Riskonnect and Diligent are established GRC platforms that take different approaches to managing governance, risk, and compliance. Riskonnect connects GRC activities across the organization through an integrated risk management approach, using risk as the foundation for linking operational, strategic, and compliance activities. Diligent focuses on governance-led GRC, helping boards and executives manage oversight, reporting, and compliance responsibilities from a single platform.

How Riskonnect and Diligent Approach GRC

Riskonnect places enterprise risk management (ERM) at the center of its GRC suite, connecting compliance, audit, business continuity, and other GRC activities with specialist risk areas such as IT, cyber, third-party risk, and business strategy. Its configurable platform allows organizations to adapt risk processes and reporting to their individual requirements while providing a more connected view of risks across teams and functions. Additional capabilities for insurable risk and claims management help organizations incorporate financial and operational exposures into their broader risk strategy in one unified platform.

Diligent builds on its origins in board management technology, with capabilities focused on overseeing governance, audit, risk, and compliance processes. Its platform helps organizations give boards and executives greater visibility into governance, risk, and compliance through board reporting, audit oversight, and compliance monitoring. Diligent has expanded into areas such as third-party risk management, extending its use beyond board management.

Core GRC Capabilities: A Head-to-Head Feature Comparison

Riskonnect and Diligent share many core GRC capabilities, but they differ in the depth, usability, integration, configurability, and maturity of those capabilities. The table below highlights how the two platforms compare across the functions that most organizations evaluate when selecting GRC software.

