Swiss AI platforms compared: providers, hosting and pricing
For Swiss companies, law firms and public bodies, hosting exclusively in Switzerland is sometimes an explicit requirement and sometimes a preference. Several providers based in Switzerland have built their own AI platforms around that.
The legal framework behind it is the revised Federal Act on Data Protection, in force since 1 September 2023, alongside the European Commission's adequacy decision of 15 January 2024 and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework since 15 September 2024.
This article sets out the legal framework, compares six platforms based in Switzerland, including Custodos, and names the questions worth asking before choosing a provider.
The legal framework for AI hosting in Switzerland
The revised Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, SR 235.1) came into force on 1 September 2023. Art. 16 FADP requires, as a rule, an adequate level of data protection in the recipient country for any disclosure of personal data abroad; where that is missing, safeguards such as standard contractual clauses are needed.
In a report dated 15 January 2024, the European Commission confirmed the adequacy of Switzerland's data protection level. Personal data from the EU or the EEA can since then be transferred to Switzerland without additional safeguards. For exchanges with certified US companies, the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework has applied in addition since 15 September 2024.
Six Swiss platforms compared
The table below compares six providers based in Switzerland alphabetically, including Custodos. All figures for the other five providers come from a check in September 2026; sources are listed below. Only providers based in Switzerland with a product for business, not only for private users, were included; open language models with no business product of their own are excluded.
| Location | Hosting | Models | Pricing | Evidence | On-premise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custodos | Custodos (Switzerland) | EU or Switzerland, region selectable | GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral | €15 (Mini), €30 (Business), €90 (Max) per seat per month, minus 20% on annual billing | No public DPA linked; no ISO 27001, no SOC 2 currently | Not stated on the website |
| EagleGPT | BE BRAVE AG, Risch-Rotkreuz | Servers in Switzerland, according to the provider without US cloud providers | Fine-tuned LLaMA and DeepSeek models, optional GPT-4 in a private environment | Not stated on the website | Swiss Made Software and Swiss Hosting labels; ISO 27001, SOC 2 not stated | Yes, on request |
| netsafeAI | Netsafe AG, St Gallen | 100% hosted and operated in Switzerland | Several models, including Gemma 4, full list not stated | Not stated on the website | ISO/IEC 42001, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001; SOC 2 not stated | Yes, on-premises or Netsafe Cloud |
| Solity | Solity GmbH, Frick | Swiss data centres or on-premise | Local and cloud LLMs, individual providers not stated | CHF 19 per user per month, Starter, minimum 5 users, minus 20% on annual billing | ISO 27001, SOC 2 not stated | Yes, CHF 139 per month surcharge |
| Swisscom Swiss AI Assistant | Swisscom (Schweiz) AG, Ittigen/Bern | Processed and stored entirely within Switzerland | GPT-OSS-120B, Qwen3.5, Mistral Small 4, Gemma 4; the Swiss AI Platform also integrates the Swiss language model Apertus | CHF 149 per month, Essential plan, up to 10 users | DPA, ISO 27001, SOC 2 not stated | Not stated |
| SwissGPT | AlpineAI AG, Davos | Own hardware in Swiss data centres (RIZ AG, Green Datacenter, RZO) | Mistral Large 3 | Standard/Premium plans up to 9 users, Enterprise from 10 seats, CHF amounts not stated | Public DPA, ISO 27001:2022 (SQS), plus VDSZ; SOC 2 not stated | Not stated |
How the pricing models differ
Only two of the six providers, Solity and Swisscom, publish concrete CHF figures; Custodos states euro figures, AlpineAI/SwissGPT names plans without figures, and EagleGPT and netsafeAI point to a demo or a quote. On-premise carries a fixed monthly surcharge at Solity, while EagleGPT and netsafeAI offer on-premise with no stated surcharge. Comparing entry prices is therefore only possible to a limited extent; a binding offer in most cases still requires a direct enquiry. One-off setup fees, such as the ones Solity states on top of its monthly price, belong in that comparison too.
When hosting exclusively in Switzerland is necessary
Whether a company needs hosting exclusively in Switzerland depends on its sector's supervisory law, on procurement requirements or on contractual requirements from its own clients, not on a general rule. The type of data processed also plays a role, for instance with especially sensitive personal data. This assessment does not replace legal advice for a specific case.
Since the adequacy decision of 15 January 2024, Switzerland's data protection level is regarded as adequate from an EU perspective; a transfer between the EU/EEA and Switzerland is possible without additional safeguards. For companies working mainly with EU clients, or whose regulator does not require Swiss processing, hosting in the EU can therefore be sufficient.
Questions to ask Swiss AI providers
These questions should be answered in writing before a decision. They cover hosting, evidence, training and sub-processors.
- In which country is data processed at rest and during inference, and is that contractually fixed?
- Is a data processing agreement available publicly, or only on request?
- Which certifications, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2 or VDSZ, are current, and where can the certificate be inspected?
- Is on-premise operation possible, and at what additional cost?
- Is customer data used for training, including in aggregated form?
- Which sub-processors are involved, and how are changes communicated?
Where the other Swiss providers lead Custodos
AlpineAI (SwissGPT) and Netsafe (netsafeAI) hold an ISO 27001 certification; Custodos currently does not. EagleGPT, Solity and netsafeAI offer on-premise operation; Custodos does not list that option on its website.
All five Swiss providers compared here state that they process data exclusively in Switzerland as a rule. Custodos offers Switzerland as a selectable region alongside the EU; for organisations that require Swiss processing without exception, that is a structural difference worth clarifying before a decision. For organisations without that requirement, the choice between the EU and Switzerland remains an added degree of freedom.
Frequently asked questions
Must a Swiss AI platform host exclusively in Switzerland?
No, that depends on the sector's supervisory law, on procurement requirements or on contractual requirements from its own clients. Five of the six providers compared here state that they process exclusively in Switzerland; Custodos offers Switzerland as a selectable region alongside the EU.
What does the adequacy decision mean for Swiss companies?
The European Commission confirmed on 15 January 2024 that Switzerland offers an adequate level of data protection. Personal data from the EU or the EEA can since then be transferred to Switzerland without additional safeguards.
What does a Swiss AI platform cost?
Only Solity and Swisscom publish concrete CHF figures; the other providers point to a demo or an individual offer. A comparison only makes sense after an enquiry stating your own user numbers, because user counts, token volumes and add-ons are defined differently by each provider.
Is Apertus a standalone business platform?
No. Apertus is an open Swiss language model from ETH Zurich, EPFL and CSCS with no hosting offer, pricing or support of its own for business. The Swisscom Swiss AI Platform integrates it, according to the provider, as one of several models.
What is the difference between the Swiss providers and Custodos?
The five Swiss providers compared here process data exclusively in Switzerland as a rule, several offer on-premise operation and two hold an ISO 27001 certification. Custodos offers a choice between the EU and Switzerland instead, plus several model providers behind one login.
Sources
- Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, SR 235.1) · Fedlex, Swiss Federal Chancellery
- Entry into force of the revised Data Protection Act · FDPIC
- European Commission's adequacy decision regarding Switzerland · FDPIC
- Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework · FDPIC
- Disclosure of personal data abroad · FDPIC
- Safety · AlpineAI AG (SwissGPT)
- netsafeAI · Netsafe AG
- Enterprise AI · Solity GmbH
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