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Obsidian Security has a free entry point, but its paid pricing is not published on the vendor's site. One Reddit thread describes its visibility as useful while questioning whether shadow SaaS discovery does enough to support cleanup. The alternatives below cover adjacent needs—AI access governance, vendor risk, compliance and identity investigations. None is established here as a like-for-like replacement for Obsidian’s SaaS and AI visibility, so compare them against the specific work you need to fix.
01Why people leave Obsidian Security
Inventory without cleanup
One Reddit commenter says shadow SaaS discovery can leave teams with a large inventory and manual triage instead of a remediation loop.
Unclear activity and ownership
A Reddit thread asks whether alternatives can show who owns an app, whether it is active, and what breaks if access is revoked.
Paid costs remain unknown
The pricing page notes a free entry point, but does not publish Obsidian Security’s paid pricing or plan limits.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- AI access governance
TranscendTranscendConsider Transcend if your reason for leaving is specifically AI agent access or data-use controls. Its listed focus includes governing AI agent access, enforcing data-use policies, and automating consent and data subject requests. That is a narrower, adjacent use case—not evidence that it replaces Obsidian’s SaaS inventory, app behavior monitoring, or OAuth cleanup.
Trade-off: Pricing and plan limits are not published; its focus is broader data governance, not SaaS discovery.
5.4/10from
Custom - Vendor assessments
WhisticWhisticWhistic may fit if your team’s main concern is third-party risk rather than finding and remediating shadow SaaS. Its listed workflows cover vendor assessments, security documentation, and monitoring. The listing notes a free plan, but does not publish pricing details, so confirm what is included and whether it addresses your vendor review process before switching.
Trade-off: Not listed as a SaaS or OAuth discovery tool; pricing beyond the free plan is not published.
6.2/10from
Freefree plan - Governance and risk
Diligent One PlatformDiligent One PlatformDiligent One Platform is worth considering when the replacement project is really about consolidating governance and GRC workflows. Its listed coverage includes board meeting workflows and vendor and cyber risk. That may suit organizations trying to bring risk work into one platform, but the published information does not position it as a tool for SaaS usage discovery or access revocation.
Trade-off: No published price, and it is not presented as a SaaS visibility replacement.
5.5/10from
Custom - Compliance and vendor risk
VantaVantaVanta is a better fit if you are leaving because compliance work, security questionnaires, or vendor risk management matter more than SaaS inventory. Its listed capabilities span several compliance workflows and recurring questionnaires. The published information does not say it covers Obsidian’s SaaS or AI visibility, so evaluate it as a GRC alternative rather than a direct substitute.
Trade-off: Pricing is not public; smaller teams may not need its broader tooling.
6.4/10from
Custom - Enterprise GRC
AnecdotesAnecdotesAnecdotes is aimed at enterprises managing multiple GRC programs, broad framework coverage, and vendor risk workflows. It may make sense if Obsidian is being replaced as part of a wider risk-program consolidation, not if your core problem is identifying dormant OAuth grants or unmanaged apps. The pricing page also notes included AI, but gives no detail on its scope.
Trade-off: Pricing is undisclosed, and there is no relevant user feedback in the published information.
6.3/10from
Custom - Identity investigations
CLEARCLEARCLEAR is only a fit if your team’s underlying need is investigative research, identity verification, or batch alerts. Those are its listed workflows; the published information does not connect them to SaaS discovery, OAuth grants, or app remediation. Treat it as an adjacent option for identity investigations, not a replacement for Obsidian’s SaaS security visibility.
Trade-off: Pricing is opaque, and a one-year contract is listed as a buying risk.
6.3/10from
Custom
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Obsidian Security Obsidian Security (current) | 6.6 | Free | Yes | Teams tracking AI agents and integrations |
| Transcend Transcend | 5.4 | Custom | No | Enterprises governing AI agent access |
| Whistic Whistic | 6.2 | Free | Yes | Teams managing vendor assessments |
| Diligent One Platform Diligent One Platform | 5.5 | Custom | No | Organizations consolidating governance and GRC tools |
| Vanta Vanta | 6.4 | Custom | No | Teams managing several compliance workflows |
| Anecdotes Anecdotes | 6.3 | Custom | No | Enterprises managing multiple GRC programs |
| CLEAR CLEAR | 6.3 | Custom | No | Investigative research teams |
Questions people ask
Which alternative is closest to Obsidian Security?
The published options do not establish a like-for-like replacement for Obsidian’s SaaS and AI visibility. Transcend covers AI agent access and data-use policies; Whistic covers vendor assessments. Choose based on the workflow you need to replace, then ask vendors to demonstrate activity, ownership, access risk, and safe revocation on your own examples.
Does Obsidian Security have a free plan?
The pricing page identifies a free entry point for Obsidian Security, but its paid pricing and plan limits are not published there. Confirm what the free plan includes and request paid pricing before comparing total cost with alternatives. The alternatives’ the pricing page also leave several prices undisclosed.
What should we verify before switching from Obsidian?
Test your real cleanup questions with each vendor: can it show who owns an app, whether it is active, what an OAuth grant can access, and what could break if you revoke it? A Reddit commenter warns that inventory alone can leave manual triage to your team. Confirm the exact workflows and plan limits before signing.