Ella vs Altruistiq: Comparison and Altruistiq Alternatives (2026)
Ella and Altruistiq both calculate corporate carbon footprints, but for different buyers. Altruistiq is an enterprise platform built for food and beverage supply chains and product footprints. Ella is AI-native ESG software built as an agent for sustainability teams in any sector, collecting data and drafting SECR, CDP, VSME and EcoVadis outputs.
Last updated 30 October 2026 · By Tom Wilford, Founder, Ella
Get startedElla vs Altruistiq at a glance
| Ella | Altruistiq | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sustainability teams at large and fast-growing companies | Food and beverage enterprises with complex supply chains |
| Getting started | Ella sets your boundaries from how you operate and builds your Scope 1 to 3 data checklist instantly, then walks you through each step | Enterprise implementation via demo and scoping |
| How data gets in | Ella sends collect links to data owners, tracks who has not replied and chases them, reads dragged-in bills, receipts and spend exports, and pulls from integrations | APIs to ERP, PLM, procurement and data platforms, Excel and ERP exports, supplier PCF sharing |
| Who does the monthly work | Ella's AI agent: it collects, cleans, calculates and drafts. Your team reviews and approves | Your team with Altruistiq's services team, supported by its Evie AI agent |
| Frameworks | GHG Protocol Scopes 1 to 3, SECR, CDP, carbon reduction and net zero plans, product carbon data, CSRD, VSME, EcoVadis, B Corp | GHG Protocol, CSRD/ESRS, SECR, CDP, SBTi incl. FLAG, ISSB, TCFD, GRI, EU Taxonomy, with EcoVadis reporting mentioned |
| Expert support | Included: Ella's sustainability team backs every customer | In-house environmental accounting, LCA and FLAG experts |
| Pricing and trial | Modular plans by module and company size, with a 14-day trial per module on your own data | Quote only, priced per module; no trial found |
Why teams choose Ella over Altruistiq
Key differences to weigh
| What to check | With Altruistiq | With Ella |
|---|---|---|
| Sector focus | Built for food and beverage | Any sector |
| Chasing colleagues for data | Integrations and supplier outreach run with its services team | Ella sends collect links, tracks gaps and chases |
| VSME and broader ESG | VSME not mentioned on its website | CSRD, VSME and EcoVadis modules built in |
| Trying it first | Demo and quote | 14-day trial per module on your own data |
What Altruistiq does well
Should you choose Ella or Altruistiq?
| If you need | Choose |
|---|---|
| Product footprints at scale for a food and beverage business | Altruistiq |
| A guided company footprint and SECR in any sector | Ella |
| Data chased from colleagues and read from bills for you | Ella |
| EcoVadis, CDP and VSME outputs from one data set | Ella |
Altruistiq alternatives worth a look
| Platform | Best for |
|---|---|
| Ella | Sustainability teams that want guidance and the data collection done for them |
| Watershed | Very large enterprises with complex footprints |
| Sweep | Enterprise multi-framework disclosure |
| Coolset | EU companies with supply chain compliance (EUDR) |
How we wrote this comparison
How Ella helps
Carbon accounting software
Scope 1, 2 and 3, SECR, CDP and reduction plans, built from your real bills and invoices.
ESG reporting software
CSRD, VSME and customer ESG requests, with the data collected and cleaned for you.
ESG strategy software
Materiality, targets and a reduction roadmap built from the data you already hold.
Related resources
Best carbon accounting software in 2026: an honest comparison
The best carbon accounting software in 2026 is the one that gets real activity data out of your organisation with the least chasing, then turns it into Scope 1, 2 and 3 figures you can defend to an auditor. For large UK and EU teams, compare Ella, Greenly, Persefoni, Sweep, Watershed, Plan A and Normative on data collection first.
Ella vs Watershed: Comparison and Watershed Alternatives (2026)
Ella and Watershed both measure and report emissions, but Ella is faster to get going and does more of the work. Ella is AI-native ESG software built as an agent: it sets your boundaries, chases colleagues for data, reads bills and drafts SECR, CDP, VSME and EcoVadis outputs. Watershed is built for very large enterprise programmes.
Scope 3 Categories Explained: All 15 GHG Protocol Categories, With Examples
Scope 3 has 15 categories under the GHG Protocol: eight upstream, from purchased goods and services to upstream leased assets, and seven downstream, from downstream transport to investments. You report the categories relevant to your business, and a services firm and a manufacturer will find their emissions in very different places.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Ella and Altruistiq?
Altruistiq is an enterprise climate platform built for food and beverage, strongest on product carbon footprints and supply chain decarbonisation. Ella is ESG software built as an AI agent for sustainability teams in any sector, collecting the data and drafting carbon, SECR, CDP, VSME and EcoVadis outputs.
Is Ella a good Altruistiq alternative?
For companies outside food and beverage, or teams that need ESG reporting and EcoVadis alongside carbon, yes. For thousands of product footprints in a food business, Altruistiq is purpose-built.
How much does Altruistiq cost?
Altruistiq does not publish prices. It prices per module and you talk to its team for a quote.
How much does Ella cost?
Ella is priced by module (Carbon, ESG reporting, EcoVadis, B Corp) and by company size, and every module has a 14-day trial so you can test it on your own data before procurement.
Does Ella do product carbon footprints?
Ella supports product carbon data within its carbon module. If your main need is large volumes of PACT-conformant product footprints for food and drink, a specialist such as Altruistiq goes deeper.
Does Altruistiq support SECR and CDP?
Yes. Altruistiq lists SECR and CDP among its supported frameworks. Ella also builds the SECR summary and CDP answers from the same evidenced data set.
Can Ella collect ESG data from colleagues and suppliers?
Yes. Ella sends collect links and data requests, tracks missing responses and chases until people reply, accepts bills, receipts and spreadsheets in any format, and runs surveys for suppliers and colleagues. Every figure keeps a link to the document or reply it came from.
Can I switch from Altruistiq to Ella?
Yes. Export your existing activity data and reports, drop them into Ella and it maps them to your reporting periods. Most teams run both side by side for one reporting cycle to check the numbers match.