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Government · head to head

Granicus vs Termly

Granicus logo

Granicus

Government

Digital Government Experiences Platform

From
$500/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Termly logo

Termly

Cybersecurity

Legal policy generator and cookie consent banner for small websites

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Termly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Granicus pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available; Termly a standard plan licenses one website, so an agency or a business with several brand domains multiplies the headline price by the number of sites and the cheap option stops being cheap at four or five domains.
  • They diverge on capability: Granicus covers Citizen Communications, Termly covers Policy generator.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Granicus and Termly actually diverge.

Attributes where Granicus and Termly differ
AttributeGranicusTermly
Starting price$500/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer website per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity
Founded1999Unknown

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 Granicus

  • Citizen Communications
  • Meeting Management
  • Digital Forms
  • Website Management
  • Records Management
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Only in Termly

  • Policy generator
  • Automatic policy updates
  • Consent banner
  • Script auto blocker
  • Cookie scanner
  • Consent log
  • WordPress plugin
  • Do not sell handling

What people use each for

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

Granicus

  • Citizen Servicesnot Termly
  • Records Managementnot Termly
  • Public Safetynot Termly
  • Civic Engagementnot Termly

Termly

  • A small e-commerce shop that needs a privacy policy, terms and a compliant cookie banner before launch without engaging a solicitornot Granicus
  • A freelance web developer standardising the legal and consent layer across client sites, buying a licence per site or an agency arrangementnot Granicus
  • A WordPress site owner who needs scripts blocked before consent and does not have a tag manager set upnot Granicus
  • A US small business newly in scope for a state privacy law that needs a do not sell opt-out on the site quicklynot Granicus

Where each one falls short

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

Granicus

  • Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly available
  • Complex sales process for government agencies
  • Integration with legacy government systems can be challenging

Termly

  • A standard plan licenses one website, so an agency or a business with several brand domains multiplies the headline price by the number of sites and the cheap option stops being cheap at four or five domains.
  • Generated policies are templates conditioned on questionnaire answers, so they describe the data practices you claimed rather than the ones your code performs, and a regulator comparing the policy to actual tracking finds the gap not the vendor.
  • Banner view limits apply on the lower tiers, and a site that spikes in traffic can exhaust its allowance mid month, which is the worst possible moment for consent handling to degrade.
  • It covers websites well but has little for mobile apps, so a company with an iOS and Android app alongside its site needs a second consent mechanism and a second consent record.
  • There is no data mapping, subject rights automation or vendor inventory, so any company that grows into real privacy programme obligations outgrows Termly entirely rather than upgrading within it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Granicus

$500/month
  • Government Starter$500/month
    • Communications Cloud
    • Meeting Management
    • Digital Services

Termly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 basic legal policy
    • 10,000 monthly banner views
    • Cookie consent banner
  • Starter$10/month
    • 2 legal policies
    • 10 policy edits
    • 50,000 monthly banner views
  • Pro Plus$15/month
    • Unlimited banner views
    • Additional legal policies
    • Multilingual banners

Which should you pick?

Choose Granicus if

  • You need citizen communications.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want meeting management.
Granicus review

Choose Termly if

  • You need policy generator.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want automatic policy updates.
Termly review

Questions people ask

Is Granicus or Termly better?
Neither clearly leads. Granicus starts at $500/month and Termly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Granicus or Termly?
Termly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/month for Granicus and Free for Termly.
Does Granicus or Termly run on more platforms?
Granicus runs on Web, Mobile. Termly runs on Web.
Can I use Termly for free?
Yes. Termly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Granicus starts at $500/month.
What is Granicus best used for?
Granicus is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Termly is typically brought in for.
What can Granicus do that Termly cannot?
Granicus covers Citizen Communications, Meeting Management, Digital Forms, Website Management. Termly covers Policy generator, Automatic policy updates, Consent banner, Script auto blocker.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Granicus: How many government agencies use Granicus?

Over 5,500 federal, state, and local government agencies use Granicus, reaching more than 300 million citizen subscribers.

Source
Termly: Does one Termly plan cover all my websites?

No. A standard plan licenses one website. Multiple domains need multiple licences or an agency arrangement, and this is the single most common surprise on the bill.

Granicus: What does Granicus Engagement Cloud provide?

Granicus Engagement Cloud combines government communications, website management, meeting and agenda management, records management, and citizen service digitization.

Source
Termly: Are the generated policies legally sufficient?

They are templates conditioned on your answers and are not legal advice. They are proportionate for a simple site and inadequate where actual data flows are complex or regulated.

Granicus: What are the main features of Granicus?

Granicus provides tools for managing public communications, citizen feedback collection, community event management, online surveys, event registration, and live-streaming capabilities.

Source
Termly: Is there a genuinely free plan?

Yes, one basic policy, one site, 10,000 monthly banner views and quarterly cookie scans, with no card required.

Termly: Does it handle US state privacy opt-outs?

Yes, including a do not sell or share mechanism and regional rule sets, alongside GDPR consent for EU visitors.

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