10 Best MetricStream Alternatives for GRC in 2025 [Reviewed]

Are you exploring MetricStream alternatives for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) in 2025?

The right GRC tool can transform how your organization manages risk, ensures compliance, and strengthens governance.

The wrong tool, on the other hand, will just increase the noise and make risk management even more difficult than it already is.

This is why I tested and tried dozens of platforms to single out the best MetricStream alternatives cut out for various use cases - from advanced automation and real-time monitoring to better scalability.

The result?

This list of the top 10 MetricStream alternatives, where I’ll provide a detailed overview of each solution’s features, benefits, use cases, and pricing to help you make an informed decision.

Ready? Let’s dive in and find the right fit for your organization ASAP!

Why look for MetricStream alternatives in the first place?

After trying MetricStream and reviewing long-term user feedback, I can say it certainly has its upsides.

It's a sort of a GCR one-stop shop, offering a single view of all the required policies, giving users an easier and more efficient way of navigating organizational processes around business risks.

The platform excels at consolidating various risk data, pulling information from multiple sources to provide a unified view of the risk landscape.

However, as with any tool, it’s not without its challenges.

In this section, I’ll explore why you might consider looking for MetricStream alternatives.

1. Complex infrastructure and limited customization

The first thing that stands out when using MetricStream is its interface, which is far too complicated for an average user.

Many long-term users agree, claiming that it has a steep learning curve that leads to too much manual work and dependency on its support team.

Moreover, if you decide to add any changes to existing workflows, you’ll probably need extra help from its team because its help documentation is not substantial enough for all the potential issues and use cases.

2. Issues with reports and metrics tracking

When dealing with GRC, reporting and monitoring dashboards are one of the critical things you need for efficient risk management and mitigation.

MetricStream leaves a lot to be desired in this area, as its reporting dashboards are clunky and unintuitive, increasing the need for manual work.

3. Non-transparent pricing

MetricStream doesn’t disclose its pricing, making it difficult to efficiently compare it to its competitors without contacting its sales team.

However, I managed to dig up some information that might be useful in assessing its price:

The pricing depends on several factors, including:

The exact modules (applications) you need.
The number and type of users (e.g., administrators vs. view-only auditors).
The customer support you need.
The implementation (one-time cost).

Based on insider info from SC Media, the platform can cost from $75,000 up to $1,000,000/year - and that’s only the deployment cost.
The implementation is charged extra, at around $50,000 for Audit Management as a one-time fee, according to MetricStream’s team.
The admin seats you also pay additionally, at a price between $200 - $2,500 per user per app.

The conclusion? MetricStream is definitely on the more expensive end of the range, designed for enterprise companies with massive budgets.

What are the best MetricStream alternatives and competitors for GRC in 2025?

And now, without further ado, time for the hand-picked list of the top 10 MetricStream GRC alternatives in 2025 and beyond:

SmartSuite: Best for teams of all sizes looking for a modern, no-code alternative to traditional GRC systems that emphasizes flexibility, rapid deployment, and cost-effective scalability.
ServiceNow: Best for integrating existing IT operations management systems with GRC features to create a unified ecosystem.
Archer IRM: Best for large enterprises with complex GRC needs.
AuditBoard: Best for audit and compliance teams looking to centralize risks, controls, policies, and frameworks.
LogicGate: Best for creating customizable workflows.
Hyperproof: Best for real-time compliance monitoring.
OneTrust: Best for data privacy and vendor risk management in a unified system.
ZenGRC: Best for small teams and startups.
IBM OpenPages: Best for large teams looking for solutions that can support thousands of users.
Ncontracts: Best for vendor and cybersecurity risk management.

1. SmartSuite

Full disclosure: While SmartSuite is our platform, we’ll share an unbiased view of the tool’s abilities and why it stands out from other MetricStream alternatives.

SmartSuite stands out as a flexible, modern alternative to traditional GRC platforms like MetricStream by combining a no-code, user-friendly interface with powerful automation and integration capabilities.

This allows businesses, particularly banks and credit unions, to streamline and automate every aspect of their risk management program, from policy creation to incident response, all on one integrated platform.

Let’s look at the exact features that make SmartSuite the ideal MetricStream alternative for businesses looking for a more intuitive and customizable solution:

1. Seamlessly manage key GRC areas in a single platform

With SmartSuite, you can tackle risk management, policy governance, vendor risk, incident management, audit management, and much more, all from one flexible, no-code platform.

The ability to work within a single solution means no more dealing with disparate tools, spreadsheets, or manual processes across departments.

Instead, SmartSuite enables you to connect, automate, and align all your risk and compliance efforts into a cohesive program that is easy to track, manage, and report on, allowing businesses to make quicker, more informed decisions and stay ahead of emerging risks.

Here are just some of the things you can tackle in SmartSuite:

Keep risk and compliance data secure - You can manage user access and protect sensitive information across all GRC practice areas while allowing response teams to frictionlessly access critical data needed for effective risk management.

Integrate with your existing systems - Consolidate and centralize data from various systems with SmartSuite’s native integrations, Zapier connector, and REST API, ensuring seamless data flow across platforms.
Create custom automated workflows - SmartSuite’s no-code platform enables businesses to create all kinds of bespoke workflows without technical resources, automating repeatable processes such as risk scoring, vendor reviews, and audit management using its visual Automation Builder.

Monitor, measure, and score - Create and evaluate risk scores using customizable metrics, leveraging SmartSuite’s powerful calculation capabilities to assess and monitor every aspect of your organization's risk environment.

