UpGuard
Unified CRPM for vendor, attack surface, and human risk
UpGuard offers the broadest CRPM coverage, now with strong shadow AI controls (browser-level paste/upload blocking, policy per app). Ideal for large enterprises with complex risk programs. Smaller teams may find the $1,750/mo Standard tier excessive; consider SecurityScorecard for lighter needs.
Verified 18d ago · liveness 95/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/upguard
- Enterprises needing unified vendor, attack surface, and workforce risk management
- Security teams automating third-party risk assessments at AI speed
- Organizations managing compliance with ISO 27001, NIST, APRA, DORA, or DPDP
- Companies wanting to monitor and reduce human and shadow AI risk
- Small businesses or startups with limited security budgets and simple needs
- Teams seeking a free or low-cost vendor risk scoring tool
- Organizations that only need basic attack surface monitoring without TPRM
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Skip UpGuard if your organization has a limited security budget and only needs basic vendor risk scoring without workflow automation.
Going past 50 vendors on the Standard plan adds $79 per extra vendor per month, which can add up quickly for larger vendor portfolios.
At $1,750/mo for 50 vendors, UpGuard's Standard plan is pricey for small teams but competitive for mid-market. BitSight and SecurityScorecard often charge similar or more per vendor. Enterprise pricing is opaque, but the unified platform may reduce total cost of ownership vs. multiple point solutions.
In short
UpGuard — Unified CRPM for vendor, attack surface, and human risk. Best for Enterprises needing unified vendor, attack surface, and workforce risk management, Security teams automating third-party risk assessments at AI speed, Organizations managing compliance with ISO 27001, NIST, APRA, DORA, or DPDP. Free to start; paid plans from $1750/mo.
What's new in UpGuard
Checked 6 days agoAcross the latest 8 updates: 5 feature updates and 3 news mentions.
Best Dark Web Monitoring Tools, Software, and Services in 2026
UpGuard's breakdown of top dark web monitoring tools for 2026.
Multiple approved apps in the browser extension
Browser extension now supports multiple approved apps; details in release notes.
Exclude Entra guest users from monitoring
User Risk users can exclude Entra guest users via monitoring rules; audit events track unmonitored users.
IRAP badge for Trust Center
Trust Center now displays IRAP badge for organizations assessed under Infosec Registered Assessors Program.
Search and filtering for Trust Center access management
Trust Center logs searchable by name/email; denied access requests now visible.
Complete questionnaires without closing remediation
Vendor Risk users can mark questionnaires complete while leaving remediation open; added setting for vendor response updates.
Data leakage risks with DBHub MCP servers
UpGuard found exposed DBHub servers leaking live databases—MCP exposure becomes systemic data risk.
Higher Education TPRM in 2026: New Research Maps the Vendor Visibility Gap
Research on higher education third-party risk, supplier concentration, and systemic vendor exposure.
Viability Score
How likely is UpGuard to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- AI-powered TPRM with automated workflows
- Vendor discovery and onboarding
- Security questionnaire automation
- Continuous vendor monitoring
- Breach risk monitoring and threat detection
- Attack surface management (digital footprint)
- Brand protection monitoring
- Shadow AI monitoring with browser-level controls
- Browser-level paste/upload block for shadow AI
- User risk governance with contextual guidance
- Trust Exchange for sharing security posture
- Risk automations via APIs
- Export incidents and news data to Excel
- Email notifications for expiring additional evidence
- Risk assessment templates with merge tags
About UpGuard
UpGuard is a Cyber Risk Posture Management (CRPM) platform that unifies vendor risk, attack surface, and human risk management. It helps security teams at enterprises and mid-market organizations continuously monitor third-party vendors, detect threats across their digital footprint, and surface shadow AI risks among employees. Trusted by over 45,000 companies, UpGuard delivers AI-powered TPRM workflows, automated vendor discovery, security questionnaire automation, and real-time breach risk detection. Key features include AI-powered threat monitoring with MCP detection, attack surface management, brand protection, shadow AI monitoring with browser-level controls (including paste/upload blocking for shadow AI tools), and a Trust Exchange for proving security posture. Recent updates added exporting incidents/news to Excel, email notifications for expiring evidence, and safer web controls via User Risk. UpGuard competes with BitSight, SecurityScorecard, CyberGRX, and RiskRecon.
