Scale AI

AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems

Semrush

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

Scale AI

Strong

20/25

Semrush

Moderate

13/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionScale AISemrush

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Scale AI: US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

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

4/5

US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

2/5

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

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Scale AI: US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

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

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

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

Is your data used for model training?

Scale AI: Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

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

5/5

Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

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

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Scale AI: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

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

5/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

3/5

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

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Scale AI: Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

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

4/5

Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

3/5

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

Total Score

20/25

13/25

Best For

Scale AI

Best for organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate); regulated industries (DoD, CISA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment.

Semrush

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

Detailed Comparison

Scale AI vs Semrush: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Scale AI (Scale AI, US) scores 20/25 overall with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems. 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

Scale AI leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Scale AI (4/5): US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

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

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Scale AI (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

●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

Scale AI leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

●Scale AI (5/5): Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

●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

Scale AI leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

●Scale AI (5/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

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

#### Regulatory Fit

Scale AI leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Scale AI (4/5): Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

●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	Scale AI	Semrush
FedRAMP High	Yes	No
FedRAMP Moderate	Yes	No
ISO 27001	Yes	No
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	Yes

Overall Verdict

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Scale AI or Semrush?

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

How do Scale AI and Semrush compare on data residency?

Scale AI scores 4/5 for data residency (US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project), while Semrush scores 2/5 (Infrastructure spans US and EU; no dedicated per-customer data residency selection; standard DPA available for GDPR compliance).

Are Scale AI and Semrush GDPR compliant?

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

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