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ACL Analytics vs MetricStream comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
ACL Analytics quickly recoups costs, enhances efficiency, reduces audit hours, and eliminates alternative tools, benefiting operational workflows.
Sentiment score
6.1
MetricStream enhances ROI by reducing manual tasks, improving audits, and lowering compliance costs, with quick ROI realization.
If an auditor was normally budgeted to take 600 hours, we have implemented a solution to take those audit hours down to 200 hours.
ACL Consultant
It has proven value in terms of time saving and efficiency, so much so that using open-source tools like Python is not necessary.
Group Internal Audit - Data Analytics Specialist at AMREF
It delivers strong ROI as an enterprise-wide GRC platform with value realized through automation, reduced compliance effort, improved visibility, and efficient auditing.
Senior GRC Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I definitely saw a return on investment; there was a lesser number of audit headcount required, which saved us money and time on audits.
Student at a university with 501-1,000 employees
There is a measurable return on investment since we have reduced the time for Risk and Control Assessment from three to four months to approximately 30 to 40 days, which lowers costs significantly.
GRC Senior Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
ACL Analytics support is praised for effectiveness, though regional differences and occasional delays affect overall response times.
Sentiment score
7.2
MetricStream's customer support is responsive and expert but faces occasional language and service challenges despite positive feedback.
This rating is due to slow response times; it would take more than 5 days to respond.
ACL Consultant
For major technical issues, resolutions typically took six to eight hours.
Senior Audit Analyst 2 at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I escalate many questions to technical support, and they usually respond to me.
Team leader - Internal Audit sector at HD Bank
Additionally, when needed, they help set up additional training to walk us through demos of each module to help us make the best use of MetricStream for our organization's needs.
Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
We had to engage with senior management from time to time, but they were responsive and quick in working through our issues.
Owner at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Customer support was very quick to respond anytime I needed assistance.
Student at a university with 501-1,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.1
ACL Analytics is praised for scalability but faces mixed reviews on vendor limits and potential system crashes.
Sentiment score
7.8
MetricStream's adaptable scalability supports diverse industries, offering robust automation for enterprises while requiring careful configuration for efficiency.
It is a vendor application, and you do not have much power in terms of what we can adjust.
ACL Consultant
It is an enterprise-grade platform designed to support large global organizations with thousands of users, handling high volumes of risk controls, audits, issues, and assessments.
Senior GRC Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The biggest issue I have encountered with clients has been around upgrades that require re-implementing customizations to the out-of-box solutions after significant upgrades.
Owner at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
MetricStream demonstrates strong scalability by supporting enterprise compliance programs with large volumes of regulatory requirements, controls, assessments, evidence records, and user activity.
Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
ACL Analytics is stable with minor issues easily resolved, reliable performance, and options like secondary nodes enhancing uptime.
Sentiment score
7.9
MetricStream is stable, effective for tasks, despite occasional complexities and data losses, ensuring smooth operations and user experience.
I would rate how stable this solution is as a 10.
ACL Consultant
It didn't take more than half an hour for our IT team to resolve the issue.
Senior Audit Analyst 2 at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I occasionally experience lag when extracting Excel sheets after formulating and setting up the required data.
Team leader - Internal Audit sector at HD Bank
MetricStream performs well in managing large volumes of data.
Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
We had the necessary infrastructure in place, including minimum server space and RAM requirements, so we did not experience any outages or issues.
Deputy Manager at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
I experience more data losses and flow control issues as data volume increases.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

ACL Analytics needs enhancements in usability, visualization, security, and affordability to better support non-technical users and improve accessibility.
MetricStream needs an improved UI, mobile enhancements, better integration, and more intuitive low-code tools for optimal performance.
It would also be beneficial if ACL Analytics included features similar to Tableau for data presentation.
Team leader - Internal Audit sector at HD Bank
While we had e-learning resources to assist, a more intuitive platform would be beneficial.
Senior Audit Analyst 2 at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We have an issue with the hard coding of passwords in ACL Analytics. You do not have an interface where you can enter a password and then it can be encrypted when you enter it.
ACL Consultant
Low-code or no-code enhancements and easier integration with enterprise systems such as SharePoint, ServiceNow, SAP, or Azure DevOps could reduce implementation effort and operational time.
Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
We desire a product that does not require development teams for customization but enables users to make configurations or adjustments with little effort.
GRC Senior Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
There is a need to improve form loading performance and address potential data loss when multiple users submit forms simultaneously.
Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

