Head-to-head · AI Assistant
ChatGPT vs Merlin
Which one to pick in 2026 — comparing 🇺🇸 ChatGPT with the European alternative 🇪🇺 Merlin on the things that actually decide who can read your data.
🇺🇸 ChatGPTvs🇪🇺 Merlin
Verdict
Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?
Merlin — GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.
Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?
Neither ships full E2E by default — check the table for nuance.
Which one tracks you for ads?
Neither monetises through ad tracking.
Which one is open source?
Merlin is not fully open source — check details.
Side-by-side
ChatGPT vs Merlin — full comparison
Criteria
🇪🇺 Merlin
🇺🇸 ChatGPT
Headquarters
France
San Francisco, USA
Jurisdiction
France
USA
Data location
Europe
US
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
No
No
Ownership
Private
OpenAI
Founded
2022
2022
Make the switch
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Other European alternatives to ChatGPT