ACL Analytics vs MetricStream comparison

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ACL Analytics

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

MetricStream and ACL Analytics are competing products in governance, risk, and compliance management. MetricStream has the upper hand with its robust support and competitive pricing, while ACL Analytics is valued for sophisticated data analysis capabilities.

Features: MetricStream provides comprehensive compliance management tools, audit management, and flexible reporting functionalities. ACL Analytics offers advanced data analytics, intuitive visualization, and audit analytics features. The main difference is MetricStream's focus on risk management integration, whereas ACL Analytics specializes in data manipulation and visualization.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: MetricStream offers cloud and on-premise deployment options with responsive customer support. ACL Analytics also supports multiple deployment methods and is noted for AI-driven analytics simplifying installation. MetricStream's customer support is known for efficiency, whereas ACL Analytics excels in technical expertise.

Pricing and ROI: MetricStream is seen as cost-effective, suitable for budget-conscious organizations with a positive ROI from its tools. ACL Analytics may have higher initial costs but offers substantial ROI through advanced analytics. The key difference is MetricStream's lower entry cost compared to ACL Analytics's premium pricing for advanced features.

To learn more, read our detailed ACL Analytics vs. MetricStream Report (Updated: June 2026).

ACL Analytics vs. MetricStream

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Helped 900,644 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 Continuous Controls Monitoring

1st

Ranking in GRC

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

MetricStream

Ranking in Continuous Controls Monitoring

4th

Ranking in GRC

8th

Average Rating

6.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Governance (5th), IT Vendor Risk Management (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of ACL Analytics is 2.3%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MetricStream is 2.9%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

GRC Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
ACL Analytics	2.3%
MetricStream	2.9%
Other	94.8%

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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reviewer2860572

Business Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Centralized compliance workflows have improved audit readiness but still need better UX and analytics

Since I have used MetricStream for the last three years, one of the top improvements that comes to my mind is enhanced user experience and UX/UI. I believe that while MetricStream is highly configurable, some workflows can feel really complex for occasional users or first-time users, and I do not find the existing UI/UX experience very intuitive. A more intuitive interface with simplified navigation and role-based dashboards could reduce training time and improve user adoption for both first-time and occasional users. Additionally, MetricStream could include advanced analytics and AI capabilities. More AI-driven insights using predictive risk analysis and intelligent recommendations could help organizations identify compliance gaps before they become audit findings. Furthermore, simplified configuration and integration could be beneficial; configuring workflows, forms, and integrations currently requires a lot of specialized expertise. 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. The reporting needs enhancement, perhaps by including role-based reporting and simplifying the dashboard, which currently has too much information and can overwhelm first-time or occasional users. It would be better to show only what is necessary or introduce configurations to display what each user wants to see on their dashboard. MetricStream could definitely improve its accuracy and reliability of output. It could provide more curated, personalized recommendations instead of generic suggestions. Additionally, MetricStream could develop recommendations that align with role-based dashboards instead of providing uniform recommendations across the board.

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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

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

"The product pays for itself very quickly."

"Initial setup is straightforward."

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

"Programming by scripts is very flexible and has hundreds of functions."

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

"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."

"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."

More ACL Analytics pros

"For our client, MetricStream made the audits incredibly efficient, and in real time, I could provide the status of the audit to stakeholders, indicating which controls had deviations, which control was pending, and who it was pending on."

"MetricStream is something like an all-in-one solution where I do not need to write scripts or conduct audits."

"Since implementing MetricStream, audit teams have shaved about two weeks off of annual planning across various teams, allowing audit departments of about 140 auditors across maybe 10 teams to squeeze in 10 extra audits, one audit per each team, if not additional testing."

"The interface is mobile-friendly and it is getting a good response from our customers."

"It has good features and good functionality, and our customers feel there is a lot of merit in that."

"Key features are usability and ease of configuration, and it allows us to have all the information in a single place and provide real-time indicators and information for our executives."

Cons

"The ease of use could be better."

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

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

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

"The tool's pricing is quite high. When I purchased the software, I constantly contacted the representatives. I requested a single license, but they informed me that only packages of three licenses were available. This made it very difficult for us to manage the cost, especially given the economic challenges in our country."

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

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

"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."

More ACL Analytics cons

"Since I have used MetricStream for the last three years, one of the top improvements that comes to my mind is enhanced user experience and UX/UI."

