The world of regulation is changing at a rapid rate. Research from Thomson Reuters found that 62% of teams increased their compliance budgets in 2022. And this only looks set to continue in the next years.
One explanation for this is the new normal of hybrid work. As companies become more distributed, teams have to find smart new ways to maintain compliance. That’s where compliance management software comes in.
Now, naturally, compliance can mean different things to different people and organizations. It could be about brand compliance, employment processes, or local regulations – to name a few.
So, before we dive into the longlist, here’s our shortlist of the three best software for compliance management:
- Filestage – best for managing compliance on marketing materials
- SiteDocs – best for managing safety compliance in the manufacturing industry
- Connecteam – best for employee compliance and training
1. Filestage – best for managing compliance on marketing materials
Filestage is a review and approval platform that doubles as a compliance management system for brands in regulated industries.
You can set up consistent and repeatable review processes for all kinds of file types – including documents, videos, and designs. Then you can roll these out across your company to make sure nothing gets published without being approved by the right people.
Pros
- Make compliance an integrated step in your company-wide approval process
- Get clear visibility of which files are approved or in need of changes
- Manage all your versions in one place so everyone knows which is the latest
- Set up templates to make sure everyone in your organization follows the right process
- Download reports to save a record of who approved a file before it was published
Cons
- No desktop app
- No e-sign feature (coming soon)
Price
Filestage offers a free plan, which includes two active projects and 2 GB secure storage.
If you need more projects and storage, the Basic plan gives you 10 active projects and 250 GB secure storage for $49/month – including unlimited team members. There are also Professional and Enterprise plans available with advanced features. These are available as a free seven day trial.
Best for brand and marketing teams
Filestage’s compliance management software is best suited to marketing teams in the legal, medical, or financial industries.
You can set up a compliance review step as part of your marketing approval workflow. This makes sure that everything goes through the right channels before it goes live or gets published.
Deliver compliant content with confidence
Set up a consistent and compliant marketing review process with Filestage.
2. SiteDocs – best for managing safety compliance in the manufacturing industry
SiteDocs is a cloud-based compliance management software that’s designed for high-hazard industries like construction, manufacturing, and transportation.
It offers a centralized platform for managing compliance documents, forms, and records. This makes it easy for teams to access and update critical information from anywhere.
SiteDocs is trusted by firms like Lafarge and Clayton Homes.
Pros
- Build custom forms with ease
- Give workers instant access to safety documents
- Assign workers to specific locations
- Create custom profiles to manage and track your workers
- Use in-app chat to talk with your workers directly
Cons
- No support for video uploads
Price
SiteDocs doesn’t provide its pricing information upfront. You need to book a demo or get a quote through their website to get a customized price.
Best for managing safety compliance in the manufacturing industry
SiteDocs prides itself on making compliance easier, faster, and better for companies in the construction and manufacturing industries.
In a field that’s usually packed with paperwork and manual processes, SiteDocs’ compliance software has helped to turn hard-copy chaos into digital order.
3. Connecteam – best for employee compliance and training
Connecteam is an all-in-one employee management software that allows managers to automate and streamline their daily tasks.
As well as acting as a compliance management system, the software also includes time tracking, scheduling, and employee training features. This makes it a great comprehensive solution for small to medium-sized businesses.
Connecteam helps thousands of companies with their compliance management needs, including Henkel, Subway, and Volvo.
Pros
- Create a custom policy knowledgebase
- Set up digital forms and checklists
- Track the training progress of your employees
- Manage your employees’ compliance documents
- Stay connected with dedicated work chat
Cons
- No integration support
- Steep learning curve with customization options
- Notifications can be buggy
Price
Connecteam has a free plan for small businesses. For larger companies, their Basic plan starts at $29/month for your first 30 users. While the Expert plan starts at $99/month.
Best for employee compliance and training
Connecteam’s compliance software is billed as the perfect way to manage, train, and communicate with your non-desk workforce.
It’s particularly helpful for HR professionals who want to digitize their onboarding and offboarding processes.
4. PowerDMS
PowerDMS is a web-based compliance management system designed for businesses of all sizes. It gives you a centralized platform for managing policy documents, training materials, and compliance requirements. This makes sure that employees have access to the latest information, wherever they are.
