--- title: "Essential ERM Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Essential ERM Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Risk Management products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/176625/Essential-ERM/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Essential ERM Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 16, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Essential ERM ## What is Essential ERM? Integrate and automate Enterprise Risk, Business Strategy, Compliance and ESG. Migrate from spreadsheet-based ERM to the Easiest-to-Use & Easiest-to-Manage system among GRCs. Start with any single module or combine them together for a fully integrated AI-powered risk management solution. Used by organizations in 55 countries and across 20 sectors, Essential ERM supports teams of all sizes - from one-person teams to distributed global risk programs with thousands of users. Sign up today for a free trial account to try it for yourself. ## What is Essential ERM used for? [Risk Management](https://www.capterra.com/risk-management-software/)[ERM](https://www.capterra.com/erm-software/)[Integrated Risk Management](https://www.capterra.com/integrated-risk-management-software/) Overall rating Based on 26 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 100% Neutral 0% Negative 0% Starting price $299 Per User, Per Month Free trial available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... ## Essential ERM alternatives Highest Rated [4.8 (130)](https://www.capterra.com/p/152559/NovaraFlex/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 99% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.7 (414)](https://www.capterra.com/p/148230/SOXHUB/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.5 (540)](https://www.capterra.com/p/148577/MasterControl/reviews/) Starting price $25000.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 93% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (39)](https://www.capterra.com/p/151388/teammate-risk-compliance/reviews/) Starting price $0.01 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/176625/Essential-ERM/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Essential ERM Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Essential ERM? Essential ERM is most used by risk managers, analysts, and compliance teams that need to centralize risk registers, assessments, and reporting. Finance and operations leaders use it to improve governance visibility, while security, privacy, and audit professionals rely on it to track controls, incidents, and enterprise-wide mitigation workflows. Answer based on 26 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Essential ERM built for? Essential ERM is used by risk managers, compliance officers, and ESG professionals, with strongest adoption among small businesses at 58%. It serves accounting and insurance firms most often, each at 15%, followed by financial services at 12%, while also fitting healthcare organizations, public sector entities, and enterprise teams. Answer based on 26 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Essential ERM? Essential ERM offers enterprise risk management, risk assessment, risk scoring, and risk analysis, along with audit management and compliance management. It also includes incident management, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), configurable workflow, dashboards, customizable reports, heatmaps, and role-based permissions. Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Essential ERM starts at $299 per month per user for the Starter plan, which includes flexible user roles, mitigations, objectives, root causes, and risk tracking. A free trial is available. Reviewers describe the pricing as cost-effective, with one saying the price is amazing for the functionality provided. Answer based on 4 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Essential ERM integrate with? Essential ERM integrates with VenTrack. Answer based on 5 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Essential ERM offer? Essential ERM provides in person training, live online sessions, documentation, and videos to help teams get started. In person and live online formats support guided instruction, while documentation and videos offer reference material and self-paced learning for users reviewing features or setup steps. Answer based on 1 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Essential ERM offer? Essential ERM provides Email/Help Desk, FAQ/Forum, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, and Chat. Users describe customer service as prompt and helpful, with guidance that addresses questions quickly. Some also note the support team is responsive and the account management experience is excellent, though one user said real-time support was hard to judge. Answer based on 5 reviews User interface ### Is Essential ERM easy to use and learn? Essential ERM makes risk management easier to learn with a clear, intuitive interface and logical navigation. Many teams, including staff new to ERM, SOX, or formal risk assessment, find onboarding simple. Some organizations with established methods may want more customization, especially for reports and workflows. Answer based on 10 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 1,730 Risk Management reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of risk management software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **Risk Analysis** (**47%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Risk Reporting** (**46%**) - **Risk Scoring** (**49%**) Essential ERM supports all three features that reviewers rate most highly: **Risk Analysis**, **Risk Reporting**, and **Risk Scoring**. Together, these capabilities help businesses identify and assess potential risks, track and communicate findings clearly, and prioritize response efforts based on severity, allowing teams to make better-informed decisions and manage risk with greater consistency. Risk Analysis 5.0 (1) 0.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Analyze potential risks across the organization Risk Reporting 4.5 (6) 100.00% of 6 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Reporting of risks associated with specific actions, events, or entities Risk Assessment 4.6 (11) 63.64% of 11 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Initiate collection and analysis of known risks Document Management 4.5 (2) 50.00% of 2 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location Dashboard 4.8 (9) 66.67% of 9 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics Risk Scoring 4.8 (6) 66.67% of 6 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Assess and score risks using risk matrices Essential ERM 52 features ### All Features - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Activity Tracking: Track and document all activities across devices, networks, and other systems - Alerts/Notifications: Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Approval Process Control: Manage the process of evaluating documents or requests submitted for approval - Assessment Management: Creation, administration, and evaluation of assessments or tests - Audit Management: Plan, schedule, and execute organization's accounts and assets to ensure compliance with policies and laws - Audit Trail: A record of all activities within the system, including user access, changes made, etc. - Compliance Management: Track and manage adherence to policies for any service, product, process, or supplier - Configurable Workflow: Configure existing workflows to meet your organization's needs - Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA): Investigate and take action at root cause or error in processes to prevent recurring issues - Customizable Reports: Alter the layout and content of reports - Customizable Templates: Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements - Dashboard: Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics - Dashboard Creation: Creation and customization of dashboards - Data Import/Export: Import and export data to and from software applications - Data Visualization: Graphical representation of data - Document Management: Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location - Governance: Management of rules, practices, and processes of a company - Heatmaps: A visual display that uses a color spectrum to show how visitors interact with areas of a web page - Incident Management: Manage and track all disruptions and incidents - Internal Controls Management: Ensure internal objectives and compliance with policies are met - Issue Management: Identify and respond to unexpected problems or failures (ie. "negative events") - IT Risk Management: Manage risks related to IT systems - KRI (Key Risk Indicator) Monitoring: Tracking of various risk indicators including risk metrics, historic trending, metadata & more to gauge the organization's risk posture - Legal Risk Management: Manage the risk of both financial and reputational loss resulting from nonadherence to current legislation - Mobile Access: Access software remotely via mobile devices - Monitoring: Observe and track the demand, usage, progress or quality of a system, product, or user - Operational Risk Management: Manage risk that occurs from systems failure or inadequate processes - Performance Metrics: A set of indicators that tracks the performance of networks, applications, systems, teams, etc. - Predictive Analytics: Predict future data based on historical data sets - Prioritization: Arrange tasks based on the level of priority or urgency - Process Modeling & Designing: Visually identify, define, and map all details and relationships surrounding business process models and elements - Real-Time Reporting: Active reporting of data and metrics - Reminders: Timed notification for any upcoming task, deadline, appointment, or activity - Reporting & Statistics: Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns - Reputational Risk Management: Identify, monitor, and assess risks to brands - Risk Alerts: Notifying as a warning or reminder of a potential or imminent hazard - Risk Analysis: Analyze potential risks across the organization - Risk Assessment: Initiate collection and analysis of known risks - Risk Management: Process of identifying, evaluating, mitigating, addressing and reporting on potential risks or uncertainties - Risk Reporting: Reporting of risks associated with specific actions, events, or entities - Risk Scoring: Assess and score risks using risk matrices - Role-Based Permissions: Set & manage permission levels based on user roles and restrict access to only authorized individuals - Root Cause Analysis: Identify and analyse the reasons behind accidents - Scenario Planning: Develop potential scenarios to identify risks and opportunities - Single Sign On: Allow users to access multiple services after entering their login credentials once - Surveys & Feedback: Gauge satisfaction and receive information for improvement and success - Task Management: Create, manage and track all task activities and progression - Third-Party Integrations: Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes - User Management: Manage user accounts, profiles, roles, permissions, and other details across applications, devices or networks - Workflow Management: Create, design and manage workflows for repetitive tasks --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.5 (26) 4.5 Based on 26 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.9 (26) Free Trial [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/176625/Essential-ERM/pricing/) Starter $299.00 Per User,Per Month It includes: - Flexible User Roles - Track Risks - Objectives - Root Causes - Mitigations Teams Custom Quote Available. It includes: - Up to 25 Users - 250 Contributors - Locked Data Portfolios & Roll-ups - KPI & KRI Tracking Enterprise Custom Quote Available. It includes: - Scalable User Pricing - SSO - Strategy & ESG Add-ons Value for money 4.9 (26) 4.9 Based on 26 reviews ## Integrations [ VenTrack](https://www.capterra.com/p/10024879/VenTrack/) Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.9 (26) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.9 (26) 4.9 Based on 26 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.7 Based on 26 reviews Filter by rating 5(19) 4(7) 3(0) 2(0) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent KM Kate M. Analyst Non-Profit Organization Management ### "a clear and structured tool. " 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 21, 2025 My overall experience with the tool has been positive. The platform provides a clear structured way for leading and supporting our organization in ERM. Pros Essential ERM is helpful tool for organizing and tracking risks. It offers straightforward interface and fictionality. it is a solid choice for teams that are building transparent, structured and resilient ERM process. I appreciate the clear structure of the platform, Functionality: 1. Risks visibility 2. Voting 3. Option to maintaining consistent risk register The platform is amazing 10/10 Cons I would appreciate having the option to connect Essential ERM directly to power BI as it would significantly enhance reporting capabilities and streamline dashboard creation. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. PO Paul O. Risk Manager Insurance ### "Loving Essential ERM software." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 October 10, 2024 The team is extremely helpful in bringing newbies up to speed and the software is quite intuitive. Also the price is amazing for the functionality provided. Pros The optionality of the tool within the individual modules. Cons I would like a bit more control over the format of printable reports but this is very minor. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. RR Robert R. Senior Compliance Manager Health, Wellness and Fitness ### "A good product" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 9, 2024 \* Flexible \* Dynamic \* Trail period with full training \* Understandable functionality \* Straightforward to use \* Customisable Pros Our initial introduction with Essential ERM was very positive. They listened to what we already have in place and clearly demonstrated what their solution could offer. This is a very comprehensive package, that can be started in a small way and then extra added as and when the business users become more familiar. The demonstration went through the full offering and it was easy to understand how it could fit within our businesses. The analytics reporting is excellent and ideal for high level reporting to Boards or individual business units. Cons From the experience we have using the trial and demo, we could not think of any cons. