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IBM OpenPages vs RSA Archer 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM OpenPages
Ranking in GRC
7th
Ranking in IT Governance
2nd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
RSA Archer
Ranking in GRC
1st
Ranking in IT Governance
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
IT Vendor Risk Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the GRC category, the mindshare of IBM OpenPages is 4.2%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RSA Archer is 10.2%, down from 15.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
GRC Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
RSA Archer10.2%
IBM OpenPages4.2%
Other85.6%
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

Badri Anand Santhanam - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhancing enterprise risk management and reporting capabilities with insightful dashboards and automated features.
IBM OpenPages offers strong reporting capabilities with Cognos integration, providing standard tabular reports, various charts, and powerful dashboards for different lines of defense. It caters to the first line managing risks and controls, the second line of SMEs providing oversight, and the independent audit function with an internal audit management module. The solution is more intuitive and task-based, allowing better involvement of the risk function across different lines of defense. The automated features translate into reporting capabilities, and data can be easily extracted and downloaded in different formats.
IMRAN ALMARZOOQI - PeerSpot reviewer
Automates compliance management effectively but needs improved interface and dashboards
The tool basically automates whatever processes you already have, so I cannot specify improvements in that regard. However, my main issue with Archer is the graphics. The graphics have always been lacking. I always need to depend on another tool to read information from Archer to have better dashboards. It is like using Linux, and it has a Linux mindset and interface. I want to use Archer for top management and CEOs, but it looks too technical, and the dashboards are not really friendly. They are bulky, like opening an old Nintendo system from nineteen-ninety. The management agrees that Archer lacks in terms of presentation and dashboarding. It is complex, not user-friendly, and bulky. The interface just looks old.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ability to keep a record of internal incidents in the company, and also the monitoring of Key Indicators."
"The most valuable features are the workflow engine, calculations, and security rules."
"The most useful features in IBM OpenPages are the workflow features and front-end, as noted by Ian Francis, an IBM expert lab, with the workflow feature being very flexible, easy to configure, and able to help design every kind of process, while the front-end is very useful, clear, simple, and dynamic."
"IBM OpenPages provides time savings in recording risk management components."
"IBM OpenPages saves time in my work as a developer."
"Everything about IBM OpenPages is valuable, particularly when compared to other solutions in the market like MetricStream, from which we switched due to its feasibility, user-friendliness, and performance."
"The content, reporting, and workflow features stand out as the most valuable aspects."
"The part I liked about Archer was the risk assessment for deficiencies and being able to use it there."
"It has the best workload management features."
"Integration is another great aspect of RSA Archer. From the beginning, integration has been a central focus for RSA, and Archer has always integrated well with most tools on the market today."
"Solution is scalable."
"One of the useful features is the ability to connect to various systems in order to accommodate data."
"First of all, its access control feature where it provides application level access, solution level access, and even recall access, as well."
"Makes auditing much more convenient."
"Easy to implement with a high level of automation."
 

Cons

"IBM OpenPages could improve by adding more conditions to workflows, as some existing conditions might not work and can produce errors."
"IBM needs to work on pricing for organizations with around 100 users, as the licensing model is not competitive enough for SMEs."
"The reporting tools in IBM OpenPages have very strong potential because they are linked with Cognos IBM, a business intelligence tool, allowing for very good and complex reports, though creating these reports requires skills in business intelligence to get the most out of IBM OpenPages."
"It would be useful to have more out-of-the-box functionality, especially triggers and calculations."
"IBM OpenPages needs improvement in its UI. Currently, it is difficult to see the relationships (associations/parents) between all items unless you click on the item itself."
"Some self-relationships are not available in OpenPages' relationship model."
"I believe there's room for improvement in establishing connections with external information."
"There should be a way to export and get data from the system in PDF or PowerPoint presentation format. This would be a great addition."
"Some areas are not truly automated but are only scheduled."
"The solution can be a little slow due to the Silverlight feature."
"A remaining area for improvement is integration. There should be built-in integration mechanisms, for example, for organizations switching from platforms like ServiceNow to Archer, instead of custom integrations for each client."
"The first improvement I would suggest for RSA Archer is a better search feature. The search criteria needs to be improved. Sometimes I do a search and the search doesn't return the exact item I'm looking for. RSA Archer could also be improved by being more user-friendly. Maybe I have been using a limited version of RSA Archer, but I'm not sure whether it has ESG, environmental and social governance. In the next couple of years, ESG is the next feature that will be integrated into GRC tools. I would recommend RSA Archer adds ESG."
"The user interface needs work. There are many small text boxes, like credit card size's boxes, where we need to input a lot of text. You can't see what you're typing beyond the tiny window, so you have to scroll or type elsewhere and copy-paste it. It's very inconvenient."
"In a future release, there should be an option to upload the main data."
"Recently, we made a suggestion for cross references, like for one application to another. There were limitations there, so we're hoping that will be included in the next upgrade."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"At the higher end of the price scale, but provides better, more accessible functionality and customization than cheaper products."
"The license is costly for the solution, but the remaining set up and maintenance is quite cheaper."
"The solution's price should be reduced. You only have to pay the license and there are no additional fees."
"The pricing is okay. The licensing costs are very reasonable; it is very affordable to us."
"I am not 100% familiar with that, especially with their new model. I just know that the way they've licensed per user to scale is good."
"I am not sure about other companies, but it's quite expensive."
"The solution is not at all a cheap product."
"The solution’s pricing is moderate."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Insurance Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM OpenPages?
The product’s interface is very intuitive.
What needs improvement with IBM OpenPages?
IBM OpenPages could improve by adding more conditions to workflows, as some existing conditions might not work and can produce errors. Additionally, although there are risk assessment tools, I do n...
What is your primary use case for IBM OpenPages?
I primarily use IBM OpenPages ( /products/ibm-openpages-reviews ) for compliance and audit programs.
What do you like most about RSA Archer?
It has various valuable features. For example, showing us if a control aligns with specific standards or frameworks helps us understand it better and verify its compliance.
What needs improvement with RSA Archer?
While it provides benefits in terms of security, the pricing is a bit higher than customers typically expect. It would be helpful if RSA Archer had the capability for two-way integration because, i...
What is your primary use case for RSA Archer?
Regarding the compliance, risk, and governance tools, I am comfortable discussing the tools in the GRC category. The specific module from ServiceNow is the ServiceNow Compliance, Risk, and Governan...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

OpenPages
Archer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Nationwide, Process Innovation AG, OSRAM Licht AG, Dep‹sito Central de Valores (DCV), Delta Lloyd Group, Unum
T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM OpenPages vs. RSA Archer and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
873,085 professionals have used our research since 2012.