Behind the Verdict
When to pick UpGuard: you run a mature third-party risk program and need a single pane for vendor risk, attack surface, and human risk with AI workflows. When to pass: your budget is under $20k/year or you only need basic security ratings without TPRM. Compared to BitSight: UpGuard has stronger questionnaire automation and shadow AI controls, while BitSight has broader rating coverage. Real-world caveat: Standard tier supports only 50 vendors; additional vendors cost extra. In practice, the platform's breadth can be overwhelming for smaller teams, but it's a powerful ops center for enterprise risk programs.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas UpGuard actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You need to onboard 20 new vendors and assess their security posture.
Outcome: Use UpGuard's Vendor Discovery to automatically identify vendors, run AI-powered questionnaires, and generate security ratings—all within a week instead of a month.
Your team must monitor 500+ vendors and ensure compliance with DORA.
Outcome: UpGuard's Corporate plan handles 500 vendors with fourth-party oversight and audit log, enabling continuous compliance monitoring and automated evidence collection.
You need to reduce shadow AI risks from employees using unapproved tools.
Outcome: Deploy User Risk with browser-level controls to block paste/upload of sensitive data into shadow AI tools, reducing data leak risk.
Use Cases
- Continuously monitor and assess third-party vendor security ratings and control effectiveness.
- Automate security questionnaire responses and create a centralized Trust Center to accelerate sales.
- Discover and reduce your external attack surface by identifying exposed assets and real threats.
- Track and remediate user risk behaviors, including policy violations and unsafe AI adoption.
- Orchestrate risk workflows across your tech stack using API-driven automations.
Limitations
- Pricing details for Professional, Corporate, and Enterprise+ tiers are not publicly listed and require contacting sales.
- The Standard plan restricts vendor monitoring to 50 vendors, with additional vendors at $79/month.
- Some advanced features like unlimited vendor snapshots and multi-org accounts are gated behind the Enterprise+ tier.
- The platform is cloud-only, so on-premise deployment is not an option.
as of 2026-07-02
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published UpGuard tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Standard
$1,750/mo billed annually
Ideal for
Mid-market teams starting vendor risk automation with up to 50 vendors.
What this tier adds
Starting tier at $1,750/mo billed annually; includes 50 vendor slots and basic assessment workflows.
Professional
Contact sales
Ideal for
Growing teams needing to scale vendor monitoring to 150 vendors with role-based access.
What this tier adds
Adds 150 vendor slots, 10 vendor snapshots, role-based accounts, and custom co-branding over Standard.
Corporate
Contact sales
Ideal for
Enterprises requiring governance for up to 500 vendors including fourth-party oversight.
What this tier adds
Expands to 500 vendors, adds fourth-party monitoring and audit log over Professional.
Enterprise+
Contact sales
Ideal for
Complex enterprises with highest scalability needs and enterprise support.
What this tier adds
Adds enterprise support to all Enterprise features (unlimited everything).
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where UpGuard's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
At $1,750/mo for 50 vendors, UpGuard's Standard plan is pricey for small teams but competitive for mid-market. BitSight and SecurityScorecard often charge similar or more per vendor. Enterprise pricing is opaque, but the unified platform may reduce total cost of ownership vs. multiple point solutions.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of UpGuard — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
For vendor risk monitoring: assign vendors to monitor and start seeing security ratings within hours—basic setup takes under a day. User Risk browser controls can be rolled out in days. Full platform onboarding with questionnaires and workflows may take 1-2 weeks for large vendor portfolios.
Switching to or from UpGuard
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From Excel or spreadsheets: Import vendor lists, then use automated discovery to enrich profiles.
- →From BitSight or SecurityScorecard: Export vendor ratings and history, then import into UpGuard's continuous monitoring.
- ↗To BitSight or SecurityScorecard: Export vendor ratings and incident logs via CSV.
- ↗To CyberGRX: Share risk assessment templates and questionnaire data.
Resources & Guides
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
- Resourceupguard.com
UpGuard Blog
Helpful link from upguard.com
Tutorials & Learning
Official links
Tools that pair well with UpGuard
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside UpGuard, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Alternatives to UpGuard
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