"I would like to see out-of-the-box integration with more security, it would be helpful."

"The support part is terrible, rating about one out of ten."

"We would like to have more dashboards and reports, such as geographical and trend reports in the next version. Also, an improvement in the mobile version would be helpful."

"MetricStream at that point did not have a template, and I had to build the entire SOX 404 IT general controls testing framework myself."

"MetricStream's scalability is adaptable, though 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."

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."

"They are flexible in terms of customers' needs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Energy/Utilities Company

Financial Services Firm

19%

Healthcare Company

11%

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	2

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.

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 can be improved in the area of developers. There are two parts of developers: those who prepare solutions for clients and those from India who support the application. The support part...

What is your primary use case for MetricStream?

My main use case for MetricStream was that I was a developer and I prepared templates for a client while also testing the UI platform for the client. I can give a specific example of a template I p...

What advice do you have for others considering MetricStream?

The advice I would give to others looking into using MetricStream is to not use MetricStream. I would rate this recommendation a four out of ten.

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Product Reports

ACL Analytics

Download ACL Analytics product report

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Also Known As

ACL

No data available

Overview

ACL Analytics excels in efficient data control, extensive integration, and robust scripting, ideal for analyzing large datasets. Its error detection and rapid task completion enhance data auditing and risk analysis, although users seek improvements in user-friendliness and cost efficiency.

ACL Analytics offers extensive data manipulation capabilities and integrates seamlessly with multiple data sources, making it essential for auditing, fraud detection, and risk analysis. Its powerful scripting and automation simplify data control processes, although challenges remain in its complex scripting language and high training costs. Improvements in visualization features, akin to Tableau, and better data extraction for non-SQL users are desired. Unicode handling, password security, and scalability also need attention along with pricing flexibility to include single license options. Users value its efficient error suggestion and rapid task completion, which significantly reduce working hours.

What are the key features of ACL Analytics?

Data Control: Efficient manipulation and integration with multiple data sources.
Error Detection: Identify errors and duplicates swiftly.
Robust Scripting: Advanced scripting for extended data analysis.
Visualization: Reports and visual tools for effective data presentation.

What benefits should users expect?

Increased Efficiency: Reduced working hours due to rapid task completion.
Comprehensive Analysis: Enhanced capabilities for fraud detection and risk analysis.
Cost Reduction: Automation and control testing optimize resource allocation.

In industries like finance and auditing, ACL Analytics is extensively implemented for fraud analysis, auditing, and data automation. Organizations leverage its capabilities to analyze large datasets, automate workflows, and integrate reports effectively. Its integration with HighBond or Diligent cloud bots helps tailor solutions to industry-specific challenges.

Diligent

MetricStream is a cloud-based platform providing robust audit, compliance, and risk management tools. Users enjoy features like mobile interfaces and centralized risk libraries, though some report interface flow issues and technical support challenges.

MetricStream stands out for its audit, risk, and compliance capabilities, delivering customizable and standardized risk management across departments. Its comprehensive dashboards and reporting tools streamline compliance processes, reducing planning time and breaking down silos. Though described as a pricier option, it efficiently integrates risk elements and supports users with mobile interfaces and cloud availability. Areas for improvement include enhancing security integration, improving interface flow, and boosting support services, particularly from India.

What features does MetricStream offer?

Mobile-Friendly Interfaces: Provides easy access to risk and compliance tools on mobile devices.
Cloud Availability: Ensures scalability and data accessibility across regions.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Offers detailed insights for compliance and audit processes.
Centralized Risk Libraries: Facilitates standardized risk management across departments.
Robust Reporting Tools: Enhances governance with detailed reports and analytics.

What benefits can users find in MetricStream reviews?

Reduces Silos: Streamlines processes and improves communication across departments.
Saves Planning Time: Offers efficient audit process management and compliance adherence.
Efficient Integration: Combines risk elements effectively for comprehensive governance.

System integrators utilize MetricStream in audit and risk management, focusing on template preparation and UI testing. They assemble components like Lego pieces, but face challenges with larger solutions requiring developer participation for code alterations. Initial implementation is often delayed by India-based technical support, impacting operations. Enterprise and Operations Risk Management are commonly employed with MetricStream, highlighting its industry relevance.

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

ACL Analytics vs. MetricStream