Grip Security: Top Competitors, Alternatives and Reviews
A side-by-side comparison of Grip Security with its main competitors. Easily compare performance across multiple categories and understand what the market is saying with independent reviews.
A side-by-side comparison of Grip Security with its main competitors. Easily compare performance across multiple categories and understand what the market is saying with independent reviews.
UpGuard is an end-to-end third-party risk management platform with best-in-class time-to-value and scalability from initial implementations to beyond. UpGuard delivers powerful, integrated tools for automated third-party monitoring, in-depth risk assessment and remediation, and one-click reporting. By combining actionable insights with built-in risk management workflows, UpGuard helps organizations maintain comprehensive oversight of their supply chain security posture and equips them with the necessary tools to shut down emerging risks rapidly.
Grip Security is an identity-centric SaaS security platform that consolidates SSPM, SaaS security, and ITDR into a single control plane to manage SaaS and AI sprawl risk. By analyzing email flows, browser activity, and IdP/SSO data, it continuously inventories all apps, including unsanctioned shadow IT, to prioritize and remediate risks such as exposed credentials, risky OAuth scopes, missing MFA/SSO, and misconfigurations using built-in workflows or existing tools. Purpose-built specifically for the SaaS and identity layer, Grip does not provide external attack surface management, vendor risk management, or security ratings.
Key strengths
UpGuard excels by completing full vendor scans every 24 hours, which provides near real-time visibility into vendor security postures while seamlessly integrating native end-to-end AI-powered vendor assessment workflows. UpGuard's licensing model and efficient learning curve offer best-in-class time to value and program efficiency.
Grip excels at comprehensive SaaS and AI discovery, combining email, browser, and IdP/SSO signals to surface the full long tail of shadow applications. By mapping every app to access identities and credentials, it streamlines least-privilege enforcement, credential rotation, SSO/MFA extension, and user offboarding. Consolidating SSPM, SaaS security, and ITDR into a single platform reduces tool sprawl, enabling teams to discover, prioritize, and remediate risks through built-in workflows and core integrations with Okta, SailPoint, and ServiceNow.
Key weaknesses
UpGuard's focus on core frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIST offers robust coverage for most security and compliance needs, though organizations requiring highly specialized or region-specific regulations may choose to augment it with dedicated GRC modules. Its strengths in cybersecurity and continuous monitoring ensure strong TPCRM capabilities, but those seeking an all-encompassing governance solution (e.g., covering environmental or privacy regulations) might benefit from additional integrations.
Reviewers note that the initial setup and configuration of Grip can be complex, with a learning curve before teams become fully proficient. Another reviewer notes that the reporting center is limited in its ability to build custom reports. And because Grip's value hinges on comprehensive discovery, full coverage depends on feeding it the right telemetry, email flows, IdP/SSO data, and its browser extension, so deployments that omit parts of that data will see reduced visibility.
Usability and learning curve
UpGuard offers best-in-class time to value for initial implementations. UpGuard's platform architecture is designed from the ground up to deliver a quick and shallow adoption curve. UpGuard's clean and intuitive interface ensures ease of ongoing operation and rapid pick-up from new staff members as needed.
Grip is designed for fast time-to-value: discovery is largely agentless, drawing on email, IdP/SSO, and API connections to surface an organization's full SaaS and AI footprint within days of a proof of concept. Onboarding is typically guided, with Grip's security team helping prioritize the highest-value risks in the first weeks of deployment. That said, some reviewers describe the initial setup and configuration as complex and requiring a learning curve. Overall, the platform reaches useful visibility quickly, but teams should expect some ramp-up to operate it proficiently and tailor it to their environment.
Cyber risk data accuracy
UpGuard's real-time data refresh rate ensures up-to-date and accurate vendor security posture calculations while also allowing users to initiate scans on demand. Threat Monitoring automatically scans the open, deep, and dark web for data leaks and exposed credentials, using AI-powered analysis to reduce false positives and prioritize findings for targeted, timely remediation.
For SaaS and identity risk, Grip's data quality is a core strength. Because it correlates multiple signals rather than relying on a single feed, it builds a comprehensive inventory of known and unknown (shadow) SaaS and AI apps, and emphasizes high accuracy with minimal false positives. It continuously monitors for risks such as exposed credentials, excessive permissions, and misconfigurations, assigning risk levels to prioritize action. This accuracy, however, is specific to the SaaS and identity domain and depends on the telemetry an organization connects; it is not a measure of external attack surface or overall security posture.
