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MetricStream vs RSA Archer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

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

MetricStream
Ranking in GRC
8th
Ranking in IT Governance
5th
Ranking in IT Vendor Risk Management
9th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Continuous Controls Monitoring (4th)
RSA Archer
Ranking in GRC
1st
Ranking in IT Governance
1st
Ranking in IT Vendor Risk Management
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the GRC category, the mindshare of MetricStream is 2.9%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RSA Archer is 5.5%, down from 17.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
GRC Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
RSA Archer5.5%
MetricStream2.9%
Other91.6%
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2860572 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
CJ
Information Security Specialist at Dubai Health Authority
Centralized management strengthens compliance with good look and feel
From my perspective as a customer and end user, Archer has an impressive look and feel, but the most adaptive feature is its ease of configuration which helps to enhance our process according to our maturity. It's more about our organization getting centralized with an integrated approach that focuses on risk governance and compliance. When can provide a detailed dashboards to management with the details of risks from top-down or bottom-up prioritizing actions based on its criticality or necessity. This allows us to show end users and management where the issues lie and effectively demonstrate accountability and visibility in compliance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has good features and good functionality, and our customers feel there is a lot of merit in that."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"The part I liked about Archer was the risk assessment for deficiencies and being able to use it there."
"With RSA Archer, an admin can set permissions for a normal user to go directly to the tool they need to input some data. Admins can then go through that and approve some requests. Also, they can log in based on these kinds of permissions, including ticketing, service patches, or upgrades."
"The Advance Workflow feature simplifies things."
"RSA Archer has reduced the time and effort required for meetings."
"Enables development of any application, automation of any workflow including the GRC work processes."
"Makes auditing much more convenient."
"The product is very flexible."
"Flexible record permissions and data import features."
 

Cons

"I would like to see out-of-the-box integration with more security, it 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."
"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."
"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."
"The support part is terrible, rating about one out of ten."
"The bullet chart is the best graph for my purposes, and it should be available for inclusion in the dashboards."
"We've noticed recently with the advanced workflow jobs that we're receiving some errors. It's a showstopper for us and it's clear that some kind of development support is needed."
"It would be nice if RSA Archer featured more customization. When customers are updating, they should be notified whether certain updates are optional. The install screen should not proceed to the next page unless we make some selections about which updates we want to install."
"The product is expensive."
"In terms of what can be improved, our client always says their user experience, IU/UX in RSA Archer. They found it is not as user friendly as other tools."
"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."
"The management agrees that Archer lacks in terms of presentation and dashboarding. It is complex, not user-friendly, and bulky."
"There is no inbuilt alert in Archer to let us know that a data feed has failed or did not run for different reasons. So, we don't even get to know that a feed has not run until somebody reports it to us. This has been a problem all the time. Data feeds have always been a big headache for us because there is no feature to let us know if a feed has not run or has failed. If Archer had a feature to send us an email notification when a feed has failed, it would've been very helpful. This is the reason why our users are slowly moving away to another platform. Some of the modules that I have been managing are being moved to ServiceNow. Next year, a lot of our modules will be moved from RSA Archer to ServiceNow, and the data feed issue has been one of the main reasons."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They are flexible in terms of customers' needs."
"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."
"As I am a developer and responsible for providing production support, I do not have personal knowledge of the pricing. However, my colleagues claim that it is very expensive in comparison with other tools."
"I am not sure about other companies, but it's quite expensive."
"The solution’s pricing is moderate."
"At the higher end of the price scale, but provides better, more accessible functionality and customization than cheaper products."
"RSA Archer's price is justifiable and not as expensive, compared to ServiceNow. I have heard that the licensing for ServiceNow is much more expensive. I'm unaware whether there are any additional costs after licensing fees."
"Fairly highly-priced, especially for smaller companies."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Healthcare Company
11%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
Educational Organization
6%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Insurance Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Construction Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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...
What advice do you have for others considering RSA Archer?
I have been in touch with about three companies who use RSA Archer actively in the compliance area. These companies use RSA Archer for nearly all purposes, including governance, internal risk, and ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Archer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
T-Systems, Bridge Point, Equifax, First Data, Global Imaging Company, Manulife Financial
Find out what your peers are saying about MetricStream vs. RSA Archer and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.