OneTrust alternatives for smaller firms
For a smaller firm that runs OneTrust, or holds a OneTrust quote, and uses only part of it. 7 platforms, measured against the GDPR, ePrivacy and California rules that OneTrust’s modules serve, from each vendor’s own pages. read 2026-10-22
Best overall for a smaller firm
Osano
Its own pages cover every row and its consent plans start free; request intake starts at Basic Privacy, so confirm the plan.
Best when the website is the whole program
Termly
Script blocking and a request form on every plan, the free one included; you run the request clock yourself.
Best for switching without asking EU visitors again
Ketch
It says it carries over the consent already logged in OneTrust; its data map and assessments are Pro only.
The requirements, platform by platform
Each row is a duty that one of OneTrust’s modules exists to meet, with the article or section it comes from. The first three rows are consent, the next three are privacy requests, and the last three are the paperwork behind the program. “paid plan” means the feature sits above the entry plan.
| Requirement | Osano | Ketch | Termly | TrustArc | DataGrail | Transcend | Securiti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blocks non-essential cookies until consentePrivacy Art. 5(3) | yes | yesfull CMP on every plan | yes | yes | yesscript and tracker control | yes | yes |
| Keeps a record of each consentGDPR Art. 7(1) | yeslogs export | yes | paid planPro+ and Agency | yes | not stated | yes | not stated |
| Honors Global Privacy Control signalsCCPA regs § 7025(b) | yes | yes | yesper its release notes | yes | yesconfigurable | yes | not stated |
| Takes access and deletion requests through your websiteGDPR Art. 12(2); Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(1)(B) | paid planfrom Basic Privacy | paid planadd-on on Plus; in Pro | yesform only, every plan | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Verifies the requester’s identityGDPR Art. 12(6); CCPA regs § 7060(a) | paid planfrom Basic Privacy | paid planwith DSR automation | not stated | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Tracks the response deadlineGDPR Art. 12(3); Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(2)(A) | paid planfrom Basic Privacy | not stated | not stated | yes | yes | yes | not stated |
| Keeps a record of processing (data map)GDPR Art. 30(1) | paid planby consultation | paid planPro only | not stated | yes | yes | yesdata inventory | yes |
| Runs impact and risk assessmentsGDPR Art. 35(1); CCPA regs § 7150 | paid planby consultation | paid planPro only | not stated | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Assesses vendors before they get your dataGDPR Art. 28(1) | paid planby consultation | paid planPro only | not stated | yes | yes | yes | yes |
Source: vendor documentation, read 2026-10-22. “not stated” means the vendor’s own documentation does not say. | |||||||
What you pay OneTrust for, package by package
OneTrust publishes its packages but not its prices: every package on its pricing and packaging page ends in “Get Pricing”, and the page offers a call “for a personalized quote based on your team size and business goals.” What it does publish is the meter each package runs on. That meter is the first thing to check against your own firm, because it decides whether a smaller tool saves anything.
| Package | What it covers | Priced on | Rule it serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMP Base | Consent banners for web, mobile apps and CTV; a categorized inventory of trackers | average daily visitors | ePrivacy Art. 5(3) |
| CMP Suite | Base plus privacy notices and request intake, identity verification, discovery and redaction | average daily visitors | GDPR Art. 12; § 1798.130 |
| Universal Consent & Preference Management | Marketing consent and preference centers synced to marketing systems | total data subject profiles | GDPR Art. 7 |
| Privacy Automation Base | Data and activity map, privacy impact assessments, vendor privacy risk and DPAs | users and privacy asset inventory | GDPR Arts. 28, 30, 35 |
| Privacy Automation Suite | Base plus request fulfillment end to end and privacy incident handling | users and privacy asset inventory | GDPR Arts. 12, 33 |
| Third-Party Risk Management Base | Vendor inventory, onboarding, assessments and monitoring | admin users and third-party inventory | GDPR Art. 28(1) |
Source: onetrust.com/pricing, read 2026-10-22. Its AI governance and tech-risk packages are left out: no privacy rule on this page needs them. | |||
If what you actually use is a CMP package and its request form, the rows that matter are the first five in the comparison table, and a consent platform from our consent management platforms page may be all you need. If you use the Privacy Automation packages for a data map and assessments, compare whole-program platforms on our privacy management software page.
How the alternatives sell their plans
| Platform | Free plan | Plans on its site | What the lower plans leave out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osano | yes: 1 domain, 5,000 monthly visitors | Free, Plus, Basic Privacy (custom) | Request intake starts at Basic Privacy; data mapping and assessments by consultation |
| Ketch | yes: up to 5,000 unique users a month | Free, Starter, Plus, Pro | Request automation is an add-on on Plus; data map and assessments are Pro only |
| Termly | yes: 10,000 banner views a month | Free, Starter, Pro+, Agency, per website | Consent logs start at Pro+; no request workflow, data map or assessments listed |
| TrustArc | none published | no plan page found | Sold module by module through sales |
| DataGrail | none published | no plan page found | Sold through a demo and quote |
| Transcend | none published | pricing page leads to a contact form | Sold through a solutions engineer |
| Securiti | none published | modules, quoted | You buy the modules your use cases need |
Source: each vendor’s own plan or pricing page, read 2026-10-22. No prices are shown on this site. | |||
OneTrust prices consent on daily visitors; Osano and Ketch cap their consent plans by monthly visitors and Termly by banner views. Before you compare quotes, take your monthly visitors from your analytics and count the systems a request has to reach: those are the meters the vendors quote on.