Vendor risk management features
UpGuard offers a natively integrated end-to-end workflow addressing the complete Third-party Risk Management lifecycle—from onboarding to risk management and ongoing monitoring.
Grip is not a dedicated third-party/vendor risk management (TPRM) platform, and it lacks the core VRM workflows found in purpose-built tools. However, there is partial overlap: because Grip discovers and risk-scores every third-party SaaS and AI application in use, it provides teams with visibility into a slice of third-party risk at the application layer and can enrich that view by integrating external security ratings (for example, through its SecurityScorecard integration). For organizations needing full vendor due diligence and lifecycle management, a dedicated VRM solution would still be required.
Attack surface management features
UpGuard provides continuous attack surface monitoring, identifying exposed assets, misconfigurations, and vulnerabilities. It maps internet-facing infrastructure, detects risks like expired certificates and open ports, and prioritizes threats for remediation. Clear, actionable insights help organizations reduce exposure and strengthen their external security posture.
Grip does not perform traditional external attack surface management; it does not scan, inventory, or monitor internet-facing assets such as domains, IPs, exposed services, or certificates. Its relevance to the attack surface lies in the SaaS and identity layers. By continuously discovering shadow SaaS and AI apps, risky OAuth grants, and other exposures, Grip helps teams find and shrink the identity-driven attack surface those apps create. Organizations looking for conventional, internet-facing ASM would need a dedicated tool.
Customer support
Known for world-class support across all tiers and customer-friendly guidance, UpGuard delivers proactive and prompt engagement to resolve customer issues quickly. Dedicated teams assist with both technical and strategic TPRM challenges.
Grip pairs customers with a Customer Success/Technical Customer Success Manager who helps prioritize risks, build governance habits, and turn findings into operational controls, reflected in its hands-on, guided onboarding. Day-to-day support is delivered through a customer support portal and a help center/documentation site, with support and maintenance governed by a defined SLA that Grip may fulfill directly or through certified third-party providers. Additional engagements, such as deployment, configuration, integration, and training, are available as professional services.
Workflow automation
UpGuard's AI-powered Security Profile automatically identifies risks and control gaps, then generates contextualized, point-in-time assessment reports in minutes. It also provides a pre-configured (and adjustable) set of controls for two leading security frameworks: ISO 27001:2022 and NIST CSF 2.0. Custom notifications simplify tracking of critical events and prompting of important follow-up actions. The platform also facilitates automatic vendor tiering, labeling, and custom attributes based on questionnaire responses for faster vendor onboarding and improved TPRM scalability.
Workflow automation is central to how Grip operationalizes SaaS risk. After discovery and prioritization, teams can remediate using built-in automated workflows or by orchestrating actions within existing tools such as ServiceNow ITSM and identity providers. Common automated plays include enforcing policies on newly discovered shadow SaaS, extending SSO/MFA coverage, and revoking risky access or OAuth grants. Its browser extension and ITDR capabilities support near-real-time response to identity threats. Bear in mind that the reach of automated enforcement depends on the SaaS apps and downstream tools an organization has connected to.
Artificial intelligence features
UpGuard’s AI-powered platform streamlines the entire vendor assessment process. AI evidence analysis combined with automated scanning immediately uncovers control gaps and risks. Each finding is accompanied by transparent, traceable citations so security teams can quickly verify sources and take action. AI-generated risk assessment reports, which are typically produced in under a minute, help organizations rapidly communicate risks with stakeholders. This results in faster decision-making, more accurate and consistent reporting, and significantly reduced manual workloads.
Rather than featuring a proprietary generative AI assistant, Grip focuses entirely on AI governance, ensuring how an organization uses AI across its SaaS estate. The platform discovers shadow AI apps, agents, and embedded capabilities, maps them to human and non-human identities (NHIs), and classifies risks based on authentication, data sensitivity, and OAuth scopes. Teams can then use these insights to recommend and automate remediation actions through Grip's built-in, no-code workflows.
API and integrations
UpGuard provides a well-documented API enabling custom integrations, webhooks, and automation across common security and GRC tools. Its extensibility is straightforward, designed for rapid deployment and minimal setup friction. UpGuard also connects with over 4,000+ apps through a dedicated Zapier integration. Streamlines remediation and monitoring by natively integrating with Jira, Service Now, and Slack.
Tailored specifically for identity and SaaS security rather than a broad, general-purpose marketplace, Grip connects directly to core IdPs and IAM systems (Okta, Microsoft Entra, Google Workspace, SailPoint) and major platforms like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Slack, and Zoom, while capturing the long tail of SaaS via email and browser signals. For orchestration and risk enrichment, it integrates with ServiceNow (ITSM and CMDB) and SecurityScorecard, utilizes a browser extension for near-real-time policy enforcement, and exposes an API for programmatic access.
