GDPR fines have gotten scary expensive. We're talking about an average of €4.4 million in 2023, compared to just €500,000 back in 2019¹. If you're handling EU customer data, you need the right tools to stay out of trouble. In this article, we’ll take a look at the best GDPR compliance software options that'll actually protect your business without breaking the bank. We'll also show you how Zeeg keeps your appointment scheduling completely GDPR-compliant while making your life easier.
What exactly is a GDPR compliance software?
GDPR compliance softwares handle the most important stuff such as tracking what data you collect, managing customer consent, and making sure you delete information when you're supposed to.
At the end, you need software that works well with your existing setup and keeps detailed records. When regulators come knocking (and they will), you want to show them everything is handled properly.
What to look for before you buy
Before we dive into the options, let's talk about what you actually need. GDPR covers any business that touches EU customer data - doesn't matter if you're based in Tokyo or Toronto. The rules are very strict about what counts as personal data too. We're talking names, emails, IP addresses, even those little tracking cookies.
The regulation has seven main rules that shape how these tools work. You need a legal reason to collect data, and you have to tell people what you're doing with it, and you can only use it for what you originally said. Plus, you can't keep data forever, you need to keep it accurate, secure it properly, and prove you're doing everything right.
The best GDPR compliance software tools, a quick summary
The 12 best GDPR compliance tools you should consider
1. OneTrust: For big companies that need everything
OneTrust handles most privacy tasks you can think of. It finds data scattered across your systems and manages those cookie banners that show up on websites.
What it does well
- Automatically finds personal data across all your systems
- Handles cookie consent without you lifting a finger
- Walks you through privacy impact assessments
- Deals with customer requests to see or delete their data
- Keeps tabs on your vendors and their data practices
- Manages international data transfers
OneTrust works best for larger companies that need to coordinate privacy across multiple departments and locations. It has industry-specific features for healthcare, finance, and retail businesses.
The catch: It's expensive. You're looking at around $30,000+ per year for mid-sized companies.
What do customers say?
Capterra: 4.2/5 ⭐️ - “The interface is clear, the features seem robust, and it gave the impression of being a solid and reliable compliance solution — which is what led us to choose OneTrust in the first place. However, after a simple domain change, I lost access to the platform and was unable to reset my credentials².“ - N.C.
2. TrustArc: Set it and forget it automation
TrustArc focuses on making privacy compliance as hands-off as possible. Once you set it up, it handles a lot of the routine stuff automatically.
What makes it useful:
- Figures out where you have privacy gaps
- Manages cookies and tracking automatically
- Lets customers handle their own privacy requests
- Guides you through privacy assessments
- Monitors your vendors continuously
- Shows your compliance status in real-time
TrustArc does the job when you want to reduce the time your team spends on privacy paperwork. It's especially good at managing cookie compliance across multiple websites.
The catch: The monthly cost adds up fast. You're looking at $3,000-5,000 monthly for the full package.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.2/5 ⭐️ - “We use the TRUSTe Certified Privacy seal on our website, and it's been a straightforward way to show users that we take data privacy seriously. The certification process was smooth, and having the seal visible helps reinforce user trust. I also appreciate that it’s backed by TrustArc’s reputation, it gives our compliance team peace of mind. However, the portal could be more intuitive when navigating compliance documentation or settings. It's not overly complicated, but it took a bit of trial and error to figure out where everything was. Once we got the hang of it, though, it’s been fine³.”
3. Osano: GDPR for smaller teams
Osano designed their tools specifically for smaller companies that don't have dedicated privacy teams. Everything's simplified but still thorough.
What makes it useful:
- Guided privacy assessments
- Simple cookie consent management
- Ready-made agreement templates
- Easy vendor assessments
- Employee training programs
- Affordable compliance monitoring
Osano makes privacy compliance achievable for companies with limited resources. You get the thoroughness you need without all the enterprise complexity.
The catch: While affordable for small businesses, you might outgrow it quickly. Plans start at $200/month but lack some advanced features larger companies need.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.6/5 ⭐️ - “It's difficult to get excited about cookie management but Osano gets the job done just fine. I like how granular the rules can get with different cookies or scripts running across our site. As well as the automated geo-specific rules and customizations we can apply. However, the setup was a little clunky. As a marketer involved in the setup, regex isn't exactly something I'm familiar with so I wish there was an easier way to create and apply rules in bulk. We also found customizing the styles of the banner and drawer to be a little frustrating. We opted to use a button in our footer to trigger the drawer for users to update their settings. While we eventually figured it out, we had to apply some custom CSS in our site to hide the widget & customize the drawer font styles⁴.”