What a smaller firm owes, with or without OneTrust
A smaller tool does not shrink the duties. The GDPR has one size break, in the record of processing, and it is narrower than it looks:
“The obligations referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to an enterprise or an organisation employing fewer than 250 persons unless the processing it carries out is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of data subjects, the processing is not occasional, or the processing includes special categories of data …”
A firm that runs a customer list, payroll or website analytics processes personal data every week, so its processing is not occasional and the exemption falls away. Plan on keeping the record. Art. 30(3) asks for it in writing, electronic form included, so a spreadsheet can carry it; our data map template lays out the columns, and data mapping software compares the tools that keep it current for you.
The request clocks
- GDPR: an answer “within one month of receipt of the request,” extendable by two further months where necessary, if you tell the person within the first month (Art. 12(3)).
- California: 45 days from receiving the request, extendable once by an additional 45 days when reasonably necessary, with notice inside the first 45 (§ 1798.130(a)(2)(A)).
- California again: keep a record of each request and how you answered it for at least 24 months (CCPA regs § 7101(a)).
Our DSAR deadline calculator works out both clocks from the date a request arrived, and what a DSAR is covers what the answer must contain.
Under the California regulations in force since January 1, 2026, selling or sharing personal information is processing that needs a risk assessment (§ 7150(b)(1)). For selling or sharing that began before 2026 and continues, the assessment is due by December 31, 2027 (§ 7155(b)), and the required details go to the agency by April 1, 2028 (§ 7157(a)(1)). Whichever platform you choose has to hold that document; the privacy impact assessment template covers it if the platform does not.
Leaving OneTrust without losing your evidence
The risk in a switch is not the new banner. It is the records the old contract held. Export these before the OneTrust term ends, in this order:
- The consent log. GDPR Art. 7(1) puts the burden on you to show that a person consented, and the log is that proof. Keep the export even if the new platform starts a fresh one.
- The request history. California asks for 24 months of request records (§ 7101(a)): the date, the type, how it came in, your answer and any reason for refusing.
- The data map and the assessments. California assessments are kept for as long as the processing continues or five years after completion, whichever is later (§ 7155(c)).
- The opt-out behavior. Keep Global Privacy Control honored through the cutover, then test the new banner with our GPC checker.
- The processor contract. The new vendor processes visitor data for you, so it needs Art. 28(3) terms before it goes live; our data processing agreement template lists the clauses to look for.
Then check your OneTrust order form for the renewal notice date, and diary it. If you are weighing only Osano, our Osano vs OneTrust page puts the two side by side.
Each platform in short
What each one is, who it fits, how it meets the rows, and what to confirm with the vendor. Three publish their plans; four sell through a demo, as OneTrust does. For a firm that only needs a cookie banner, our consent management platforms page goes deeper on that one job.
Osano
What it is
A privacy platform with cookie consent, subject rights, vendor risk, data mapping and assessments in one account. Its self-service consent plans start with a free plan for one domain and 5,000 monthly visitors.
Who it fits
A firm that uses several OneTrust modules and wants the same spread in a smaller product.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Its own feature list covers every row: blocking, exportable consent logs, GPC, multi-factor identity checks, automatic deadline calculation, RoPAs and DPIAs, and vendor risk scoring. Only consent is on its self-service plans: request intake forms start at the Basic Privacy plan.
Check with the vendor
Data mapping, assessments and vendor risk are sold by consultation, not on a published plan. Get the contents in writing, and read the terms behind its advertised fines guarantee before you rely on it.
Ketch
What it is
A consent platform with four published plans, from Free to Pro. Request automation, data mapping, risk assessments and marketing preferences are sold separately from consent.
Who it fits
A firm switching off OneTrust that does not want to ask EU visitors for consent again.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Blocking, consent records and tracker scanning are on every plan, and it supports GPC. Request intake and its AuthenticatedID verification come with request automation, an add-on on Plus. RoPA reports, DPIA templates and vendor reviews are Pro only.
Check with the vendor
Ketch says its Switch program connects to OneTrust, collects the consent already logged there in a quiet mode and keeps that history. Test it on a staging site first. Its pages do not mention deadline tracking.
Termly
What it is
Policy generators and a consent banner, licensed per website, with a free plan.
Who it fits
A firm whose privacy work is one website, its policies and a few requests a year.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Script blocking and an embeddable request form are on every plan, the free one included. Exportable consent logs start at Pro+. Its plan list has no request workflow, data map or assessments.
