Phind

AI search engine and coding assistant built for developers

Exa

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

Phind

Caution

11/25

Exa

Caution

10/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionPhindExa

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Phind: Data hosted on US cloud infrastructure. No EU or regional data residency options available.

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

2/5

Data hosted on US cloud infrastructure. No EU or regional data residency options available.

2/5

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

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Phind: US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act. No EU legal entity.

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. No EU legal entity.

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?

Phind: Users can opt out of data being used for model training. Search history can be deleted. Reasonable privacy controls for a developer tool.

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

3/5

Users can opt out of data being used for model training. Search history can be deleted. Reasonable privacy controls for a developer tool.

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.

Phind: No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup without formal compliance programme.

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

2/5

No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup without formal compliance programme.

1/5

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

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Phind: Suitable for general developer use but lacks enterprise compliance features for regulated industries. No DPA or audit capabilities offered.

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

2/5

Suitable for general developer use but lacks enterprise compliance features for regulated industries. No DPA or audit capabilities offered.

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

11/25

10/25

Best For

Phind

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Exa

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

Exa vs Phind: 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. Phind (Phind, US) scores 11/25 with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. AI search engine and coding assistant built for developers.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 2/5.

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

●Phind (2/5): Data hosted on US cloud infrastructure. No EU or regional data residency options available.

#### 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.

●Phind (2/5): US Delaware corporation. Subject to US jurisdiction and CLOUD Act. No EU legal entity.

#### Data Retention & Training

Both score equally at 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.

●Phind (3/5): Users can opt out of data being used for model training. Search history can be deleted. Reasonable privacy controls for a developer tool.

#### Certifications

Phind leads with 2/5 vs 1/5.

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

●Phind (2/5): No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly disclosed. Early-stage startup without formal compliance programme.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 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.

●Phind (2/5): Suitable for general developer use but lacks enterprise compliance features for regulated industries. No DPA or audit capabilities offered.

Overall Verdict

Exa and Phind are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 10/25 and 11/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Phind or Exa?

Phind has a TrustKit score of 11/25 while Exa scores 10/25. Phind currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Phind and Exa compare on data residency?

Phind scores 2/5 for data residency (Data hosted on US cloud infrastructure. No EU or regional data residency options available.), while Exa scores 2/5 (US-based infrastructure. No EU hosting option. Indexes public web content.).

Are Phind and Exa GDPR compliant?

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

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