ACL Analytics costs $6,000 annually, seen as expensive individually, but offers value for organizations with included features.
MetricStream's pricing is costly but worthwhile due to flexibility and effectiveness, though customization requires additional fees.
I would rate the pricing of ACL Analytics as a 10.
ACL Consultant
ACL Analytics is quite affordable compared to the market.
Senior Audit Analyst 2 at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
For example, a thousand dollars last year cost three thousand pounds, but today it is five thousand pounds.
Team leader - Internal Audit sector at HD Bank
MetricStream is a bit costly.
GRC Senior Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MetricStream is a very costly application; we cannot save money.
Quality Management at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Despite having to extend our budget to accommodate it.
Deputy Manager at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

ACL Analytics efficiently tests data, integrates sources, and enhances audit processes with automation, robust control, and visualization capabilities.
MetricStream enhances risk management, efficiency, and decision-making with customizable solutions and streamlined compliance for diverse sectors.
The most valuable feature of ACL Analytics is its error suggestion capability, where it indicates problems if operations are incorrect.
Senior Audit Analyst 2 at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
With over a million clients, this feature helps tremendously in identifying fraud detection in client accounts.
Team leader - Internal Audit sector at HD Bank
I can access data from various sources, both relational and non-relational databases, using one tool.
Group Internal Audit - Data Analytics Specialist at AMREF
We have had the ability to essentially write SQL code that allows us to develop a report in real time that gives us insight into various different KPIs or KRIs leveraged across the organization.
Owner at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Control and compliance mapping was one of the most powerful features for NERC compliance as we can map NERC standards and requirements directly to controls, risks, evidence, and corrective actions, creating end-to-end traceability.
Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
The best features that MetricStream offers for the automation of audits include the alerting system and the ability to attach evidence.
Student at a university with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

ACL Analytics
Ranking in Continuous Controls Monitoring
1st
Ranking in GRC
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MetricStream
Ranking in Continuous Controls Monitoring
2nd
Ranking in GRC
2nd
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
IT Governance (2nd), IT Vendor Risk Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of ACL Analytics is 2.7%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MetricStream is 3.2%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
GRC Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MetricStream3.2%
ACL Analytics2.7%
Other94.1%
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2707797 - PeerSpot reviewer
ACL Consultant
Have significantly reduced audit hours through automation and advanced data integration with robust connectors
The key feature of ACL Analytics is integration, which allows for vast amounts of data sources you can connect to. The tool itself allows you to integrate it into your audit work in terms of taking exceptions that you receive from your analytics. It provides integration into your GRC platform and into your audit working files, and then one key thing is the vast amounts of connectors. We have seen a return on investment as we have mostly reduced working hours for the audit engagements. If an auditor was normally budgeted to take 600 hours, we have implemented a solution to take those audit hours down to 200 hours. We are mostly taking those metrics.
CP
Senior GRC Analyst at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Automated workflows have reduced manual follow-ups and improve third-party risk oversight
MetricStream's best features include its ease of use, compliance program, TPRM, audit management, and implementation effort. It effectively handles large data volumes and provides good workflow capabilities with decent reporting flexibility and a better user interface. MetricStream impacts the organization by reducing follow-ups through reminder settings during questionnaire assignments. It automatically sends reminders based on set reminders, fostering trust when configured with the organization's email domain. Metrics improvements like operational efficiency, centralized GRC management, enhanced risk visibility, streamlined compliance, reduced manual efforts, enhanced third-party risk monitoring, improved decision-making with real-time dashboards, and risk analytics follow from automated workflows and issue tracking.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
6%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Healthcare Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ACL Analytics?
We have an issue with the hard coding of passwords in ACL Analytics. You do not have an interface where you can enter a password and then it can be encrypted when you enter it. Every time you enter...
What is your primary use case for ACL Analytics?
We normally use ACL Analytics to automate what we call control testing across different business areas. We have several use cases for procurement which covers accounts payable. We are looking at pa...
What needs improvement with MetricStream?
MetricStream at that point did not have a template, and I had to build the entire SOX 404 IT general controls testing framework myself. It depended on how knowledgeable the person using it was. If ...
What is your primary use case for MetricStream?
My main use case for MetricStream is the automation of the IT audit process, governance, risk, and compliance. I was working for a specific third-party client who was implementing MetricStream, and...
What advice do you have for others considering MetricStream?
Overall, the API integrations of MetricStream were very good, and I did not face any issues, so it was good. I did not face any major challenges when customizing MetricStream to fit my organization...
 

Also Known As

ACL
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Essar Group, Dean Foods, Lafarge North America, Austrian Ministry of Finance
Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, ACCO Brands Corporation, AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, AIB International, Associated Banc-Corp, BAE Systems, Barclaycard, Dell Inc, DIRECTV, Energizer, Fresenius Kabi, Hasbro, Goodyear, HudsonCity Savings Bank, Infigen Energy, Kaydon, Leroy Merlin, Mountry Financial Corp., Nicholas Piramal, Pepco, Pfizer, Societe Generale, Whitney Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about ACL Analytics vs. MetricStream and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.