Dust

French AI platform for deploying AI assistants across your company's knowledge and tools

deepset (Haystack)

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

Dust

Excellent

23/25

deepset (Haystack)

Excellent

24/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionDustdeepset (Haystack)

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Dust: Data hosted exclusively in EU (France). French SAS incorporation means EU law governs by default. Internal company data connected to Dust stays in EU 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

Data hosted exclusively in EU (France). French SAS incorporation means EU law governs by default. Internal company data connected to Dust stays in EU 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?

Dust: French SAS under French and EU law. GDPR applies as corporate law. CNIL oversight. No US parent company, no CLOUD Act exposure. Founded by ex-OpenAI researchers building for EU sovereignty.

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

French SAS under French and EU law. GDPR applies as corporate law. CNIL oversight. No US parent company, no CLOUD Act exposure. Founded by ex-OpenAI researchers building for EU sovereignty.

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?

Dust: Company data indexed by Dust is not used to train shared models. Data remains within the organisation's workspace. GDPR-compliant DPA available. Configurable data access controls per assistant.

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

Company data indexed by Dust is not used to train shared models. Data remains within the organisation's workspace. GDPR-compliant DPA available. Configurable data access controls per assistant.

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.

Dust: ISO 27001 certification. As a fast-growing startup, the certification portfolio is expanding. SOC 2 Type II would further strengthen enterprise procurement credibility.

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 certification. As a fast-growing startup, the certification portfolio is expanding. SOC 2 Type II would further strengthen enterprise procurement credibility.

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

Dust: Excellent regulatory fit for European enterprises building internal AI agent infrastructure. French incorporation, EU hosting, GDPR-native design, and support for EU-sovereign LLM providers (Mistral) make Dust a top choice for sovereignty-conscious EU organisations.

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

Excellent regulatory fit for European enterprises building internal AI agent infrastructure. French incorporation, EU hosting, GDPR-native design, and support for EU-sovereign LLM providers (Mistral) make Dust a top choice for sovereignty-conscious EU organisations.

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

Dust

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.

deepset (Haystack)

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

Detailed Comparison

deepset (Haystack) vs Dust: Trust & Compliance Comparison

deepset (Haystack) (deepset, DE) scores 24/25 overall with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. German AI company behind Haystack — the open-source framework for building production RAG and agent applications. Dust (Dust, FR) scores 23/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. French AI platform for deploying AI assistants across your company's knowledge and tools.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 5/5.

●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.

●Dust (5/5): Data hosted exclusively in EU (France). French SAS incorporation means EU law governs by default. Internal company data connected to Dust stays in EU infrastructure.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 5/5.

●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.

●Dust (5/5): French SAS under French and EU law. GDPR applies as corporate law. CNIL oversight. No US parent company, no CLOUD Act exposure. Founded by ex-OpenAI researchers building for EU sovereignty.

#### Data Retention & Training

Dust leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●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.

●Dust (5/5): Company data indexed by Dust is not used to train shared models. Data remains within the organisation's workspace. GDPR-compliant DPA available. Configurable data access controls per assistant.

#### Certifications

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

●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).

●Dust (3/5): ISO 27001 certification. As a fast-growing startup, the certification portfolio is expanding. SOC 2 Type II would further strengthen enterprise procurement credibility.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 5/5.

●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.

●Dust (5/5): Excellent regulatory fit for European enterprises building internal AI agent infrastructure. French incorporation, EU hosting, GDPR-native design, and support for EU-sovereign LLM providers (Mistral) make Dust a top choice for sovereignty-conscious EU organisations.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	deepset (Haystack)	Dust
CSA STAR Level 1	Yes	No
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Dust or deepset (Haystack)?

Dust 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 Dust and deepset (Haystack) compare on data residency?

Dust scores 5/5 for data residency (Data hosted exclusively in EU (France). French SAS incorporation means EU law governs by default. Internal company data connected to Dust stays in EU 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 Dust and deepset (Haystack) GDPR compliant?

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

Explore Each Tool