It’s no secret that modern data privacy laws can have extensive compliance requirements. Understanding the differences between the GDPR and FADP, and US data privacy regulations, for example, can be challenging, especially for companies with global operations that need to achieve and maintain multi-regulation compliance
Given the potential task volume associated with compliance activities, it can be highly valuable for organizations to use compliance audit software for functions like:
- Collecting, managing, and securely storing user data
- Conducting risk assessments
- Preparing and securely storing the needed documentation in the event of an audit
We’ll explore compliance audit software that can help your business achieve ongoing compliance with data privacy laws and easily manage any audits of your data processing operations.
Compliance auditing software overview
| Software | Key feature | Recommended for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usercentrics | Data privacy audit: Scan your website for cookies and trackers in use to understand your compliance risk level | Businesses of all sizes | From USD 8/month (free trial available) |
| Sprinto | Zones: Launch and manage compliance programs for individual business units | Tech companies with limited resources | Custom pricing |
| LEXCOMPLY | Compliance organogram: Get a bird’s eye view of internal and third-party compliance controls and risks | Growing companies with RegTech needs | Custom pricing |
| VComply | Audit workroom: Track and record audit-related events for verification purposes | Companies with US-centric GRC needs | Custom pricing |
| AuditBoard | AuditBoard AI: Automate workflows and get intelligent recommendations to leverage data | Fortune 500 companies | Custom pricing |
| Diligent | ACL analytics: Leverage machine learning to analyze any data source | Multinational corporations | Custom pricing |
| Drata | Audit hub: Manage tasks and evidence while enabling communication and collaboration in one location | Companies needing limited customizations and functionality | Custom pricing |
| LogicGate | Risk cloud control repository: Connect internal controls and frameworks to identify gaps and overlaps across compliance regulations | Companies with complex risk management needs | Custom pricing |
Our picks of the 8 best compliance audit software
nternal audits are crucial for managing compliance within the stringent standards of the GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy regulations. They’re also essential for creating a system that’s ready for the possibility of an external audit.
Building compliance into everyday operations helps your organization maintain regulatory standards and mitigate risks effectively, making an effective compliance audit tool a must-have.
The following tools offer a combination of privacy features — ranging from consent management to data privacy audits and risk analysis tools — that’ll help you keep ahead of compliance requirements and efficiently gather the necessary information needed for audits from an overseeing authority.
1. Usercentrics
Usercentrics CMP is a leading consent management platform (CMP) that enables businesses to collect, manage, securely store, and signal user consent in accordance with major data privacy regulations, including the GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and POPIA.
Usercentrics’ data privacy solutions primarily equip businesses to achieve data privacy compliance and maintain marketing performance. The platform also has a best-in-class data privacy audit feature.
This scan helps you determine your current data privacy compliance risk level for the cookies and trackers in use on your website so you’re prepared for (and ideally avoid) external audits.
In the event of an audit, Usercentrics has centralized and securely stored user consent records making it easier for you to supply this to data protection authorities, or for DSARs.
Notable features
- Data privacy audit: Scan your website for cookies and trackers in use to understand your compliance risk level with relevant privacy regulations
- Centralization and security: Centralize and securely store consent records, making it easier to pull evidence in the event of an audit
- Smart Data Protector: Prevent third party tools from collecting user data unless users have explicitly given consent
- Robust analytics and reporting: Get insights about user interactions and consent rates to drive your optimization strategy
- Geolocation: Detect user location to present regionally accurate consent banners, with preferred language
Pricing
Usercentrics offers a 14-day free trial for Web CMP, which includes one privacy regulation on one domain. After the trial, you can choose from five plans:
- Essential: USD 8/month (one domain, one regulation, up to 1,500 sessions)
- Plus: USD 16/month (one domain, unlimited regulations, 3,000 sessions)
- Pro: USD 34/month (three domains, unlimited regulations, 15,000 sessions)
- Business: USD 56/month (ten domains, unlimited regulations, 50,000 sessions)
- Corporate: Custom pricing (unlimited domains, unlimited regulations, and from one million sessions and up, all Business plan features and more)
 Pros |  Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use (G2 user reviews) | Advanced features can be challenging to use, according to some G2 users |
| Extensive customization options | |
| Automated blocking of non-essential services |
2. Sprinto
Sprinto is security compliance software built for tech companies. It offers its customers auditor-approved compliance programs that can be launched with a few clicks.
It also provides functionality that is specifically targeted to auditors, including audit dashboards and dedicated audit managers. The platform is generally easy to use, but some users reviewing on G2 reported that a few features are difficult to learn.
Notable features
- Seamless certification: Build automated controls and checks to gain compliance with IS0 27001 and more, and store any evidence needed for external audits
- Centralization: Maintain a bird’s eye view via a compliance and audit dashboard
- Plan for audits: Set periods for each regulatory framework, business unit, business location, and controls, and prepare for multiple audits simultaneously
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy integration with existing tech stack (G2 user reviews) | Users reviewing on G2 would like more comprehensive documentation and guidance |
| A comprehensive solution (G2 user reviews) | |
| Excellent customer support (G2 user reviews) |
3. LEXCOMPLY
Listed as India’s leading governance, risk and compliance (GRC) technology provider on Capterra, LEXCOMPLY focuses on building simple, innovative, secure products that are fit for purpose. The company offers solutions for compliance, contract, enterprise risk, and litigation management, but the platform doesn’t allow for integrations.
