Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Diligent Boards
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Today’s directors need fast, informed decision-making and seamless governance workflows. Diligent Boards automates board and committee meeting creation, streamlines preparation and enhances collaboration with secure, integrated tools. More broadly, Diligent solutions provide a growth trajectory on the path to good governance and bundle capabilities that support the evolution of forward-looking boards and leadership teams. Save time by digitizing meeting materials and…N/A
Microsoft 365
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.
$5
Per User Per Month
Pricing
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Business Basic
$5.00
Per User Per Month
Individual
$5.84
*Per Month
Business - Apps
$8.25
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - F3
$10.00
Per User Per Month
Business Standard
$12.50
Per User Per Month
Business Premium
$20.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E3
$32.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E5
$57.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiligent Board Plans include... Essential: Built for organizations looking to embrace governance best practices and digital transformation Pro: Built for organizations that are looking to embrace end-to-end security around key governance processes like board meeting preparation, communication, and questionnaires. Enterprise: For high performing boards looking to maximize effectiveness of committees and prepare for proxy season.*When billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Considered Both Products
Diligent Boards
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We only use Diligent Boards.
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Computershare GEMSᵖᵐ (OPTRACK)
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Been a customer for over 10 years since I've compared. We moved away less than 2 years from implementing the old portal. Been happy ever since.
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I have not used anything other than Diligent Boards.
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Diligent Boards, light years ahead of boardpaq. There’s no comparison for how much easier Diligent Boards is to use.
Chose Diligent Boards
I am not able to provide a comparison at the present time. It was not recent that I have had experience using the other product. This was several years ago and when I worked for a different organization.
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It’s overall great work supporting us and collecting the minutes and time of all agendas, it’s supporting me with how I complete my work, and so forth.
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BoardEffect has been very instrumental in helping our boards and committees.
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Again. Civic plus. Yours is easier. To add, remove, and relocate items and Civic classes, bulk gear, then board dots. Also if the class doesn’t have the same feature that you do.
Chose Diligent Boards
Went from Board Docs and did not feel a better option than Community.
Chose Diligent Boards
I haven't worked with anyone else. I was responsible to look for a board application that would work best for our board and executive management. I had it down to 3 different companies and I chose Diligent Boards because of the simplicity of the layout. Easy to map it out. …
Chose Diligent Boards
None of the other products I have looked at have the ability to link papers across books so they have all been dismissed by me.
Chose Diligent Boards
Our CISO and governance executive explored options and decided Diligent was a good balance of functionality, cost and security.
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Diligent Boards has superior functionalities to both of these, however, for organisations which have only a few subsidiaries, Diligent may prove too expensive as it is geared towards larger companies.
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We have reviewed all credible products in the market as we prepare to exit our diligent relationship. Although some products were stronger than others, I would have chosen any one of them over Diligent. They are all lower cost and better.
Chose Diligent Boards
BoardPAC doesn't have the same features. And doesn't allow as much functionality as Diligent. We also have Directors who utilise Diligent across the different Boards they sit on, and this allows them to use one application to access all their information, thereby streamlining …
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This was the first time we've used an app for our board.
Chose Diligent Boards
Diligent Entities is already great, as I used it before Diligent Boards, and it was very helpful and very cost-effective as a product provided to my previous team that used it. So I can only vouch for the platform and note that Diligent Boards is also fantastic. It certainly is.
Chose Diligent Boards
It provides better features than competitors.
Microsoft 365
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 gives us a better offline experience, with the ability to have everything on my local device, but with automatic data sync to OneDrive when connected to the internet. The same with Outlook with a local version of the data. Many other systems use their "online" …
Chose Microsoft 365
Compared to the g-suite Microsoft 365 is so much more universally used. I think it has a way further reach and is easier for everyone to use. It is the basic standard in our business and I’d expect that in most places. I can always transfer my skills and everything is …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 works together well with other apps and performs well as it is the standard setter in many settings. Salesforce is good at what it excels and functions at. The two products do not compete in the same field and are good complementary tools to achieve project …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft is leaps and bounds ahead of these product suites and is an ecosystem unto itself, except for Google Workspace, which offers more features in its online versions than Office Online.
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft is the most business friendly especially in the business sector. In the education sector it is not as popular but still wield a ton of respect. Microsoft has their strengths and often has more features than the typically user would need, which is both a strength and …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is better in the fact that it doesn't try to upsell you daily. Adobe is always trying to get me to go premium.
