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Ella vs Greenly: Comparison and Greenly Alternatives (2026)

Ella and Greenly both measure and report carbon, but Ella does more of the work. Ella is AI-native ESG software built as an agent: it sets your Scope 1 to 3 boundaries, collects data from colleagues and suppliers, chases replies and drafts SECR, CDP, VSME and EcoVadis outputs. Greenly is carbon software with expert help on most plans.

Last updated 28 October 2026 · By Tom Wilford, Founder, Ella

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Ella vs Greenly at a glance

Both are used by sustainability teams to measure and report. The biggest difference is who does the work: with Ella, an AI agent guides you from day one and does the collection and drafting; with Greenly, more of that sits with your team.

Ella vs Greenly at a glance
	Ella	Greenly
Built for	Sustainability teams at large and fast-growing companies	SMBs to enterprises, about 4,000 clients in 30+ countries
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	Onboarding with a climate expert on most plans
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	API connections, Excel and CSV upload with AI mapping, and a supplier portal your team runs
Who does the monthly work	Ella's AI agent: it collects, cleans, calculates and drafts. Your team reviews and approves	Your team, supported by a climate expert
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, VSME, CDP, SECR, SBTi, TCFD, EcoVadis support, product footprints and LCA
Expert support	Included: Ella's sustainability team backs every customer	Dedicated climate expert on most plans, not on the entry GHG Report Compliance plan; extra expert days are paid
Pricing and trial	Modular plans by module and company size, with a 14-day trial per module on your own data	Quote only, three plans, no published prices

Why teams choose Ella over Greenly

Most sustainability teams we speak to are small compared with the requests landing on them: a CDP disclosure, an EcoVadis reassessment, SECR in the annual report, a customer asking for VSME data. The reporting is rarely the slow part. Getting the data is. Ella is ESG software built as an AI agent around that problem, and it is the most guided way we know to do carbon accounting. You do not start from a blank framework. Ella sets your Scope 1 to 3 boundaries from how your business actually operates, builds the checklist of data you need, and sends collect links to the people who hold it. It tracks who has not replied and chases them, reads the bills, receipts and spend exports they send in any format, maps them to emission factors and calculates activity and spend-based emissions automatically. Every number keeps its source, so the footprint, SECR summary, CDP answers and reduction roadmap all come out of one audit-ready data set. Your team reviews and approves. Our sustainability team is there when you want a second opinion.

Where Greenly may fall short

Greenly is a capable platform. These are the points buyers tell us they weigh most when they compare it with Ella.

Where Greenly may fall short
What to check	With Greenly	With Ella
Who gathers the data	Your team connects systems, uploads files and runs the supplier portal	Ella requests, chases and collects it for you
Expert time	Not included on the entry plan; extra days cost more	Included for every customer
Pricing	Quote only, no published prices	Modular by company size, 14-day trial per module
Product roadmap	Greenly announced a merger with Normative in September 2026, so the product and plans may change	One product, built and supported by the same team
Trying it first	Demo and quote	Trial on your own bills and invoices

What Greenly does well

Greenly covers a wide range of frameworks, from a first GHG footprint through CSRD and VSME to product life-cycle assessments, and it has scale: around 4,000 clients and a strong G2 rating. If product LCAs are your main need, it is worth a look.

Should you choose Ella or Greenly?

Start from what you need to produce and how much time your team has, then work back to the tool.

Should you choose Ella or Greenly?
If you need	Choose
The most guided route from first footprint to SECR and CDP	Ella
Data collected from colleagues and suppliers without your team chasing	Ella
CDP, SECR, VSME and EcoVadis from one data set	Ella
A trial on your own data before procurement	Ella
Detailed product life-cycle assessments	Greenly

Greenly alternatives worth a look

If you are comparing Greenly with other platforms, these are the ones that come up most often in our conversations with buyers. For a wider list, see our guide to the best ESG software.

Greenly alternatives worth a look
Platform	Best for
Ella	Sustainability teams that want guidance and the data collection done for them
Persefoni	Financial institutions and a free self-serve start
Watershed	Very large enterprises with complex footprints
Coolset	EU companies with supply chain compliance (EUDR)

How we wrote this comparison

We make Ella, so read this with that in mind. Everything we say about Greenly comes from Greenly's own website and public announcements, checked in October 2026. Products change quickly in this market, so confirm details with Greenly before you buy. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

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 questionnaire automation

Answers to customer sustainability questionnaires and RFPs, drafted from your evidence.

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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.

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ESG data collection software: how to collect ESG data without chasing spreadsheets

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Carbon Reduction Plan Template (PPN 006)

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Ella and Greenly?

Greenly is carbon management software where your team does the work with help from a climate expert. Ella is ESG software built as an AI agent that guides you from day one and does the data collection, cleaning and drafting itself across carbon, CDP, SECR, CSRD, VSME and EcoVadis.

Is Ella a good Greenly alternative?

Yes. Ella is a strong Greenly alternative for sustainability teams that want a more guided, more automated route: boundaries set for you, data chased for you, and several outputs such as CDP, SECR and EcoVadis from one data set, with expert support included.

Which is easier to use, Ella or Greenly?

Ella is built to be the more guided option. It sets your boundaries, builds your data checklist, collects the data from colleagues and suppliers and drafts the outputs, so your team reviews rather than assembles. Greenly pairs most plans with a climate expert, but your team still connects the systems, uploads the files and runs supplier requests.

How much does Greenly cost?

Greenly does not publish prices. It offers three plans (GHG Report Compliance, Climate Action Ready and Net Zero Contributor) on a quote basis, with expert days available as a paid add-on.

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 Greenly help with EcoVadis?

Greenly lists EcoVadis among the frameworks it supports and offers pre-audit support. Ella has a dedicated EcoVadis module that reads your scorecard, finds the gaps and drafts the fixes.

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 Greenly 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.