Exa

AI-native search API that understands meaning, not just keywords

Elicit

AI research assistant for finding and analysing academic literature

Exa

Caution

10/25

Elicit

Caution

8/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionExaElicit

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Exa: US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

Elicit: Data is processed on US infrastructure only with no EU data residency option currently available.

2/5

US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

1/5

Data is processed on US infrastructure only with no EU data residency option currently available.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Exa: US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

Elicit: US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act; limited EU-specific legal protections are in place.

2/5

US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

2/5

US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act; limited EU-specific legal protections are in place.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Exa: Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

Elicit: Data handling for uploaded documents and queries should be verified against current terms; opt-out is unclear.

3/5

Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

2/5

Data handling for uploaded documents and queries should be verified against current terms; opt-out is unclear.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Exa: No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

Elicit: No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other recognised security certifications are currently published.

1/5

No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

1/5

No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other recognised security certifications are currently published.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Exa: Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

Elicit: Suitable for individual researchers with low-risk data; institutional European deployments require significant additional assurances.

2/5

Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

2/5

Suitable for individual researchers with low-risk data; institutional European deployments require significant additional assurances.

Total Score

10/25

8/25

Best For

Exa

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Elicit

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

Elicit vs Exa: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Elicit (Elicit, US) scores 8/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. AI research assistant for finding and analysing academic literature. Exa (Exa, US) scores 10/25 with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. AI-native search API that understands meaning, not just keywords.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Exa leads with 2/5 vs 1/5.

●Elicit (1/5): Data is processed on US infrastructure only with no EU data residency option currently available.

●Exa (2/5): US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Elicit (2/5): US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act; limited EU-specific legal protections are in place.

●Exa (2/5): US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

#### Data Retention & Training

Exa leads with 3/5 vs 2/5.

●Elicit (2/5): Data handling for uploaded documents and queries should be verified against current terms; opt-out is unclear.

●Exa (3/5): Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

#### Certifications

Both score equally at 1/5.

●Elicit (1/5): No SOC 2, ISO 27001, or other recognised security certifications are currently published.

●Exa (1/5): No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Elicit (2/5): Suitable for individual researchers with low-risk data; institutional European deployments require significant additional assurances.

●Exa (2/5): Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

Overall Verdict

Exa has a clear trust advantage, scoring 10/25 compared to Elicit's 8/25. Exa particularly excels in data residency, data retention & training.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Exa or Elicit?

Exa has a TrustKit score of 10/25 while Elicit scores 8/25. Exa currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Exa and Elicit compare on data residency?

Exa scores 2/5 for data residency (US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.), while Elicit scores 1/5 (Data is processed on US infrastructure only with no EU data residency option currently available.).

Are Exa and Elicit GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Exa has a regulatory fit score of 2/5 and Elicit scores 2/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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