Chose Microsoft 365
Typically I prefer working with companies with Microsoft 365 as their main tool because they're usually a fast growing company with a global presence. I like using it for work because it's easy to collaborate, share, review, comment, reply in any of the tools. The mobile app …
Chose Microsoft 365
I chose Microsoft 365 because the license includes cloud storage, which OpenOffice, even though it's free, doesn't offer. I also chose it for its customization capabilities for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other types of internal documents. In addition, it has …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsofts teams is far better than google meet application. It is easy to use. Better voice and video quality on teams application. Seamlessly it will work for online meetings. Mobile app is also very good.
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 has a strong incumbency moat, where it can be more readily assumed that people know how to use it relative to other options in market.

Chose Microsoft 365
Reduced compatibility with Office documents.
Chose Microsoft 365
It is one of a kind in my eyes.
Chose Microsoft 365
BTE, this search bar is not the best; I couldn't find Google Suite. In any case, it's challenging to find a suite with advanced tools that serves as an office. Google comes close, no one uses OpenOffice (hyperbole), and there isn't much else to use. If you add to that the …
Chose Microsoft 365
In my opinion Microsoft 365 is the most complete out of the bunch because of the cloud and desktop apps, the easy expandability it brings in combination with Azure and Entra/Intune. I must say that Google Workspace is a close contender but the desktop apps are less complete in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Thunderbird is very nice tool but in my case not used because I have several issues with his calendar.
Zoom is very good tool, providing you low band usage and good video and sound quality.
I have tested OpenOffice but not nice UI experience.
Chose Microsoft 365
Its very user-friendly, collaborative and efficient that boosts productivity using cloud tools. their security is strong and it provides data protection. There are regular updates that shields us from attackers too. It offers a wealth of learning resources, including tutorials, …
Chose Microsoft 365
All the features in Microsoft Office 365 are better than any other product in the market except the protection feature. This is the only weakness in Microsoft 365 where had to stop their protection and buy Proofpoint Advanced Threat Protection.

The Exchange Online feature is …
Chose Microsoft 365
Device compatibility and enterprise level voice isn't as readily available with Google Voice.
Chose Microsoft 365
Google sheets is better for sharing and collaborative editing. Versioning of the same file is also one of Google Sheets strong points.
Microsoft 365 is better for working with local files. It is much easier to store the file in multiple places and backup multiple versions in …
Chose Microsoft 365
I really don't know of anything that is a competitor for Microsoft 365 - that's both good and bad.
Chose Microsoft 365
I used to like Google more than Microsoft because I used it more, but now I think they are very similar. I am able to use both on my phone, both have Clouds, and both have synced calendars, documents, and sheets. The reason I use Microsoft is [that] my company uses it, and I …
Chose Microsoft 365
Google Sheets, doesn't give me the same flexibility that Excel does. I have been frustrated when trying to work in Sheets to build complex spreadsheets. It is easier to manipulate and the spreadsheet can still be shared with a team member when cooperation needs to be had in …
Chose Microsoft 365
Compared to Docs & Sheets, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Sheets offer more functionality. Notepad is almost always pre-installed on Microsoft Word-enabled computers. This alternative to Microsoft Word isn't as robust, but it's free. Microsoft Publisher is incompatible with Adobe …
Chose Microsoft 365
I was not in charge of choosing Microsoft 365, but I have used Google Drive extensively in the past. Google Drive and OneDrive are VERY similar. you can hook them up to your file explorer and share links, auto-sync files, and access them on your mobile/tablet, etc. Google Docs …
Chose Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Google Drive have a very similar structure. Both have apps that can provide the same performance. For example, Google Docs and Microsoft Word are alike. Likewise, Google Sheets and Excel, Google Meet and Teams, Google Slide and …
Best Alternatives
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Small Businesses
Dropbox DocSend
Dropbox DocSend
Score 8.3 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Dropbox DocSend
Dropbox DocSend
Score 8.3 out of 10
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(0 ratings)
8.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Diligent BoardsMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
We had a meeting and after the meeting, additional information was added to the book and it was easy to navigate just the information that was update. This made it efficient when we had a follow-up meeting to discuss the updates and be able to reference the updated information. This allowed us to have an effective meeting with a purpose.
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Microsoft 365 would be well suited for medium to large enterprises. This is where there are several hundreds or thousands of people. Since most everyone has used one of the applications the learning curve would be reduced. Another reason would be the ability to implement security measures to prevent access to sensitive data. This could justify the cost of an Enterprise license.
