ACL Analytics vs Workiva Wdesk comparison

Diligent and Workiva are both solutions in the GRC category. Diligent is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.0, while Workiva is ranked #10. Diligent holds a 2.7% mindshare in G, compared to Workiva’s 2.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Diligent users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 71% of Workiva users who would recommend it.

ACL Analytics

Read 11 ACL Analytics reviews

5,986 Views
4,968 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Workiva Wdesk

Read 7 Workiva Wdesk reviews

4,638 Views
2,968 Comparison Views

71% willing to recommend

ACL Analytics

Workiva Wdesk

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 4, 2025

ACL Analytics and Workiva Wdesk are competing products in the audit and compliance sector. Workiva Wdesk seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features.

Features: ACL Analytics provides strong data analysis capabilities, offering insights and reporting. It supports the ability to execute large volumes of data efficiently and can import files from other software, beneficial for audit processes. Workiva Wdesk features integrated financial reporting and compliance tools that enhance collaboration, with dynamic data sheet updates ensuring continued accuracy. It also has robust integration with ERP tools, facilitating seamless data flow.

Room for Improvement: ACL Analytics could benefit from a more user-friendly interface to reduce the learning curve for new users. Expanding its current training resources would also be advantageous. Enhancing integration capabilities with various platforms could widen its usability. Workiva Wdesk may see improvement with faster initial setup to match its streamlined cloud-based approach. While its features are comprehensive, they might be overwhelming for smaller enterprises. Enhancing customization options could better tailor its tools for diverse business needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ACL Analytics offers a straightforward deployment process praised for simplicity and responsive support. Workiva Wdesk employs a cloud-based solution simplifying deployment with extensive training resources but may require more initial setup time.

Pricing and ROI: ACL Analytics offers competitive pricing with strong ROI potential, attractive to budget-conscious firms. Workiva Wdesk, while potentially more expensive, provides significant ROI for those investing in its advanced functionalities, offering long-term value for comprehensive oversight.

To learn more, read our detailed ACL Analytics vs. Workiva Wdesk Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

ACL Analytics vs. Workiva Wdesk

August 2026

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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)

Workiva Wdesk

Ranking in GRC

10th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Performance Management (16th), Financial Close Software (8th)

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 Workiva Wdesk is 2.6%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

GRC Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
ACL Analytics	2.7%
Workiva Wdesk	2.6%
Other	94.7%

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.

Read full review

Thomas Edward Biller

Senior Financial Analyst at Bakelite Synthetics

Allows multiple users, each responsible for specific sections, to collaborate efficiently

One area where Workiva Wdesk could improve is by ensuring that its cloud-based system is fully compatible with the most current versions of PowerPoint and Excel. Sometimes, the features available in their versions of these applications fell short of the company's standards, which could be limiting. Having access to the latest versions might increase costs, but it is essential to keep up with the evolving technology landscape and meet the demands of companies that require faster reporting processes. This would make it easier to handle custom requests and adjustments, like creating specific data categories in Excel and seamlessly transferring them into Wdesk for presentations without the need for time-consuming manual adjustments.

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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

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

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

"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."

"I did not have any problems with the stability of ACL Analytics."

"The tool's most valuable feature is its ability to import files from other software packages. Its reporting and visualization capabilities have made our reporting easier. Importing results into spreadsheets or other documents for incorporation into reports is particularly helpful."

"I rate ACL Analytics nine out of ten."

"We have seen a return on investment as we have mostly reduced working hours for the audit engagements."

More ACL Analytics pros

"The cross-functionality between connectivity, whether through API connections between different software platforms or the connection of data collection to the actual written ESG report, is highly valuable. The connectivity of all these aspects significantly aids in data assurance, which I consider a bonus."

"It makes the compliance process more efficient and more effective."

"Workiva Wdesk has a flow diagram that is standardized, making it easy for people to file documents on ECDAs, which are in HTML format."

"Workiva Wdesk is pretty good in terms of getting the data from the system, automating the reporting schedules...It has a very good integration with ERP tools."

"The collaboration within the platform is valuable."

"The most valuable feature is its ability to easily upload and update financial results, creating a dynamic data sheet."

"It helps you to maintain a backup of your data, including the connectivity with the tables, which provides a user-friendly way to handle and access your files."

Cons

"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."

"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."

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

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

"The ease of use could be better."

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

"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."

More ACL Analytics cons

"At this point, I don't see a compelling reason to invest in Workiva. It may be necessary for compliance and controlling the version of SCC, but not everyone needs its high-end capabilities."

"Regarding the solution, reporting has certain areas that can be considered for improvement."

"The most critical issue is the need to shift between uppercase and lowercase."

"With this product, it's more about the integrated data model where you can have a one-to-many/many-to-one relationship between your policies and processes, risks, and controls. They need to showcase how you can put those pieces together."

"The speed must be improved."

"The tool's script encoding needs to be updated to make it more user-friendly and less of a manual process when changes are made to a company's program. Those changes happen frequently due to mandatory or voluntary reporting requirements, leading to lost linkage connections that must be manually reset each time a change is made. This aspect is not functional now, and I see it as an opportunity for improvement."

"One area where Workiva Wdesk could improve is by ensuring that its cloud-based system is fully compatible with the most current versions of PowerPoint and Excel."

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."

"Our clients in Asia think that the solution is too expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Insurance Company

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	1
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	5

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ACL Analytics

August 2026

Download ACL Analytics product report

Buyer's Guide

Workiva Wdesk

July 2026

Download Workiva Wdesk product report

Also Known As

ACL

Wdesk

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

Workiva Wdesk specializes in updating financial results with seamless API connectivity and strong data assurance. Valued for its effective compliance processes, the platform enhances collaboration, making it efficient for financial data handling and reporting schedules.

Known for its integration with ERP tools, Workiva Wdesk supports standardized data flow, easing management and document replication for updates. Its user-friendly interface facilitates efficient collaboration for tasks like SOX, internal audit, and SEC filings. However, users point out the need for better compatibility with PowerPoint and Excel features, improved search functionality, and enhanced data linkage management. There are also concerns regarding encoding, data loss during server refreshes, and workflow inefficiencies.

What are the key features of Workiva Wdesk?

Seamless API Connectivity: Allows for easy integration with existing systems.
Data Assurance: Provides robust backup and security.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and task management.
ERP Integration: Supports standardized data flow and document updates.
Collaboration Tools: Enhances teamwork with multiple contributors on projects.

What benefits should users expect?

Improved Financial Reporting: Streamlined report generation for SEC filings and financial reporting.
Enhanced Compliance: Effective processes for SOX and internal audits.
Efficient Data Management: Standardized data flow and document handling.
Increased Productivity: User-friendly interface aids swift adoption and use.

Workiva Wdesk is extensively used across industries for creating and managing board deck presentations, aiding teams in generating annual reports and preparing detailed reports including data tables. It facilitates collaboration in financial settings, addressing needs in compliance, risk management, and audit preparation.

Workiva

Sample Customers

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

Noodles Company, eBay, Winnebago, American Assets Trust, AmericanEnterprise, Calpian, Capstone Infrastructure, Cascades, Circor International, Coeur Mining, Davey, Dr Pepper Snapple

Buyer's Guide

ACL Analytics vs. Workiva Wdesk

August 2026

Free Report: ACL Analytics vs. Workiva Wdesk

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