Privacy Policy
Last updated: 15 May 2026
The short version. ClusteRSS doesn't collect your data. There is no server. There are no analytics. There are no ads. There is nothing to log into and nothing to log out of.
Your subscription list, articles and reading state live on your device and — if you enable iCloud sync — in your own iCloud account. The app talks directly to the publishers whose RSS feeds you've added, and, if you opt in, to an Ollama server you run yourself. That's it.
The longer version below explains exactly where data goes and why.
What ClusteRSS stores
ClusteRSS stores the following on your device:
- Your subscription list — the RSS/Atom feed URLs you've added, the folders you've organized them into, and per-feed settings such as Reader Mode preferences.
- Articles — the headlines, summaries and bodies the app downloads from the feeds you've subscribed to. This is the same content the publisher sends to any RSS reader.
- Reading state — which articles you've read, starred or saved to Read Later.
- Cluster assignments — which articles ClusteRSS has grouped together into stories.
- AI summaries — when you generate one, the resulting text is saved alongside the article.
- Settings — your preferences for theme, accent color, font, swipe actions, badge style and so on.
If you've enabled iCloud sync, all of the above also lives in your own iCloud account so it can be shared between your devices.
ClusteRSS does not store:
- Personal information such as your name, email address, phone number or location.
- Identifiers that link your data to you across services.
- Any browsing or usage analytics.
Where data goes when ClusteRSS makes a network request
ClusteRSS makes a small number of network requests, all of which are necessary for the app to function:
- To publishers' RSS feeds — to download new articles. Whoever you've subscribed to receives a request from your device. This is the same request any RSS reader makes; we don't intermediate it or log it.
- To publishers' websites — when you turn on Reader Mode for an article, ClusteRSS fetches the article's webpage from the publisher's site to extract the full text. The request goes directly from your device to the publisher.
- To Apple's iCloud — if you've enabled iCloud sync, your subscription list and reading state replicate to and from your iCloud account. This is governed by Apple's iCloud privacy practices.
- To your Ollama server, only if you've configured one — if you've enabled the "Your own server" AI option in Settings → AI and entered an Ollama server URL, ClusteRSS will send pairs of article titles and excerpts to that server when clustering or summarizing. The server is yours; the data goes to a destination you control.
ClusteRSS does not:
- Send any data to a developer-operated server. There is no developer-operated server.
- Use third-party analytics, tracking or advertising SDKs.
- Send crash reports, telemetry or diagnostic data anywhere.
- Read or share your iCloud account identity with anyone.
On-device AI (the default)
Out of the box, ClusteRSS uses Apple's built-in on-device language model to decide which articles cover the same story and to generate optional article summaries.
This processing happens entirely on your device. The article text never leaves your phone for these features in the default configuration.
Your own Ollama server (optional)
If you choose to run your own Ollama server and enable the "Your own server" option in Settings → AI, ClusteRSS will route AI requests to that server instead of, or in addition to, the on-device model. The data sent in those requests includes article titles and short excerpts — typically 200–300 words combined per pair.
Because the Ollama server is yours, what happens to that data after it reaches the server is governed by your setup, not by ClusteRSS.
If you provide an API key for an authenticated Ollama deployment, that key is stored in your device's Keychain, managed by the operating system, and is sent only to the Ollama server URL you configured.
Children's privacy
ClusteRSS is not directed at children under 13. If you're a parent or guardian and you believe your child has provided information through ClusteRSS in a way that surprises you, please get in touch — though as described above, we don't actually receive any personal data from anyone.
Data retention and deletion
Because all your data lives on your device and in your iCloud account, you control retention and deletion:
- To delete article data on a specific device, delete the app from that device.
- To delete the data from your iCloud account, open iCloud settings on any device and remove ClusteRSS data from iCloud sync.
- To delete data on an Ollama server you've configured, refer to your server's own data management.
Changes to this policy
If we update this policy, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will change. Material changes will be communicated in the app's release notes.
Contact
For questions about this policy or about ClusteRSS in general, email [email protected].