PowerDMS’s compliance management software is trusted by a range of public sector organizations, including Baltimore Police, AmeriSave, and War Memorial Hospital.
Pros
- Manage policies and procedures across their entire lifecycle
- Track the accreditations of your workforce
- Keep citizens informed and measure their satisfaction
- Schedule shifts and notify staff about changes in real time
- Offer field training for law enforcement, fire, communications, and more
- Give your workforce anonymous wellness support
Cons
- Lots of features to get to grips with
- The search function isn’t very user friendly
- Limited reporting
Price
PowerDMS doesn’t promote their prices on their website. So you’ll need to arrange a demo call to discuss a quote.
Best for public sector workforces
PowerDMS’s compliance management software helps you recruit, train, equip, and protect your employees throughout their careers.
It’s specialized towards law enforcement, 9-1-1 communications, and healthcare, integrating with a wide range of accreditation manuals.
5. Skillcast
Skillcast is a cloud-based compliance management software that specializes in employee training.
The software offers a range of features like customizable training modules, automated tracking, and reporting. This makes it easy to check that employees are meeting their compliance training requirements.
Skillcast is used by companies across a range of industries, including Tesco, Vattenfall, and Rathbones.
Pros
- Get access to off-the-shelf courses across a range of key topics
- Offer in-depth training for financial services, GDPR, insurance, and risk
- Brand your training materials before rolling them out across your organization
- Create bespoke training courses that are personalized to your team
Cons
- Highly reliant on Skillcast technicians
- Difficult to edit
- Only serves the UK
- Complicated pricing (see below)
Price
Skillcast offers three plans: Library Only, Premium Plan, and Enterprise. The prices vary based on the number of users you need.
For 20 users on the Library Only plan, you’re looking at £80.30/user per year. But for 1,000 users, this drops to £13.51/user per year.
Best for companies in the UK who want to outsource training materials
Skillcast’s compliance software is great for companies who want to have bespoke training materials created on their behalf.
Their team can deliver e-learning courses that are fully tailored to your needs – with interactivity and gamification built in to keep it fun.
6. HSI Donesafe
HSI Donesafe’s compliance management software is designed for modern organizations. It helps teams manage and comply with all their risk, governance, regulatory compliance, and workplace obligations.
Their compliance management system includes features like risk assessments, incident reporting, and hazard identification. This makes it a comprehensive option for any business in a high-risk industry.
HSI Donsafe is trusted by big names like Vodafone, Qantas, and Nokia.
Pros
- User-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and perform compliance-related tasks
- Customizable workflows to create your own compliance processes
- Automated notifications for compliance-related tasks and deadlines
- Real-time reporting to track compliance progress and identify areas for improvement
- Accessible via mobile devices so you can perform compliance tasks on-the-go
Cons
- Too expensive for small businesses
- A steep learning curve for new users
- Limited integration options
- Lack of customization
Price
HSI Donesafe doesn’t share any pricing on their website. You need to request a demo or contact the team for a custom price.
Best for large companies in high-risk industries
HSI Donesafe is best for companies that need to manage health and safety, environmental, or quality compliance. It is particularly good for medium to large-sized organizations that have complex compliance needs and a large number of employees to manage.
Their compliance software is also suitable for companies that operate in high-risk industries, such as manufacturing, construction, and oil and gas.
7. Libryo
Libryo’s compliance management software is designed for legal environments.
It gives businesses a real-time look at their compliance obligations, covering things like regulatory compliance tracking, automated updates, and customizable workflows. This makes it easy for firms to stay on top of the compliance requirements that are relevant to them.
Libryo’s compliance management system is trusted by leading names like Unilever.
Pros
- User-friendly interface that makes it easy to find compliance information
- Real-time updates on changes to legal and regulatory requirements
- Customizable dashboards that let you tailor the system to your needs
- Coverage for multiple jurisdictions around the world
- Generate automated compliance reports to save time and reduce the risk of human error
Cons
- Too expensive for small businesses
- Limited integration options
- Limited language support for non-English-speaking jurisdictions
- Lack of customization
Price
Libryo doesn’t include any information about pricing on their website. You need to request a demo for a custom quote.
