Softwr

Government · head to head

Periscope Holdings vs TrustArc

Periscope Holdings logo

Periscope Holdings

Government

Statewide e-procurement systems and supplier networks for large public agencies

From
On request
Free plan
No
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

  • Each has a real cost: Periscope Holdings it is scaled and priced for statewide programmes, so a single city or county typically finds both the implementation effort and the cost out of proportion to its needs.; 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: Periscope Holdings covers Sealed bid solicitation, TrustArc covers Nymity Research.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Periscope Holdings and TrustArc actually diverge.

Attributes where Periscope Holdings and TrustArc differ
AttributePeriscope HoldingsTrustArc
CategoryGovernmentCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Periscope Holdings

  • Sealed bid solicitation
  • Supplier registration network
  • Contract catalogues
  • Cooperative purchasing
  • Spend and compliance reporting
  • Supplier diversity tracking

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.

Periscope Holdings

  • A state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entitiesnot TrustArc
  • A large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening recordnot TrustArc
  • A purchasing programme that must report spend and supplier diversity across entitiesnot TrustArc
  • A state wanting local governments to buy from its awarded cooperative contractsnot 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 Periscope Holdings
  • A multinational privacy team that needs a maintained answer to what a given jurisdiction requires without retaining outside counsel for every questionnot Periscope Holdings
  • An organisation running DPIAs at volume that wants templates tied to a maintained regulatory library rather than to a consultant word documentnot Periscope Holdings
  • A privacy programme being audited that needs documented maturity benchmarking against a recognised framework of programme activitiesnot Periscope Holdings

Where each one falls short

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

Periscope Holdings

  • It is scaled and priced for statewide programmes, so a single city or county typically finds both the implementation effort and the cost out of proportion to its needs.
  • The interface reflects the age and regulatory weight of the platform, and suppliers routinely describe registration and bidding as harder than on newer portals, which can suppress bid response.
  • Ownership has changed twice since 2021, from independent to mdf commerce to KKR, so roadmap and support continuity should be written into the contract rather than assumed.
  • Sibling products inside mdf commerce cover adjacent procurement ground, which means an apparently competitive shortlist may contain two products with the same owner.
  • Statewide implementations are multi year projects with heavy configuration and change management, and the professional services cost commonly exceeds the software over the contract term.

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

Periscope Holdings

On request
  • BuySpeed$undefined/year
    • Quoted per programme, scaled to entities served and transaction volume
    • Multi year statewide contracts with implementation priced separately
    • Supplier side registration fees form part of the commercial model on some programmes

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 Periscope Holdings if

  • You need sealed bid solicitation.
  • You also want supplier registration network.
Periscope Holdings review

Choose TrustArc if

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

Questions people ask

Is Periscope Holdings or TrustArc better?
Neither clearly leads. Periscope Holdings starts at On request and TrustArc at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Periscope Holdings or TrustArc?
Periscope Holdings starts at On request and TrustArc at On request.
Does Periscope Holdings or TrustArc run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Periscope Holdings best used for?
Periscope Holdings is most often used for a state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entities, a large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening record, a purchasing programme that must report spend and supplier diversity across entities, a state wanting local governments to buy from its awarded cooperative contracts. Of those, a state building a central procurement portal serving many agencies and local entities and a large agency needing statutory sealed bidding with a public opening record are not what TrustArc is typically brought in for.
What can Periscope Holdings do that TrustArc cannot?
Periscope Holdings covers Sealed bid solicitation, Supplier registration network, Contract catalogues, Cooperative purchasing. TrustArc covers Nymity Research, TRUSTe certification, Consent and preference management, Privacy assessments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Periscope Holdings: Who owns Periscope Holdings?

mdf commerce acquired it in 2021, and mdf commerce was itself acquired by KKR in 2024.

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.

Periscope Holdings: Is it suitable for a single city?

Usually not. It is built and priced for statewide or very large agency programmes.

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.

Periscope Holdings: What is BuySpeed?

The e-procurement platform behind its statewide deployments, covering solicitation through catalogue ordering and reporting.

TrustArc: Is TRUSTe the same company?

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

Periscope Holdings: Can we see what a state paid?

Yes. State procurement awards are public records and typically disclose the full multi year contract value.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Periscope Holdings

More on TrustArc

Keep looking

Other head to heads