The growing complexity of governance and regulatory compliance has led more organizations to seek reliable board portal solutions. And that’s no wonder — the University of Maryland states that hacker attacks happen every 39 seconds. For this reason, leadership teams in organizations of any scale should seriously treat document and meeting management. They can do that with board portals.
As we are mid through 2024, Diligent Boards and BoardEffect emerge as leading tools for efficient board management.
In this article, we’ll compare Diligent Boards vs BoardEffect across key criteria — security, user experience, integration capabilities, and cost — to help governance professionals, IT decision-makers, and board members make informed decisions.
Overview of Diligent Boards and BoardEffect in Board Governance
Selecting the right board meeting software is vital to maintaining seamless operations, enhancing productivity, and protecting confidential information.
- Good to know: What is a board portal?
Below, we provide an overview of Diligent and BoardEffect, two of the most popular board portal solutions available. Our methodology helps surface key elements that prospective buyers should consider when evaluating software solutions.
Diligent Boards
Diligent Board is used by more than 700,000 board members worldwide, including those from over 50% of the Fortune 1000 companies. Its robust features, comprehensive corporate governance tools, and strong focus on security make it a top choice for large organizations, especially for financial institutions and for healthcare organizations. Some of its notable capabilities include:
- Advanced document management: Secure and efficient document handling, with advanced collaboration tools.
- Meeting management tools: Agenda creation, minute-taking, and task management are streamlined.
- Security features: Offers enterprise-grade encryption, ensuring the highest level of protection for sensitive board documents.
- Customization: Customizable user interface and workflows to suit complex governance needs.
BoardEffect
With over 2,500 organizations, primarily for nonprofits and for educational boards, using its platform globally, BoardEffect focuses on simplicity and affordability. Its core features make it a strong contender for nonprofit organizations that require essential board meeting management functionalities. Some of its highlights include:
- User-friendly interface: Designed with simplicity in mind, making it accessible to all board members.
- Document management: Basic yet secure document sharing solutions and annotation capabilities.
- Meeting preparation: Streamlined agenda creation, voting, and collaboration, making it ideal for non-profits with fewer technical resources.
Feature-by-feature comparison of Diligent Boards vs BoardEffect using real user data
Let’s explore the most critical features of BoardEffect vs Diligent through a direct comparison.
| Feature | Diligent Boards | BoardEffect |
| User interface | Customizable, comprehensive | Simple, intuitive |
| Document management | Advanced collaboration, version control | Basic document sharing and annotation |
| Meeting management | Automated workflows, task assignments | Core meeting tools, voting features |
| Security features | Multi-factor authentication, SOC 2 compliance, and more | Basic encryption |
| Integration capabilities | Broad integrations with third-party apps | Limited integrations |
| Mobile access in | Full-featured mobile app | Basic mobile compatibility |
| Pricing tiers | Premium pricing, suited for large enterprises | Affordable subscription plans for non-profits and smaller organizations |
| Customization options | Highly customizable dashboards and workflows | Limited customization capabilities |
| Compliance and legal support | Extensive compliance support for regulated industries like financial services and healthcare | Basic compliance tools, suitable for nonprofits and educational boards |
Board documents management
Efficient management of board documents is crucial for board operations.
BoardEffect allows users to effortlessly upload, organize, and share documents, create comprehensive meeting books, and assign tasks to board members. This ensures that all necessary information is readily accessible, reducing the administrative burden on board administrators.
Diligent Boards, on the other hand, provides a centralized platform for managing board documents, including secure document storage, meeting scheduling, and advanced collaboration tools. This platform is designed to cater to the complex needs of large organizations, ensuring that board members have all the information they need to make informed decisions.
- Good to know: Pricing is one of the most important factors when selecting a board portal. Learn how to conduct a board portal pricing comparison here.
Collaboration and communication tools
Both BoardEffect and Diligent Boards offer a suite of tools designed to facilitate seamless interaction among board members.
BoardEffect’s collaboration tools include secure messaging, task assignment, and survey functionalities, all aimed at promoting accountability and efficiency within the board.
Diligent Boards takes collaboration a step further by offering tools that enhance the overall board experience. These include real-time communication features, task management, and secure document sharing, all designed to support professional success and create a positive user experience.
Security and compliance
Both BoardEffect and Diligent Boards have implemented stringent security measures to protect sensitive board materials and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
BoardEffect’s platform is tailored to meet the needs of mission-driven organizations, offering secure document storage, access controls, and compliance tracking to safeguard critical information.
Diligent Boards, governed by the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and adhering to ISO/IEC 27001 standards, provides an even higher level of data security. This platform is designed to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain the integrity of the vendor-client relationship, ensuring that all board documents are protected against unauthorized access.
