# Is Vellum private? Where Vellum keeps your data, and the open-source Kortix answer

> Vellum keeps memory and credentials on your machine or in Vellum Cloud, and its privacy notice says it does not train AI models on your conversations. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, so the code and the whole configuration are yours to read and own.

URL: https://vellumalternative.com/vellum-data-privacy

_In the repo_

## One repo, and every part of the company is a file in it

`kortix project repo`

```
acme-co/         your whole company, as files
agents/          who does the work
skills/          how your company does a job
memory/          what it has learned so far
kortix.yaml      rules, triggers, connectors, machine
```

Source: https://kortix.com

From the Kortix home page: the agents, skills, memory and the rules live in one git repo that is the company.

## What a buyer asks before handing over the files

Before a team hands an assistant its inbox, its notes and its credentials, the real question is where the data goes and who can reach it. Vellum answers part of that on its own pages, and the open-source option answers the rest by putting the configuration where the team can read it.

## Where Vellum keeps memory, credentials and conversations

Vellum describes itself as a personal, secure AI assistant that you fully own. [Its homepage](https://www.vellum.ai/) says the memory and credentials vault live locally on your machine or in the cloud, with none of your data accessible by Vellum unless you opt in. By default the assistant runs locally, and Vellum says conversation history, memory and credentials stay on your machine and are never used to train models.

If you choose Vellum Cloud, Vellum says the assistant runs in an isolated instance provisioned exclusively for you. [Its privacy notice](https://www.vellum.ai/docs/privacy-policy) adds two flows a buyer should read: Vellum collects conversation content to evaluate and improve the service unless you opt out in Settings, and a task that uses a third-party AI provider sends that task's inputs to the provider under the provider's own notice.

## What an open-source system changes

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, and that changes the shape of the answer. Read it, fork it, audit it: the code is public, and the whole configuration is one git repo the team owns, where agents, skills, company memory and connectors are files that version, diff and roll back like code.

Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine. Secrets are encrypted at rest with a key per project. Hosting is a choice: run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-host is free.

## A short checklist before you trust an assistant with work

- Where does memory live, and can you move it?
- Is the code something you can read?
- Which parts of a task leave your network, and to whom?
- Can you self-host it, and what does that cost?

The [Kortix vs Vellum comparison](/kortix-vs-vellum) sets the two products side by side, and [self-hosting](/self-hosting) covers the free path.

_FAQ_

## Vellum privacy questions, answered

Short answers, each from Vellum's own pages or Kortix's docs.

### Is Vellum private?

Vellum says your memory and credentials vault live on your machine or in Vellum Cloud, and that none of your data is accessible to Vellum unless you opt in. Its privacy notice also says conversation content is collected unless you turn that off.

### Does Vellum train on your data?

Vellum's privacy notice says it does not use your conversations to train AI models, and that you can opt in or out of that collection in Settings. Inputs a task sends to a third-party AI provider are governed by that provider's notice.

### Where does Vellum store my data?

By default the assistant runs locally, so conversation history, memory and credentials stay on your machine. If you use Vellum Cloud, Vellum says the assistant runs in an isolated instance provisioned for you.

### Can a team self-host Kortix and own the configuration?

Yes. Self-host is free, and the project is a git repo you own, where agents, skills, memory and connectors are files. Connector credentials are brokered server-side and never enter the machine.

## Own the configuration your team runs on.

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Self-host it for free, or start on the managed cloud.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Self-hosting guide](https://vellumalternative.com/self-hosting)

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem