Glean

Enterprise AI search that connects and searches all company knowledge with strict access controls

Exa

AI-native search API that understands meaning, not just keywords

Glean

Moderate

16/25

Exa

Caution

10/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionGleanExa

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Glean: AWS-hosted with US and EU options; data residency configurations available for regulated industries on request; permission-enforcement architecture prevents cross-tenant data exposure

Exa: US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

3/5

AWS-hosted with US and EU options; data residency configurations available for regulated industries on request; permission-enforcement architecture prevents cross-tenant data exposure

2/5

US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Glean: US Delaware corporation subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; DPAs available for GDPR; Capital One Ventures as investor may raise considerations for some financial services organisations

Exa: US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; DPAs available for GDPR; Capital One Ventures as investor may raise considerations for some financial services organisations

2/5

US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Glean: Customer data not used to train foundational AI models; strict permission mirroring ensures data is only surfaced to authorised users; comprehensive audit logs and configurable retention policies

Exa: Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

4/5

Customer data not used to train foundational AI models; strict permission mirroring ensures data is only surfaced to authorised users; comprehensive audit logs and configurable retention policies

3/5

Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Glean: SOC 2 Type II certified; HIPAA BAA available; GDPR compliant with DPA; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

Exa: No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

3/5

SOC 2 Type II certified; HIPAA BAA available; GDPR compliant with DPA; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

1/5

No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Glean: Permission-enforcement architecture, HIPAA BAA, audit logs, and data residency options make Glean well-suited to large regulated enterprises; US jurisdiction is the primary limitation for EU-sovereignty-focused buyers

Exa: Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

4/5

Permission-enforcement architecture, HIPAA BAA, audit logs, and data residency options make Glean well-suited to large regulated enterprises; US jurisdiction is the primary limitation for EU-sovereignty-focused buyers

2/5

Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

Total Score

16/25

10/25

Best For

Glean

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Exa

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

Detailed Comparison

Exa vs Glean: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Exa (Exa, US) scores 10/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. AI-native search API that understands meaning, not just keywords. Glean (Glean, US) scores 16/25 with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. Enterprise AI search that connects and searches all company knowledge with strict access controls.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Glean leads with 3/5 vs 2/5.

●Exa (2/5): US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.

●Glean (3/5): AWS-hosted with US and EU options; data residency configurations available for regulated industries on request; permission-enforcement architecture prevents cross-tenant data exposure

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Exa (2/5): US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction. Early-stage company with standard US privacy practices.

●Glean (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act; DPAs available for GDPR; Capital One Ventures as investor may raise considerations for some financial services organisations

#### Data Retention & Training

Glean leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Exa (3/5): Search queries logged for service improvement. No customer data used for training proprietary search models. API usage logs retained per standard practices.

●Glean (4/5): Customer data not used to train foundational AI models; strict permission mirroring ensures data is only surfaced to authorised users; comprehensive audit logs and configurable retention policies

#### Certifications

Glean leads with 3/5 vs 1/5.

●Exa (1/5): No security certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup focused on product development.

●Glean (3/5): SOC 2 Type II certified; HIPAA BAA available; GDPR compliant with DPA; no ISO 27001 publicly confirmed

#### Regulatory Fit

Glean leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Exa (2/5): Developer tool for search functionality. Regulatory fit depends on the application built on top. Not suitable for handling sensitive data directly.

●Glean (4/5): Permission-enforcement architecture, HIPAA BAA, audit logs, and data residency options make Glean well-suited to large regulated enterprises; US jurisdiction is the primary limitation for EU-sovereignty-focused buyers

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Exa	Glean
SOC 2 Type II	No	Yes

Overall Verdict

Glean has a clear trust advantage, scoring 16/25 compared to Exa's 10/25. Glean particularly excels in data residency, data retention & training, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Glean or Exa?

Glean has a TrustKit score of 16/25 while Exa scores 10/25. Glean currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Glean and Exa compare on data residency?

Glean scores 3/5 for data residency (AWS-hosted with US and EU options; data residency configurations available for regulated industries on request; permission-enforcement architecture prevents cross-tenant data exposure), while Exa scores 2/5 (US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.).

Are Glean and Exa GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Glean has a regulatory fit score of 4/5 and Exa scores 2/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

Explore Each Tool