Your recordings stay on your machine.
Most clip tools make you upload everything to their cloud first. Castpilot doesn't. It runs on your computer, so your raw footage never has to leave it — and that changes what you can safely make.
Here's exactly what happens — and what doesn't
No vague promises. This is the real path your recording takes.
All of this runs on your computer. Your files stay put.
that leaves →
Used to pick the best moments and (optionally) write your copy. Not your video. Not your audio.
And the transcript that does go out isn't training anything: under Anthropic's API terms, your inputs aren't used to train their models and are deleted within about 30 days. (That's the API — not the consumer Claude app.)
To improve the app we look at anonymous, content-free usage stats — which features run, how fast, what crashed — never your recordings, transcripts, or output. It's off in Offline Mode, and you can turn it off anytime.
Need zero cloud, period — for an NDA, a clinic, or a congregation? A fully offline mode (which turns off the clip-finding step too) is on the roadmap. Tell us what you need.
It runs on your machine
Castpilot is a desktop app, not a website you upload to. The edit, the clips, the captions, and the export all happen locally. Your media library never gets copied to someone else's server.
Your files don't leave by default
There's no cloud bucket filling up with your raw footage. Your originals stay where they are, on your drive, under your control.
Only a transcript leaves, to find clips
Transcription runs on your machine. The one thing that goes out is a text transcript plus a few thumbnail frames, sent to Claude to pick the best moments and (optionally) write your copy. Never your video or audio, never stored, never used to train models.
Cloud render — only if you choose it
Rendering happens on your machine by default, free and unlimited. If you opt into cloud render for a long episode or a slow laptop, the upload is encrypted in transit and at rest, rendered, then auto-deleted — we never keep your media. Confidential footage can stay local and never leave at all.
You're in control
You decide what runs locally and what's allowed to use the cloud. Nothing is published anywhere until you say so.
Privacy isn't a setting you turn on. It's how the app is built.
Privacy questions
- Do you store my recordings?
- No. Castpilot processes your media on your computer. We don't upload, keep, or back up your audio and video — that's on your drive, where it started.
- My guest is under NDA. Is that a problem?
- This is exactly why local-first matters. The recording stays on your machine through the edit. Nothing about the conversation has to touch an outside server for the core work.
- What about cloud render — does my video leave then?
- Only if you choose it. Rendering on your own machine is the default and your files never leave. If you opt into cloud render (for speed, a long episode, or an old laptop), the upload is encrypted in transit and at rest, rendered, and then deleted right after — nothing is kept or used to train models. For NDA or client footage, keep it local; it never leaves.
- What about transcription and the written copy?
- Transcription runs locally on your machine — your audio doesn't leave for that. The only outbound data is the resulting transcript plus a few thumbnail frames, sent to Claude to find clips and (optionally) draft your copy. Your media stays put, nothing is stored, and your content isn't used to train any model.
- Does Claude train on what gets sent?
- No. The transcript and thumbnails go through the Anthropic API, not the consumer Claude app — and under the API's terms, your inputs and outputs aren't used to train their models and are deleted within about 30 days. The "they train on your data" concern people have is about the free consumer chatbot, which is a different product. For organizations that need nothing retained at all, a zero-retention arrangement is possible — ask us.
- Can it run with zero cloud at all?
- Almost everything already runs offline — editing, transcription, captions, reframing, and export. The one cloud step is the AI clip-finder (and, optionally, the copywriting). A fully offline mode that turns those off too — for air-gapped or strict-compliance setups like a clinic, a firm, or a congregation — is on the roadmap. Clip-finding gets simpler without the cloud, which is a fine trade for most training and internal content. Tell us if you need it.
- Do you collect any analytics?
- Only anonymous, content-free usage stats — which features run, how fast they are, what crashed — so we can fix and improve the app. Never your recordings, transcripts, clips, or copy. It's off in Offline Mode and you can turn it off anytime.
- Is my payment information safe?
- Billing is handled by a dedicated payment processor. We never see or store your full card number.
- Where can I read the details?
- The Privacy Policy lays out exactly what's collected and why. It's written in plain language, not legalese.
Make the show you couldn't put on someone else's cloud.
No card. Your files stay on your machine. Always.
Prefer to see the numbers first? See plans & pricing →