Scale AI

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

Unbabel

Portuguese AI translation platform combining neural MT with human quality assurance

Scale AI

Strong

20/25

Unbabel

Excellent

22/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionScale AIUnbabel

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

Unbabel: EU-based infrastructure operated by a Portuguese company; limited human editor data exposure by design

4/5

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

4/5

EU-based infrastructure operated by a Portuguese company; limited human editor data exposure by design

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

Unbabel: Portuguese Lda, EU-incorporated, no US parent, subject to Portuguese and EU law

2/5

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

5/5

Portuguese Lda, EU-incorporated, no US parent, subject to Portuguese and EU law

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

Unbabel: No training on customer data; clear data segmentation in human editing workflow; DPA available

5/5

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

4/5

No training on customer data; clear data segmentation in human editing workflow; DPA available

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

Unbabel: ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified — strong for a European scale-up

5/5

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

4/5

ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified — strong for a European scale-up

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

Unbabel: Excellent EU fit; ISO 27001 + SOC 2 + EU jurisdiction makes it suitable for regulated industries

4/5

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

5/5

Excellent EU fit; ISO 27001 + SOC 2 + EU jurisdiction makes it suitable for regulated industries

Total Score

20/25

22/25

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.

Unbabel

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; organisations requiring broad certification coverage (ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR); regulated industries (CNPD, CNIL); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls.

Detailed Comparison

Scale AI vs Unbabel: 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. Unbabel (Unbabel, PT) scores 22/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. Portuguese AI translation platform combining neural MT with human quality assurance.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 4/5.

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

●Unbabel (4/5): EU-based infrastructure operated by a Portuguese company; limited human editor data exposure by design

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Unbabel leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

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

●Unbabel (5/5): Portuguese Lda, EU-incorporated, no US parent, subject to Portuguese and EU law

#### Data Retention & Training

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

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

●Unbabel (4/5): No training on customer data; clear data segmentation in human editing workflow; DPA available

#### Certifications

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

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

●Unbabel (4/5): ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified — strong for a European scale-up

#### Regulatory Fit

Unbabel leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

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

●Unbabel (5/5): Excellent EU fit; ISO 27001 + SOC 2 + EU jurisdiction makes it suitable for regulated industries

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Scale AI	Unbabel
FedRAMP High	Yes	No
FedRAMP Moderate	Yes	No
GDPR	No	Yes
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	Yes

Overall Verdict

Unbabel has a clear trust advantage, scoring 22/25 compared to Scale AI's 20/25. Unbabel particularly excels in legal jurisdiction, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Scale AI has a TrustKit score of 20/25 while Unbabel scores 22/25. Unbabel currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Scale AI and Unbabel 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 Unbabel scores 4/5 (EU-based infrastructure operated by a Portuguese company; limited human editor data exposure by design).

Are Scale AI and Unbabel GDPR compliant?

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

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