4. Microsoft Purview: Perfect if you're already in the Microsoft world
If your company runs on Microsoft 365, Purview makes the most sense as it plugs right into everything you're already using.
What you get:
- Ready-made GDPR assessment templates
- Automatic risk scoring
- Works with all Microsoft 365 apps
- Tracks your compliance progress
- Prevents data leaks across Microsoft services
- Handles data retention automatically
Purview lets you manage privacy across Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and other Microsoft apps from one place. No need to juggle multiple tools.
Price tag: Requires Microsoft 365 E5 license, around $35-57 per user monthly.
What do customers say?
Gartner: 4,3/5 ⭐️ - “Microsoft Purview is an incredible tool and has brought our organization into the future of data governance. There were areas of data privacy and compliance that no one had ever thought to manage until Purview came around. However, the initial setup is complicated and the interface can be overwhelming. Cost is also a concern, and the real-time features are not very real-time⁵.”
5. Securiti: AI that actually helps
Securiti uses artificial intelligence to handle the really tedious parts of GDPR compliance. Instead of manually hunting for personal data, the AI does it for you.
Smart features:
- AI finds personal data across all your systems
- Automatically classifies data by sensitivity
- Generates privacy assessments automatically
- Manages consent preferences dynamically
- Maps how data flows between systems
- Predicts compliance risks
This works well for companies with lots of data scattered across different systems. The AI continuously monitors everything and flags potential issues before they become problems.
Budget: Enterprise pricing starts around $50,000 annually.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.8/5⭐️ - “The team that assisted us with the implementation was exceptionally helpful and responsive. We successfully rolled out our cookie preference banners across 40 domains well within the established timeline. However, the platform can be a bit challenging to navigate, but it is to be expected with the types of services that SecuritiAI provides⁶.”
6. Cookiebot: Cookie compliance made simple
Cookiebot by Usercentrics scans your site, finds all the tracking stuff, and handles consent properly.
What it does:
- Scans your entire website for cookies and trackers
- Creates legally compliant consent banners
- Gives users control over their preferences
- Blocks non-consented tracking in real-time
- Provides detailed compliance reports
- Supports multiple languages
If your main GDPR headache is website cookies, Cookiebot solves it cleanly. It's especially good for complex sites with lots of different tracking technologies.
Pricing: Free for small sites; paid plans start at €9/month.
What do customers say?
Capterra: 4.4/5⭐️ - “My experience with Cookiebot has been very poor, owing to its recent pricing structure. However, we had trouble getting HubSpot forms and Gator Forms to display on our website⁷.“
7. DataGrail: Customer requests on autopilot
DataGrail specializes in handling those "show me my data" and "delete my data" requests that customers can make under GDPR.
Automation features:
- Automatically processes customer privacy requests
- Finds individual customer data across systems
- Verifies customer identity before acting
- Deletes data with proof it's gone
- Provides self-service portal for customers
- Coordinates with your vendors
This comes handy for consumer-facing businesses that get lots of individual privacy requests.
Cost: Custom pricing based on your request volume.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.7/5⭐️ - “It was mostly straightforward to setup the product and the UX/UI is clear. We used Google Tag Manager to integrate Datagrail. I particularly appreciated the ability to setup rules for the consent banner to not show when it's not required for a particular geo location. Styling the consent banner so it fit with our website's design aesthetic did take some effort, but that was to be expected given the highly custom website we had. In the end though, it looked great. However, the consent banner components are a bit difficult to fully style, though with some help from AI and an engineer we were able to get it to look like we wanted in the end⁸.”
8. WireWheel: Know where your data lives
WireWheel helps you map out exactly what personal data you have and where it goes. You can pretty much think of it as a GPS for your data.
Mapping capabilities:
- Automatically discovers data across systems
- Creates visual maps of data flows
- Documents all processing activities
- Assesses risks and business impact
- Tracks vendor compliance
- Monitors cross-border data transfers
WireWheel gives you complete visibility into your data practices. This makes it much easier to answer regulator questions and spot potential privacy risks early.
Investment: Enterprise licensing with custom pricing.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.7/5⭐️ - Wirewheel has great out of the box software. But my favorite thing about WireWheel is their willingness to work with me to achieve specific privacy compliance goals that are beyond the OOB functionality. However, with the evolving regulatory landscape, it's difficult to stay on top of every new requirement in real time. Wirewheel does a pretty good job of staying current with legal developments, but sometimes I find myself needing to ask them to customize the tool to accommodate what I think new law requires⁹”.
