Smartly.io

AI-powered advertising platform for automating creative production and media buying at scale

HubSpot AI

AI-powered CRM, marketing, and sales platform

Smartly.io

Moderate

16/25

HubSpot AI

Strong

17/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionSmartly.ioHubSpot AI

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Smartly.io: Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

HubSpot AI: US/EU hosting available

4/5

Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

3/5

US/EU hosting available

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Smartly.io: Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

HubSpot AI: US Delaware corporation; publicly traded

3/5

Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

2/5

US Delaware corporation; publicly traded

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Smartly.io: Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

HubSpot AI: No training on customer data

3/5

Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

4/5

No training on customer data

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Smartly.io: ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

HubSpot AI: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

3/5

ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

4/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Smartly.io: GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

HubSpot AI: Established CRM with good compliance; suitable for general regulated business

3/5

GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

4/5

Established CRM with good compliance; suitable for general regulated business

Total Score

16/25

17/25

Best For

Smartly.io

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

HubSpot AI

Best for teams that prioritise data residency (scores 4/5) and need a bronze-tier tool.

Detailed Comparison

HubSpot AI vs Smartly.io: Trust & Compliance Comparison

HubSpot AI (HubSpot, Inc., US) scores 17/25 overall with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI-powered CRM, marketing, and sales platform. Smartly.io (Smartly.io, FI) scores 16/25 with a Bronze (Moderate) trust badge. AI-powered advertising platform for automating creative production and media buying at scale.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Smartly.io leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●HubSpot AI (3/5): US/EU hosting available

●Smartly.io (4/5): Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Smartly.io leads with 3/5 vs 2/5.

●HubSpot AI (2/5): US Delaware corporation; publicly traded

●Smartly.io (3/5): Finnish Oy (EU company), but majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (US PE firm). Finnish/EU law governs the entity, though US parent introduces CLOUD Act considerations.

#### Data Retention & Training

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

●HubSpot AI (4/5): No training on customer data

●Smartly.io (3/5): Privacy policy mentions retention of training data but lacks clarity on what 'training data' encompasses. Internal AI uses on-prem Llama models. No explicit 'we don't train on your data' commitment found publicly.

#### Certifications

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

●HubSpot AI (4/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

●Smartly.io (3/5): ISO 27001 certified. SOC 2 appears to be in progress. Infrastructure providers (Hetzner, AWS, Cloudflare) carry their own certifications.

#### Regulatory Fit

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

●HubSpot AI (4/5): Established CRM with good compliance; suitable for general regulated business

●Smartly.io (3/5): GDPR DPA available. EU data hosting. Finnish legal entity. Suitable for European marketing teams. The US PE ownership is a consideration for the most sovereignty-sensitive buyers.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	HubSpot AI	Smartly.io
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

HubSpot AI and Smartly.io are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 17/25 and 16/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Smartly.io or HubSpot AI?

Smartly.io has a TrustKit score of 16/25 while HubSpot AI scores 17/25. HubSpot AI currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Smartly.io and HubSpot AI compare on data residency?

Smartly.io scores 4/5 for data residency (Primary hosting in Germany (Hetzner + AWS EU regions). Cross-border transfers to US/APAC offices covered by EU SCCs. Strong EU data residency posture for core platform operations.), while HubSpot AI scores 3/5 (US/EU hosting available).

Are Smartly.io and HubSpot AI GDPR compliant?

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

Explore Each Tool