OpenGRC

Overview

OpenGRC is a cyber governance, risk and compliance application for small and midsized businesses. It is best suited to teams that want compliance, audit and vendor work in a shared system and can manage a self-hosted installation or pay for Enterprise. Its breadth is useful, but Community requires technical upkeep and the API is rate-limited.

Key features

OpenGRC combines risk management, controls and implementations, audits, vendor management, incident response and project management. It supports NIST 800-171, ISO 27001, SOC 2, CMMC and PCI DSS, with control mapping, evidence collection, risk assessments and remediation workflows. That makes it a practical fit for teams coordinating several compliance activities, rather than those looking for a single-purpose audit tool.

Audit management covers evidence requests, progress tracking and report generation, helping teams follow audit work through to reporting. Vendor Management adds a dedicated portal, customizable questionnaires and weighted scoring, giving supplier assessments a repeatable process. Enterprise adds AI risk assessments, automated vendor survey responses and AI gap assessments; its MCP server works with compatible clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, using OAuth 2.1 authentication.

There are no third-party integrations built into the platform. The REST API offers a way to connect other systems, but its limit of 60 requests per minute per user—or per IP address for unauthenticated requests—may constrain frequent automation. Hosted plans state a 99.5% monthly uptime commitment, encryption in transit and at rest, instance-specific data keys and an annual independent SOC 2 Type II examination. OpenGRC also says hosted customer data is not used to train AI models.

Pricing

Community is free and self-hosted, with full source code access and community support. It may suit technically capable teams that can run and maintain a web server and database server. Installation and upkeep require some technical knowledge, and the license is Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0, with stated exceptions for earlier code and certain commercial use; organizations should check that the terms fit their use.

Enterprise Basic costs $4,500 /year and includes unlimited internal users, frameworks, vendors and applications, plus email support with a 24-hour response. It is the clearer fit for teams that need hosted Enterprise service and predictable support without the additional Enhanced services.

Enterprise Enhanced costs $7,500 /year. It includes Basic features, onboarding training, an SMB Risk Assessment, additional real-time chat support, premium hosting and regular updates. Those additions may suit teams seeking more support during setup and ongoing operation; the higher annual price is harder to justify if those services are unnecessary. OpenGRC's pricing model is freemium, with paid plans from $875, but the two named Enterprise plans are priced at $4,500 /year and $7,500 /year.

Platforms

OpenGRC is available on the web, through self-hosting, and via an API. Community requires users to operate the web and database servers themselves. The API limit of 60 requests per minute per user, or per IP for unauthenticated requests, is worth factoring in before building integrations around frequent calls.

Who it's for

OpenGRC is a reasonable choice for small and midsized businesses that need risk, controls, audits, vendor assessments and incident response in one application. Community is most appropriate when a team has the technical capacity to host and maintain it and the license fits its use. Teams that want hosting, support or AI features should consider Enterprise; those dependent on ready-made third-party integrations should look elsewhere or assess whether the API limit works for their needs.

Pros and cons

• Broad GRC coverage: Risk, controls, audits, vendors, incidents and projects sit alongside support for five named frameworks.
• Structured audit and supplier work: Evidence tracking and reporting pair with vendor questionnaires, a portal and weighted scoring.
• Free self-hosted edition: Community provides full source code access, but requires server operation, technical maintenance and attention to license terms.
• Limited integration options: There are no built-in third-party integrations, and API traffic is capped at 60 requests per minute per user or unauthenticated IP.
• Paid support and AI capabilities: Enterprise adds support tiers and AI tools, at annual prices of $4,500 and $7,500 for the named plans.

Alternatives

CISO Assistant is worth comparing for teams seeking a freemium, self-hosted option with a free Community plan for unlimited users and community support.

ComplianceOS may suit teams prioritizing a Community edition described as fully open source under MIT, with 30+ frameworks and 1000+ pre-built controls.

Strike Graph offers a free Launch plan focused on SOC 2 security TSC, limited policy templates and cloud-provider options paired with Microsoft Office or Google Drive.

NAVEX EthicsPoint Incident Management is an alternative for organizations focused on incident management.

AssurX QMS is another paid option for teams considering a quality management system.

PowerDMS Policy is an alternative for teams focused on policy management.

Riskonnect is another paid risk-management option.

AuditBoard (now Optro) is an alternative for teams seeking audit management with unlimited stakeholder licenses and plans tailored to business needs.

Browse Compliance Management Software or Governance, Risk and Compliance Software for more options.

Verdict

Choose OpenGRC if your small or midsized business wants broad GRC coverage in one system and can either handle Community hosting or budget for Enterprise. Its strongest case is the combination of audit, vendor, risk and compliance workflows; look elsewhere if you need built-in integrations or cannot accommodate its API ceiling and Community maintenance demands.