ESG Consultant vs ESG Software: Ella Compared (2026)
An ESG consultant brings judgement: materiality, strategy, targets and assurance readiness. ESG software brings repeatability: collecting the same data every quarter, calculating emissions and producing reports. Ella is ESG software built as an AI agent that does the repeat work, so consultant time goes on advice instead of chasing spreadsheets.
Last updated 30 October 2026 · By Tom Wilford, Founder, Ella
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ESG consultant vs Ella at a glance
| ESG consultant | Ella | |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Judgement, strategy and stakeholder work | Repeatable collection, calculation and reporting |
| Data collection | Usually requested from your team by spreadsheet | Ella sends collect links, tracks gaps and chases |
| Cost model | Day rates or project fees, repeated each cycle | Modular subscription with a 14-day trial per module |
| Knowledge retention | Leaves with the consultant at the end of the project | Stays in the platform, with the source behind every number |
| Speed | Depends on availability | Always on, with outputs drafted as data arrives |
| Frameworks | Depends on the firm | SECR, CDP, CSRD, VSME, EcoVadis and B Corp built in |
What a good ESG consultant does that software cannot
How consultants and Ella work together
Which should you choose?
| If you need | Choose |
|---|---|
| A first materiality assessment or net zero strategy | A consultant, ideally working from data in Ella |
| Quarterly data collection from colleagues and sites | Ella |
| SECR, CDP or EcoVadis submissions every year | Ella |
| Board-level advice or assurance preparation | A consultant |
How we wrote this comparison
How Ella helps
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.
Carbon accounting software
Scope 1, 2 and 3, SECR, CDP and reduction plans, built from your real bills and invoices.
Related resources
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.
ESG data collection software: how to collect ESG data without chasing spreadsheets
ESG data collection software gathers the energy, emissions, workforce and governance data a sustainability report needs from the people and systems that hold it. Good tools request data from named owners, chase them, read invoices and bills, pull from integrations, and keep a source on every number so the final report is audit-ready.
How to Improve Your EcoVadis Score
Start with the scorecard from your last assessment. Most lost points come from documentation: policies with no evidence of action behind them, no quantitative KPIs, no public reporting and no certifications. Fix the gaps your scorecard flags, back every claim with a dated, specific document, then submit for reassessment.
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
Should I hire an ESG consultant?
Hire one for judgement work such as materiality, strategy, targets and assurance preparation. For the repeat work of collecting data and producing reports each year, ESG software is usually faster and cheaper.
What does an ESG consultant do?
An ESG consultant helps a company decide what matters, set targets, build policies and prepare disclosures. Many also run data collection, which is where software can save the most time.
Can ESG software replace a consultant?
Not for judgement and stakeholder work. It can replace most of the data gathering, calculation and drafting that consultants often spend days on.
Is ESG software cheaper than a consultant?
For repeat reporting, usually yes, because the work is done once in the platform and reused each cycle. Strategic projects still justify consultant fees.
Do consultancies use Ella?
Yes. Sustainability consultancies use Ella to collect and clean client data and draft outputs, so their team can focus on advice.
Can Ella help with EcoVadis without a consultant?
Yes. Ella's EcoVadis module reads your scorecard, finds where you lose points and drafts the missing policies and evidence for you to review.
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.
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.