Best ESG Software in 2026: 11 Platforms Compared
The best ESG software depends on who is asking you for data. Workiva and Sweep suit enterprises filing CSRD or ISSB reports. Watershed and Persefoni suit carbon-heavy enterprises. Ella suits sustainability teams handling EcoVadis, CDP, SECR and customer requests: AI-native ESG software that collects, cleans and reports your data for you.
Last updated 26 October 2026 · By Tom Wilford, Founder, Ella
Get startedHow we compared them
The short list
| Platform | Best for | Strongest at |
|---|---|---|
| Ella | Sustainability teams at large and fast-growing companies | End-to-end ESG data: automated collection, cleaning and audit-ready reporting for carbon, CSRD and VSME, EcoVadis, CDP and SECR |
| Workiva | Listed companies and large enterprises | Finance-grade, assurance-ready reporting alongside financial filings |
| Sweep | Large European companies | Carbon and ESG data management with CSRD disclosure |
| Watershed | Large enterprises with complex footprints | Enterprise carbon measurement and supplier decarbonisation |
| Persefoni | Financial institutions and enterprises | Carbon accounting, including financed emissions |
| Greenly | SMEs starting carbon accounting | Guided carbon footprints and reduction plans |
| Plan A | European mid-market companies | Carbon accounting and decarbonisation planning |
| Coolset | European SMEs | Carbon accounting and CSRD or VSME reporting |
| Position Green | Nordic and European enterprises | ESG reporting and CSRD workflows |
| KEY ESG | UK companies wanting a data hub | ESG data collection and framework reporting |
| Novata | Private equity and their portfolios | Portfolio ESG data collection |
Our view: buy for the work, not the dashboard
Data collection is where ESG projects stall
| Capability | What it saves you |
|---|---|
| Automatic requests and reminders | Ella emails each data owner, chases until they reply and logs the response |
| Drag-and-drop documents | Drop in invoices, utility bills or spreadsheets in any format or language and the figures are extracted |
| Integrations | Data flows in from finance, HR and energy systems without manual exports |
| Surveys for suppliers and colleagues | Pre-built questionnaires for the data EcoVadis and CDP ask for |
| Source on every number | Each figure links back to the document or reply it came from, ready for auditors |
Match the software to the request
| If you are being asked for | Look for |
|---|---|
| CSRD or ISSB-aligned reporting | Workiva, Sweep, Position Green |
| An enterprise carbon footprint with supplier data | Watershed, Persefoni |
| VSME reporting for customers, banks or investors | Ella, Coolset |
| A first carbon footprint or reduction plan | Greenly, Plan A, Coolset, Ella |
| EcoVadis or customer sustainability questionnaires | Ella |
| A CDP climate disclosure | Ella, Watershed, Persefoni, Sweep |
| SECR or a Carbon Reduction Plan for UK tenders | Ella, Greenly, Plan A |
| Portfolio data across many companies | Novata, Ella |
Test it before procurement
Questions to ask in every demo
How Ella helps
Related resources
SECR Reporting Explained: Who Must Report and What to Include
SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) requires UK quoted companies, and large unquoted companies and LLPs, to report their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in their annual report. A company is large if it meets two of three tests: turnover of £36m or more, balance sheet of £18m or more, or 250 or more employees. Scope 3 is optional.
Carbon Reduction Plan Template (PPN 006)
A Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) is a short public document that suppliers bidding for UK government contracts worth over £5m a year must publish. It commits to net zero by 2050, reports Scope 1, Scope 2 and five Scope 3 categories against a baseline, lists reduction measures and is signed by a director.
PPN 006 Explained (Formerly PPN 06/21)
PPN 006 is the UK procurement policy note requiring suppliers bidding for central government contracts worth over £5m a year to publish a Carbon Reduction Plan. It replaced PPN 06/21 for procurements started from 24 February 2025, under the Procurement Act 2023. The content requirements are unchanged and assessment is pass or fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best ESG software in 2026?
There is no single best. Workiva and Sweep suit large enterprises filing CSRD or ISSB reports, Watershed and Persefoni suit carbon-heavy enterprises, and Ella suits sustainability teams who need the evidence work done for EcoVadis, CDP and SECR.
What is the best ESG software for large companies?
Look for multi-site data collection, an audit trail on every figure and coverage of the requests you actually receive. Workiva and Sweep suit CSRD-led reporting; Ella suits teams handling EcoVadis, CDP and customer requests at volume.
How much does ESG software cost?
Most platforms price by company size and modules, and few publish prices. Ask for an all-in quote including onboarding.
What is the easiest ESG software for data collection?
Look for software that requests and chases data from colleagues automatically, extracts figures from uploaded invoices and bills, and connects to your existing systems. Ella was built around this.
What is the difference between traditional ESG software and an AI ESG agent?
Traditional ESG software stores and reports data your team collects. AI-native ESG software such as Ella also does the work: collecting and cleaning data, drafting policies and answering questionnaires for your review.
Do I need ESG software for CSRD?
Not strictly, but most companies in scope use software to manage the data points and audit trail that CSRD requires.
Which ESG software supports VSME?
VSME is the voluntary EU standard many companies now use to answer sustainability requests from customers, banks and investors. Ella collects the data points VSME asks for and drafts the report; Coolset also covers it.
Which ESG software helps with CDP?
Look for software that calculates Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions with traceable sources and maps them to the CDP climate questionnaire. Ella, Watershed, Persefoni and Sweep all cover CDP data.
Which ESG software is best for EcoVadis?
Choose software that reads your scorecard and produces the missing evidence. Ella was built for this workflow.
Can ESG software calculate my carbon footprint?
Most platforms here do, using spend, activity data or both. Check which emission factor databases they use and whether you can trace each figure.
Is Ella ESG software?
Yes. Ella is ESG reporting software built as an AI agent. It covers carbon accounting (including SECR and CDP), ESG reporting (CSRD and VSME) and EcoVadis, and it also does the data collection, cleaning and drafting work your team would otherwise do.