Capability Riskonnect Diligent Why it matters
Enterprise Risk Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Both platforms provide mature ERM processes, including risk registers, assessments, control libraries, KRIs, dashboards, and reporting. The difference lies in their approach. Riskonnect places ERM at the center of its GRC strategy, with the ability to support customized workflows and reporting. Diligent approaches ERM from a governance perspective, with a stronger focus on board-level oversight of risk metrics.
Risk Assessments ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Both support customizable assessment templates and scoring models. However, Riskonnect can support more complex assessment requirements, making it easier to adapt to organization-specific needs.
Incident & Event Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ ☆☆ Riskonnect has the advantage in incident and event management due to its operational risk focus. It provides pre-built functionality for incident reporting, investigations, corrective actions, and case management. Diligent also supports incident management, but its strengths focus more on governance, audit, and oversight.
Compliance Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Both platforms deliver strong compliance management modules , including compliance tracking, controls management, and reporting. While little separates the two from a compliance perspective, Riskonnect differentiates itself by connecting compliance data more directly with enterprise risk, resilience, and operational processes producing deeper insights.
Regulatory Change Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Both platforms monitor regulatory obligations, provide out-of-the-box compliance frameworks, control libraries, and strong automation. However, Riskonnect has the advantage as it embeds regulatory intelligence feeds and maps them to the affected controls, risks, and operational activities.
Policy Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Diligent leads in policy management with mature lifecycle tools for updates, attestations, and compliance oversight. Riskonnect offers strong policy capabilities but differentiates through tighter integration with risk, compliance, and control activities.
Internal Audit ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Diligent has the edge in internal audit with a purpose-built audit management module supporting audit planning, fieldwork, evidence management, findings, remediation tracking, and audit committee reporting. Riskonnect also provides strong audit functionality, with the added benefit of integrating audit activities into broader GRC processes.
Board Management & Reporting ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Diligent leads in this area due to its board portal heritage, providing mature capabilities for meeting management, board materials, executive oversight, and governance reporting. Riskonnect supports board-level dashboards and reporting with a focus on operational exposure.
Entity Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Diligent leads in legal entity management with a dedicated module for legal teams, corporate secretaries, and governance professionals managing complex organizational structures, entity records, filings, and statutory obligations. Riskonnect supports entity management with a focus on risk, compliance, controls, and reporting.
Third-Party Risk ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ☆ Riskonnect leads in third-party risk with mature workflows and deeper integration into broader enterprise risk processes, making it well suited for organizations managing complex supplier ecosystems and interconnected risks. Diligent provides third-party risk functionality within its GRC platform but has less depth in this area.
Strategic Risk Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Riskonnect incorporates strategic planning capabilities within its GRC platform, enabling you to define strategic objectives, map risks to business priorities, and monitor the factors that could affect delivery of your strategy. Diligent supports strategic risk oversight through its  governance tools  and enterprise  risk management software  capabilities but places less emphasis on strategic planning itself.
Business Continuity and Resilience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ ☆☆☆☆ Riskonnect leads in business continuity and operational resilience with specialist tools for planning, recovery, crisis management, and testing, integrated with enterprise risk management for greater visibility into organizational preparedness. Diligent does not provide dedicated business continuity capabilities.
Insurable Risk and Claims ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐☆☆☆☆ A major differentiator. Riskonnect offers specialist insurable risk and claims management features alongside ERM within one platform, reducing reliance on specialist systems. Diligent does not offer equivalent specialist insurable risk and claims management capabilities.
AI ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Both platforms make good use of AI to enhance GRC processes, but they focus on different outcomes. Diligent applies AI to governance, executive oversight, and reporting, while Riskonnect uses Agentforce AI to enhance risk intelligence and automate risk management processes.
Platform Configuration ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Riskonnect leads in this area. Built on Salesforce, it offers no-code and low-code tools that allow organizations to tailor workflows, dashboards, and processes to their unique requirements. While Diligent also provides configuration options, Riskonnect offers greater flexibility for organizations with complex or evolving risk management needs.
Dashboards ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ☆ Riskonnect leads with detailed dashboards that help you monitor risk exposure, trends, controls, incidents, and resilience. Diligent offers strong executive dashboards focused on governance, audit, and executive oversight.
Reporting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Both platforms offer extensive reporting capabilities but support different priorities. Riskonnect enables combined reporting across risk areas, helping you create a connected view of organizational performance. Diligent offers structured board reporting for executives and audit committees.
Customer Feedback ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Both vendors received positive customer feedback on their websites. Customers recognize Riskonnect for its configurable platform and ability to support complex, enterprise-wide risk programs, while customers praise Diligent for its  user experience,  board-management functionality, and ease of adoption.
Customer Support ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Both vendors receive positive feedback for customer support on their websites, with users highlighting knowledgeable teams and responsive service. Customers recognize Riskonnect for supporting complex GRC deployments through a collaborative approach, while customers praise Diligent for its customer success model and support for audit, compliance, and governance teams.
Implementation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Implementation timelines depend on the complexity of your workflows, modules, and requirements. Diligent may offer faster adoption for organizations using standard governance, audit, and board-reporting templates. Riskonnect delivers greater flexibility for tailored requirements, helping create more effective processes long-term.

Beyond Core GRC: Where Each Platform Differentiates

Both Riskonnect and Diligent rank among the leading GRC platforms, providing the capabilities you need to support a mature GRC program. The key distinction comes down to how each platform helps you integrate risk management with different areas of the business as your program expands, rather than whether either platform can support core GRC requirements.

Riskonnect expands beyond traditional GRC by placing integrated enterprise risk management at the heart of a broader operational and physical risk management ecosystem. Alongside its ERM capabilities, it includes specialist tools for strategic planning, insurable risk and claims administration, health and safety, business continuity and resilience, and crisis management, emergency notification, and threat intelligence. By integrating incidents, claims, resilience activities, and compliance processes with enterprise risk, you can reduce reliance on separate systems and improve risk visibility. If risk, resilience, compliance, or health and safety teams lead your GRC program, Riskonnect provides a broader risk management platform that connects strategic, operational, and specialist risk functions across the business.

Diligent extends GRC through a stronger focus on corporate governance and executive oversight. Its capabilities support board and committee management, secure collaboration, entity governance, and governance-related compliance activities. This makes it particularly suited to organizations where directors, legal teams, corporate secretaries, and governance functions need to coordinate governance activities, maintain effective board oversight, and manage compliance responsibilities more efficiently.

The right choice depends on where you want your GRC investment to expand over time. Riskonnect extends GRC into broader strategic risk and resilience capabilities, while Diligent focuses on governance, board effectiveness, and executive oversight.

