Workiva is one of those platforms that comes up in almost every conversation about financial reporting and compliance software. And for good reason. Over 6,400 organisations use it worldwide, including a big chunk of the Fortune 1000. It connects financial data, ESG metrics, and regulatory filings in one cloud-based workspace, and it does that job well.

But here’s the thing: it’s not the right fit for everyone. Maybe your team doesn’t need the full financial reporting suite, and you’re mostly focused on ESG. Maybe the pricing doesn’t work for a mid-sized company. Or maybe you’re already running SAP or ServiceNow, and you’d rather not bolt on another platform. Whatever the reason, there are solid alternatives worth looking at.

That’s what this guide is for. We’ll walk through nine Workiva competitors, covering what each one does best, where it falls short, and which type of organisation it suits. No fluff, no rankings influenced by vendor sponsorships, just a straight look at what’s out there.

What Workiva Actually Does Well

Before we get into alternatives, let’s be fair about what makes Workiva popular. It’s a connected reporting platform, meaning it pulls data from your ERPs, CRMs, and spreadsheets directly into reporting documents. That keeps numbers consistent across SEC filings, SOX workflows, and sustainability disclosures without the usual copy-paste mess.

The platform handles real-time collaboration, automated data collection, XBRL tagging, and audit trails with granular permissions. It also has a Sustainability Explorer feature that supports frameworks like GRI, SASB, TCFD, CSRD, and ISSB. Verdantix named it a Leader in their Green Quadrant for ESG Reporting and Data Management, and it’s widely used in banking, insurance, energy, and government.

So yes, it’s a strong product. The question is whether it’s the right product for your specific situation.

Why People Look for Alternatives

It’s expensive, and the pricing isn’t transparent. Workiva uses custom enterprise pricing. If you don’t need the full reporting and compliance suite, you could end up paying for features your team won’t touch.

The learning curve is real. User reviews consistently mention that the platform can feel overwhelming at first, especially for people who haven’t worked with financial reporting software before. Training takes time and budget.

ESG isn’t its original DNA. Workiva built its reputation on financial reporting and then expanded into sustainability. If you need full Scope 3 carbon accounting across all 15 categories, a platform that was built specifically for ESG might give you more depth.

You might already have half the answer. If your organisation runs on SAP, ServiceNow, or Microsoft, a platform that plugs into your existing stack might make more sense than adding another standalone tool.

The Competitors Worth Knowing About

1. AuditBoard

AuditBoard is built for teams where internal audit and SOX compliance are the starting point, not an afterthought. It connects audit planning, fieldwork, and reporting in one place, and the interface is genuinely easy to pick up, which isn’t something you can say about every GRC tool. ESG controls slot into the broader compliance framework, so you’re not running a separate system for sustainability governance.

The catch? It’s geared toward larger enterprises with mature audit functions. If you’re a smaller team or your main need is ESG reporting rather than audit, it might be more than you need.

2. Diligent One Platform

Diligent brings board management and GRC into the same ecosystem, which is unusual. Most platforms do one or the other. It offers ESG modules that feed climate and diversity metrics directly into board-level reporting, and it pulls data from over 100 third-party sources. If your governance needs run from the boardroom down to operational risk, Diligent covers a lot of ground.

The downside is price. Like Workiva, it’s aimed at large enterprises, and some users find the interface feels a bit dated compared to newer tools on the market.

3. SAP GRC

If your organisation already lives in the SAP world, this is the obvious option. SAP GRC bakes governance and compliance directly into your existing ERP processes, no separate reporting layer, no data duplication. Sustainability and compliance data comes from the same transactional systems you use for finance and procurement.

But that tight integration is a double-edged sword. If you’re not on SAP, this isn’t for you. And even if you are, implementation can be long and resource-heavy.

4. ServiceNow GRC

Same logic as SAP, but for organisations already using ServiceNow for IT service management. Adding GRC within the same environment means fewer tools to manage and better visibility across IT and enterprise risk. It handles real-time risk detection and automated compliance workflows well.

Where it’s weaker: ESG-specific features aren’t as developed as what you’d get from a dedicated sustainability platform. It’s a solid option for tech-driven organisations, less so for teams whose primary concern is ESG reporting.

5. FloQast

FloQast is really an accounting close management tool, and it’s quite good at that. The reason it shows up in Workiva competitor lists is that its financial-grade data controls can be extended to ESG data. If your CFO’s office owns sustainability reporting alongside financial reporting, FloQast lets you apply the same rigour to both.

