Piler vs Hornetsecurity
Self-hosted flexibility vs cloud-only bundled security
Different Approaches to Archiving
Hornetsecurity bundles email archiving with their cloud security platform. Piler Enterprise offers dedicated archiving with full deployment control and advanced AI capabilities.
Hornetsecurity
- ❌Cloud-only deployment
- ❌Bundled with email security (pay for both)
- ❌Data stored in Hornetsecurity cloud
- ❌No on-premise AI capabilities
- ⚠️Limited deployment customization
- ✓EU data centers (German company)
Piler Enterprise
- ✅Self-hosted or any cloud provider
- ✅Archiving-only (use your preferred security)
- ✅Data stays in your infrastructure
- ✅Built-in AI semantic search (on-premise)
- ✅Full customization and white-labeling
- ✅Deploy anywhere: EU, US, your premises
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Hornetsecurity | Piler Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Model | Cloud-only (SaaS) | Self-hosted / Any cloud |
| Data Location Control | Hornetsecurity's data centers | Your choice (Germany, EU, US, anywhere) |
| Product Bundle | Security + Archiving bundle | Archiving-only (modular) |
| Full-Text Search | Yes | Yes (sub-200ms) |
| AI/Semantic Search | No | Yes (on-premise ML) |
| Sensitive Data Detection | Limited (cloud-based) | Built-in Smart Insights (on-premise) |
| eDiscovery | Yes | Yes |
| Legal Hold | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Via M365 backup | Yes (native archiving) |
| Slack Archiving | No | Yes (included) |
| Multi-Tenant (MSPs) | Yes | Yes (built-in) |
| White-Label / Branding | Limited | Full customization |
| GDPR Compliance | Yes (EU data centers) | Yes (your infrastructure) |
Why Choose Piler Over Hornetsecurity
🔐 True Data Sovereignty
Hornetsecurity stores your archive in their German data centers. While EU-based, it's still a third party holding your data.
Piler runs in YOUR infrastructure - whether that's a German data center like Hetzner or IONOS, your own premises, or any cloud provider worldwide. You choose the location, you control the data.
💰 Pay for What You Need
Hornetsecurity bundles archiving with email security. If you already have a security solution (Microsoft Defender, Proofpoint, etc.), you're paying twice.
Piler is archiving-only. Use it alongside your existing email security stack without redundant costs.
🤖 On-Premise AI
Hornetsecurity's cloud architecture means any AI features process your emails on their infrastructure.
Piler's semantic search and Smart Insights (sensitive data detection) run entirely on-premise. Your emails never leave your network for AI processing.
🌍 Your Data Center, Your Rules
Hornetsecurity decides where your data lives. You're trusting a third party with your archive, even if it's in Germany.
Deploy Piler in German data centers (Hetzner, IONOS, AWS Frankfurt), other EU locations, US regions, or your own premises. Same product, you choose the jurisdiction and provider.
European Compliance, Your Way
Both solutions can meet EU compliance requirements. The question is: who controls your data?
🇪🇺 GDPR Compliance
Both solutions support GDPR requirements. Piler adds the option of complete data custody - no third-party data processor involved.
- ✓ Data deletion / right to be forgotten
- ✓ Subject access request support
- ✓ Audit trails for compliance
🇩🇪 GoBD Compliance (Germany)
German tax authority requirements for business record retention. Piler's immutable storage and audit trails satisfy GoBD requirements.
- ✓ Immutable message storage
- ✓ Complete audit trail
- ✓ Configurable retention periods
When to Choose Each Solution
Choose Hornetsecurity if:
- • You want bundled email security + archiving
- • EU data center location is sufficient
- • You don't need on-premise deployment
- • AI features aren't a priority
Choose Piler if:
- ✓ You need complete data control (on-premise)
- ✓ You already have email security
- ✓ You want AI features without cloud data exposure
- ✓ You need Teams + Slack archiving
- ✓ You're an MSP needing white-label options
Take Control of Your Archive
Try Piler Enterprise free for 30 days. Deploy in your infrastructure, keep your data under your control.