SimpleRisk

SimpleRisk is a governance, risk and compliance platform for organizations managing risk and demonstrating compliance. It is best suited to teams comfortable self-hosting Core, with paid deployment and feature options as their needs grow. Its free plan has room to serve unlimited users; the trade-off is that support, hosting and specialized Extras require paid packages.

Overview

SimpleRisk brings risk management, compliance and related work into one platform, with a free Core and paid options for hosting and added capabilities. The company says it serves teams from one person to Fortune 500 security departments. That range makes it worth considering for both small teams starting with a risk register and larger organizations that need more framework coverage or integrations, though the paid packages start at a substantial annual commitment.

Key features

Core combines governance, risk management, compliance, asset management, self-assessments, dashboards and custom reports. It also supports policy management, a risk register, audit management and evidence collection. That is a broad base for a free self-hosted plan, rather than a narrow trial tier; however, teams must operate the deployment themselves and accept email support without an SLA.

The Secure Controls Framework Extra maps more than 250 frameworks across 1,000-plus common controls, with control testing that can cover several frameworks. It is relevant to organizations answering to multiple standards, including NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, SOX, FedRAMP, CMMC and NERC-CIP. Framework mapping is a paid Extra, so Core users do not get that consolidated coverage.

FAIR-based quantification is designed to turn risk into financial estimates for board reporting, helping teams express exposure in terms suited to executive discussion. The Jira Integration Extra syncs risk, mitigation and review data in both directions, while the API Extra provides REST access to risk data for integrations with ticketing systems, BI tools and CMDBs. These are useful routes to fit SimpleRisk into existing workflows, but they add cost beyond Core.

SimpleRisk SaaS runs in the company’s AWS environment and uses daily snapshots; the company also says it performs routine code scanning and bug bounty testing. Encrypted Database is a paid Standard Extra for encryption at rest. Teams choosing open-source Core should distinguish its self-hosted setup and email-only support from the hosted service and paid support included in packages.

A 30-day trial provides a dedicated hosted instance, unlimited users and access to every Extra, with no credit card required. It is a practical way to assess the paid feature set before committing. Scripted installation support covers Ubuntu 22.04 and 20.04, CentOS 8 and 7, SLES 15, RHEL 9 and 8, and Debian 11.

Pricing

Core costs nothing and includes unlimited users, self-hosting and email support. It is the strongest fit for teams able to manage their own deployment and work without an SLA. The 30-day hosted trial is separate from the free plan: it unlocks every Extra and does not require a credit card.

Starter Package costs $5,000 a year, billed $5k USD/yr. It includes everything in Core, any 3 Standard Extras, support and updates, on-premise or SaaS deployment, and unlimited users. This suits teams that need a supported deployment and a selected set of Extras, but the three-Extra allowance requires prioritizing capabilities.

Custom Package costs $5,000 a year, billed From $5k USD/yr. It includes everything in Core, any of 14 Standard and 2 Premium Extras, support and updates, on-premise or SaaS deployment, and unlimited users. It gives broader selection than Starter, with the final cost starting at the same stated annual floor.

Standard Extras cost $5,000 a year each, billed $5,000 / yr each, and add one of 14 listed Extras to Core. Premium Extras cost $10,000 a year each, billed $10,000 / yr each; they include Incident Management and Organizational Hierarchy. These individual add-ons are for teams that want to extend Core without choosing a package, but the annual per-Extra prices can make a multi-feature setup costly.

Platforms

SimpleRisk supports API, Linux, self-hosted and web. The scripted installation options cover several Linux distributions and versions, while SaaS provides a hosted deployment. The choice is meaningful: self-hosting avoids a hosted deployment but places operation with the team; SaaS is managed in SimpleRisk’s AWS environment.

Who it's for

SimpleRisk is a sensible fit for organizations that want a substantial self-hosted GRC foundation with unlimited users, or that need to add framework mapping, financial risk quantification, integrations or supported hosting over time. It is less compelling for teams that need paid capabilities but cannot justify annual package or add-on costs, or for Core users who require an SLA or hosted service.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Core includes a wide set of GRC functions and unlimited users at no cost, giving self-hosting teams a substantial starting point.
• Pros: The trial unlocks every Extra in a dedicated hosted instance for 30 days without requiring a credit card.
• Pros: Paid options include on-premise or SaaS deployment, support and updates, alongside framework, API and Jira capabilities.
• Cons: Core is self-hosted and email-supported without an SLA, making it a poor fit when managed service or committed support is essential.
• Cons: Packages begin at $5,000 a year, and Extras are priced annually, creating a significant cost step beyond Core.

Alternatives

For another freemium, self-hosted option, CISO Assistant offers a free Community plan with unlimited users and community support; consider it if that support model and its stated free plan suit your team better. Eramba also has a free self-hosted Community plan, making it another option for teams seeking a no-cost self-hosted starting point. OpenGRC pairs a free self-hosted Community plan with full source code access and community support, a relevant alternative for teams prioritizing those terms.

Organizations seeking incident management software can consider NAVEX EthicsPoint Incident Management. Origami Risk GRC, Ncontracts, Quantivate Business Continuity Software and Riskonnect are further alternatives; contact each provider for pricing.

Browse more options in Governance, Risk and Compliance Software.

Verdict

Choose SimpleRisk if you want a broad, unlimited-user GRC Core you can self-host, with a path to framework mapping, integrations and supported deployment. Its main appeal is the capable free starting point; its main reason to look elsewhere is the cost of paid support and Extras, especially when a team needs several capabilities or hosted service.