Leading SME ESG reporting platforms

The short answer

VSME reporting software costs roughly €600 to €1,600 a year for tools that publish euro prices, such as ExecutESG and ESG Lift. Compliance platforms including Coolset, Greenly and Zevero price by quote, and third-party listings suggest several thousand euros a year. All figures below were checked on 28 September 2026.

VSME is EFRAG’s voluntary standard for SMEs, so no law obliges you to buy software. The pressure usually comes from customers, banks and investors asking for sustainability data. That’s why price matters: for many companies this is a discretionary purchase.

VSME software pricing at a glance

Vendor	Published entry pricing	Basis	Price status
ExecutESG	Core €49/mo · Pro €129/mo · Corporate €490/mo	Monthly billing; annual saves up to 17%; 14-day trial	Published
ESG Lift	€590/yr (1-10 staff) · €890/yr (11-50) · €1,590/yr (up to 250)	Annual, excl. VAT; all tiers include VSME Basic and Comprehensive modules	Published
GoClimate	SEK 7,000 (1-10 staff) up to SEK 24,000 (151-250)	Priced by headcount for a VSME report; billing basis to confirm	Published (SEK)
Coolset	Not published	Quote-based; one third-party listing shows a starting price of €6,000 a year	Quote-based
Greenly	Not published for VSME	Quote-based; one aggregator lists entry-level carbon plans from $3,800 a year (USD)	Quote-based
Zevero	Lite (Scope 1 and 2) from £1,500/yr	Essential, Leading and Premium by quote; one-year minimum	Partly published (GBP)

Third-party figures are reported by listing sites, not confirmed by the vendors.

Vendor-by-vendor pricing

ExecutESG

ExecutESG’s Core plan (€49/month) covers the Basic and Narrative VSME modules, Scope 1 and 2 calculators, PDF and CSV export and one user seat. Pro (€129/month) adds Scope 3 accounting integration, action planning, XBRL and Word exports and up to five team members. The Corporate tier (€490/month) adds a facilitated double materiality assessment and auditor review.

ESG Lift

ESG Lift prices by company size: €590 a year for 1-10 employees, €890 for 11-50 and €1,590 for larger SMEs, all excluding VAT. Every tier includes the Basic and Comprehensive modules and a Scope 1-3 carbon calculator, so headcount is the only pricing variable.

GoClimate

GoClimate sells a VSME report by headcount, from SEK 7,000 for 1-10 employees to SEK 24,000 for 151-250, with no lock-in period. Its strength is pulling emissions figures from your accounting system automatically. The page doesn’t say whether the fee is per report or recurring, so confirm that before comparing it with annual subscriptions.

Coolset

Coolset’s plans page offers a four-week VSME accelerator and guided disclosures, but shows no prices. Every module is quote-based, with onboarding and a 4-week accelerator included and no setup fees. Coolset is built for wider compliance work, so expect pricing to reflect that. CBAM Guide

Greenly

Greenly is a broader carbon accounting and ESG compliance platform, with VSME as one module. Its plans are quote-based, and add-ons such as API integration and SSO are priced separately. Any published figures come from third-party listings and are in US dollars. ERP Research

Zevero

Zevero is primarily a carbon accounting platform rather than a VSME specialist. Its Lite plan (Scope 1 and 2) starts from £1,500 a year, and the fuller plans are quoted. All plans have a one-year minimum, and setup and onboarding are included. An AI-powered ESG reporting service is sold separately from £1,000.

What drives the cost of VSME software

• Company size. ESG Lift and GoClimate price directly by headcount, and others scale with complexity.
• Module depth. The Basic Module (B1-B11) is the entry point. The Comprehensive Module (C1-C9) and narrative disclosures often sit in higher tiers.
• Scope 3 and automation. Scope 1 and 2 calculators are common at entry level. Automated Scope 3 from accounting data usually costs more.
• Integrations. Accounting and ERP connections can be reserved for upper tiers.
• Support level. Some plans include an assigned expert, while self-serve tools don’t.
• Add-ons. Consulting, product footprints or extra frameworks are often billed on top.

Hidden costs: comparing like for like

1. Currency. Prices appear in EUR, GBP, SEK and USD, so convert before comparing.
2. VAT. Check whether the price includes it. ESG Lift’s does not.
3. Billing period. Monthly and annual prices aren’t equivalent. Some vendors discount annual billing.
4. Contract terms. Zevero has a one-year minimum. Others advertise no lock-in.
5. Renewals. Ask whether prices rise at renewal and whether they can be capped.
6. Add-ons. Confirm what’s included, especially exports (XBRL, Word) and Scope 3.

Free vs paid: do you need VSME software?

Not necessarily. EFRAG publishes a free VSME Excel template, and some vendors advertise free or low-cost entry tiers. A spreadsheet works for a single-entity company reporting once. Software starts to pay off when you report annually, have several data sources, or receive repeated requests from customers and banks. The Excel route also carries a real cost in staff time.

For comparison, one vendor states that consultancies typically charge between €5,000 and €15,000 to compile a basic SME ESG report. That is a vendor claim, so treat it as indicative.

FAQ

How much does VSME reporting software cost?
Tools with published euro prices run from roughly €590 to €1,600 a year. Quote-based platforms don’t publish prices, so request a written quote.

Is there free VSME reporting software?
EFRAG’s Excel template is free. Some vendors offer free tiers or trials, but terms change, so verify on the vendor’s site.

Is VSME reporting mandatory?
No. VSME is a voluntary standard developed by EFRAG. Demand typically comes from customers, lenders and investors.

Why don’t all vendors publish prices?
Many platforms sell by quote because scope varies with company size, modules and support. It makes like-for-like comparison harder, so ask for written quotes on the same scope.

Does the price include Scope 3?
It depends. ESG Lift includes a Scope 1-3 calculator in all tiers, while ExecutESG offers automated Scope 3 in its Pro plan.

Which tool is cheapest?
Among published prices, ESG Lift and ExecutESG Core are close at around €590 a year. The right choice depends on your size, data sources and reporting needs, so see our VSME software comparison

How we compiled this

Prices were taken from vendor pricing pages on 28 September 2026. Where a vendor publishes no price, we say so and label any third-party figure as unverified.

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