AssemblyAI

Speech AI API for transcription, understanding, and audio intelligence

Otter.ai

AI meeting transcription and notes for Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet

AssemblyAI

Moderate

13/25

Otter.ai

Moderate

16/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionAssemblyAIOtter.ai

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

AssemblyAI: Audio data is processed on US infrastructure; no EU data region is available as a standard offering.

Otter.ai: US-based AWS hosting; no regional data residency options for EU customers

2/5

Audio data is processed on US infrastructure; no EU data region is available as a standard offering.

2/5

US-based AWS hosting; no regional data residency options for EU customers

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

AssemblyAI: US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act with limited EU-specific legal protections.

Otter.ai: US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; GDPR compliance via DPA and SCCs

2/5

US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act with limited EU-specific legal protections.

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; GDPR compliance via DPA and SCCs

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

AssemblyAI: Does not train on customer audio by default; PII redaction available and data deletion controls provided.

Otter.ai: Customer recordings not used for AI training; data deleted per account settings

4/5

Does not train on customer audio by default; PII redaction available and data deletion controls provided.

5/5

Customer recordings not used for AI training; data deleted per account settings

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

AssemblyAI: SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance are in place; ISO 27001 certification is not currently listed.

Otter.ai: SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified

3/5

SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance are in place; ISO 27001 certification is not currently listed.

4/5

SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

AssemblyAI: Requires substantial due diligence for EU regulated audio use cases; DPA available but US jurisdiction remains a concern.

Otter.ai: Good security posture; US hosting limits EU data residency suitability for highly regulated sectors

2/5

Requires substantial due diligence for EU regulated audio use cases; DPA available but US jurisdiction remains a concern.

3/5

Good security posture; US hosting limits EU data residency suitability for highly regulated sectors

Total Score

13/25

16/25

Best For

AssemblyAI

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

Otter.ai

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

Detailed Comparison

AssemblyAI vs Otter.ai: Trust & Compliance Comparison

AssemblyAI (AssemblyAI, US) scores 13/25 overall with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. Speech AI API for transcription, understanding, and audio intelligence. Otter.ai (AISense, Inc., US) scores 16/25 with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI meeting transcription and notes for Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 2/5.

●AssemblyAI (2/5): Audio data is processed on US infrastructure; no EU data region is available as a standard offering.

●Otter.ai (2/5): US-based AWS hosting; no regional data residency options for EU customers

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●AssemblyAI (2/5): US-incorporated under Delaware law and subject to CLOUD Act with limited EU-specific legal protections.

●Otter.ai (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; GDPR compliance via DPA and SCCs

#### Data Retention & Training

Otter.ai leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●AssemblyAI (4/5): Does not train on customer audio by default; PII redaction available and data deletion controls provided.

●Otter.ai (5/5): Customer recordings not used for AI training; data deleted per account settings

#### Certifications

Otter.ai leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●AssemblyAI (3/5): SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance are in place; ISO 27001 certification is not currently listed.

●Otter.ai (4/5): SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified

#### Regulatory Fit

Otter.ai leads with 3/5 vs 2/5.

●AssemblyAI (2/5): Requires substantial due diligence for EU regulated audio use cases; DPA available but US jurisdiction remains a concern.

●Otter.ai (3/5): Good security posture; US hosting limits EU data residency suitability for highly regulated sectors

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	AssemblyAI	Otter.ai
HIPAA	Yes	No
ISO 27001	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	Yes

Overall Verdict

Otter.ai has a clear trust advantage, scoring 16/25 compared to AssemblyAI's 13/25. Otter.ai particularly excels in data retention & training, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, AssemblyAI or Otter.ai?

AssemblyAI has a TrustKit score of 13/25 while Otter.ai scores 16/25. Otter.ai currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do AssemblyAI and Otter.ai compare on data residency?

AssemblyAI scores 2/5 for data residency (Audio data is processed on US infrastructure; no EU data region is available as a standard offering.), while Otter.ai scores 2/5 (US-based AWS hosting; no regional data residency options for EU customers).

Are AssemblyAI and Otter.ai GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. AssemblyAI has a regulatory fit score of 2/5 and Otter.ai scores 3/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

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