Meta AI collects 33 of 35 possible data types, the most of any top 10 AI chatbot app on the Apple App Store, according to a Surfshark analysis published March 24, 2026. The figure equals nearly 95 percent of the total categories tracked.

All ten apps analyzed collect some form of user data. The average is 14 data types per app, and 70 percent of the apps collect users' locations. Meta AI is the only app that collects financial information. Along with Google Gemini, it also collects categories Surfshark classes as sensitive, such as ethnicity, religious beliefs, and biometric data.

Google Gemini collects 23 data types, including precise location, which only Gemini, Meta AI, Copilot, and Perplexity collect. ChatGPT may now collect 17 of the 35 types according to its developer's App Store disclosure, a 70 percent increase from 10 types in the prior year's review. The added categories include coarse location, health and fitness, search history, audio data, advertising data, and customer support.

Claude's disclosure remains at 13 of 35 data types, each listed as necessary for app functionality, although 10 of them may also be used for analytics and 7 for the developer's advertising or marketing. DeepSeek collects 13 types and stores data on servers in China. Surfshark cited The Hacker News in noting that DeepSeek previously leaked more than 1 million records of chat history and API keys.

The comparison relies on the privacy labels developers submit to the App Store and on published privacy policies. Surfshark is a privacy software company based outside the United States, and the chart covers apps available to U.S. users.

Source: Surfshark - https://surfshark.com/research/chart/ai-chatbots-privacy