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Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Workiva Wdesk comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Ranking in GRC
16th
Average Rating
10.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
File Archiving (5th)
Workiva Wdesk
Ranking in GRC
10th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
7
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 Smarsh Enterprise Archive is 0.6%. 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
ProductMindshare (%)
Workiva Wdesk2.6%
Smarsh Enterprise Archive0.6%
Other96.8%
GRC
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2590137 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
TB
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the most valuable features of Smarsh Enterprise Archive is its eDiscovery capabilities."
"The collaboration within the platform is valuable."
"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."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is its ability to easily upload and update financial results, creating a dynamic data sheet."
"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."
"Workiva Wdesk has a flow diagram that is standardized, making it easy for people to file documents on ECDAs, which are in HTML format."
"It makes the compliance process more efficient and more effective."
 

Cons

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

Information not available
"Our clients in Asia think that the solution is too expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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...
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...
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Also Known As

No data available
Wdesk
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

McLaughlin Ryder, Schanna Financial , Standard Life Investments, Lucien, Stirling & Gray
Noodles Company, eBay, Winnebago, American Assets Trust, AmericanEnterprise, Calpian, Capstone Infrastructure, Cascades, Circor International, Coeur Mining, Davey, Dr Pepper Snapple
Find out what your peers are saying about RSA, MetricStream, Diligent and others in GRC. Updated: August 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.