# RiskRecon vs UpGuard: 2025 Comparison > This is a plain-markdown summary of [https://www.upguard.com/compare/riskrecon-vs-upguard](https://www.upguard.com/compare/riskrecon-vs-upguard), generated for AI agents and LLMs. Ratings, security scores and pricing details reflect UpGuard's independent analysis and are kept in sync with the source page. Visit the source URL for the full interactive comparison. Compare the capabilities and features of RiskRecon and UpGuard. See which solution performs best across a range of categories. ## Platforms compared - UpGuard (UpGuard — publisher of this comparison) - RiskRecon ## Feature-by-feature comparison: RiskRecon vs UpGuard ### General summary - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard manages cyber risk everywhere it lives: your vendors, your internet-facing attack surface, and your workforce. You get one platform that connects all three risk areas instead of separate tools and spreadsheets stitched together. A risk in one surfaces in the others automatically. A breached vendor flags your own exposure. A leaked employee credential links straight to the account and the vendor involved. AI handles the repetitive work of triaging alerts, reviewing vendor evidence, and completing questionnaires. That means lean security teams can run programs that would otherwise need much bigger teams. UpGuard fits mid-market teams, deploys quickly, and slots in without replacing what you already have. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — RiskRecon specializes in external security monitoring and asset attribution with strong accuracy and strong cloud scanning capabilities, which are particularly valuable for IT-centric organizations. Owned by Mastercard, RiskRecon has stable financial backing and solid scanning accuracy. However, it remains primarily focused on external scan strengths and takes a partnership-first approach to TPRM workflows. ### Key strengths - **UpGuard**: UpGuard unifies vendor, attack surface, and workforce risk in one console. Customers describe finally seeing the whole picture, rather than paying for three tools that each cover only part of it. UpGuard also surfaces exposures that ratings tools and scanners miss, without the multi-week delay of a typical scan cycle. Lean teams can run the entire program without expanding headcount or adding a managed service. - **RiskRecon**: RiskRecon provides a notably accurate external scanning solution and offers practical remediation guidance. It even prioritizes vulnerabilities by asset value for IT teams. ### Key weaknesses - **UpGuard**: UpGuard focuses on managing live, connected risk, not heavy, standalone compliance software. Full governance features, including policy and controls management, arrive later this year. Teams that need a mature governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) system of record today can run UpGuard alongside one for now. UpGuard also doesn’t translate risk into dollar figures. If financial risk quantification is a must-have, factor that into your evaluation. - **RiskRecon**: RiskRecon takes a partnership and integration-first approach to vendor assessment workflows. This necessitates the adoption of an additional solution provider to achieve an optimal assessment experience, as supported by the RiskRecon platform. ### Usability and learning curve - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — Teams deploy quickly and get up and running without an extended onboarding period. New employees can learn the interface without lengthy training. A single console consolidates workflows that would otherwise require multiple tools, reducing the ongoing burden of learning and maintaining separate systems. Operating the platform doesn’t require a professional services engagement. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — RiskRecon is focused on delivering clear, actionable findings for IT and SecOps-centric security teams with a clean interface for surfacing and remediating risks. While its limited scope of purely external scan data can simplify usage, complications can quickly arise for those integrating RiskRecon with a partner provider for assessment workflows. ### Cyber risk data accuracy - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard’s data remains current. Vendor postures refresh continuously, and users can initiate a scan on demand instead of waiting for a fixed cycle. UpGuard attributes findings accurately, so teams do not spend weeks correcting assets assigned to the wrong company, a common issue with ratings tools. [Threat Monitoring](https://www.upguard.com/product/breach-risk/threat-monitoring) scans the open, deep, and dark web, along with social media, for leaked data, exposed credentials, and brand impersonation. AI filters out noise so the alerts that reach your team are worth acting on. - **RiskRecon**: 5/5 — RiskRecon is well regarded for accurate asset attribution, resulting in reliable and actionable insights. ### Vendor risk management features - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard runs the complete third-party risk management (TPRM) process in one platform: onboarding, assessing, remediating, monitoring, and reporting on vendors. Each vendor’s live external exposure and any linked leaked credentials appear directly within the vendor program, so teams can act on verified risk instead of relying on paperwork. [AI-powered security questionnaires](https://www.upguard.com/product/vendor-risk/questionnaire-management) read vendor evidence and complete assessments automatically, cutting completion time by up to 95%. Instant risk assessments return a point-in-time report in under a minute, mapped to frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIST CSF 2.0. - **RiskRecon**: 2/5 — RiskRecon focuses on external scanning to calculate vendor risk and relies on partner integrations to offer risk assessment workflows, resulting in additional costs. ### Attack surface management features - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard continuously monitors your internet-facing footprint. It maps assets, flags exposures such as misconfigurations, expired certificates, and open ports, and ranks remediation priorities. The UpGuard platform also detects typosquatting and lookalike domains set up to impersonate your brand before they’re used for phishing. Because attack surface monitoring runs alongside vendor and workforce risk, an exposed asset or leaked credential automatically links to the person and vendor involved. This gives teams visibility into both external exposure and vendor risk in a single view. - **RiskRecon**: 2/5 — RiskRecon focuses on high-accuracy external scanning and asset discovery, offering precise identification of vulnerabilities. ### Security ratings - **UpGuard**: A grade (943/950), live UpGuard security rating - **RiskRecon**: A grade (924/950), live UpGuard security rating ### Customer support - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard supports every customer across all plan tiers, from the smallest plan to the largest. Support teams assist with both technical setup and larger program decisions. Customers frequently cite [responsive, hands-on support](https://www.upguard.com/customer-support) as a reason they continue with UpGuard. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — RiskRecon offers stable support with detailed product documentation and guides available. ### Workflow automation - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — [Risk Automations](https://www.upguard.com/product/risk-automations) turns a risk signal into action across the platform, with no code and no engineering ticket. On the vendor side, it automates onboarding from questionnaire data, triages vendor score drops, schedules recurring vendor reports, and opens remediation tickets in ServiceNow or Jira. On the threat side, a Breach Risk detection can trigger a workflow that alerts Teams or Slack and runs a system-level fix, like blocking a malicious IP or forcing a credential reset. This is the difference between a tool that reports on risk and one that resolves it. - **RiskRecon**: 2/5 — It primarily automates external scanning and asset discovery, generating action plans and prioritized remediations. However, it lacks built-in automation for the end-to-end assessment cycle, relying on integrations or manual processes. ### Artificial intelligence features - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard’s AI performs specific, defined tasks, rather than vague “AI-powered” work. The AI Threat Analyst sorts and scores incoming threats across your attack surface, the dark web, and social media. It clears out approximately 60% of alerts as noise, so your team only reviews what matters. The same triage logic extends to vendor and workforce signals as well. Every AI result carries a citation back to the source, so your team can verify it before acting. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — Risk Recon uses AI to primarily support the detection of potential risks and vulnerabilities in supplier security postures. However, its use of AI to support vendor assessments highly depends on capabilities made available by partner providers. ### API and integrations - **UpGuard**: 4/5 — A well-documented REST API and webhooks let teams pull risk data into their own tools and trigger actions programmatically, without waiting on engineering support. For no-code work, Risk Automations adds more than 100 native integrations, including Jira, ServiceNow, Microsoft Entra, Slack, and Cloudflare. A Universal API Connector Node extends its reach to any open API. - **RiskRecon**: 3/5 — RiskRecon features basic integration options for exporting findings and connecting with ticketing systems or GRC solutions. Offers integrations with GRC platforms, such as RSA Archer, Sigma Ratings, Whistic, and more. ### Purchasing & licensing transparency - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard publishes its pricing rather than hiding it behind a sales call. A free tier lets teams monitor up to five vendors and use [Trust Exchange](https://www.upguard.com/product/trust-exchange), UpGuard’s AI-powered questionnaire tool, at no cost. Paid Vendor Risk plans start at USD 1,750 per month, billed annually. Teams can start with one product and add others as they scale. One license covers both monitoring and assessments, so pricing doesn’t fragment across separate products. