Smartly.io

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

HubSpot

AI-powered CRM platform for marketing, sales, and customer service

Smartly.io

Moderate

16/25

HubSpot

Moderate

16/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionSmartly.ioHubSpot

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.

HubSpot: EU data hosting on AWS EU is available for Professional and Enterprise tiers but requires explicit configuration.

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.

3/5

EU data hosting on AWS EU is available for Professional and Enterprise tiers but requires explicit configuration.

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.

HubSpot: US-incorporated public company on the NYSE, subject to CLOUD Act, with SCCs available for EU data transfers.

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-incorporated public company on the NYSE, subject to CLOUD Act, with SCCs available for EU data transfers.

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.

HubSpot: Does not train AI models on customer CRM data; configurable data retention and deletion controls are available.

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.

4/5

Does not train AI models on customer CRM data; configurable data retention and deletion controls are available.

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.

HubSpot: Holds both SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with a detailed sub-processor list and DPA available for all customers.

3/5

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

4/5

Holds both SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with a detailed sub-processor list and DPA available for all customers.

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.

HubSpot: Adequate for most EU businesses when EU hosting is confirmed and DPA signed; regulated sectors should validate sub-processors.

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

Adequate for most EU businesses when EU hosting is confirmed and DPA signed; regulated sectors should validate sub-processors.

Total Score

16/25

Best For

Smartly.io

Best for privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; teams on a tight budget.

HubSpot

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

Detailed Comparison

HubSpot vs Smartly.io: Trust & Compliance Comparison

HubSpot (HubSpot, US) scores 16/25 overall with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI-powered CRM platform for marketing, sales, and customer service. 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 3/5.

●HubSpot (3/5): EU data hosting on AWS EU is available for Professional and Enterprise tiers but requires explicit configuration.

●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.

●HubSpot (2/5): US-incorporated public company on the NYSE, subject to CLOUD Act, with SCCs available for EU data transfers.

●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

HubSpot leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●HubSpot (4/5): Does not train AI models on customer CRM data; configurable data retention and deletion controls are available.

●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

HubSpot leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●HubSpot (4/5): Holds both SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, with a detailed sub-processor list and DPA available for all customers.

●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.

●HubSpot (3/5): Adequate for most EU businesses when EU hosting is confirmed and DPA signed; regulated sectors should validate sub-processors.

●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	HubSpot	Smartly.io
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

HubSpot and Smartly.io are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 16/25 and 16/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Smartly.io has a TrustKit score of 16/25 while HubSpot scores 16/25. Both tools are currently rated equally across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Smartly.io and HubSpot 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 HubSpot scores 3/5 (EU data hosting on AWS EU is available for Professional and Enterprise tiers but requires explicit configuration.).

Are Smartly.io and HubSpot GDPR compliant?

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

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