Semrush

AI-powered SEO and digital marketing platform for visibility, content, and competitive intelligence

Lighthouse

AI revenue management and business intelligence for hospitality and travel

Semrush

Moderate

13/25

Lighthouse

Strong

20/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionSemrushLighthouse

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Semrush: Infrastructure spans US and EU; no dedicated per-customer data residency selection; standard DPA available for GDPR compliance

Lighthouse: Data hosted on AWS with EU region configuration for European customers. Belgian incorporation means primary data governance is under EU law. Appropriate for European hotel groups with GDPR obligations on guest and revenue data.

2/5

Infrastructure spans US and EU; no dedicated per-customer data residency selection; standard DPA available for GDPR compliance

4/5

Data hosted on AWS with EU region configuration for European customers. Belgian incorporation means primary data governance is under EU law. Appropriate for European hotel groups with GDPR obligations on guest and revenue data.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Semrush: US-incorporated public company, now a subsidiary of Adobe Inc.; subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; GDPR DPA available

Lighthouse: Incorporated in Belgium under Belgian and EU law. GDPR applies as a matter of corporate law, not just contractual obligation. EU incorporation with no US parent company. No CLOUD Act exposure. Strong EU sovereignty story for the hospitality sector.

2/5

US-incorporated public company, now a subsidiary of Adobe Inc.; subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; GDPR DPA available

5/5

Incorporated in Belgium under Belgian and EU law. GDPR applies as a matter of corporate law, not just contractual obligation. EU incorporation with no US parent company. No CLOUD Act exposure. Strong EU sovereignty story for the hospitality sector.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Semrush: Primarily processes public web data; customer project and account data retained per privacy policy; no known use of customer data for AI model training

Lighthouse: Customer hotel data is not used for cross-customer model training without consent. GDPR-compliant data processing agreements available under Article 28. Configurable data retention aligned with hospitality operational requirements.

3/5

Primarily processes public web data; customer project and account data retained per privacy policy; no known use of customer data for AI model training

4/5

Customer hotel data is not used for cross-customer model training without consent. GDPR-compliant data processing agreements available under Article 28. Configurable data retention aligned with hospitality operational requirements.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Semrush: SOC 2 Type II certified; GDPR and CCPA compliant; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

Lighthouse: Holds ISO 27001 certification. Appropriate baseline for a hospitality technology platform. SOC 2 Type II would strengthen the posture for hotel groups with enterprise procurement requirements.

3/5

SOC 2 Type II certified; GDPR and CCPA compliant; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

3/5

Holds ISO 27001 certification. Appropriate baseline for a hospitality technology platform. SOC 2 Type II would strengthen the posture for hotel groups with enterprise procurement requirements.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Semrush: Suitable for marketing and SEO teams across regulated industries; primary risk is account data jurisdiction rather than sensitive data processing

Lighthouse: Excellent fit for European hotel operators subject to GDPR and national data protection authorities. Belgian legal jurisdiction and EU data hosting provide a credible compliance posture. Good alignment with hospitality-specific data governance requirements.

3/5

Suitable for marketing and SEO teams across regulated industries; primary risk is account data jurisdiction rather than sensitive data processing

4/5

Excellent fit for European hotel operators subject to GDPR and national data protection authorities. Belgian legal jurisdiction and EU data hosting provide a credible compliance posture. Good alignment with hospitality-specific data governance requirements.

Total Score

13/25

20/25

Best For

Semrush

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; regulated industries (ICO, APD (Belgium)); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls.

Lighthouse

Best for teams that prioritise data retention & training (scores 3/5) and need a bronze-tier tool.

Detailed Comparison

Lighthouse vs Semrush: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Lighthouse (Lighthouse, BE) scores 20/25 overall with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI revenue management and business intelligence for hospitality and travel. Semrush (Semrush, US) scores 13/25 with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI-powered SEO and digital marketing platform for visibility, content, and competitive intelligence.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Lighthouse leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Lighthouse (4/5): Data hosted on AWS with EU region configuration for European customers. Belgian incorporation means primary data governance is under EU law. Appropriate for European hotel groups with GDPR obligations on guest and revenue data.

●Semrush (2/5): Infrastructure spans US and EU; no dedicated per-customer data residency selection; standard DPA available for GDPR compliance

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Lighthouse leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●Lighthouse (5/5): Incorporated in Belgium under Belgian and EU law. GDPR applies as a matter of corporate law, not just contractual obligation. EU incorporation with no US parent company. No CLOUD Act exposure. Strong EU sovereignty story for the hospitality sector.

●Semrush (2/5): US-incorporated public company, now a subsidiary of Adobe Inc.; subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; GDPR DPA available

#### Data Retention & Training

Lighthouse leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Lighthouse (4/5): Customer hotel data is not used for cross-customer model training without consent. GDPR-compliant data processing agreements available under Article 28. Configurable data retention aligned with hospitality operational requirements.

●Semrush (3/5): Primarily processes public web data; customer project and account data retained per privacy policy; no known use of customer data for AI model training

#### Certifications

Both score equally at 3/5.

●Lighthouse (3/5): Holds ISO 27001 certification. Appropriate baseline for a hospitality technology platform. SOC 2 Type II would strengthen the posture for hotel groups with enterprise procurement requirements.

●Semrush (3/5): SOC 2 Type II certified; GDPR and CCPA compliant; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

#### Regulatory Fit

Lighthouse leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Lighthouse (4/5): Excellent fit for European hotel operators subject to GDPR and national data protection authorities. Belgian legal jurisdiction and EU data hosting provide a credible compliance posture. Good alignment with hospitality-specific data governance requirements.

●Semrush (3/5): Suitable for marketing and SEO teams across regulated industries; primary risk is account data jurisdiction rather than sensitive data processing

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Lighthouse	Semrush
ISO 27001	Yes	No
SOC 2 Type II	No	Yes

Overall Verdict

Lighthouse has a clear trust advantage, scoring 20/25 compared to Semrush's 13/25. Lighthouse particularly excels in data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention & training, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Semrush or Lighthouse?

Semrush has a TrustKit score of 13/25 while Lighthouse scores 20/25. Lighthouse currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Semrush and Lighthouse compare on data residency?

Semrush scores 2/5 for data residency (Infrastructure spans US and EU; no dedicated per-customer data residency selection; standard DPA available for GDPR compliance), while Lighthouse scores 4/5 (Data hosted on AWS with EU region configuration for European customers. Belgian incorporation means primary data governance is under EU law. Appropriate for European hotel groups with GDPR obligations on guest and revenue data.).

Are Semrush and Lighthouse GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Semrush has a regulatory fit score of 3/5 and Lighthouse scores 4/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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