2021.AI (GRACE)

Danish on-premise sovereign AI platform with built-in governance

deepset (Haystack)

German AI company behind Haystack — the open-source framework for building production RAG and agent applications

2021.AI (GRACE)

Excellent

23/25

deepset (Haystack)

Excellent

24/25

Score Breakdown

Dimension2021.AI (GRACE)deepset (Haystack)

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

2021.AI (GRACE): Fully on-premise or air-gapped; data never leaves customer infrastructure

deepset (Haystack): EU hosting available for managed platform. On-premises and air-gapped deployments fully supported. Open-source framework runs entirely locally with zero external data flow.

5/5

Fully on-premise or air-gapped; data never leaves customer infrastructure

5/5

EU hosting available for managed platform. On-premises and air-gapped deployments fully supported. Open-source framework runs entirely locally with zero external data flow.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

2021.AI (GRACE): Danish ApS under EU law; not subject to US jurisdiction

deepset (Haystack): German GmbH, fully under EU law. Berlin headquarters. No US parent company. Investors include EU and US VCs but corporate governance remains German.

5/5

Danish ApS under EU law; not subject to US jurisdiction

5/5

German GmbH, fully under EU law. Berlin headquarters. No US parent company. Investors include EU and US VCs but corporate governance remains German.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

2021.AI (GRACE): On-premise deployment; customer has full control over all data

deepset (Haystack): Terms restrict data use to anonymised system data only. No explicit public 'we don't train' statement, but contractual restrictions are clear. Self-hosted gives full control.

5/5

On-premise deployment; customer has full control over all data

4/5

Terms restrict data use to anonymised system data only. No explicit public 'we don't train' statement, but contractual restrictions are clear. Self-hosted gives full control.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

2021.AI (GRACE): ISO 27001 certified

deepset (Haystack): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and CSA STAR Level 1. Comprehensive certification suite for enterprise procurement. Third-party DPO (secjur).

3/5

ISO 27001 certified

5/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and CSA STAR Level 1. Comprehensive certification suite for enterprise procurement. Third-party DPO (secjur).

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

2021.AI (GRACE): Proven in Danish public sector healthcare; designed for highest sovereignty requirements

deepset (Haystack): German GmbH with EU hosting, self-hosting option, and strong certifications. One of the best-positioned AI developer tools for EU regulated industries including financial services and healthcare.

5/5

Proven in Danish public sector healthcare; designed for highest sovereignty requirements

5/5

German GmbH with EU hosting, self-hosting option, and strong certifications. One of the best-positioned AI developer tools for EU regulated industries including financial services and healthcare.

Total Score

23/25

24/25

Best For

2021.AI (GRACE)

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; regulated industries (BaFin, ICO); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment.

deepset (Haystack)

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, CSA STAR Level 1); regulated industries (BaFin, CNIL); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment; teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

2021.AI (GRACE) vs deepset (Haystack): Trust & Compliance Comparison

2021.AI (GRACE) (2021.AI, DK) scores 23/25 overall with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. Danish on-premise sovereign AI platform with built-in governance. deepset (Haystack) (deepset, DE) scores 24/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. German AI company behind Haystack — the open-source framework for building production RAG and agent applications.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 5/5.

●2021.AI (GRACE) (5/5): Fully on-premise or air-gapped; data never leaves customer infrastructure

●deepset (Haystack) (5/5): EU hosting available for managed platform. On-premises and air-gapped deployments fully supported. Open-source framework runs entirely locally with zero external data flow.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 5/5.

●2021.AI (GRACE) (5/5): Danish ApS under EU law; not subject to US jurisdiction

●deepset (Haystack) (5/5): German GmbH, fully under EU law. Berlin headquarters. No US parent company. Investors include EU and US VCs but corporate governance remains German.

#### Data Retention & Training

2021.AI (GRACE) leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●2021.AI (GRACE) (5/5): On-premise deployment; customer has full control over all data

●deepset (Haystack) (4/5): Terms restrict data use to anonymised system data only. No explicit public 'we don't train' statement, but contractual restrictions are clear. Self-hosted gives full control.

#### Certifications

deepset (Haystack) leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

●2021.AI (GRACE) (3/5): ISO 27001 certified

●deepset (Haystack) (5/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and CSA STAR Level 1. Comprehensive certification suite for enterprise procurement. Third-party DPO (secjur).

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 5/5.

●2021.AI (GRACE) (5/5): Proven in Danish public sector healthcare; designed for highest sovereignty requirements

●deepset (Haystack) (5/5): German GmbH with EU hosting, self-hosting option, and strong certifications. One of the best-positioned AI developer tools for EU regulated industries including financial services and healthcare.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	2021.AI (GRACE)	deepset (Haystack)
CSA STAR Level 1	No	Yes
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	No	Yes

Overall Verdict

2021.AI (GRACE) and deepset (Haystack) are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 23/25 and 24/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, 2021.AI (GRACE) or deepset (Haystack)?

2021.AI (GRACE) has a TrustKit score of 23/25 while deepset (Haystack) scores 24/25. deepset (Haystack) currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do 2021.AI (GRACE) and deepset (Haystack) compare on data residency?

2021.AI (GRACE) scores 5/5 for data residency (Fully on-premise or air-gapped; data never leaves customer infrastructure), while deepset (Haystack) scores 5/5 (EU hosting available for managed platform. On-premises and air-gapped deployments fully supported. Open-source framework runs entirely locally with zero external data flow.).

Are 2021.AI (GRACE) and deepset (Haystack) GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. 2021.AI (GRACE) has a regulatory fit score of 5/5 and deepset (Haystack) scores 5/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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