Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026

Overview

Vidgest is designed with privacy at its core. Your transcripts, AI results, and preferences are stored locally on your Mac. When you use AI features, Vidgest sends transcript text to AI providers for processing — either through our servers (free and Pro tiers) or directly to your chosen provider (Max). Vidgest collects anonymous usage analytics (see Analytics section below) and uses an anonymous device identifier for rate limiting.

What We Collect

Vidgest generates an anonymous device identifier (a SHA-256 hash of your hardware UUID, stored in your Mac's Keychain) used for rate limiting and anonymous analytics. This hash cannot be reversed or linked to your identity, Apple ID, or any personal information. Vidgest collects anonymous usage events (app launches, transcript fetch outcomes, AI analysis usage, export format usage) to improve the app — no video URLs, transcript content, or personal data is included. When you use AI analysis (Free/Pro tiers), anonymous token usage metrics (token counts, model name) are sent to our servers for cost monitoring. If you choose to submit feedback through the app, your message text, selected category, app version, and macOS version are sent to our servers. Feedback is anonymous — no personal data is attached.

Video Data

Vidgest accesses publicly available caption and metadata information from video platforms — the same data your browser receives when visiting a video page. No third-party account or API key is required. Vidgest is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any video platform. Video URLs you process are stored locally on your device only.

AI Analysis

Vidgest offers AI analysis through two paths: (1) Free and Pro tiers: Transcript text is sent to Vidgest servers, which forward it to Google Gemini for processing. We do not store transcript content — it is forwarded in real time and discarded. (2) Max: Transcript text is sent directly from your Mac to your chosen AI provider (Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, or OpenAI). Vidgest servers are not involved. In both cases, refer to Google's, Anthropic's, and OpenAI's respective privacy policies for their data handling practices.

Data Processing Location

Vidgest servers are hosted in the United States (AWS us-east-1, Virginia). When you use AI analysis on the Free or Pro tier, transcript text is processed by our servers in the United States and forwarded to Google’s Gemini API. This data is processed in transit and is not stored. For users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with data transfer restrictions, these transfers are supported by the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework adequacy decision and, where applicable, Standard Contractual Clauses.

API Keys

If you use your own API keys (Max), they are stored securely in the macOS Keychain, encrypted by the operating system and accessible only to Vidgest. Keys are never transmitted anywhere except directly to the respective AI provider's API endpoint. Free and Pro tier users do not need API keys.

Local File Processing

When you import audio or video files for transcription, all speech recognition (Whisper) happens entirely on your device using Apple's Neural Engine. Your audio and video files are never uploaded to our servers or any third party. However, if you use AI analysis features on the resulting transcript, the transcript text (not the audio) may be sent to AI providers as described in the AI Analysis section above. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to process any files you import.

Analytics

Vidgest collects fully anonymous usage analytics to improve the app. This includes app launch events, transcript fetch outcomes (success/fail), AI analysis usage (started/completed/failed), export format usage, onboarding interactions, paywall impressions, purchase events (plan name only — no payment details), and service status changes. All analytics are anonymous and cannot be linked to your identity. Each event is associated with an anonymous device hash (a one-way SHA-256 of your hardware identifier) — this cannot be reversed or linked to your identity. No video URLs, transcript content, or personal information is included in analytics data. Analytics data is sent to Vidgest servers (AWS us-east-1) and retained for up to 365 days. Vidgest does not use any third-party analytics SDKs or advertising frameworks. We do not share analytics data with third parties. Vidgest also uses Apple’s MetricKit framework to receive anonymous, aggregated performance metrics and crash diagnostics provided by the operating system.

Purchases

In-app purchases are processed entirely by Apple through StoreKit. Vidgest never sees, handles, or stores your payment information.

Data Storage & Retention

All app data — transcripts, AI analysis results, and preferences — is stored locally on your Mac. You can delete all data at any time from Settings. No data is synced to external services.

For data processed on our servers: the anonymous device identifier used for rate limiting is automatically deleted after 35 days. Feedback submissions are retained for up to one year for product improvement purposes and then automatically deleted. Support emails are retained for as long as needed to resolve your inquiry.

Third-Party Services

Vidgest communicates only with: (1) Video platform servers to fetch publicly available captions and metadata, (2) Vidgest servers for free-tier and Pro AI analysis, anonymous usage analytics, and anonymous usage metrics, (3) Your chosen AI provider's API when you initiate AI analysis with your own API key (Max tier only). No other external services are contacted.

Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Vidgest follows a data-minimization approach. The anonymous device identifier used for rate limiting cannot be linked to your identity. Because no personal information is gathered through the app, there is no personal data to access, export, correct, or delete. If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or California, your rights under the GDPR and CCPA are respected through this approach. If you have questions or concerns about your data, contact us at support@vidgest.com.

Children's Privacy

Vidgest does not knowingly collect any information from children under 13. The app does not require or collect personal information from any user.

Changes to This Policy

If we update this privacy policy, the changes will be included in the next app update and posted on this page. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect the most recent revision.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy can be directed to: support@vidgest.com