The default first approach: a spreadsheet tracker plus a compliance consultant.
For a one-off snapshot, a consultant and a spreadsheet can work — and for genuinely novel legal questions, good AI-law counsel is worth every euro. But the EU AI Act isn't a one-off: classifications change, deadlines roll, evidence has to stay current, and a spreadsheet has no way to prove when or by whom something was done. Conformly turns that ongoing work into living software — deterministic classification, tracked obligations with an evidence vault, generated artifacts and a shareable audit trail — for less than a few days of consulting. Use a consultant for the hard legal calls; use Conformly to run the programme.
Feature-by-feature
How the two compare for EU AI Act compliance specifically.
strong · partial · typically no
- Good counsel is invaluable for genuinely novel or contested legal questions
- No software to adopt for a true one-off assessment
- A human can weigh nuance and context a rule engine won't
- Familiar — everyone can open a spreadsheet
- Ongoing, not one-off: classifications, deadlines and evidence stay current automatically
- A real audit trail — who did what, when — that a spreadsheet can never produce
- Deterministic classification and generated FRIA / Annex IV artifacts, not billed per document
- Fraction of the cost of a consulting engagement, with a price-lock guarantee
- Live the same day, self-hosted in the EU, with a free risk checker to start
- Pairs with counsel — bring the tool's structured output to your lawyer for the hard calls
Pricing & transparency
A consulting engagement is typically billed by the day or project and produces a static deliverable. Conformly is $390 one-time or from $1,490/yr, price-locked — usually less than a few consultant-days, and it keeps working after the invoice is paid.
Frequently asked questions
Can't we just use a spreadsheet for the EU AI Act?
For a single snapshot, maybe. But the Act is ongoing — systems change, deadlines arrive, evidence must stay current — and a spreadsheet has no audit trail, no versioning and no way to prove when something was done. That's exactly the gap purpose-built software fills.
Do we still need a consultant if we use Conformly?
For genuinely novel or contested legal questions, good counsel is worth it. Conformly handles the structured, repeatable programme — classification, obligations, artifacts, deadlines — and gives your lawyer clean output to reason over, so you spend advice budget only where it matters.
Is software overkill for a small team?
Conformly starts at $390 and is live the same day, which is usually cheaper and faster than a consulting engagement — and unlike a one-off report, it stays current as your systems and the rules evolve.
Consultants and spreadsheets give you a snapshot; the EU AI Act demands a living programme. Conformly runs that programme for a fraction of a consulting engagement — and works alongside your counsel, not instead of it. Start with the free risk checker.