Simply Stakeholders vs Tractivity: Which is best for stakeholder engagement?

In this section, we provide a head-to-head comparison of Simply Stakeholders and Tractivity across compliance and security, user experience, support, communication management and data analysis.

1.  Track stakeholder complaints and issues

Tractivity is built for the accountability, transparency and reporting expectations of government, public sector and regulated industries. Its Enquiry and Commitment Tracking module logs commitments, agreements, mitigations, actions and regulatory obligations, assigns an owner and monitors each through to completion, with configurable reminders on due dates.

A detailed Engagement and Issues Timeline builds an auditable record of interactions, concerns and decisions, supporting FOI responses, scrutiny panels and internal governance reviews. More than 150 pre-built and configurable reports, AI dashboards and exports to Word, Excel and PDF on every subscription let teams produce evidence-based reporting for cabinet briefings, public consultations, regulatory submissions and senior leadership updates.

Simply Stakeholders publishes complaints management from its Plus plan, logging complaints centrally, applying issue tags automatically, tracking custom resolution steps, sending overdue notifications and offering an embeddable grievance portal for your website. Commitments tracking is also a separate module from Plus, and their reporting page cites full audit records of interactions, issues, responses and attachments.

The difference is scope rather than presence: with Tractivity, complaints, commitments and system-wide activity logging are included in one subscription rather than gated by plan, so one audit trail covers topics, projects, policy areas and decision-making processes without a tier upgrade.

2. Communication & Outreach

When it comes to communication outreach, both platforms provide native tools. The difference is which tools sit in the platform, and at which plan level.

Tractivity includes native modules for newsletters, event management and stakeholder communications. The newsletter tool lets teams create, send and track communications without exporting data or relying on a third-party email system. The event management module adds RSVP tracking and attendance management, with Microsoft Teams meeting creation and Outlook and Google Calendar sync.

Because these capabilities are native to Tractivity, most teams do not need a separate newsletter, survey or event tool alongside it, which means fewer subscriptions to renew and fewer places engagement records live. Tractivity does integrate with Microsoft Teams, Outlook and Mapolitical, with a Power BI integration due in autumn 2026.

Simply Stakeholders publishes native email outreach, SMS messaging and survey forms, with RSVP, open and click tracking and built-in unsubscribe handling. Two differences are worth checking against your requirements: their bulk email and SMS outreach, webforms and surveys start at the Plus plan rather than the entry Core plan, and they publish no event management module or calendar sync. With Tractivity, all of it is included on every subscription.

3. Security, permissions and governance

Security is a critical requirement for government bodies and large organisations. Tractivity provides user activity logging, Single Sign On (SSO) and MFA support, and granular role-based access control (RBAC), so teams can collaborate across departments and give contractors or third-party partners controlled, scoped access. Its security posture is reinforced through annual penetration testing by a CREST-approved organisation, hosting on Microsoft Azure with UK South as the default region, and ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials Plus certification.

Simply Stakeholders publishes ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2, AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, SSO and MFA on every plan including Okta login, advanced role-based permissions on its Pro plan, confidentiality levels by user role and project group, and regular third-party penetration testing without publishing a cadence. It maintains a public Vanta trust page. The difference for a UK public sector buyer is the certification set rather than the security model. Tractivity holds Cyber Essentials Plus, is audited annually against the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit and is listed on G-Cloud 14. We found no Cyber Essentials Plus, no NHS DSPT and no G-Cloud listing for Simply Stakeholders or for Darzin Software, checked on the Digital Marketplace on 3 August 2026. Where a procurement requires any of those three, that is the deciding factor.

4. Platform Accessibility compliance

Tractivity supports organisations across the UK in managing and engaging stakeholders. English and Welsh are available as standard, set at account level, so teams can work in the platform and communicate with stakeholders bilingually. The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 place duties on many organisations to provide communications in Welsh rather than in English alone, and Tractivity is built to support those duties.