It’s more affordable than Workiva and faster to deploy. Best fit: mid-market organisations that want a finance-centric approach to ESG without the weight of an enterprise GRC platform.

6. Benchmark ESG

This is the one to look at if your team is primarily focused on environmental, health, safety, and sustainability and not financial reporting. Benchmark ESG was built from the ground up for EHS and ESG professionals. It handles environmental compliance tracking, incident management, sustainability reporting, and audit management in a way that finance-first platforms simply don’t.

If you’re in manufacturing, energy, or another resource-intensive industry where environmental compliance is a daily operational concern, Benchmark ESG is worth a serious look.

7. Novisto

Novisto is focused on ESG data management and disclosure. It comes with pre-built templates for GRI, SASB, TCFD, and CSRD, which means you can get set up quickly without starting from scratch. It’s a good option for organisations that are earlier in their ESG reporting journey or that need to align with new regulations fast.

It won’t replace Workiva if you also need financial reporting and SOX compliance in the same platform. But if your primary need is sustainability disclosure, Novisto gives you a more accessible entry point at a lower price.

8. Onspring

Onspring is a no-code GRC platform, which means your team can build custom workflows for risk, compliance, audit, and ESG without waiting on IT. It deploys fast, it’s flexible, and the customer support is responsive, three things that don’t always go together in this market.

For mid-market organisations that find Workiva too rigid or too complex for what they actually need, Onspring is a lighter, more agile alternative.

9. Vena

If your finance team lives in Excel and isn’t going to stop anytime soon, Vena is worth considering. It uses an Excel-native interface but wraps it in proper governance controls, audit trails, and centralised data management. You get the familiarity of spreadsheets with the structure of an enterprise platform.

Vena works best when FP&A teams are driving ESG reporting and want to combine financial planning with sustainability data in one place. It’s not the right pick if you need deep ESG-specific functionality beyond data consolidation and reporting.

Quick Comparison

Here’s how these nine alternatives stack up at a glance.

Platform	Best For	ESG Strength	Pricing Model	Key Differentiator
AuditBoard	Audit-first GRC teams	SOX & internal controls integration	Enterprise subscription	Unified audit, risk & compliance workflows
Diligent One	Board-level governance & GRC	ESG modules with board reporting	Custom enterprise pricing	Tight coupling of board management with GRC
SAP GRC	Large enterprises on SAP ERP	ERP-embedded sustainability tracking	Licensed per module	Native integration with SAP ecosystem
ServiceNow GRC	Organisations on ServiceNow	IT risk with ESG overlay	Platform subscription	GRC embedded in existing ITSM workflows
FloQast	Accounting close management	Financial-grade ESG data controls	Per-user subscription	Streamlined month-end close process
Benchmark ESG	Dedicated ESG & EHS teams	Deep ESG and EHS reporting	Modular pricing	Purpose-built for sustainability and EHS
Novisto	Mid-market ESG reporting	Framework-aligned ESG disclosures	SaaS subscription	Pre-built ESG framework templates
Onspring	Flexible mid-market GRC	Configurable ESG workflows	Per-user, per-app pricing	No-code configuration and quick deployment
Vena	FP’A with ESG integration	Financial and ESG data unification	Per-user subscription	Excel-native interface with central governance

Picking the Right One

There’s no single “best” alternative to Workiva. It depends on what problem you’re actually trying to solve.

If it’s mainly about financial reporting and compliance, look at FloQast or Vena. They’re built for finance teams and won’t overwhelm you with features you don’t need.
If ESG and sustainability are the priority, Benchmark ESG and Novisto go deeper on the sustainability side than any finance-first platform.
If you’re already running SAP or ServiceNow, start with the GRC solution in your existing ecosystem before adding another vendor.
If you need enterprise GRC with board-level reporting, Diligent and AuditBoard are the closest to Workiva in scope, though they come with enterprise-level pricing to match.

Whatever direction you lean, request demos. Get the people who’ll actually use the platform into the room for the evaluation and not just the project sponsor. The best platform on paper is useless if the day-to-day users don’t adopt it.

Workiva does a lot of things well, and it’s not going anywhere. But the market has grown up, and there are now genuinely strong alternatives for teams with different priorities, budgets, and tech stacks. The worst thing you can do is assume it’s the only option without looking around.

We cover ESG software, vendor comparisons, and industry news regularly at OneStop ESG. If you’re in the middle of evaluating platforms, check out our marketplace and resources section for more detailed breakdowns.