How Do Riskonnect and Diligent Differ in Their Use of AI

AI continues to expand within GRC platforms, with many vendors using AI-powered workflows to automate routine tasks, summarize information, support analysis, and improve decision-making. Riskonnect and Diligent apply AI differently, with Diligent focusing on governance and board processes while Riskonnect extends AI across integrated risk management.

Diligent applies AI primarily to governance and board processes. Its native AI capabilities help directors, executives, and legal teams summarize board materials, prepare meeting documentation, and identify key discussion points. This supports more efficient board preparation and helps governance teams analyze information more effectively to drive decisions.

Riskonnect takes a broader approach to AI in GRC by incorporating Agentforce 360 within its integrated risk management platform. Through this approach, AI works alongside connected risk data to automate routine activities, identify emerging risks, summarize policies and regulatory updates, support assessments, and recommend mitigation actions. By applying AI to GRC and operational risk data, Riskonnect provides predictive risk insights that help you identify trends earlier and make more informed risk decisions.

Riskonnect also differentiates itself with a dedicated AI governance module, helping you manage AI use with appropriate controls, accountability, and oversight. This helps you govern AI adoption, manage AI-related risks, and ensure teams use AI responsibly across your organization.

Implementation and Onboarding: What to Expect

A successful GRC implementation process starts with clear requirements, well-defined processes, and reliable data. Before onboarding begins, you need to understand which workflows you want to support, what information you need to migrate, and how your teams will use the platform. This preparation helps ensure the vendor configures the system to support your GRC objectives from the start.

Both Riskonnect and Diligent provide implementation support and customer success resources throughout the onboarding process. However, the experience can differ depending on your requirements, the scope of your deployment, and how you plan to use the platform.

Diligent provides mature governance, audit, and board management capabilities built around best-practice workflows. If your requirements focus on these areas, you may find the platform easier to implement and adopt. More complex implementations involving broader workflows, integrations, or multiple modules will require additional planning and resources.

Riskonnect takes a modular implementation approach, allowing you to start with your highest-priority challenges and expand as your GRC program matures. You can begin with areas such as enterprise risk management or regulatory compliance before extending into other risk and operational capabilities. While Riskonnect’s configurable nature may require more upfront planning, it gives you greater flexibility to design processes that fit your specific requirements over time.

Implementation timelines for both vendors depend on factors such as the number of modules, users, and integrations, as well as the complexity of your requirements. Selecting the right platform means finding the balance between meeting your immediate requirements and having the flexibility to expand your GRC capabilities as your program matures.

User Experience and Customer Support

User experience requires more than an intuitive user interface. It also depends on how easily different users can access the information, workflows, and tools they need to perform their roles.

Riskonnect allows you to tailor dashboards, workflows, and user views to different roles across the business. This means operational users can focus on capturing incidents and completing assessments, while risk and compliance teams have access to the information they need to monitor trends, investigate issues, and manage enterprise risk. As your processes evolve, you can adapt the platform to support changing business requirements without redesigning your entire GRC program.

Diligent delivers a strong user experience, particularly for board, audit, and compliance teams. Its established capabilities provide intuitive workflows for executives, directors, and corporate secretaries, with ready-to-use features for board materials, reporting, and oversight. If Diligent’s standard templates and reporting formats align with your internal requirements, you can begin using the platform with minimal customization. However, organizations seeking highly tailored implementations across broader risk processes may require more adaptation.

Both vendors provide customer support, training resources, and onboarding guidance throughout implementation and ongoing use. Reviewer feedback highlights Riskonnect’s ability to support complex GRC deployments, while Diligent receives recognition for customer support across governance, audit, and board management functions.

The right choice depends on who will use the platform most. Riskonnect better supports organizations with diverse users across multiple risk functions, while Diligent best serves organizations focused on governance, board management, and audit teams.

Pricing, Total Cost of Ownership, and ROI

GRC software pricing varies depending on factors such as the number of users, the modules you deploy, and the complexity of your implementation. Both Riskonnect and Diligent use customized pricing models, so the best value depends on the scope of your GRC program rather than license cost alone.