Tractivity currently meets WCAG 2.2 Level A, with Level AA on track for 2026. Our accessibility statement sets out the current conformance level and the roadmap. The UK Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 require WCAG 2.1 Level AA, so ask any supplier for its published conformance level and roadmap in writing, and ask us the same.

The platform is suitable for national, regional and local government bodies, as well as public sector organisations of all sizes across the UK and EU. Tractivity is GDPR and UK GDPR compliant, which simplifies managing email opt-ins, privacy preferences and stakeholder communications in one place. Data is hosted in Microsoft Azure, with UK South as the default region and EEA and other regions available on request.

Simply Stakeholders publishes GDPR compliance, privacy controls and Microsoft Azure hosting with regions for the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA. On accessibility, its own published position is that WCAG compliance is in progress, with no version or conformance level stated, and there is no accessibility statement or VPAT on its site. On languages, it publishes "multiple languages" and its own comparison page names English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. It publishes nothing on Welsh. For an organisation with duties under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, that is the difference to check, and both suppliers should be asked to confirm their published conformance level and language support in writing.

5. AI data privacy and model training

Tractivity's AI tools are opt-in and built to support engagement workflows without changing how stakeholder data is handled. AI Sentiment analyses communications and flags positive, negative or neutral sentiment for attention, and AI Summarise condenses lengthy engagement notes into clear, decision-ready summaries.

Simply Stakeholders also incorporates AI within its platform, including sentiment analysis and AI-generated summaries of engagement records, and published an AI Policy, version 1.0.0, dated 6 July 2026. It states that customer data is not used to train Simply Stakeholders, Microsoft, OpenAI or any third-party AI models, and that this is contractually enforced through Microsoft's Data Processing Addendum. The policy also documents a use case register, per-field AI controls, a 48-hour Microsoft retention limit and regional processing. One point a UK public body may want to raise with them: their privacy impact assessment is stated against the Australian Privacy Act 1988 rather than UK GDPR, and their contracting entity is Darzin Software Pty Ltd.

Tractivity takes the same position on model training and contracts in the UK. Our AI runs in Tractivity's own Microsoft Azure environment, with Azure OpenAI acting solely as a data processor, and client data is not used to train AI models. Because the tools are opt-in, you choose which parts of your engagement record they apply to.

6. Reporting and deep analysis

Tractivity ships a library of more than 150 pre-built and configurable reports, covering issue trends, stakeholder sentiment, engagement activity, consultation outcomes and stakeholder mapping, with exports to Word, Excel and PDF on every subscription so reports can be shared across teams, committees and leadership groups.

Beyond the report library, a Microsoft Power BI integration is due in autumn 2026. It will let organisations access their full raw dataset and build custom dashboards, charts and data tables for their own reporting needs, and share those dashboards with colleagues. Until it ships, raw data is available through exports to Word, Excel and PDF on every subscription.

Simply Stakeholders publishes pre-built dashboards, custom dashboards and charts, named templates such as a Regulatory Report, and scheduled report delivery, with exports to CSV and PDF. It does not publish a report count, and it does not publish a named business intelligence connector; its documented route to raw data is its API, which is available on its Pro plan. Tractivity ships more than 150 pre-built and configurable reports, exports to Word, Excel and PDF on every subscription, and a Microsoft Power BI integration due in autumn 2026. If board-level or cross-departmental analysis matters to you, ask both suppliers how you get at your raw data and on which plan.

7. Customer support, onboarding and ongoing development

Every Tractivity subscription includes hands-on onboarding, configuration and tailored training at no additional cost, typically completed in four to six weeks, followed by ongoing support that combines technical assistance with practical advice on adoption.

Tractivity also hosts regular events and workshops where clients meet other users, share experience and feed directly into the development of new features, alongside a knowledge hub of past webinars, guidance articles and answers to common questions about the platform.