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. AN Anonymous User ERM Manager Banking ### "Essential ERM is straightforward and stregthens the ERM Program " 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 20, 2024 Pros Essential ERM provides a single view of the risks in real time and links to risk appetite and strategies. The indicators are easy to track and monitor. The workflows and other functionalities improve decision making and collaboration. It can be implemented in a very short time (2-6 weeks) even without IT implementation experience and their team is prompt and responsive. Its a must have as risk assessments should be dynamic and risk data are quickly changing. An entity can use every day to know whats top of mind or emerging risks and escalations that must responded to. Cons Because audiences are different, report customizations would help. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. PH Peter H. Enterprise Risk Consultant Government Administration ### "Essential ERM - Setting the Standard for Strategic Risk Management" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 December 1, 2022 My overall expereiewnce has been excellent. The Executive and Design Team have bene highly repsonsive to our suggestions for platform enhancements. It has been an incredible journey with the team over the past several years with major benefits to the enterprise risk management world. Pros The software is based on the Bow Tie Methodology and grounded in the ISO 31000. It's core architecture is tied to strategic objective setting with great features for risk appeptite and mitigation tracking. The Essential ERM design and support team are very progressive, creative and repsosnive to industry developments and client needs.The ability to establish risk portfolios for highly diverse and complex organizations with consolidation is a brilliant feature.The risk profiles of individual projects or intiitatives can also managed within Essential ERM. Cons The Essential ERM Team have been highly responsive to requests for improvement in dasboard reporting, voting technology and key risk indicators. The interface capability to industry standard rporting tools such as Power BI has been significantly improved. I can't say at this point I have any major dislikes of the software. Reasons for choosing Essential ERM Core architecture - well grounded in staretgic risk decsion making, the Bow Tie Method and ISO 31000 risk management standard.Ease of use and intutiive interface and dashboard.Strong customer support from the Executive, Design and Support teams.A very progressive view of risk management from strategic enterprise , operational and portfolio risk management. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. SW Samantha W. Enterprise Risk and Audit Director Textiles ### "Essential ERM, excellent customer service and flexibility for ERM processes" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 4, 2022 Fantastic. It is a quality product that was easy to implement and teach to our BUs. Customer service is prompt and extremely helpful. Pros The product is easy to use and to implement. Cons Would love integration with audit software. Reasons for choosing Essential ERM The flexibility to customize the program to our business structure and it was the only software that focused on what I need to risk management. The other software companies focus on audit software first and ERM is an afterthought. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. DW Deryck W. CFO Computer Software ### "A great product" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 3, 2022 Risk management. We have many we have to deal with, as a result of the nature of our operation. Pros I found it easy to use, and especially like the way we can integrate it - with our strategy and with our work plans, so it is a living process. Cons Truly, I don't find anything missing. We've had great support, the site is fast and reliable and secure. I like the way they stay on top of the ERM trends and keep improving the product. Reasons for choosing Essential ERM Easily best value for money. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AN Anonymous User Consultant Management Consulting ### "Essential ERM is Fantastic, A Must Use!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 26, 2022 Allows me to uncover potential problems before they become real issues. Allowing me to plan, prepare, and be more productive! Pros Essential ERM provides a unique outlook on the factors involved with business, clients, and personnel. It allowed me to find issues that I would otherwise have missed, or forgotten about. Not to mention that is super easy to use! Cons Despite the lack of issues with essential ERM, since the program worked great, the part I dislike most is that Essential ERM highlights a lot of the issues, mistakes, or problems that have been hidden from me. Highlighting my issues only shows that the way to improve this part I dislike is solely on me now. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. PR Pat R. Exexutive Advisor, Corporate Strategy and Risk Insurance ### "Good easy to use Enterprise Riaks Management Application" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 October 24, 2022 Essential ERM has created efficiencies in our risk tracking and reporting process. Pros Essential ERM is easy to configure and use. Manual processes can be automated to make ERM administration and reporting much more efficient. Cons Transitioning from another application or manual risk tracking requires some effort to enter all of the data for the first time. However, the efficiencies after initial configuration and data entry quickly outweigh the effort and time for initial entry. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. AN Anonymous User Manager, Information Security Airlines/Aviation ### "Easy to use and focused risk management solution" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 11, 2022 Great team to work with and great tool. The whole process was a breeze, very supportive company. Pros It was the perfect solution to increase our risk management maturity. We have a much clearer view of our program and risk profile after we started using the tool. Cons There could be some more reporting options and report types, but overall it fulfill our needs very well. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/176625/Essential-ERM/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [GOAT Risk vs Essential ERM](https://www.capterra.com/compare/176625-205001/Essential-ERM-vs-GOAT-Risk) [AuditBoard vs Essential ERM](https://www.capterra.com/compare/148230-176625/SOXHUB-vs-Essential-ERM)