When evaluating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), consider the full investment required to implement, integrate, support, and maintain the platform, including any professional services or customization needed to align it with your processes. A platform that reduces manual work, consolidates multiple systems, and simplifies reporting can deliver greater long-term value.

Your return on investment (ROI) comes from the operational improvements the platform enables. Automating processes, reducing time spent collecting risk data, improving regulatory compliance, and responding to risks more quickly can help reduce costs associated with inefficiency, penalties, operational disruption, and downtime.

For organizations focused primarily on governance, audit, compliance, and board reporting, Diligent can provide strong value through its established workflows and reporting tools. However, as your GRC strategy expands across multiple risk areas, Riskonnect can deliver greater long-term value by reducing reliance on separate systems and connecting risk activities across the business.

Real-World Feedback: A Look at User Reviews

Both Riskonnect and Diligent receive positive reviews across independent review platforms such as G2, Capterra, and Gartner Peer Insights. While both platforms receive strong testimonials, reviewer feedback reflects different priorities: Reviewer feedback highlights Riskonnect’s support for complex, enterprise-wide risk programs, while Diligent receives praise for governance, board management, and executive reporting.

Riskonnect Reviews

Reviewers frequently highlight Riskonnect’s flexibility, configurability, and ability to connect multiple risk disciplines within a single platform. Many also recognize the vendor’s collaborative approach during implementation and ongoing platform development.

Strengths

    • Highly adaptable GRC tools, workflows, dashboards, and reporting
    • Strong integration across risk, resilience, claims, and operational risk processes
    • Responsive customer support and implementation guidance
    • Supports expansion into additional risk areas as GRC programs evolve

Considerations

    • The platform’s flexibility can require more upfront planning and setup
    • Advanced configuration may require experienced administrators or implementation support

Diligent Reviews

Diligent receives positive feedback for its governance capabilities and the ease with which directors and executives can access board materials, reporting, and governance information.

Strengths

    • Easy access to board materials and governance information
    • Strong board reporting and governance oversight
    • Well-suited to structured audit and compliance workflows
    • Clear presentation of risk information for leadership audiences

Considerations

    • Some reviewers note that customization options can be more limited for organizations with highly tailored workflow requirements.
    • More complex requirements may necessitate adapting standard processes, increasing cost, and implementation time.

Overall, reviewer feedback reinforces the positioning seen throughout this comparison. Organizations managing complex, cross-functional risk programs often value Riskonnect’s flexibility and breadth, while those focused on governance, board management, and executive reporting consistently highlight Diligent’s ease of use and governance capabilities.

The Final Verdict: Which GRC Platform Is Right for You?

Riskonnect and Diligent take different approaches to extending GRC beyond core processes. Riskonnect best supports organizations looking to connect enterprise risk with operational risk, resilience, and specialist risk functions for a holistic view of risk. While Diligent supports organizations focused on governance, board oversight, and executive reporting.

Choose Riskonnect if you want:

  • A configurable platform that can be aligned with your organization’s GRC framework without extensive development
  • Ready-to-use processes, reports, dashboards, and control libraries that help accelerate implementation and support consistent risk management practices
  • A connected risk approach that brings together enterprise risk, compliance, resilience, business continuity, and insurable risk
  • Greater visibility across risk data, helping you identify trends, improve decision-making, and apply AI-driven insights where appropriate

Choose Diligent if you want:

  • Governance-focused GRC capabilities for boards, executives, legal teams, and corporate secretaries
  • Clear board reporting and governance oversight
  • Support for internal audit, policy management, compliance, and entity governance workflows
  • A structured approach to managing governance processes and executive information

The right choice depends on where you want your GRC program to evolve. Consider which teams will rely most on the platform, which workflows matter most, and whether your priorities center on connected risk management or governance oversight.

Before selecting a GRC platform, use this RFP template to compare vendors, define your requirements, and ask the right questions during the evaluation process.

If you would like to see how Riskonnect supports integrated risk management, request a demo.