How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Workiva is the only platform here that solves both the financial close and external reporting in one connected system, with SEC filings, ESG reports, and board materials linked to live data.
- DFIN ActiveDisclosure, Toppan Merrill, and Certent cover SEC reporting directly, with Excel-based filing, managed services, and equity-linked disclosure.
- FloQast and BlackLine cover the close itself, with FloQast's median buyer paying about $24,500 a year and BlackLine serving large enterprises with dedicated admins.
- OneStream, Vena, and Planful unify close with consolidation or planning, which suits enterprises and Excel-native finance teams.
- Almost no vendor here publishes list prices, so budget from third-party contract data and competing quotes, not from list pages.
Quick comparison
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The best Workiva alternatives
#1DFIN ActiveDisclosure
Best for: Excel-based SEC reporting4.7/5 on
G2 (23 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit dfinsolutions.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
DFIN ActiveDisclosure is the most direct SEC reporting rival to Workiva. Its Excel-based approach lets finance teams build filings in a familiar interface, with EDGAR submission support and controls for 10-K and 10-Q cycles. Teams that live in Excel find the learning curve gentler than Workiva's document-centric model.
Pricing is custom-quote only, and ActiveDisclosure is reporting-focused, so close management, reconciliations, and task tracking need a separate tool such as FloQast or BlackLine. For a public company whose main need is SEC filing quality in Excel rather than a unified close-to-report platform, DFIN is the leading alternative.
What we like- Excel-based SEC reporting familiar to finance teams
- EDGAR filing support
- Strong for 10-K and 10-Q workflows
Watch out for- No published pricing, custom quote only
- Reporting-focused, so close management needs a separate tool
- Implementation varies by scope
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Toppan Merrill pairs filing software with managed services, which suits companies that want humans handling parts of the submission. Its team supports complex filings, proxy statements, and regulatory documents, with software that tracks the filing lifecycle. That combination reduces the burden on small finance teams during filing season.
Pricing is custom-quote only, and managed services add cost beyond the software license, so the total bill can exceed a pure software purchase. The experience is also less self-serve than Workiva's. For a company that wants a filing partner as much as a filing tool, Toppan Merrill is the right shape.
What we like- Managed filing services plus software
- Full-service support for complex filings
- Long track record with public companies
Watch out for- No published pricing
- Managed services add cost beyond software
- Less self-serve than Workiva
#3Certent Disclosure Management
Best for: SEC and proxy tied to equity4.2/5 on
G2 (24 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit certent.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Certent Disclosure Management, now part of insightsoftware, ties SEC and proxy reporting to equity plan data, which matters for companies with significant stock compensation, option grants, and proxy disclosures. Disclosure controls and workflow support keep filings consistent across periods.
Pricing is custom-quote only, and the scope is narrower than Workiva's connected reporting across SEC, ESG, and audit. A company whose filings are dominated by equity disclosures will find Certent's linkage valuable. A company needing ESG and board reporting alongside SEC filings will find Workiva broader.
What we like- SEC and proxy reporting tied to equity plan data
- Disclosure management with controls
- Suits companies with significant equity programs
Watch out for- No published pricing
- Narrower scope than Workiva's connected reporting
- Equity focus may not suit all filers
#4FloQast
Best for: Mid-market close management4.6/5 on
G2 (1,417 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit floqast.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
FloQast is the close management leader for mid-market teams. Its platform organizes reconciliations, task lists, and review workflows, with AutoRec automating transaction-level matching for high-volume accounts such as bank reconciliations. FloQast charges no per-user fees, and third-party purchase data puts the median buyer near $24,500 a year, with contracts ranging roughly $10,000 to $69,000.
Packages are custom, with Close Optimization, Close Automation, Connected Compliance, Compliance Pro, Reporting, and Transform modules priced separately, and implementation runs roughly $5,000 to $30,000 one-time. Data refresh delays of 3 to 6 hours between ERP and FloQast have been reported. For a mid-market team whose close is painful but whose reporting needs are modest, FloQast is the faster, cheaper path than Workiva.
What we like- Close management built by accountants
- No per-user fees
- AutoRec automates transaction matching
- Median buyer pays about $24,500 a year
Watch out for- No published pricing, custom packages
- Reporting and compliance modules cost extra
- Data refresh delays of 3 to 6 hours reported
#5BlackLine
Best for: Large enterprise close controls4.5/5 on
G2 (1,070 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit blackline.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
BlackLine is the enterprise close standard. Its reconciliation engine handles high transaction volumes, many legal entities, and complex intercompany reconciliations, with controls that suit financial services and multinationals. Support for 50 plus country-specific close requirements covers regional statutory needs that smaller tools miss.
The cost matches that power: fully custom enterprise pricing, with mid-size deployments near $100,000 plus a year and large enterprises paying $300,000 to $1 million plus, plus implementation through partners at $75,000 to $250,000 plus. Dedicated admins are expected. For a large enterprise with complex close requirements, BlackLine is the benchmark; for a mid-market team, FloQast delivers faster at a fraction of the cost.
