TrustArc automates GDPR/CCPA consent, data mapping, and privacy certifications for enterprises. See features, pricing model, and alternatives.
TrustArc is an enterprise privacy management platform with one of the longest histories in the privacy compliance industry, tracing back to 1997 when it launched as TRUSTe, a non-profit created to help online businesses self-regulate around emerging internet privacy concerns. The organization became a for-profit, venture-backed company in 2008 and rebranded to TrustArc in 2017 as its focus shifted from privacy seals toward a full enterprise software platform.
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, TrustArc has changed hands a few times as a business, including a stake acquisition by Bregal Sagemount in 2019 and a full sale to Main Capital Partners in 2025, while continuing to operate under the TrustArc brand and serve an established base of roughly 1,500 enterprise customers.
The platform is aimed at privacy, legal, and compliance teams at mid-market and large enterprises that need to manage consent, data mapping, and regulatory obligations across multiple jurisdictions, and it is frequently positioned as a direct alternative to category leader OneTrust.
Privacy Studio is TrustArc's consent-management product line, covering cookie consent banners, a broader consent and preference management system, an individual rights manager for handling data subject access and deletion requests, and a customizable Trust Center that publishes an organization's privacy policies and practices publicly.
Governance Suite centralizes the operational side of privacy programs: PrivacyCentral automates task management and regulatory alignment, the Data Mapping and Risk Manager tracks where personal data lives and how it flows, the Assessment Manager runs privacy impact assessments, and the Nymity research database provides access to more than 800 regulatory templates and guidance covering global privacy laws.
Assurance Services extends the platform beyond software into certification: TrustArc offers third-party validation for frameworks including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, and emerging areas like responsible AI certification, giving customers an externally verifiable compliance badge in addition to internal tooling. An AI layer called Arc Intelligence is layered across these products to automate portions of the compliance workflow.
TrustArc does not publish pricing on its website. Enterprises interested in the platform must request a demo and receive a custom quote, which the company says is shaped by factors such as which product lines (Privacy Studio, Governance Suite, Assurance Services) are included, the number of domains or brands covered, and the scope of certification services needed.
TrustArc markets itself as generally more cost-effective than category leader OneTrust while offering comparable functionality and stronger customer support, though because neither vendor discloses list prices publicly, buyers typically need to run a competitive procurement process to compare actual costs.
TrustArc is an enterprise privacy management platform that automates consent management, data governance, and privacy certifications.
TrustArc does not publish pricing; costs are custom-quoted based on the product lines and scope an organization needs.
TRUSTe was the original name of the company from its founding in 1997 until it rebranded to TrustArc in 2017.
Yes, TrustArc's Assurance Services provide third-party validation for GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other privacy frameworks.
Arc Intelligence is TrustArc's AI-powered layer designed to automate parts of the privacy compliance workflow.
TrustArc was sold to Main Capital Partners in 2025, after a prior stake acquisition by Bregal Sagemount in 2019.
TrustArc is frequently positioned as a lower-cost alternative to OneTrust with comparable core functionality and an emphasis on customer support.
TrustArc serves large enterprises across many industries, including consumer brands, pharmaceuticals, and technology, with customers such as Abbott, ADP, GE, Nike, and Starbucks.