Check with the vendor
Its release notes add a notice confirming an honored GPC signal, but the pricing page names no plan for it. Requests from its form still need someone to verify and answer them on time; our DSAR deadline calculator, under Related, gives you the due date.
TrustArc
What it is
A privacy suite: Cookie Consent Manager, Individual Rights Manager, Data Mapping and Risk Manager, Assessment Manager and PrivacyCentral, plus TRUSTe certifications and Data Privacy Framework verification.
Who it fits
A firm that wants a full suite from a different vendor, or that needs the certification and verification services as well.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Its own pages say yes on every row: auto-blocking, consent logs, GPC, intake forms, identity checks, jurisdiction-based due dates, Article 30 ROPA reporting, DPIAs and vendor risk assessments.
Check with the vendor
We found no public plan page; buyers go through a demo. This is a sideways move from OneTrust, not a lighter one. Ask which modules are priced separately.
DataGrail
What it is
A privacy platform built around request management, a live data map, consent and risk assessments.
Who it fits
A firm whose main load is requests that must reach many SaaS systems.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
It automates intake, verification and deadline tracking, builds Records of Processing Activities, supports DPIAs and vendor assessments, and lets you configure how GPC signals are honored.
Check with the vendor
Its consent page does not describe consent records or exports. There is no public plan page. It advertises migration help for OneTrust customers; get the terms of that help in writing.
Transcend
What it is
A privacy platform pitched at engineering and product teams: consent, request automation across connected systems, a data inventory and assessments.
Who it fits
A product company with engineers who can connect its systems.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Its consent script blocks tracking before it fires and logs every choice with a timestamp. Its help center says it detects GPC automatically. Requests are verified and every deadline is tracked. Assessments cover DPIAs and vendor risk.
Check with the vendor
Its pricing page leads to a contact form. The pages we read speak of a data inventory, not a record of processing: ask whether it exports in the Article 30 shape.
Securiti
What it is
A broad data security and privacy platform. Consent, requests, data mapping, assessments and vendor risk are modules within it.
Who it fits
A firm with large data stores across several clouds. A firm with a website and a CRM rarely needs it.
What the rule requires and whether it meets it
Its pages show cookie blocking, a request portal with identity checks, Article 30 RoPA reports, PIAs and DPIAs, and vendor assessments.
Check with the vendor
The pages we read do not mention GPC, consent records or request deadline tracking. Modules are bought by use case on a personalized quote.
How we compared them
We started from the platforms a smaller firm is likely to shortlist when it leaves OneTrust: three that publish self-serve plans (Osano, Ketch, Termly) and four suites sold through sales that are often weighed against it (TrustArc, DataGrail, Transcend, Securiti). OneTrust itself is described from its own packaging page rather than given a column: this page is about what to move to. Platforms built mainly for one job are compared on our DSAR tools page (under Related) and on the consent platforms page linked above.
Each row is a requirement the rule itself sets, with the article or section cited beside it. Every cell comes from the vendor’s own public documentation, read on 2026-10-22; we did not run trials, take demos or accept vendor answers that are not published.
“not stated” means the vendor’s documentation does not say either way. It is not a “no”: ask the vendor and get the answer in writing. “paid plan” means the feature exists but not on the free or entry tier. There are no scores, ratings or prices on this page.
Verdicts are editorial: no vendor can buy a verdict position or displace another vendor.
This page is information, not legal advice. A tool that meets a row does not make a site compliant; how it is set up does.
Questions
How is OneTrust priced?
By package, on a quote. Its own pricing page names the meter for each: consent packages on average daily visitors, the preference package on data subject profiles, Privacy Automation on users and privacy asset inventory, and third-party risk on admin users and vendor inventory. It publishes no figures, and neither do we.
Does OneTrust have a free plan?
Its pricing and packaging page, read on the date above, lists no free plan: every package leads to a quote. Osano, Ketch and Termly each publish a free plan for consent, with the limits shown in the plan table on this page.
Is TrustArc a lighter alternative to OneTrust?
Not by its own description. TrustArc sells the same spread of modules (consent, rights requests, data mapping, assessments) through sales, with no public plan page that we found. It is a different vendor, not a smaller product. The same goes for Securiti, which sells a wider data-security platform.
Does a firm with fewer than 250 employees need a record of processing?
Usually yes. GDPR Art. 30(5) lifts the duty only when the processing is occasional, unlikely to risk people’s rights and excludes special-category and criminal data. Ongoing customer, staff or analytics data is not occasional. Start from our data map template, linked in the section on what you still owe.
Can a small firm handle privacy requests without a platform?
Yes, if the volume is low. California asks for at least two ways to submit a request, and only an email address from a business that is online only and deals with consumers directly (§ 1798.130(a)(1)(A)). What you cannot skip is identity checks, the deadline and the record. Our DSAR tools page, under Related, compares request tools on those same duties.