9. Privacera: Security plus privacy
Privacera combines data security with privacy compliance. You get encryption, access controls, and monitoring as well as GDPR features.
Security features:
- Masks and encrypts sensitive data automatically
- Controls who can access what data
- Monitors data access in real-time
- Enables privacy-safe analytics
- Enforces policies across platforms
- Maintains comprehensive audit logs
This appeals to companies that need to use their data for business insights while keeping it GDPR-compliant. You can run analytics without exposing personal information.
Pricing: Subscription model based on data volume and users.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.5/5 ⭐️ (one review in total) - "Data access control - fine-grained access for authorizing sensitive data like RBAC are a plus. However, the cost factor along with the learning curve are cons¹⁰”.
10. BigID: Find data you didn't know you had
BigID specializes in discovering personal data hiding in your systems. It uses machine learning to identify data patterns across complex environments.
Discovery features:
- AI-powered data discovery
- Automatic personal data classification
- Tracks data lineage across systems
- Scores privacy risks
- Recommends data minimization
- Integrates with major cloud platforms
BigID excels at giving you insights into your data landscape. It helps you understand your privacy exposure and implement targeted protections.
Budget: Enterprise subscription starting around $100,000 annually.
What do customers say?
G2: 4.8/5⭐️ - “I really like that it offers an all-in-one bundle for managing cookie consent and privacy policies. But what I find especially useful is the option to use my own custom cookie or privacy policies by linking them externally. This gives me the flexibility I need, so I can make everything fit perfectly with my website, without being stuck with just one solution. However, One thing I initially found frustrating was the lack of a function to copy configurations from one website to another, which made managing multiple sites a bit more time-consuming. Recently, they’ve added a template feature to solve this issue, though I haven’t had the chance to test it out yet. I’m definitely planning to give it a try the next time I set up a new customer’s website. Additionally, while the new cookie scanning feature is a great addition, I’d prefer if it could run more frequently than just once a month, as that would make it even more effective for staying compliant¹¹.”
11. Netwrix: Monitoring and audit trails
Netwrix focuses on monitoring who's accessing your data and keeping detailed audit trails. It's built for companies that need to track every data interaction for compliance.
What it does:
- Monitors file and folder access in real-time
- Tracks user activity across systems
- Generates detailed audit reports
- Alerts you to suspicious data access
- Maps data permissions and ownership
- Provides compliance dashboards
Netwrix works well for organizations that need to prove they're controlling data access properly. It's particularly useful for companies in regulated industries that face regular audits.
The catch: It can generate overwhelming amounts of data. You'll need someone dedicated to reviewing alerts and reports, or you'll miss important issues in the noise.
What do customers say?
Gartner: 4.7/5 ⭐️ - “The system works seamlessly in the background. Once it is set up and configured, you just forget about it until there is a need for a security audit or to verify that your risk assessment does not have any outstanding issues. However, I had mixed experiences with Netwrix Auditor. To get the correct amount/type of licenses turned out to be more difficult and more expensive than expected¹².”
12. Collibra: Enterprise data governance
Collibra goes beyond GDPR to handle broader data management across large organizations. It's privacy compliance plus data governance in one platform.
Enterprise features:
- Company-wide data catalog
- Policy automation across business units
- Data quality monitoring
- Collaborative governance workflows
- Regulatory reporting automation
- Business intelligence integration
Collibra works for large enterprises that need to coordinate privacy compliance with other data initiatives across multiple departments.
Investment: Enterprise licensing with custom pricing.
The catch: It's overkill for most companies and requires significant resources to implement properly. Enterprise licensing means custom pricing that typically runs into six figures annually.
What do customers say?
Gartner: 4.4/5⭐️ - “great product capabilities with some small limitations. Great support, although sometimes to easily send to their ideation platform. However, quite complicated at the beginning but once you feel it then it comes to be ok¹³.”
How to pick the right tool for your business
Choosing GDPR software doesn't have to be overwhelming. Let's break it down into simple steps that'll help you make the right decision.
Figure out what data you're dealing with
Start by understanding what personal data you actually collect and process. If you're running a simple business with basic customer information, you don't need enterprise-grade tools. But if you're handling complex data flows across multiple systems, you'll need something stronger.
Think about where your customers are located too. If you're only dealing with EU customers, your needs are different from a global company managing data transfers between countries.
Check what integrates with your current setup
Look at what software you're already using. Tools that work smoothly with your existing systems will save you headaches later. Nobody wants to rebuild their entire tech stack just for GDPR compliance.
