PrivateNode

AI specialists for UK professional services — employment law, tax, immigration, and more with zero data retention

Luminance

AI contract intelligence platform

PrivateNode

Strong

18/25

Luminance

Excellent

23/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionPrivateNodeLuminance

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

PrivateNode: All infrastructure hosted on Hetzner servers in Germany (EU). Zero US cloud dependency — no AWS, Azure, or GCP. Data stays within the EU at all times.

Luminance: UK/EU hosting with customer choice; on-premise available

5/5

All infrastructure hosted on Hetzner servers in Germany (EU). Zero US cloud dependency — no AWS, Azure, or GCP. Data stays within the EU at all times.

5/5

UK/EU hosting with customer choice; on-premise available

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

PrivateNode: UK limited company (Twakka Ltd, England & Wales). UK GDPR-equivalent jurisdiction with EU adequacy decision. Not subject to US CLOUD Act. Outside EEA but UK adequacy provides smooth data transfer basis.

Luminance: UK-incorporated company under English law

3/5

UK limited company (Twakka Ltd, England & Wales). UK GDPR-equivalent jurisdiction with EU adequacy decision. Not subject to US CLOUD Act. Outside EEA but UK adequacy provides smooth data transfer basis.

5/5

UK-incorporated company under English law

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

PrivateNode: Explicit zero data retention policy. Conversations are not stored after session ends. No user data used for model training. Single-tenant architecture provides full isolation.

Luminance: Zero data used for training; complete client data isolation

5/5

Explicit zero data retention policy. Conversations are not stored after session ends. No user data used for model training. Single-tenant architecture provides full isolation.

5/5

Zero data used for training; complete client data isolation

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

PrivateNode: No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly confirmed. Hosting provider (Hetzner) holds ISO 27001 certification. Early-stage company; formal certifications would strengthen trust posture.

Luminance: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus

1/5

No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly confirmed. Hosting provider (Hetzner) holds ISO 27001 certification. Early-stage company; formal certifications would strengthen trust posture.

4/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

PrivateNode: Strong fit for UK regulated professional services. Domain-specific specialists trained on authoritative legislation sources. Zero data retention addresses key GDPR concerns. Suitable for SRA-regulated solicitors and FCA-regulated advisers.

Luminance: SRA and FCA suitable; used by regulated law firms and financial institutions

4/5

Strong fit for UK regulated professional services. Domain-specific specialists trained on authoritative legislation sources. Zero data retention addresses key GDPR concerns. Suitable for SRA-regulated solicitors and FCA-regulated advisers.

4/5

SRA and FCA suitable; used by regulated law firms and financial institutions

Total Score

18/25

23/25

Best For

PrivateNode

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus); regulated industries (SRA, FCA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment; enterprises requiring SSO integration.

Luminance

Best for regulated industries (ICO, SRA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls.

Detailed Comparison

Luminance vs PrivateNode: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Luminance (Luminance Technologies Ltd, GB) scores 23/25 overall with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. AI contract intelligence platform. PrivateNode (PrivateNode, GB) scores 18/25 with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI specialists for UK professional services — employment law, tax, immigration, and more with zero data retention.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Both score equally at 5/5.

●Luminance (5/5): UK/EU hosting with customer choice; on-premise available

●PrivateNode (5/5): All infrastructure hosted on Hetzner servers in Germany (EU). Zero US cloud dependency — no AWS, Azure, or GCP. Data stays within the EU at all times.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Luminance leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

●Luminance (5/5): UK-incorporated company under English law

●PrivateNode (3/5): UK limited company (Twakka Ltd, England & Wales). UK GDPR-equivalent jurisdiction with EU adequacy decision. Not subject to US CLOUD Act. Outside EEA but UK adequacy provides smooth data transfer basis.

#### Data Retention & Training

Both score equally at 5/5.

●Luminance (5/5): Zero data used for training; complete client data isolation

●PrivateNode (5/5): Explicit zero data retention policy. Conversations are not stored after session ends. No user data used for model training. Single-tenant architecture provides full isolation.

#### Certifications

Luminance leads with 4/5 vs 1/5.

●Luminance (4/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus

●PrivateNode (1/5): No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certifications publicly confirmed. Hosting provider (Hetzner) holds ISO 27001 certification. Early-stage company; formal certifications would strengthen trust posture.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 4/5.

●Luminance (4/5): SRA and FCA suitable; used by regulated law firms and financial institutions

●PrivateNode (4/5): Strong fit for UK regulated professional services. Domain-specific specialists trained on authoritative legislation sources. Zero data retention addresses key GDPR concerns. Suitable for SRA-regulated solicitors and FCA-regulated advisers.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Luminance	PrivateNode
Cyber Essentials Plus	Yes	No
ISO 27001	Yes	No
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

Luminance has a clear trust advantage, scoring 23/25 compared to PrivateNode's 18/25. Luminance particularly excels in legal jurisdiction, certifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, PrivateNode or Luminance?

PrivateNode has a TrustKit score of 18/25 while Luminance scores 23/25. Luminance currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do PrivateNode and Luminance compare on data residency?

PrivateNode scores 5/5 for data residency (All infrastructure hosted on Hetzner servers in Germany (EU). Zero US cloud dependency — no AWS, Azure, or GCP. Data stays within the EU at all times.), while Luminance scores 5/5 (UK/EU hosting with customer choice; on-premise available).

Are PrivateNode and Luminance GDPR compliant?

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

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