What we like- Deepest reconciliation engine in this group
- Controls and volume handling for large enterprises
- Supports 50 plus country-specific close requirements
Watch out for- Quote-only premium pricing, with mid-size deployments near $100,000 plus a year
- Needs dedicated admins
- Implementation through partners runs $75,000 to $250,000 plus
#6OneStream
Best for: Unified consolidation plus close4.6/5 on
G2 (161 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit onestream.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
OneStream unifies what other tools split apart: consolidation, close management, planning, and reporting in one CPM platform. That matters for multi-entity groups that currently stitch together separate close, consolidation, and reporting tools, since a single platform removes reconciliation between systems and gives one version of financial truth.
Pricing is quote-only enterprise, and implementation is a major project measured in months, not weeks. A single-entity company will find it overkill. For an enterprise that wants to replace several finance tools with one platform, OneStream is the consolidation-first alternative to Workiva's reporting-first platform.
What we like- Unified CPM platform combining consolidation, close, planning, and reporting
- Single platform replaces several tools
- Strong for multi-entity groups
Watch out for- Quote-only enterprise pricing
- Implementation is a major project
- Overkill for single-entity companies
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Vena keeps Excel as the interface and adds governance, automation, and workflow underneath. Finance teams keep the formulas, formatting, and familiarity they trust, while Vena adds version control, approvals, and data integration that spreadsheets alone lack. Close and planning sit in one platform, which suits teams that plan and close in the same cycles.
Pricing is quote-only, and Excel dependence limits some workflows that a native platform handles more cleanly. SEC reporting is narrower than Workiva's, so public companies with heavy filing needs will still need a reporting tool. For an Excel-native finance team that wants governance without abandoning spreadsheets, Vena is the natural pick.
What we like- Excel front-end with automation underneath
- Familiar interface for finance teams
- Close plus planning in one platform
Watch out for- Quote-only pricing
- Excel dependence limits some workflows
- Narrower SEC reporting than Workiva
#8Planful
Best for: Close unified with FP&A4.3/5 on
G2 (509 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit planful.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Planful unifies close management with FP&A, which suits teams whose close and forecast cycles feed each other. A single platform for close tasks, reconciliations, planning, and reporting removes the handoff between close tools and planning tools, and keeps actuals and forecasts in one model.
Pricing is quote-only, and close depth is thinner than at BlackLine or FloQast, so a team with complex reconciliation needs should compare carefully. For a mid-market team that wants close and planning together rather than two separate tools, Planful is a strong alternative to pairing FloQast with a planning tool.
What we like- Unifies close management with financial planning and analysis
- Single platform for close and forecast
- Suits teams that plan and close together
Watch out for- Quote-only pricing
- Close depth is thinner than BlackLine or FloQast
- Implementation needs planning
How we chose
We compared each tool against what Workiva actually sells: connected reporting from close data to SEC filings, ESG reports, and board materials, with live data linking, XBRL tagging, and audit trails. Pricing figures come from vendor pages and third-party contract data, and anything we could not confirm is written as "See website". We favored actively maintained platforms that serve US public companies and finance teams, and we flagged where a tool is reporting-only, close-only, or unified, since that decides what else a buyer must purchase.
What to check before you pick
Start with the job. If SEC filing quality is the main need, shortlist DFIN, Toppan Merrill, and Certent. If the close itself is painful, shortlist FloQast and BlackLine. If you want one platform for close, consolidation, and planning, shortlist OneStream, Vena, and Planful. Then check four things on any trial: whether data links live from close to filing without copy-paste, how XBRL tagging is handled, audit trail depth for SOX controls, and total cost including implementation and renewal increases, which run typically 3 to 7 percent a year at FloQast. Ask every vendor for a reference customer of your size and ask that customer how long implementation really took, since timelines range from weeks for FloQast at a single entity to months for BlackLine and OneStream at multi-entity groups. A reference call also reveals support quality and renewal behavior that no sales demo shows during a short evaluation period before signing any contract with the vendor today online.
Frequently asked questions
Is Workiva the only SEC reporting tool?
No. DFIN ActiveDisclosure, Toppan Merrill, Certent, IRIS CARBON, and RDG Filings all cover SEC reporting. Workiva's edge is unifying SEC, ESG, and audit reporting with the close in one platform.
What does Workiva cost?
Workiva does not publish pricing. Third-party procurement data describes it as a significant annual investment with pricing pressure at renewal. Get competing quotes before budgeting.
Can FloQast replace Workiva?
Only partly. FloQast covers close management well, but its reporting modules are thinner than Workiva's SEC and ESG reporting. A public company usually needs both a close tool and a reporting tool, or Workiva alone.
What is the cheapest Workiva alternative?
For close management, FloQast's median near $24,500 a year is the most accessible enterprise option here. For SEC validation only, Arelle is free and open source, though it is a validator, not a filing platform.
Do I need close software if I already have an ERP?
An ERP records transactions, but close software manages the process of closing: reconciliations, tasks, journals, and reviews. Teams with painful closes, many entities, or SOX controls benefit most.
How long does implementation take?
It ranges from weeks for FloQast at a single entity to months for BlackLine and OneStream at multi-entity groups. Implementation services are usually quoted separately from the license.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.dfinsolutions.com/
- https://www.toppanmerrill.com/
- https://www.certent.com/
- https://floqast.com/
- https://www.blackline.com/
- https://www.onestream.com/
- https://www.venasolutions.com/
- https://planful.com/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
Toppan Merrill
Vena