Comparison
feld.ai vs. Nanonets — EU-sovereign alternative without US cloud
Nanonets is a popular SaaS platform for document extraction — quick to set up, easy to use. But: Nanonets is a US company, processes data on US cloud infrastructure and is subject to the CLOUD Act. For European organisations with data protection requirements, this is a problem.
Why organisations look for alternatives
US cloud, US jurisdiction. Nanonets is based in San Francisco and processes documents on US cloud infrastructure (GCP/AWS). Your data is therefore subject to the US CLOUD Act and FISA 702. For GDPR-compliant processing, "EU Data Residency" is not enough — what matters is the provider's jurisdiction.
Block-based pricing. Nanonets charges per "block" — one block equals one extracted field. With complex documents containing many fields (e.g. invoices with 20+ line items), this can quickly become expensive. feld.ai charges per page — regardless of the number of extracted fields.
Limited customisability. Nanonets relies on pre-built models and low-code configuration. For standard documents this works well. For industry-specific documents (bordereaux, customs documents, legal files), the platform reaches its limits. feld.ai trains models directly on your document types.
Detailed comparison
| Criterion | feld.ai | Nanonets |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Feldkirch, Austria (EU) | San Francisco, USA |
| Hosting | Own GPU servers in Austria | US cloud (GCP/AWS) |
| US subprocessor | None | Yes (Nanonets itself + cloud provider) |
| CLOUD Act | Not affected | Affected |
| Own AI models | Yes — fully proprietary models | Partially — also uses third-party LLMs |
| On-premises | Yes | No (cloud-only) |
| Pricing model | Per page (regardless of field count) | Per block (per extracted field) |
| Human-in-the-loop | Integrated correction UX | Basic review interface |
| Master data matching | Yes — suppliers, accounts, cost centres | No |
| Personal support | Direct contact with the engineering team | Self-service / chat support |
Data residency vs. data sovereignty
A key distinction concerns where the provider is incorporated — not just where servers are located. Nanonets can offer EU data residency (data on EU servers), but as a US company, Nanonets remains subject to the CLOUD Act. US authorities can compel data disclosure regardless of server location.
feld.ai is an Austrian company, operates its own servers in Austria and uses no US subprocessors. This means feld.ai is subject exclusively to European law. The difference is not cosmetic — it is legally binding.
For details on the legal framework, see our pillar page: EU-Sovereign Document AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nanonets GDPR-compliant?
Nanonets is a US company based in San Francisco and processes data on US cloud infrastructure. Your documents are therefore subject to the CLOUD Act. Standard Contractual Clauses can mitigate but not resolve this conflict. feld.ai processes all data on its own servers in Austria — without US jurisdiction.
How does the pricing model differ?
Nanonets charges per extracted block (field). With complex documents containing many fields, this becomes expensive. feld.ai charges per page — you pay per processed page regardless of how many fields are extracted.
Where is data processed by Nanonets?
Nanonets processes data on US cloud infrastructure (GCP/AWS). Even if data can reside in EU data centres, US jurisdiction remains. feld.ai operates exclusively own servers in Austria — no cloud provider, no colocation.
Can feld.ai replace Nanonets?
Yes. feld.ai covers the core functions: OCR, classification, data extraction and validation. The REST API enables straightforward migration. Additionally, feld.ai offers human-in-the-loop UX, master data matching and industry-specific models that go beyond Nanonets' capabilities.