Simply Stakeholders publishes in-app, email, phone and chat support, a dedicated Customer Success Executive from the start, and no cap on the amount of support you get. The difference lies in sector-specific depth. Tractivity's customer success team includes certified practitioners through the UK Consultation Institute, with direct experience advising public bodies and regulated organisations on consultation strategy, UK and EU compliance requirements and data governance. This level of expertise can be particularly valuable for teams navigating complex public sector engagement for the first time.

Another distinction is location and published hours. Simply Stakeholders is headquartered in Chatswood, New South Wales, and publishes a London address and contact numbers for the UK and EU, Australia, and the US and Canada, but it publishes no support hours or time zones for any region, and a Service SLA appears only on its Pro plan. Tractivity's client success and technical teams are UK-based, work UK and EU hours, and every subscription includes a named UK Client Success Manager and a managed SLA. Ask both suppliers to put their support hours and response targets in writing.

8. Transparent pricing for subscriptions

Tractivity offers a single subscription from £9,495 per year in the UK and from €10,995 in Ireland, covering all core modules, features and future upgrades with no hidden extras or data restrictions. The Engage-360 public portal is priced separately. There are no feature tiers, no module charges and no restrictions on storage, communication volume or the amount of time you spend with your dedicated Client Success Manager, who is UK-based and works UK and EU hours. Additional user licences are charged, so ask for a quote based on the number of people who need access.

Everything included as standard covers surveys and newsletters, event management with RSVP and attendance tracking, and more than 150 pre-built and configurable reports. That means most teams can consolidate separate survey, newsletter and event subscriptions into one platform rather than licensing them individually.

In contrast, Simply Stakeholders publishes three plans, Core, Plus and Pro, but no prices. Pricing is per user, billed annually, with optional modules added on, so the total depends on plan, modules and user count. Several capabilities Tractivity includes as standard start above their entry tier: geographical mapping, complaints management, commitments tracking, webforms and surveys, and SMS and email outreach begin at Plus, while API access, advanced role-based permissions, a named account manager, quarterly account reviews and a Service SLA sit on Pro. Working out the total cost of ownership therefore takes a conversation rather than a page visit.

Beyond pricing clarity, clients report meaningful time savings on reporting and administration. Based on customer-reported outcomes, Tractivity's business case records an average 20% improvement in stakeholder management efficiency, equating to approximately £5,000 to £8,200 per professional per year. Our ROI of Engagement Calculator lets a team put its own numbers behind that.

Where Tractivity is the stronger fit for UK and EU public sector teams

Tractivity delivers everything organisations need in one secure, compliant and fully integrated system. It combines communication tools, a library of more than 150 pre-built and configurable reports, a Microsoft Power BI integration shipping autumn 2026, bilingual English and Welsh communication to support the Welsh Language Standards, WCAG 2.2 Level A accessibility with Level AA on track for 2026, GDPR and UK GDPR compliance, and a single subscription with no paid add-ons within the SRM licence. Every core feature, from surveys and newsletters to event management, sentiment analysis and stakeholder mapping, is built directly into the platform, ensuring organisations can manage day-to-day engagement without relying on external tools or complex integrations.

Simply Stakeholders is a capable platform with strong AI and analysis features and an established enterprise client base, and it publishes UK Azure hosting and ISO 27001 certification. The differences that matter for a UK public sector buyer are specific rather than general: Cyber Essentials Plus, an annually audited NHS DSPT submission, a G-Cloud 14 listing, support hours published in UK time, Welsh language communications, and event management with RSVP, attendance tracking and calendar sync. Tractivity provides all six; we could find none of them published for Simply Stakeholders when we checked on 3 August 2026.

Tractivity's UK-based customer success team, certified practitioners through the UK Consultation Institute and hands-on onboarding are the reasons clients give for choosing us. If you are weighing the two, ask both suppliers for their published accessibility conformance level, their support hours in your time zone, and which capabilities sit in which plan.