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Developer Tools · head to head

Earthly vs TrustArc

Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
TrustArc logo

TrustArc

Cybersecurity

Privacy management platform with regulatory research and the TRUSTe certification programme

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Earthly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Earthly pricing model not published; requires sales contact; TrustArc the software layer is generally shallower than OneTrust, particularly automated data discovery across large heterogeneous estates, so organisations with sprawling infrastructure often still need a separate discovery tool.
  • They diverge on capability: Earthly covers Policy as code, TrustArc covers Nymity Research.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Earthly and TrustArc actually diverge.

Attributes where Earthly and TrustArc differ
AttributeEarthlyTrustArc
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelNo pricing published on websitequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, CLIWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

Only in TrustArc

  • Nymity Research
  • TRUSTe certification
  • Consent and preference management
  • Privacy assessments
  • Data inventory and mapping
  • Individual rights requests
  • Cookie consent manager
  • Privacy programme benchmarking

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot TrustArc
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot TrustArc
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot TrustArc
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot TrustArc

TrustArc

  • A consumer brand that needs an independent privacy seal on its website because enterprise customers or app stores ask for third-party verificationnot Earthly
  • A multinational privacy team that needs a maintained answer to what a given jurisdiction requires without retaining outside counsel for every questionnot Earthly
  • An organisation running DPIAs at volume that wants templates tied to a maintained regulatory library rather than to a consultant word documentnot Earthly
  • A privacy programme being audited that needs documented maturity benchmarking against a recognised framework of programme activitiesnot Earthly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

TrustArc

  • The software layer is generally shallower than OneTrust, particularly automated data discovery across large heterogeneous estates, so organisations with sprawling infrastructure often still need a separate discovery tool.
  • The integration catalogue is smaller than the market leader, which means more of the data inventory is maintained by hand and drifts out of date between reviews.
  • Certification services are sold separately from the platform subscription, so the seal that is often the reason for choosing TrustArc is an extra line item and an extra annual renewal.
  • Reported contract values vary enormously by module mix and organisation size, and the absence of published pricing means smaller buyers have no anchor and routinely discover the entry price is higher than expected.
  • TrustArc stays inside privacy, so organisations that later want third-party risk, security compliance or ethics reporting on the same platform will be running a second vendor anyway.

Pricing, plan by plan

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

TrustArc

On request
  • TrustArc Privacy Platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted by module, entity count and data volume
    • TRUSTe certification and assessment services priced separately from platform subscription
    • Nymity Research licensed as a separate module

Which should you pick?

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Choose TrustArc if

  • You need nymity research.
  • You also want truste certification.
TrustArc review

Questions people ask

Is Earthly or TrustArc better?
Neither clearly leads. Earthly starts at Free and TrustArc at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Earthly or TrustArc?
Earthly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Earthly and On request for TrustArc.
Does Earthly or TrustArc run on more platforms?
Earthly runs on Web, CLI. TrustArc runs on Web.
Can I use Earthly for free?
Yes. Earthly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. TrustArc starts at On request.
What is Earthly best used for?
Earthly is most often used for enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers, automating incident response procedures across all repositories, embedding compliance requirements into development workflows, standardizing build processes with earthfiles. Of those, enforcing engineering standards across ai and human developers and automating incident response procedures across all repositories are not what TrustArc is typically brought in for.
What can Earthly do that TrustArc cannot?
Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies. TrustArc covers Nymity Research, TRUSTe certification, Consent and preference management, Privacy assessments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
TrustArc: What does TrustArc have that OneTrust does not?

Nymity Research, a maintained regulatory intelligence library acquired in 2019, and the TRUSTe third-party certification and seal programme.

Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
TrustArc: How much does TrustArc cost?

Not published. Reported enterprise agreements range widely depending on modules and organisation size, and certification services are quoted on top of the platform subscription.

Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
TrustArc: Is TRUSTe the same company?

Yes. TrustArc is the renamed TRUSTe business and still operates the TRUSTe certification programme as a subsidiary.

TrustArc: Does it handle cookie consent for Europe?

Yes, it includes a consent manager with scanning and banner delivery, though pure-play consent vendors are cheaper if that is all you need.

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