Pay attention to whether the tool can export your data if you ever want to switch. You don't want to get locked into something that makes it impossible to leave.
Be realistic about your team's capabilities
Different tools require different levels of expertise to run effectively. Enterprise platforms often have more features but might need someone dedicated to manage them.
If you're a smaller company, you might be better off with simpler tools that your current team can handle. It's better to have a basic tool that's actually used than a sophisticated one that sits unused.
Think about the total cost
Don't just look at the monthly subscription fee. Factor in setup costs, training time, and ongoing support needs. Some tools look cheap upfront but require expensive consultants to implement properly.
Consider potential savings too. The right tool might reduce the time your team spends on compliance tasks, which can offset higher software costs.
Getting the most out of your GDPR software
Once you've chosen your tool, here's how to make sure it actually helps your business instead of becoming another piece of unused software.
Start with the basics
Before you dive into advanced features, make sure you understand what personal data you're currently collecting. Document your existing processes first - this foundation will make everything else easier.
Don't try to implement everything at once. Pick the most critical features first and add complexity gradually as your team gets comfortable.
Get your team on board
The fanciest GDPR tool in the world won't help if your team doesn't use it. Invest time in training people not just on how to use the software, but on why privacy matters.
Create simple workflows that integrate privacy checks into daily routines. When privacy protection becomes part of how things naturally get done, compliance becomes sustainable.
Keep an eye on what's working
Set up metrics to track whether your GDPR software is actually improving things. Are you handling privacy requests faster? Are you catching data issues earlier? Use these measurements to justify your investment and identify areas for improvement.
Regular check-ins help you spot problems before they become expensive compliance issues.
Zeeg: Keep your scheduling GDPR-compliant
While we're talking about GDPR compliance, let's address a common headache for appointment-based businesses: scheduling software that actually respects European privacy laws.
Most popular scheduling tools store your customer data on US servers. This creates legal complications under GDPR - you need special agreements, risk assessments, and ongoing monitoring to make sure you're compliant. It's a mess of paperwork that most small businesses don't have time for.
Zeeg takes a different approach. As a European-built scheduling platform, it keeps all your appointment data on European servers with end-to-end encryption. This means:
- No complex data transfer agreements needed
- Automatic GDPR compliance for your scheduling
- Smart booking forms that only collect necessary information
- Built-in consent management
- Secure payment processing that meets EU standards
Why this matters: When you use US-based scheduling tools, you're technically transferring EU customer data outside Europe. GDPR requires special safeguards for this, and recent court decisions have made these transfers riskier. Zeeg eliminates this risk entirely.
Pricing: Free plan available with full GDPR-compliant features; Paid plans start at €10/month.
If you're running a business that takes appointments and serves EU customers, using GDPR-compliant scheduling software like Zeeg is one less compliance worry on your plate.
FAQ
What is GDPR compliance software?
GDPR compliance software helps businesses follow European privacy laws automatically. These tools handle tasks like tracking customer data, managing consent, and processing privacy requests. Good GDPR software integrates with your existing systems and maintains the documentation you need to show regulators you're following the rules.
How do I make my software GDPR compliant?
Making software GDPR compliant means building privacy protections into your systems from the start. You need to minimize data collection, get proper consent, implement security measures, and enable customer rights like data access and deletion. Using dedicated GDPR tools can automate many of these requirements while providing ongoing monitoring.
Is Microsoft GDPR compliant?
Microsoft offers GDPR-compliant services through Azure, Microsoft 365, and other cloud platforms. They provide data processing agreements and privacy controls, but you're still responsible for configuring things properly. Using Microsoft services doesn't automatically make you compliant - you need to set up appropriate privacy settings and data governance practices.
What is the GDPR compliance assessment tool?
A GDPR compliance assessment tool evaluates how well your current privacy practices meet GDPR requirements. These tools typically include questionnaires, automated scans, and risk scoring to identify gaps and suggest improvements. Popular options include the ICO's free self-assessment toolkit and comprehensive platforms like OneTrust that provide ongoing monitoring.
How much does GDPR compliance software cost?
GDPR software pricing varies widely. Simple cookie consent tools start around €9/month, while comprehensive privacy platforms can cost $30,000-100,000+ annually for enterprises. Mid-range solutions typically run $200-5,000 monthly. Choose based on your actual needs rather than assuming you need the most expensive option.
Can small businesses afford GDPR compliance software?
Absolutely. Many providers offer affordable options specifically for smaller companies. Cookiebot starts at €9/month for cookie compliance, and Osano offers simplified privacy management at $200/month. Many tools also offer free tiers or scaled pricing based on company size.
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