Best for maintaining compliance across multiple jurisdictions
Libryo’s platform is best suited for companies in highly-regulated industries, like energy, mining, construction, finance, and healthcare. It’s also a good choice for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions with complex and constantly evolving legal requirements.
Libryo’s compliance management solution can help these companies stay up to date with changes in laws and regulations, reduce the risk of non-compliance, and streamline legal operations.
8. Netwrix
Netwrix is a security and compliance management software that specializes in data security.
From threat detection to access control, it helps you eliminate blind spots and overcome complexities to reduce the risk of a data breach.
Netwrix’s compliance management system is used by a range of well-known companies, including Airbus, Virgin, and Allianz.
Pros
- Get a complete audit trail of all the changes made to the IT environment to help identify and investigate suspicious activity
- Detect any unauthorized access or changes made to sensitive data in real time
- Set up customizable reports to demonstrate compliance with industry regulations and standards
- Automate compliance tasks like collecting and analyzing data, generating reports, and notifying IT staff of compliance violations
Cons
- Too expensive for small businesses
- Complex and difficult to use if you don’t have dedicated IT staff
- False positives can create unnecessary work for IT staff
- Not as many features or integrations as other compliance management software solutions
Price
Netwrix doesn’t publish any pricing information on their website, so you’ll have to contact them directly for a quote.
Best for companies in regulated industries with dedicated IT teams
Netwrix is ideal for companies in regulated industries, such as healthcare, finance, and government. Their compliance monitoring software can help you maintain a secure IT environment that’s in line with strict compliance requirements.
Netwrix is also a good choice for IT service providers who offer compliance management solutions to their clients.
9. AuditBoard
AuditBoard is a cloud-based audit and compliance management software that helps businesses manage their internal audit processes.
It offers a range of compliance management tools, including risk management, audit planning, and reporting.
AuditBoard is trusted by big names like Lenovo and Activision.
Pros
- Comprehensive features for managing audit and compliance processes
- Automate manual tasks like data collection, testing, and reporting
- Collaborate among audit and compliance teams, as well as other stakeholders and external auditors
- Customize the compliance software to suit your needs
Cons
- Difficult to set up if you don’t have dedicated audit and compliance staff
- Too expensive for small businesses with limited budgets for compliance activities
- Limited integrations compared to other compliance management software tools
- Some users report issues with the quality and speed of customer support
Price
AuditBoard doesn’t publish their pricing on their website. You need to schedule a demo to get a personalized quote.
Best for public sector companies
AuditBoard’s regulatory compliance software is ideal for public companies that need to comply with regulations like SOX, PCAOB, and SEC.
This makes it a good choice for any companies in regulated industries, including healthcare, finance, and government.
10. Qooling
Qooling is a cloud-based compliance management software that helps businesses with quality, safety, and security management.
By organizing issues, data, and audits in one platform, it helps colleagues and internal experts to collaborate more effectively.
Qooling is trusted by companies like Mammoet Road Cargo, Maat Logistiek, and Dosco PetroServices.
Pros
- Easy to use with minimal training, making it ideal for small businesses with limited resources
- Lots of features for managing compliance, including training, audit, incident, and document management
- Great customization options to tailor things to suit your business processes
- Affordable compared to other compliance management systems
Cons
- Limited integrations compared to other compliance software solutions, which may limit flexibility
- Limited reporting capabilities, which can make it difficult to track your compliance management processes over time
- Not great for larger businesses
- Some users have reported low quality customer service and slow response times
Price
Qooling’s regulatory compliance software is available from $13/month for their Light package. They also have Starter, Advanced, and Enterprise plans with more advanced features.
They don’t offer a free trial. Instead they provide a free guided tour with one of their experts.
Best for small businesses in regulated industries
Qooling’s regulatory management software is a good option for small businesses exploring affordable compliance management systems. It’s great for companies that prioritize safety, quality, and compliance management.
11. Parapet
Parapet is an integrated risk management system (IRM) that offers a range of compliance management tools.
From vulnerability scanning to compliance tracking and risk management, it helps teams of all shapes and sizes to ensure compliance across their business processes.
