ACL Analytics vs Smarsh Enterprise Archive comparison

Diligent and Smarsh are both solutions in the GRC category. Diligent is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while Smarsh is ranked #18 with an average rating of 10.0. Diligent holds a 2.2% mindshare in G, compared to Smarsh’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Diligent users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Smarsh users who would recommend it.

ACL Analytics

Read 11 ACL Analytics reviews

3,336 Views
2,569 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Read 1 Smarsh Enterprise Archive review

561 Views
353 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

ACL Analytics

Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between ACL Analytics and Smarsh Enterprise Archive based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about RSA, OneTrust, Diligent and others in GRC.

To learn more, read our detailed GRC Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

GRC

March 2026

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Helped 886,468 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

ACL Analytics

Ranking in GRC

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Continuous Controls Monitoring (1st)

Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Ranking in GRC

18th

Average Rating

10.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File Archiving (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of ACL Analytics is 2.2%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Smarsh Enterprise Archive is 0.6%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

GRC Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
ACL Analytics	2.2%
Smarsh Enterprise Archive	0.6%
Other	97.2%

GRC

Featured Reviews

reviewer2707797

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.

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reviewer2590137

Vice President at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees

Enhanced eDiscovery capabilities and streamlined compliance with helpful support

I do recommend Smarsh to our clients for its enhanced features and ability to meet regulatory requirements efficiently. Smaller shops have become more inclined to switch to Smarsh due to these capabilities. Smarsh has the ability to archive a wide variety of communication channels. I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I rate ACL Analytics nine out of ten."

"I like the fact that in the duplicate section, I can find matches, and I can find situations where certain cells or certain cell points match, but there is a difference as well between two different records."

"It improved my organization using an automated audit revision with scripts."

"I like the fact that in the duplicate section, I can find matches, and I can find situations where certain cells or certain cell points match, but there's a difference as well between two different records."

"We apply different methods, such as sampling, data manipulation, and sorting. I'm fond of the scripting feature, which automates routine tasks and saves time. It also offers data insights."

"ACL Analytics is a great application that helps me analyze data more effectively compared to other tools like Excel."

"I recommend ACL Analytics because it makes work easier and is user-friendly."

"The product pays for itself very quickly."

More ACL Analytics pros

"One of the most valuable features of Smarsh Enterprise Archive is its eDiscovery capabilities."

Cons

"I believe the formulas and scripting language in ACL Analytics need development to be easier for me to use."

"The product's pricing has increased over the years."

"Reporting and presentation of information directly to solutions, such as PowerPoint."

"The ease of use could be better."

"It would be beneficial if the software could improve its capabilities when extracting data from databases, particularly for those who may not be familiar with SQL queries."

"A person must have someone teach them how to use ACL Analytics as a common person cannot use it independently."

"The live training costs are too expensive."

"The visualization capabilities in ACL Analytics need more variety and features."

More ACL Analytics cons

"Sometimes the automated reports do not show the organization’s name, which can be confusing."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for me as an individual seems a lot. For our organization, the price is okay. It's about $6,000 a year. I don't know of any additional costs."

"The price of $5,000 is high, and transferring money from one country to another, particularly in dollars, is challenging due to high exchange rates. Although we managed to purchase it then, the lack of a single license option and the high cost were issues."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Insurance Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ACL Analytics?

I would rate the pricing of ACL Analytics as a 10.

See all answers

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...

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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...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Smarsh Enterprise Archive?

I am not directly involved with the pricing or licensing aspects, however, I have seen fee sheets and invoices sent to clients.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Smarsh Enterprise Archive?

Being a compliance consultant working with multiple firms, I would like more customizable reporting options. Sometimes the automated reports do not show the organization’s name, which can be confus...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Smarsh Enterprise Archive?

We use Smarsh Enterprise Archive for record retention and surveillance. It allows us to journal all communications, ensuring that electronic communications are captured and retained for the require...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

SAP BusinessObjects GRC vs ACL Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

SAS Enterprise GRC vs ACL Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

AuditBoard vs ACL Analytics

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 28% of the time

Proofpoint Archive vs Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Compared 19% of the time

ZL Unified Archive vs Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Compared 16% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ACL Analytics

April 2026

Download ACL Analytics product report

Buyer's Guide

File Archiving

April 2026

Download Smarsh Enterprise Archive product report

Also Known As

ACL

No data available

Overview

ACL Analytics connects you to any data source, and lets you run sophisticated risk analytics and detect anomalies or patterns that you simply can't illuminate with any amount of random sampling, spreadsheet ninjutsu or generic business intelligence. It's designed for you, the GRC professional.

Diligent

Smarsh Enterprise Archive provides robust data management and compliance solutions across multiple communication channels. It excels in capturing and storing electronic communications, aiding in regulatory compliance and e-discovery. Key features include extensive search capabilities, scalability, and an intuitive interface, enhancing organizational efficiency and compliance adherence while reducing risk through effective supervision and communication monitoring.

Smarsh

Sample Customers

Essar Group, Dean Foods, Lafarge North America, Austrian Ministry of Finance

McLaughlin Ryder, Schanna Financial , Standard Life Investments, Lucien, Stirling & Gray

Find out what your peers are saying about RSA, OneTrust, Diligent and others in GRC. Updated: March 2026.

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