Policy management - Simplify and streamline the policy lifecycle from creation to review and release, with SmartSuite's flexible policy management system that ensures compliance with business and regulatory standards.

Pistos Compliance Tracker - A custom solution built on SmartSuite that focuses on data security and regulatory compliance, offering services like compliance readiness, virtual CISO, and IT security implementation.

Learn more about Pistos straight from our CEO:

2. Real-time collaboration and risk and incident management

SmartSuite excels in real-time collaboration, ensuring that when risks or incidents arise, stakeholders can instantly engage and respond through the platform.

The platform lets you quickly involve key team members in live discussions about potential risks or vulnerabilities, and provides immediate updates when crucial information becomes available, ensuring that no critical information goes unnoticed before it’s too late.

But it doesn’t stop there.

It combines real-time collaboration with a centralized risk register and incident management system, empowering organizations to take swift, informed actions to mitigate risks and maintain control over their risk environment.

With a centralized Risk Register, you can identify, assess, and track potential risks across your organization, allowing for real-time updates on the status of critical risks.

Through it, you can easily prioritize risks based on severity, impact, and likelihood and get immediate access to vital information, which significantly reduces delays in addressing high-priority issues.

And when incidents or emerging threats occur, SmartSuite's incident management system centralizes responses, linking incidents to organizational assets and data.

This ensures a comprehensive view during investigations, offering critical business context.

3. Enhanced reporting and dynamic dashboards

SmartSuite’s advanced reporting and dashboard functionalities provide dynamic, real-time data visualizations that help organizations stay aligned with business goals and regulatory requirements.

With the ability to generate customizable reports, you can easily create both executive-level summaries and detailed, departmental insights to inform decision-making and drive action.

The platform's powerful charting and metrics widgets allow you to visualize key risk and compliance metrics in real-time, while the flexibility to drill down into specific areas ensures that you can identify risk hotspots, compliance gaps, and mitigation success.

This granular level of insight makes it easy to act swiftly, no matter whether you're evaluating high-level organizational risk or assessing detailed compliance statuses across departments.

4. Pre-built templates for quick setup

SmartSuite offers pre-built templates for a wide range of use cases, including risk management, vendor management, policy governance, and incident management.

These templates allow teams to hit the ground running, ensuring fast time-to-value and smooth adoption for various use cases, such as:

General risk management that allows you to identify key corporate risks, assign owners, and evaluate impact and emergency to prioritize mitigation accordingly.
Corporate social responsibility that lets you track and manage key company initiatives related to ethical and responsible governance, from carbon credits to hiring equality.
Regulatory change management helps you effectively track and manage changes in regulations and ensure compliance across levels.

Incident management lets you identify incidents and manage assignments and action plans, from beginning to end.
Third-party risk management enables you to frictionlessly manage vendor risk by consolidating all relevant information.

You can try one of our templates for size and see how easy it is to tackle GRC operations in SmartSuite, even if you’re a total beginner.

Pricing

SmartSuite has a free forever plan that provides access to its templates, dynamic dashboards, team collaboration features, 100 monthly automations, etc.

If you need more, you can subscribe to one of four paid plans:

Team: $12/user/mo, includes everything in Free, plus unlimited users, Gantt charts, 5,000 automation runs, etc.
Professional: $30/user/mo, includes everything in Team, plus two-factor authentication, Gmail & Outlook integrations, more automation runs, etc.
Enterprise: $45/user/mo, includes everything in Professional and adds audit logs, data loss prevention, 50,000 monthly API calls, etc.
Signature: A customized plan tailored to your organization’s needs and team size with no predefined limits.

The first three paid plans have a 14-day free trial - no credit card needed.

How does SmartSuite compare to MetricStream?

SmartSuite outshines MetricStream by offering a configurable, no-code platform that simplifies GRC management without sacrificing power or flexibility.

Unlike MetricStream, which can be complex and resource-intensive, SmartSuite provides an intuitive, user-friendly interface that enables rapid deployment and seamless integration across systems.

Whereas MetricStream can become a burden with its legacy system approach, SmartSuite offers easy customization with its no-code automation builder, allowing teams to tailor workflows and create personalized dashboards without technical resources.

This, combined with real-time collaboration and powerful reporting tools, gives organizations the agility to respond faster to risks and maintain compliance with fewer delays.

Finally, while MetricStream has opaque, higher-end pricing, SmartSuite offers a broad range of plans, each of which includes all the essential features you need for efficient GRC.

Overall, SmartSuite provides a more agile, cost-effective, and user-friendly alternative, making it an ideal choice for teams looking for a modern GRC solution that scales with their needs.

Pros & Cons

✅ User-friendly, no-code platform for easy customization and automation.

✅ All-in-one GRC solution for managing risk, compliance, audits, and more.

✅ Real-time collaboration for quick, effective response to risks and incidents.

✅ Customizable dashboards and real-time reporting for granular insights.

✅ Scalable and flexible, suitable for businesses of all sizes.

✅ Affordable pricing with enterprise-grade functionality.

✅ GRC templates for various use cases, making initial setup even easier.

❌ Limited native integrations compared to some enterprise solutions.

2. ServiceNow

Best for: Organizations with complex risk landscapes, including those in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, that require a unified platform to manage risk, compliance, and audit processes across various departments.

ServiceNow is an integrated suite of applications designed to help organizations streamline risk, compliance, and audit management.

It enables continuous monitoring, workflow automation, and real-time insights to effectively manage risks and ensure compliance.