Q16 Frontier Watch
AI App Privacy Ratings
Every consumer AI app traced through the model behind it. Each carries two scores from 0 (worst) to 10 (best): an App score — the privacy the app’s own policy gives you — and a Model score — the privacy of the AI provider running underneath. Your data gets whichever is weaker; that lower number is the overall rating. Read the full methodology →
The finding: across this cohort, the App score is almost always the lower number. The frontier-model backends behind these apps (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure) are more privacy-protective than the apps riding on them — compare the two columns on any card below. Your privacy isn’t being lost to the AI model underneath. It’s being lost at the app on top.
15.7overall
Microsoft Copilot
assistant
App 5.7 · Model 5.9
2 model choices
Trace the chains — 2 model backends
This app lets you choose which model runs underneath. The App score stays the same whichever you pick — each choice below shows the Model score for that backend. The overall rating uses the default configuration. Switching models can never lift an app above its own App score, though a weak model can pull it lower.
GPT-5.4 (default)Model 5.9default
app5.7Microsoft Copilot — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
host5.9Azure FoundryPolicy-based
provider9.1OpenAI (via Azure Foundry)Policy-based
MAI models (Microsoft's own — voice/image)Model own
app5.7Microsoft Copilot — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
24.9overall
App 4.9 · Model own
runs its own model
How it runs — App (runs its own model)
app4.9Cursor — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app4.8Fathom — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.3OpenAI (direct API)Policy-based
43.9overall
Grammarly
productivity / writing
Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app3.9Grammarly — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
host5.9Azure FoundryPolicy-based
provider9.1OpenAI (via Azure Foundry)Policy-based
53.5overall
Policy-basedMinors 2.0 Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app3.5Manus — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider9.0Anthropic (direct API)Policy-based
Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app3.4Replit — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider9.0Anthropic (direct API)Policy-based
72.3overall
Policy-basedMinors 2.0 Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app2.3GitHub Copilot — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
host5.9Azure FoundryPolicy-based
provider9.1OpenAI (via Azure Foundry)Policy-based
Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app2.2Notion AI — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider9.0Anthropic (direct API)Policy-based
91.9overall
App 1.9 · Model own
runs its own model
How it runs — App (runs its own model)
app1.9Janitor AI — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
101.7overall
App 1.7 · Model own
5 model choices
Trace the chains — 5 model backends
This app lets you choose which model runs underneath. The App score stays the same whichever you pick — each choice below shows the Model score for that backend. The overall rating uses the default configuration. Switching models can never lift an app above its own App score, though a weak model can pull it lower.
Perplexity → GPT-5Model 8.3
app1.7Perplexity — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.3OpenAI (direct API)Policy-based
Perplexity → Sonar (own model)Model owndefault
app1.7Perplexity — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
Perplexity → Claude (Opus/Sonnet)Model 9.0
app1.7Perplexity — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider9.0Anthropic (direct API)Policy-based
Perplexity → Gemini ProModel 6.7
app1.7Perplexity — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider6.7Google (direct API)Policy-based
Perplexity → Grok 4Model 7.6
app1.7Perplexity — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider7.6xAI (direct API)Policy-based
111.6overall
Jasper
marketing / writing
Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app1.6Jasper — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.3OpenAI (direct API)Policy-based
121.6overall
Policy-basedMinors 2.0 Trace the chain — App → Host → Provider
app1.6Poe — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.3OpenAI (direct API)Policy-based
131.6overall
App 1.6 · Model 8.4
6 model choices
Trace the chains — 6 model backends
This app lets you choose which model runs underneath. The App score stays the same whichever you pick — each choice below shows the Model score for that backend. The overall rating uses the default configuration. Switching models can never lift an app above its own App score, though a weak model can pull it lower.
Comet → Sonar (Perplexity's own)Model 8.4default
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.4Perplexity (direct API)Policy-based
Comet → Claude (Opus 4.6 / Sonnet 4.6)Model 9.0
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider9.0Anthropic (direct API)Policy-based
Comet → GPT-5.4Model 8.3
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider8.3OpenAI (direct API)Policy-based
Comet → Gemini 3.1 ProModel 6.7
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider6.7Google (direct API)Policy-based
Comet → Grok 4Model 7.6
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
provider7.6xAI (direct API)Policy-based
Comet → Kimi K2.5Model 1.3
app1.6Comet — app policyPolicy-based
provider1.3Moonshot AI (direct API)Policy-basedsets the score
141.5overall
App 1.5 · Model own
runs its own model
How it runs — App (runs its own model)
app1.5Character.AI — app policyPolicy-basedsets the score
Minors is a separate 0–10 read of how well an app protects under-18 users (age verification, parental controls, minors’-data handling). It is reported alongside the privacy score, not folded into it. How it’s scored →
Verification: Verified = backed by a contract/DPA · Policy-based = from a published policy · Inferred = deduced where the policy is silent · Unverified = not yet assessed. The label reflects confidence in the number, not the number itself.