User experience and interface
A user-friendly interface is essential for effective board management, and both BoardEffect and Diligent Boards excel in this area:
BoardEffect’s platform is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, featuring customizable dashboards and streamlined navigation to provide a modern approach to governance.
Diligent Boards, meanwhile, focuses on enhancing the overall board experience with an intuitive interface that surfaces key elements of the user experience. This includes detailed feature ratings and real user data focused on continuously improving the platform.
Integration and compatibility
Integration and compatibility are critical for the seamless operation of board management platforms.
BoardEffect’s platform is designed to facilitate seamless communication and collaboration, ensuring that users can easily integrate their existing tools and workflows.
Diligent Boards, on the other hand, aims to enhance the overall board experience by providing robust integration options that support a wide array of third-party applications. This ensures that users can access all the tools and information they need to drive professional success without any compatibility issues.
Customer support and service
Exceptional customer service is vital for the success of any board management platform. Both BoardEffect and Diligent Boards offer a range of support options:.
BoardEffect’s customer support team is known for its responsiveness and effectiveness, providing 24/7 support, training, and resources to help users navigate the platform.
Diligent Boards also offers comprehensive customer support, with a focus on ensuring that users have a positive service experience. This includes multiple data points to measure user satisfaction and aggregates emotional response ratings to continuously improve their support services.
Pros and cons of Diligent Boards vs BoardEffect
Now that you know the basics about both board management platforms, let’s dive deeper and explore their pros and cons based on the analysis of high-level; user sentiment, overall user sentiment, and software satisfaction:
Diligent Boards
Here are the main pros and cons of Diligent Board:
Pros:
- Trusted by 50% of Fortune 1000 companies for corporate governance tools and security needs.
- Highly customizable platform with robust enterprise collaboration tools.
- Best-in-class security features for organizations in regulated industries, including for healthcare organizations.
Cons:
- Higher cost, making it less accessible for smaller organizations.
- A steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with advanced board portal software.
BoardEffect
As for the pros and cons of BoardEffect, these are:
Pros:
- Cost analysis shows it is a cost-effective solution, especially for nonprofit organizations and for educational boards.
- Intuitive, easy-to-use platform designed for board members with varying technical skills.
- Widely adopted by nonprofit organizations that need affordable collaboration features.
Cons:
- Limited in terms of integration capabilities and customization.
- Lacks the advanced security features critical for industries with strict compliance requirements.
Use cases and ideal scenarios
Diligent Boards is well-suited for large corporations, for financial institutions, and organizations with complex governance structures. Its scalability, advanced board meeting management tools, and comprehensive security measures make it ideal for organizations with multiple committees or global operations.
BoardEffect, however, shines for nonprofits and smaller organizations that require affordable, easy-to-use software for board meeting management and document sharing solutions. Nonprofit organizations and educational boards that do not need extensive IT infrastructure will find BoardEffect a practical choice.
- Good to know: While Diligent and BoardEffect were two competitive brands, Diligent acquired BoardEffect in 2016. As of today, Diligent reserves ownership, rights, title, and all other assets of the BoardEffect platform.
Exploring an alternative solution: iDeals Board
For organizations seeking a middle ground between Diligent and BoardEffect, iDeals Board offers a compelling alternative.
iDeals combines collaboration tools with strong security features, offering an affordable solution for mid-sized organizations needing robust governance without the high cost of Diligent.
| Feature | iDeals Board | Diligent Boards | BoardEffect |
| Security features | Military-grade encryption | SOC 2 compliant, multi-factor authentication | Basic encryption |
| User interface | Intuitive and user-friendly | Customizable and feature-rich | Simple, user-friendly |
| Document management | Real-time updates, secure sharing | Advanced collaboration, version control | Basic document handling |
| Meeting management | Streamlined workflows | Comprehensive workflows and automation | Basic agenda creation and voting |
| Subscription plans | Competitive, transparent pricing | Premium pricing tiers for enterprises | Budget-friendly for smaller entities |
| Mobile compatibility | Fully optimized for mobile use | Fully-featured mobile app | Basic mobile compatibility |
Conclusion
Choosing between Diligent Boards vs BoardEffect depends on your organization’s size, governance needs, and budget.
Diligent Boards offers advanced security features, customization, and scalability for large enterprises, making it a robust choice for financial institutions and for healthcare organizations. On the other hand, BoardEffect provides a cost-effective, intuitive platform ideal for nonprofit organizations and smaller educational boards.
For those seeking a mid-tier solution, iDeals Board presents strong document handling, secure communication platforms, and collaboration tools at an affordable price.
Whichever platform you choose, consider your organization’s unique needs and objectives. Explore the full comparison of top providers on our main page.