Poolside

Enterprise AI coding platform with on-premise and VPC deployment for secure software development

deepset (Haystack)

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

Poolside

Strong

17/25

deepset (Haystack)

Excellent

24/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionPoolsidedeepset (Haystack)

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Poolside: On-premise and VPC deployment with zero data egress. Customer code never leaves the customer's environment. EU organisations can deploy on their own EU infrastructure. Maximum data sovereignty.

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

On-premise and VPC deployment with zero data egress. Customer code never leaves the customer's environment. EU organisations can deploy on their own EU infrastructure. Maximum data sovereignty.

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?

Poolside: Delaware incorporation (US). French SAS entity exists but parent is US. CLOUD Act applies to the corporate entity, though on-premise deployment means code never reaches Poolside's infrastructure.

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.

2/5

Delaware incorporation (US). French SAS entity exists but parent is US. CLOUD Act applies to the corporate entity, though on-premise deployment means code never reaches Poolside's infrastructure.

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?

Poolside: On-premise/VPC mode: customer has full control, no data leaves their environment. Training uses synthetic data (RLCEF), not customer-contributed code. Structural separation.

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/VPC mode: customer has full control, no data leaves their environment. Training uses synthetic data (RLCEF), not customer-contributed code. Structural separation.

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.

Poolside: Drata trust centre exists, suggesting SOC 2 is in progress. No public confirmation of SOC 2 or ISO 27001. US government ATO achieved (military/public sector).

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

2/5

Drata trust centre exists, suggesting SOC 2 is in progress. No public confirmation of SOC 2 or ISO 27001. US government ATO achieved (military/public sector).

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

Poolside: On-premise deployment model is excellent for regulated industries. US jurisdiction is the main concern. French entity provides some EU connection. Public sector certifications (ATO, IL5) demonstrate security maturity.

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.

3/5

On-premise deployment model is excellent for regulated industries. US jurisdiction is the main concern. French entity provides some EU connection. Public sector certifications (ATO, IL5) demonstrate security maturity.

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

17/25

24/25

Best For

Poolside

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

Detailed Comparison

deepset (Haystack) vs Poolside: 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. Poolside (Poolside, US) scores 17/25 with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. Enterprise AI coding platform with on-premise and VPC deployment for secure software development.

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.

●Poolside (5/5): On-premise and VPC deployment with zero data egress. Customer code never leaves the customer's environment. EU organisations can deploy on their own EU infrastructure. Maximum data sovereignty.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

deepset (Haystack) leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●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.

●Poolside (2/5): Delaware incorporation (US). French SAS entity exists but parent is US. CLOUD Act applies to the corporate entity, though on-premise deployment means code never reaches Poolside's infrastructure.

#### Data Retention & Training

Poolside 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.

●Poolside (5/5): On-premise/VPC mode: customer has full control, no data leaves their environment. Training uses synthetic data (RLCEF), not customer-contributed code. Structural separation.

#### Certifications

deepset (Haystack) leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●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).

●Poolside (2/5): Drata trust centre exists, suggesting SOC 2 is in progress. No public confirmation of SOC 2 or ISO 27001. US government ATO achieved (military/public sector).

#### Regulatory Fit

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

●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.

●Poolside (3/5): On-premise deployment model is excellent for regulated industries. US jurisdiction is the main concern. French entity provides some EU connection. Public sector certifications (ATO, IL5) demonstrate security maturity.

Certifications at a Glance

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

Overall Verdict

deepset (Haystack) has a clear trust advantage, scoring 24/25 compared to Poolside's 17/25. deepset (Haystack) particularly excels in legal jurisdiction, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Poolside has a TrustKit score of 17/25 while deepset (Haystack) scores 24/25. deepset (Haystack) currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

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

Poolside scores 5/5 for data residency (On-premise and VPC deployment with zero data egress. Customer code never leaves the customer's environment. EU organisations can deploy on their own EU infrastructure. Maximum data sovereignty.), 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 Poolside and deepset (Haystack) GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Poolside has a regulatory fit score of 3/5 and deepset (Haystack) scores 5/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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