Purchasing & licensing transparency
UpGuard offers a freemium package for monitoring up to 5 vendors. Also provides free access to an AI-powered vendor questionnaire management tool, Trust Exchange. Pricing starts at USD 1,750 / month. A 14-day free trial for paid plans is also available.
Grip uses a transparent, per-human-user pricing model billed annually, with final costs determined by employee count, feature choices, and contract length. For organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees, published pricing starts at $8 per user per month and covers AI and SaaS discovery, identity-driven security, threat detection, and governance, while larger organizations receive custom enterprise quotes. Although there is no advertised free plan or free trial, a one-off AI Governance Assessment is available on request, and a proof of concept can be arranged through a product demo.
Customers
Major customers include The New York Stock Exchange (ICE), Morningstar, TDK, PagerDuty, Hopin, and IAG. To learn more, read UpGuard's customer stories.
Grip publicly lists a range of enterprise and mid-market customers and claims to protect more than 125 million SaaS users. Examples cited include Interpublic Group (IPG), NFP, Alera Group, Pacific Dental Services (PDS Health), and Findlay. The customer base skews toward insurance, professional services, advertising, healthcare, and finance, though it also includes large organizations, such as a Fortune 300 advertising firm with roughly 90,000 employees.
G2 rating Accurate as of March 2025
4.5, based on 383 reviews. Named a G2 Market Leader for Third Party & Supplier Risk Management Software.
Grip uses a transparent, per-human-user model billed annually. Pricing starts at $8 per user per month for organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees, while organizations with more than 1,000 employees receive custom enterprise pricing. Grip charges per human user rather than per application, and final pricing depends on feature choices, contract length, and number of employees. Enterprise quotes and evaluations are arranged through a demo.
Here’s an overview of Grip Security’s plans and services:
Free plan
No free plan. Grip does not offer a free or freemium tier; access requires a paid subscription.
Free trial
No advertised free trial. Instead, prospective customers can run a proof of concept; Grip deploys in roughly 10 minutes via API and surfaces an organization’s full SaaS/AI footprint within about five days, arranged through a demo.
SMB (under 1,000 employees)
Grip’s published SMB tier is priced at $8 per user per month and includes the platform’s core capabilities: AI + SaaS discovery (including third- and fourth-party connections), identity-driven SaaS security (apps mapped to identities, browser-based risk prevention, and OAuth/MFA/SSO setup), threat detection and response (automated credential rotation and custom-policy workflows), and governance (risk scoring and reporting, license right-sizing, offboarding, and AI-SPM/SSPM).
Enterprise (1,000+ employees)
For organizations with more than 1,000 employees, Grip offers custom enterprise pricing with highly tailored deployments. This tier emphasizes hands-on support from Grip’s team of experts to strategize and execute protections at scale.
Add-ons and additional costs
AI Governance Assessment: A once-off engagement (priced on request) that discovers AI apps, agents, and OAuth grants and delivers a prioritized AI governance roadmap.
Feature and contract variables: Final per-user pricing varies with the features selected, contract length, and employee count.
Professional services: Per Grip’s platform terms, services such as deployment, configuration, integration, and training are available on request.
How does Grip Security’s pricing compare to its competitors?
UpGuard
UpGuard’s pricing starts at USD 1,750 per month. The platform maximizes value by offering out-of-the-box workflows supporting the entire TPRM lifecycle—saving users from having to purchase additional tools to fill TPRM workflow gaps.
It offers a free plan that lets you monitor up to five vendors, with access to assessment and remediation workflows. UpGuard’s Trust Exchange tool, which streamlines vendor questionnaires and trust management, is also free.
Push Security publishes transparent, self-serve pricing: the first 10 users are free, then $5 per employee per month, with volume discounts for larger deployments. Like Grip, it uses a simple per-user model.
Zluri does not currently publish public pricing. It uses an employee-count-based model across Standard, Professional, and Enterprise tiers, with third-party sources estimating roughly $4–8 per user per month and custom pricing for larger enterprises; a free trial is available.
Obsidian Security uses primarily custom, headcount-based pricing and does not publish standard enterprise prices on its site. It offers a free tier for up to 1,000 users (covering SaaS sprawl discovery, shadow AI detection, and spear-phishing protection), while its advanced plan, unlocking full SSPM, ITDR, and compliance automation, requires a sales quote.