Notable features
- Compliance organogram: Get a bird’s eye view of internal and third-party compliance controls and risks
- Legislative updates: Receive notices about changes to the regulatory environment
- Real-time monitoring: Access granular compliance reports
- Risk audits: Run internal audits based on set controls and upload findings and recommendations to the system for actioning
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| |
|---|---|
| Complete compliance ecosystem | No third-party integrations |
| Secure, cloud-based data storage | |
| Regular legal and compliance updates |
4. VComply
VComply advertises helping businesses to automate and streamline their compliance, risk, policy, and audit management programs. The company touts a no-code solution for solving customers’ compliance management challenges, though per G2 user reviews, new users can experience a steep learning curve.
VComply’s solution includes multiple tools especially for managing audits, including a compliance calendar to plan and schedule audit activities.
Notable features
- Audit workroom: Track and record audit-related events for verification purposes
- Audit assessments: Evaluate the effectiveness of controls for mitigating risks
- Evidence management: Create a centralized repository for all audit-related documents
- Alerts and notifications: Receive real-time updates about audit-related tasks and issues
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| All-in-one compliance, risk, audit and policy management | Time-consuming to set up (G2 user reviews) |
| Free trial | |
| Intuitive reporting dashboards (G2 user reviews) |
5. AuditBoard
AuditBoard advertises its offering as an intelligent, collaborative, and connected risk management platform, and states its aim to help businesses elevate their audit, risk, sustainability, and compliance teams.
The company says their platform is designed to reduce the load of manual risk management, and includes AI functionality in workflows and the ability to get intelligent recommendations to leverage data.
Notable features
- Compliance audit templates: Streamline testing, issue remediation, and reporting
- Microsoft 365 integration: Integrate AuditBoard with Microsoft 365 programs to save time on document creation and updates
- Automated issue management: Gain real-time visibility into open issues and track their progress
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| |
|---|---|
| Versatile software (G2 user reviews) | It is cloud/browser-based only. |
| Intuitive to use (G2 user reviews) | |
| 200+ integrations |
6. Diligent
Diligent advertises that the company enables businesses to continuously monitor and draw insights from data to anticipate risks and build resilience. The software makes it easy to generate documentation and keep records. It also notes that it enables you to deliver in-depth compliance and ethics training to your team using science-backed microlearning content.
Notable features
- ACL Analytics: Leverage machine learning to analyze any data source
- Audit management: Consolidate key audit functions and maintain audit history
- Risk Library: Manage and view all compliance risks and controls in one place
- Third-Party Manager: Audit and track risk associated with third-party relationships
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| FedRAMP-certified solution | Many features only accessible via the app, according to G2 user reviews |
| 11 languages supported | |
| Easy to use (G2 user reviews) |
7. Drata
Drata advertises that their platform is built by security and compliance experts, and automates evidence collection to enable compliance and audit readiness. However, pricing for this tool is nontransparent, and while there are over 170 integrations, it only allows one integration per category.
Notable features
- Audit Hub: Manage tasks and evidence while enabling communication and collaboration in one location
- 170+ integrations: Connect existing data collection solutions to bring in evidence stored in those programs
- No-code solution: Build workflows and automations that meet your specific needs with a few clicks
- Trust Center: Pull essential security documents and information to show potential partners and customers pertinent security information
- Automated Access Reviews: Manage user access to stay in compliance with data privacy regulations and legislation
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| |
|---|---|
| GDPR- and CCPA-compliant | No free trial or free version |
| Extensive documentation (G2 user reviews) | |
| Dedicated account manager (G2 user reviews) |
8. LogicGate
LogicGate advertises that they enable users to design end-to-end workflows using visualizations. They tout an all-in-one platform that aims to help businesses identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks, empowering you to comply with data privacy regulations.
They also note that they provide access to a team of governance, risk, and compliance experts for help and support at every stage of your compliance audit journey.
Notable features
- Risk cloud control repository: Connect internal controls and frameworks to identify gaps and overlaps across compliance regulations
- Internal audit management solution: Centralize all audit-related data for your organization to identify risks
- Automated control testing: Assign control tests, documentation requests, findings and solutions to appropriate owners
- Risk cloud documents: Understand which documents you need to pass your next control audit
Pricing
Pricing is available on request.
| |
|---|---|
| FAIR-focused risk analysis | G2 user reviewers note being unable to test changes before they go live |
| Effective implementation support (G2 user reviews) | |
| Easy to build workflows (G2 user reviews) |
Features of compliance audit management software
Compliance audit management software can simultaneously protect and drive smoother business operations and effective compliance management.
Your chosen platform must offer features that help you achieve complete data privacy compliance. The platform should:
- Enable compliance with requirements of applicable data privacy laws
- Provide a detailed list of compliance tasks for comprehensive maintenance operations
- Include robust risk assessment tools to identify, evaluate, and mitigate potential compliance risks
The software must also protect sensitive data through features like encryption, access controls, and audit trails to enhance data security and integrity.
Build your compliance program with the top solution
To ensure compliance and audit preparedness, it can help to use a CMP. Integrating Usercentrics CMP into your business’s tech stack can help you collect, manage, and securely store, and signal user consent data in a way that helps you meet regulatory requirements.
And with our data privacy audit feature, you can better understand your compliance risk with regard to first- and third-party cookies and trackers present on your website.
The information presented in this article is provided for educational purposes only. Engaging qualified legal counsel or privacy specialists regarding data privacy and protection issues and operations when evaluating solutions is always recommended. This information is accurate based on these publicly available sources as of the date of publication. Details about products, features, pricing, etc. may change over time.
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