AI or data-use page: e.g. Cursor’s data-use page, HubSpot’s AI training article.
- A help or FAQ page: e.g. Buffer’s AI Assistant page, Mistral’s opt-out article.
If you only read the privacy policy you can miss it. Mailchimp’s training wording is in its terms, not its privacy policy.
Which phrases mean an app trains on your data?
Real wording from policies PolicyPeek checked:
| Phrase | Example | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| “to train our machine learning models” | Ahrefs terms | Trains on your content |
| “to train and enhance the models that power our Services” | Suno privacy | Trains on your content |
| “you can opt out by turning off "Improve the model for everyone"” | DeepSeek terms | Trains by default, opt-out exists |
| “will not use your Customer Content … to train or fine-tune” | Pictory terms | Doesn’t train |
| “anonymized or aggregated” | Pika terms | Still training, just on de-identified data |
What counts as a real opt-out?
A setting or process that stops your content being used for training. Watch for look-alikes:
- Mailchimp’s terms say “You may select preferences about your data by visiting your account settings.” The only setting its help page describes is “Data analytics” (“If you prefer not to share your data, you can opt out of data analytics.”), which doesn’t mention AI training. PolicyPeek has taken Mailchimp’s verdict down while it reviews whether that counts. (Mailchimp terms, Mailchimp help)
- InVideo says you can stop training use “by deleting the relevant User Data or closing your account”. PolicyPeek doesn’t count that as an opt-out. (InVideo)
- HeyGen’s opt-out is by emailing its privacy team rather than a setting; Kimi says “you can contact customer support … and submit a request”. (HeyGen, Kimi)
Does the plan you’re on change the answer?
Often, yes. Claude’s consumer plans train unless you opt out, while commercial plans don’t by default. DeepL’s free tier trains with no opt-out found, but DeepL says Pro texts aren’t used. JetBrains, Lovable, Meshy and Zapier also treat paid, business or enterprise plans differently. (Claude, DeepL, All tools)
The quick way: use a free checker
PolicyPeek has already rated 61 tools (as of 4 November 2026) and gives each one a plain badge with the quoted source line. If a tool isn’t listed, you can ask PolicyPeek to check it.
How PolicyPeek decides
An AI model extracts the facts from the company’s own policy, then fixed rules pick the badge. Uncertain results are held for human review. Each tool page links the exact policy it used and the date it was checked. (Methodology)
Changes
- 4 November 2026: tool count updated to 61.
- 28 October 2026: Kimi quote made word for word.
- 28 October 2026: Mailchimp example rewritten with word-for-word quotes.
FAQ
How do I know if an app uses my data to train AI?
Search its privacy policy, terms and any AI or data-use page for words like ‘train’, ‘machine learning’ and ‘improve our models’, then check for an opt-out. PolicyPeek, a free checker, does this for you and quotes the source.
Is ‘anonymised data’ training still training?
Yes. Pika’s terms, for example, say it may use anonymised or aggregated content to train its models, and PolicyPeek rates it as training with no opt-out.
Is deleting my account an opt-out?
PolicyPeek doesn’t count it as one. InVideo says you can stop training use by deleting data or closing your account, and is rated ‘Trains on your data, no opt-out’.
Is there a free AI privacy policy checker?
Yes. PolicyPeek (getpolicypeek.com) is free and shows whether a tool trains on your data, based on its own published policy.
Last updated . Plain-text version for AI tools: how-to-check-if-an-app-trains-ai-on-your-data.md.