LightOn

Sovereign enterprise GenAI platform deployed on-prem, air-gapped, or EU cloud

deepset (Haystack)

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

LightOn

Excellent

22/25

deepset (Haystack)

Excellent

24/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionLightOndeepset (Haystack)

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

LightOn: Deploys on-premise, in customer VPC, or air-gapped on EU infrastructure, so data never leaves the customer's own security perimeter. Strongest possible residency posture.

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

Deploys on-premise, in customer VPC, or air-gapped on EU infrastructure, so data never leaves the customer's own security perimeter. Strongest possible residency posture.

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?

LightOn: French SA incorporated in France, listed on Euronext Growth Paris, with no US parent. Fully under EU/French 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

French SA incorporated in France, listed on Euronext Growth Paris, with no US parent. Fully under EU/French 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?

LightOn: In-perimeter deployment means no customer data is sent out or used to train shared models, and retention is governed by the customer's own infrastructure. Scored 4 rather than 5 as public DPA/retention-control documentation is limited.

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.

4/5

In-perimeter deployment means no customer data is sent out or used to train shared models, and retention is governed by the customer's own infrastructure. Scored 4 rather than 5 as public DPA/retention-control documentation is limited.

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.

LightOn: Holds SOC 2 Type 1. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II are not confirmed in published sources, and ANSSI SecNumCloud appears to be a positioning goal rather than a confirmed qualification.

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

Holds SOC 2 Type 1. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II are not confirmed in published sources, and ANSSI SecNumCloud appears to be a positioning goal rather than a confirmed qualification.

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

LightOn: Purpose-built for regulated and sovereign EU buyers, with public-sector and defense/aerospace references (CNES, Safran, French tax authority) and GDPR/AI Act alignment.

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

Purpose-built for regulated and sovereign EU buyers, with public-sector and defense/aerospace references (CNES, Safran, French tax authority) and GDPR/AI Act alignment.

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

22/25

24/25

Best For

LightOn

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, AMF); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment.

Detailed Comparison

deepset (Haystack) vs LightOn: 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. LightOn (LightOn, FR) scores 22/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. Sovereign enterprise GenAI platform deployed on-prem, air-gapped, or EU cloud.

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.

●LightOn (5/5): Deploys on-premise, in customer VPC, or air-gapped on EU infrastructure, so data never leaves the customer's own security perimeter. Strongest possible residency posture.

#### 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.

●LightOn (5/5): French SA incorporated in France, listed on Euronext Growth Paris, with no US parent. Fully under EU/French jurisdiction.

#### Data Retention & Training

Both score equally at 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.

●LightOn (4/5): In-perimeter deployment means no customer data is sent out or used to train shared models, and retention is governed by the customer's own infrastructure. Scored 4 rather than 5 as public DPA/retention-control documentation is limited.

#### 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).

●LightOn (3/5): Holds SOC 2 Type 1. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II are not confirmed in published sources, and ANSSI SecNumCloud appears to be a positioning goal rather than a confirmed qualification.

#### 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.

●LightOn (5/5): Purpose-built for regulated and sovereign EU buyers, with public-sector and defense/aerospace references (CNES, Safran, French tax authority) and GDPR/AI Act alignment.

Certifications at a Glance

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

Overall Verdict

deepset (Haystack) has a clear trust advantage, scoring 24/25 compared to LightOn's 22/25. deepset (Haystack) particularly excels in certifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

LightOn has a TrustKit score of 22/25 while deepset (Haystack) scores 24/25. deepset (Haystack) currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do LightOn and deepset (Haystack) compare on data residency?

LightOn scores 5/5 for data residency (Deploys on-premise, in customer VPC, or air-gapped on EU infrastructure, so data never leaves the customer's own security perimeter. Strongest possible residency posture.), 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 LightOn and deepset (Haystack) GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. LightOn 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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