Pros
- Carry out a thorough risk assessment of vulnerabilities, threats, and potential impacts to prioritize resources
- Customize your compliance management workflows for more optimized business processes
- Centralize compliance-related data, making it easier to manage data across the organization
- Integrate with other systems like ticketing and project management tools for easy management of compliance issues
Cons
- Complex to set up and use, especially for small organizations
- Small companies may not be able to justify the price
- Requires ongoing maintenance and updates
- May not cover all your compliance requirements
Price
Parapet offers packages based on the number of items you need to assess. This costs $1/item per month on an annual plan, or $5/item per month on a no term plan.
Best for teams who prefer pay-as-you-go pricing
Parapet’s regulatory management software is best for teams who are struggling to justify the price of other tools, as you only pay for what you need.
12. Camms.Risk
Camms.Risk is a cloud-based compliance management software. It helps you identify and understand your compliance obligations and track your progress over time.
This compliance management system also offers features like risk assessments, risk treatment planning, and reporting.
Pros
- Comprehensive approach to risk management that covers all aspects of compliance
- Customizable dashboards and reporting
- Integrate with third-party systems to streamline data management and reporting
- Set up automated workflows to make sure compliance tasks are completed on time
- User-friendly interface for easy navigation
Cons
- Expensive for small businesses
- Some features have a steep learning curve and require training
- Limited integrations
Price
Camms.Risk doesn’t list its compliance tools pricing on its website. You’ll need to request a demo for a custom price.
Best for large companies looking for an integrated compliance tool
Camms.Risk’s compliance management system is suitable for a range of industries and company sizes.
13. Satori
Satori is a compliance management software that helps you protect sensitive customer data in the cloud.
The software offers features like compliance tracking, regulatory updates, and audit preparation, making it easy to stay on top of complex compliance requirements.
Satori is used by Celsius, Artera, and OneVet.
Pros
- Use AI to automate compliance tasks
- Customize it to fit your requirements
- Real-time monitoring of compliance risks and violations
- Get a visual representation of data flows
- Collaborate between teams, departments, and third-party vendors
Cons
- Expensive for small companies with limited budgets
- Needs technical expertise to set up and maintain
- AI can generate false positives that need to be reviewed manually
Price
Satori doesn’t list their pricing on their website. You’ll have to get in touch for a quote.
Best for teams looking for an AI-powered tool
Satori is best suited to companies who want to automate as much of their compliance management process as possible.
What to look for when comparing compliance management software?
Before acquiring any software, it’s important to nail down exactly what “good” looks like.
Here are the main things you should consider when comparing compliance management software:
- Features: You can probably tell quite quickly which compliance management tools are suitable for your use case. But once you’ve pulled together a shortlist, it’s worth diving into the details to see which software perfectly meets your needs.
- Customization: Compliance means different things to different teams, departments, and markets. So check that the compliance management software you’re looking into can be customized to different needs.
- Notifications: One of the biggest risks of poor compliance management is letting something slip through the net. The best compliance tools will overcome this by sending notifications in real time.
- Reporting and auditing: Depending on your industry, you may need to export your records and save them on your server for future auditing. Filestage, for example, lets you download a full PDF report of your approval process. This includes every comment and approval with timestamps.
- Price: Check that the software offers a free trial so you can put it to the test. Then find the solution that offers the best return on your investment.
How do you know if you can trust your compliance management software?
One of the best ways to build trust in compliance management solutions is by checking out their reviews on G2. This will give you real insights into how people use the platform and any problems they’ve faced.
Once you’ve made a shortlist of tools that you feel you can trust, you should try them out. Using a tool as part of a free trial or extended pilot test can really help you work out if it’s right for your team.
What are the different types of compliance?
Compliance management can mean lots of things to lots of people. So let’s look at the five main types of compliance:
- Brand compliance – the way your company comes across in your marketing campaigns and messages
- Regulatory compliance – the local and international regulations that you need to follow for your specific industry
- HR compliance – the business policies and procedures that help to protect the welfare of your employees
- Data compliance – the way you store and manage the data of anyone that comes into contact with your company (think GDPR)
- Health and safety compliance – the process of building a safe environment for your employees and customers
Final thoughts
I hope this article has helped you find a compliance management solution for your company’s needs.
If you’re looking for a way to set up a compliant review process for marketing campaigns, documents, and other content, get started with Filestage – for free!