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — Public pricing is not available. Does not publically offer a free trial. ### Customers - **UpGuard**: 5/5 — UpGuard customers include Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), Morningstar, TDK, PagerDuty, Hopin, and IAG. Read [UpGuard’s customer stories](https://www.upguard.com/customers) to learn more. - **RiskRecon**: 5/5 — Major customers include Informatica, Tufts Health Plan, the University of San Francisco, and Sentara. ### G2 rating _Accurate as of March 2025_ - **UpGuard**: 4.5/5 — More than 700 verified reviews give UpGuard a 4.5 out of 5 rating on G2. UpGuard also holds G2’s top ranking as the leader in Third-Party & Supplier Risk Management for 15 consecutive quarters. The 2026 G2 Best Software Awards recognized UpGuard as one of the Top 100 Global Software Companies. Among verified reviewers, 98% give UpGuard four- or five-star ratings, and 94% approve of its product direction. - **RiskRecon**: 4.5/5 — 4.5, based on 2 reviews. ## Reviews ### Gartner Peer Insights _Overall ratings for the IT VRM Solutions market. Accurate as of January 2024_ - **UpGuard**: 4.4/5 — 4.4, based on 160 reviews. **Named a Representative Vendor** in the 2022 Gartner Market Guide for IT VRM Solutions - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — 4.2, based on 61 reviews ### G2 rating _Accurate as of March 2025_ - **UpGuard**: 4.5/5 — More than 700 verified reviews give UpGuard a 4.5 out of 5 rating on G2. UpGuard also holds G2’s top ranking as the leader in Third-Party & Supplier Risk Management for 15 consecutive quarters. The 2026 G2 Best Software Awards recognized UpGuard as one of the Top 100 Global Software Companies. Among verified reviewers, 98% give UpGuard four- or five-star ratings, and 94% approve of its product direction. - **RiskRecon**: 4.5/5 — 4.5, based on 2 reviews. ### Glassdoor _Accurate as of March 2025_ - **UpGuard**: 4.4/5 — 4.4, based on 95 reviews. - **RiskRecon**: 4/5 — 3.8, based on 19 reviews. ## Overview RiskRecon and UpGuard both offer Vendor Risk Management and TPRM solutions, but with differing results. Below, we assess the capabilities of each solution to help you invest in the right solution for your specific Vendor Risk Management security needs. ### RiskRecon Overview RiskRecon is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, with a presence in Boston, MA, and representatives around the world. RiskRecon enables users to gain deep, risk-contextualized insight into the [cybersecurity risk performance](https://www.upguard.com/blog/cybersecurity-performance-management) of all third parties by continuously monitoring across 11 security domains and 41 security criteria. The platform can be used for third-party risk management, enterprise risk management, and mergers & acquisitions. *Riskrecon UI. Source: riskrecon.com* ## Usability and the learning curve RiskRecon and UpGuard offer their services via SaaS and are accessible from web-based platforms that can help users monitor and manage vendor risks. - **RiskRecon:** Cloud-based platform offers minimal need for installation. Workflow requires time to master. - **UpGuard:** Very intuitive workflow allows new users to master the functions of the platform very quickly. User-friendly workflow also expedites the vendor onboarding process. "UpGuard has improved the customer experience, reduced vendor onboarding times and introduced an industry-leading security posture, to elevate our customer well above all of its competitors." - UpGuard customer. ## Capabilities RiskRecon and UpGuard help organizations stay informed about their vendors’ information security risks as part of a third-party risk management (TPRM) program. - **RiskRecon:** Offers cybersecurity ratings and deep reporting capabilities to help businesses surface and manage cyber risks. - **UpGuard**: Offers real-time visibility into any third-party vendor’s risk posture & security rating, along with total automation for managing vendor due diligence and remediation programs. ## Community support RiskRecon and UpGuard offer comprehensive online resources to educate and inform customers. UpGuard's blog content, however, is reviewed by industry experts to verify trustworthiness. UpGuard's VRM blog content has also been regarded as more in-depth and helpful. In addition to its VRM blog, UpGuard regularly hosts a virtual summit to keep the global cybersecurity community updated with the latest VRM developments. - **RiskRecon:** Offers a customer user academy, consistently updated company