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Pros
  • The confidential sandbox is a must, and Diligent Boards provides that environment. Most of the info we put on the diligent board is not downloadable and printable.
  • It is very easy to make notes, highlights important info and bookmark pages. I used these functions all the time.
  • Its excellent organization features.
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  • Chat with teams and the integrations with the other apps, and many more smaller ones, like to-dos, news, and the recent Outlook integration.
  • Easy embedding on SharePoint to broadcast all the content created in the different tools.
  • The office package is still robust with the good things from the past and new additions.
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Cons
  • not so easy to handle access when we have to arrange a specific, non-standard set up of access: sometimes we have to limit the access to one or few of the members of a particular book
  • calendar function will be useful, but it is an additional cost
  • flexible view options: vertical vs. horizontal
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  • Fix Outlook. It crashes constantly, uses way too many resources, and freezes to the point that I need to shut it down in the Task Manager.
  • Excel could use an easier numbering function. I used to drag down, and it would number the cells ascending. Somewhere, it lost this function and just copied the same number down the column, which is kind of useless.
  • Someone needs to create (and include) a quick and easy cheat sheet for commonly used formulas. It would be nice if a drop-down would let you choose a formula (without all the prior programming).
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Likelihood to Renew
We find the Boards portal to be an effective tool for our board meeting documents. It is user friendly and allows for amendments, additions as needed without compromising documents that have already been uploaded. Additionally, our Board members are comfortable with the platform and confident in their ability to navigate it.
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I am completely satisfied with the product, and helps me on a daily basis. I do not the exact cost (it is not a cheap suite) but on the medium and long term the return on investment is guaranteed.
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Usability
Again, it is a very easy program to use. What would I change… There’s some features in the agenda that I would like to have. The ability to add different bullets underneath items. the ability to do an AYE vote. Because sometimes they don’t individually vote, my superintendent or School Board chair will say I’ll say hi or I’ll say, and it would be really nice to have a button that automatically fills for that.
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Because it's efficient and cost effective. I can work offline even when there is no Internet or I'm travelling. I am able to meet deadlines because it is user friendly which makes it easy to use. I make good use of the cloud storage as well so I have all my files in one place.
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Reliability and Availability
Great service!
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Yes pages load quickly challenges are only experienced when the network challenge is on the user's side.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
The turnaround time is great, and the customer support team usually resolves queries in one go. However, customer support can improve by suggesting additional helpful activities to improve user experience, rather than limiting it to the specific requests made. Overall, it has been a positive experience with the customer support team.
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Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
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Online Training
Comprehensive. I didn’t feel like I was confused or didn’t have the knowledge to begin using Diligent Boards immediately
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
easy implementation process
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Everything works and I use it all the time.
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Alternatives Considered
Diligent Entities is already great, as I used it before Diligent Boards, and it was very helpful and very cost-effective as a product provided to my previous team that used it. So I can only vouch for the platform and note that Diligent Boards is also fantastic. It certainly is.
Read full review
Microsoft 365 works together well with other apps and performs well as it is the standard setter in many settings. Salesforce is good at what it excels and functions at. The two products do not compete in the same field and are good complementary tools to achieve project management goals and tasks.
Read full review
Scalability
It is really worth it.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Diligent has improved the time spent on training new board members as the app is user-friendly and self-explanatory, especially for IT-savvy Directors.
  • The app has cut down the cost of sending notifications to directors on material added on the app, as directors automatically receive notifications as soon as material is available.
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  • 1600+ users have adopted Microsoft 365 in our company. We even created enablement sharepoint pages for every department and for new hires to go to as the source of truth or see what ERGs to join.
  • Huge time saved with the meeting scheduling assistant especially when trying to book time with busy leaders.
  • Copilots meeting summaries and email summaries are amazing. We can even use your own AI within Teams and ask it questions about our customer accounts, HR questions, etc. right within the Teams platform.
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ScreenShots

Diligent Boards Screenshots

Screenshot of collaboration on sensitive documents across the organisation in preparation for the board meeting, while safeguarding information in Diligent’s secure ecosystem.Screenshot of an additional layer of security to known processes with key integrations like Microsoft 365. Documents can be shared and users can collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders.Screenshot of the centralized platform where users can take, record, review and share minutes.Screenshot of board evaluations and questionnaires.Screenshot of D&O questionnaire requirements, which are managed in a single application experience.Screenshot of communication with leadership teams. This occurs in real-time on an encrypted, uncluttered channel to signify importance and urgency.