Smartly.io

AI-powered advertising platform for automating creative production and media buying at scale

Clearbit

AI-powered B2B data enrichment and lead intelligence platform

Smartly.io

Moderate

16/25

Clearbit

Moderate

14/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionSmartly.ioClearbit

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Smartly.io: Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

Clearbit: US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option. Business contact data processed in US.

4/5

Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

2/5

US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option. Business contact data processed in US.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Smartly.io: Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

Clearbit: US corporation (part of HubSpot). Subject to US jurisdiction. GDPR and CCPA compliance features available.

3/5

Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

2/5

US corporation (part of HubSpot). Subject to US jurisdiction. GDPR and CCPA compliance features available.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Smartly.io: Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

Clearbit: Business intelligence data from public sources. Customer CRM data not shared. GDPR data subject rights supported.

3/5

Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

3/5

Business intelligence data from public sources. Customer CRM data not shared. GDPR data subject rights supported.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Smartly.io: ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

Clearbit: SOC 2 Type II certified (through HubSpot). GDPR DPA available. Strong security posture as part of a public company.

3/5

ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

4/5

SOC 2 Type II certified (through HubSpot). GDPR DPA available. Strong security posture as part of a public company.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Smartly.io: GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

Clearbit: Handles business contact data with appropriate GDPR and CCPA compliance. SOC 2 certification provides enterprise security assurance. Data enrichment activities require GDPR legitimate interest basis.

3/5

GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

3/5

Handles business contact data with appropriate GDPR and CCPA compliance. SOC 2 certification provides enterprise security assurance. Data enrichment activities require GDPR legitimate interest basis.

Total Score

16/25

14/25

Best For

Smartly.io

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Clearbit

Best for teams that prioritise data residency (scores 4/5) and need a bronze-tier tool.

Detailed Comparison

Clearbit vs Smartly.io: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Clearbit (Clearbit (HubSpot), US) scores 14/25 overall with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI-powered B2B data enrichment and lead intelligence platform. Smartly.io (Smartly.io, FI) scores 16/25 with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI-powered advertising platform for automating creative production and media buying at scale.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Smartly.io leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Clearbit (2/5): US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option. Business contact data processed in US.

●Smartly.io (4/5): Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Smartly.io leads with 3/5 vs 2/5.

●Clearbit (2/5): US corporation (part of HubSpot). Subject to US jurisdiction. GDPR and CCPA compliance features available.

●Smartly.io (3/5): Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

#### Data Retention & Training

Both score equally at 3/5.

●Clearbit (3/5): Business intelligence data from public sources. Customer CRM data not shared. GDPR data subject rights supported.

●Smartly.io (3/5): Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

#### Certifications

Clearbit leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Clearbit (4/5): SOC 2 Type II certified (through HubSpot). GDPR DPA available. Strong security posture as part of a public company.

●Smartly.io (3/5): ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 3/5.

●Clearbit (3/5): Handles business contact data with appropriate GDPR and CCPA compliance. SOC 2 certification provides enterprise security assurance. Data enrichment activities require GDPR legitimate interest basis.

●Smartly.io (3/5): GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Clearbit	Smartly.io
GDPR DPA	Yes	No
ISO 27001	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

Smartly.io has a clear trust advantage, scoring 16/25 compared to Clearbit's 14/25. Smartly.io particularly excels in data residency, legal jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Smartly.io or Clearbit?

Smartly.io has a TrustKit score of 16/25 while Clearbit scores 14/25. Smartly.io currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Smartly.io and Clearbit compare on data residency?

Smartly.io scores 4/5 for data residency (Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.), while Clearbit scores 2/5 (US-based infrastructure. No EU data residency option. Business contact data processed in US.).

Are Smartly.io and Clearbit GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Smartly.io has a regulatory fit score of 3/5 and Clearbit scores 3/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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