blog, coverage of critical global security events, and a regular webinar schedule for sharing best practices. - **UpGuard:** UpGuard keeps the VRM community continuously updated with the latest industry developments through its [blog content](https://www.upguard.com/blog) and [quarterly summit event](https://www.upguard.com/events). ## Release rate - **RiskRecon:** RiskRecon does not appear to publicly share regular release rates, roadmaps, or documentation for solution updates. - **UpGuard:** UpGuard has adopted DevOps principles internally to develop, test, and release software continuously, ensuring fast, consistent, and safe releases. UpGuard has a regular release rate every two weeks, with all features, changes, and improvements listed under [UpGuard Release Notes](https://www.upguard.com/releases). ## Pricing and support Cyber risk platforms can be expensive and the common use of opaque pricing policies often takes power away from the purchaser. With most services offering tiered licensing options and add-ons, finding a solution that fits your needs and budget can prove more difficult without transparent pricing. - **RiskRecon:** Public pricing information is not available. However, according to user reports and platform reviews, [RiskRecon's platform pricing](https://www.upguard.com/competitors/riskrecon#pricing) reportedly start at $10,000 and increases based on the number of vendors monitored. - **UpGuard:** UpGuard has a fully transparent and publicly accessible pricing model which [you can view here](https://www.upguard.com/pricing). If you have any questions, please email [sales@upguard.com](mailto:sales@upguard.com). ## API and extensibility APIs are useful for technical staff, but not all information security teams have access to developers. In this situation, standard third-party integrations are an essential part of decision-making. RiskRecon and UpGuard offer integrations into other platforms. - **RiskRecon:** Offers integrations with GRC platforms such as RSA Archer, Sigma Ratings, Whistic, and more. - **UpGuard:**[Integrates with Zapier to enable connections to 4,000+ apps; GRC platforms, ticketing systems like JIRA; VRM solutions like ServiceNow, and more](https://www.upguard.com/integrations). ## Third-party integrations APIs are useful for technical staff, but not all information security teams have access to developers. In this situation, standard third-party integrations are an essential part of decision-making. RiskRecon and UpGuard offer integrations into other platforms. - **RiskRecon:** Offers integrations with GRC platforms such as RSA Archer, Sigma Ratings, Whistic, and more. - **UpGuard:**[Integrates with Zapier to enable connections to 3,000+ apps; GRC platforms, ticketing systems like JIRA; VRM solutions like ServiceNow, and more](https://www.upguard.com/integrations). ## Customers The best proof of the superiority of a solution comes directly from its customers. White RiskRecon services many known brands, UpGuard's customer base includes more distinguished companies. - **RiskRecon:** Customers include Informatica, Tufts Health Plan, University of San Francisco, and Sentara. - **UpGuard:** Customers include the New York Stock Exchange (ICE), Pagerduty, TDK, IAG, and Tech Mahindra. Here's what a few UpGuard customers had to say about their experience. You can read more on [Gartner reviews](https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/it-vendor-risk-management-solutions/vendor/upguard). "UpGuard has given us a view of our vendor security posture. The ability to launch a questionnaire or ask for a plan of remediation for items that show as vulnerable is also a great added value and a time saver. UpGuard is also very customer-focused. They respond quickly to issues and questions and welcome any input that could improve the product. Overall it is one of the best value add tools we have.""The simplicity of the product is fantastic. My team and I were able to be up and running in minutes. We monitor risks on over 25 vendors in near real-time and use these statistics to report to the C suite and Board of Directors. UpGuard has become part of the critical cybersecurity metrics that we monitor and report upon.""The ease of use and simplicity of the product is excellent. We were able to be up and running with 50 vendors within minutes, not hours. The reporting is used for monthly statistics and is reported to our Senior Management. UpGuard has become an integral part of our critical cybersecurity metrics that we monitor and report upon." ## Security rating - **RiskRecon:** Distils its assessment criteria into a simple score from 0-10 with letter breakdowns from A-F for corresponding ranges of scores. - **UpGuard:** Security rating scale of 0-950, ranked as A: 801-950, B: 601-800, C: 401-600, D: 201-400, F: 0-200. You can [request your free security rating by clicking here.](https://www.upguard.com/instant-security-score) --- Full interactive comparison: https://www.upguard.com/compare/riskrecon-vs-upguard