Key Takeaways:
- There are many carbon accounting options out there, but the right fit will effectively integrate reduction strategies into existing company structures.
- Whether you’re an esteemed sustainability leader or a first-time learner or, there are real-world tools available for long-term environmental management.
- While Persefoni offers an affordable and accessible solution for many businesses, it’s not ideal for all companies, so check our up-to-date list below.
Today, businesses of all sizes are turning to carbon accounting software to measure and manage their environmental impact.
The platforms allow companies to reduce, analyse and track their emissions, pinpointing high-emission areas to set reduction targets and drive progress.
Persefoni is one of the most well-known carbon accounting platforms on the market. We’ve compiled this list because the best-known option isn’t always the best fit.
Before beginning your carbon accounting journey, it’s important to find the platform suited to your businesses’ scale, geography, industry, budget, and goals.
And with a sea of options out there, this can be confusing. See our best Persefoni alternatives below, for a clear, no-nonsense breakdown of the best options in 2026.
What Is Persefoni?
Persefoni is a carbon accounting platform that automates GHG calculations and disclosures.
Robust analytics and reporting capabilities allow users to make data-driven decisions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
Pros and Cons of Persefoni
A unique perk of Persefoni is that it offers a free tier for basic carbon accounting.
The extensive initial setup and data preparation process can be challenging, consuming significant time and resources.
Requires a steep learning curve, meaning it’s not that intuitive for beginners.
Persefoni is a great choice for investment firms, banks, or businesses tracking financed emissions. Persefoni’s more granular approach can require weeks of setup.
Why Companies Might Want a Persefoni Alternative
Persefoni can be a great choice for some companies, but not all. With Scope 3 reporting shifting more into the focus of carbon policies, companies might seek software where supply chain emissions are a priority even within the lower priced tiers.
How We Chose the Best Persefoni Alternatives
To formulate our list, we conducted thorough analysis into a broad range of key carbon accounting platforms. Varying largely in terms of quality, interface, pricing, scope, and more, we’ve selected the best options on the market in 2026.
The Top 5 Persefoni Alternatives
1. Gaia
Gaia is a UK-built, London-based AI carbon accounting software covering Scope 1, 2 and 3.
Built around the UK frameworks, with SECR and DEFRA/DESNZ as standard, they cover CSRD, Ghg Protocol and B Corp to accommodate a wide variety of businesses wanting to lower emissions and achieve net zero targets.
Key Features
- G.AI document extraction, drag and drop CSVs, PDFs, Excel, auto-extracts data
- Automated SECR report generation at click of a button
- Anomaly detection across millions of data points
- Carbon Reduction Plan included in Pro tier
- Natural Capital Marketplace, with over £1.4bn in verified carbon credits
- Scope 3 data completion tool, filling gaps using AI to up to 80% accuracy
- Integrations with ERPs and accounting software
Pros
- No setup costs, no hidden fees, one annual licence
- Easy to use, built by UX/UI experts
- DEFRA/DESNZ factors built in as standard
- Free trial available
Cons
- Gaia doesn’t offer a free plan, with prices competitively starting at £300/month.
- As a newer platform geared for the latest carbon policies, their smaller customer base is less established than global competitors.
Gaia vs Persefoni
While Gaia is built natively for the UK market, and broader markets, Persefoni doesn’t have DEFRA or SECR support.
Persefoni requires a lot more setup time compared to Gaia’s mere week, however Persefoni’s financed emissions bear much more complexity than Gaia’s.
For banks and investment firms, Persefoni is the obvious choice. If you’re after a quick and transparent UK-compliant software, Gaia is an affordable go-to.
Persefoni is one of the only platforms with a free plan, making them largely accessible to a wide range of companies. That being said, Gaia’s lowest tier covers much more ground from the start, and is only £300/month.
Best For
At Gaia, our carbon accounting software is a great fit for a variety of businesses, with frameworks from SECR and DEFRA to CSRD and ESRS covering UK compliance through to international reporting.
We’re affordable, accessible, and produce detailed reports in a click, making us ideal for startups all the way to enterprises.
2. Greenly
Greenly is a French carbon accounting startup, founded in 2019.
Measuring emissions across all scopes, software is aimed at mid-market and SMEs, starting from around £3,000/year, and up to £9,000 for the upper tier.
Most popular in France and Europe, Greenly is user-friendly, and covers CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), SBTi (Science-Based Targets Initiative), and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project).
Key Features
- Greenly’s software offers a library of more than 300,000 emission factors, with tens of thousands of monetary and supplier-specific measures alone. As a result, outputs are built from more reliable data, and reports are more credible.
- Their AI anomaly detection spots statistical errors early on to prevent time-consuming reworks down the line.
- Moreover, Greenly’s supplier engagement tools can send automated data requests to countless suppliers at once, cutting admin and tackling one of the hardest areas to measure in carbon accounting.
Pros
- Greenly is a well-rounded software with a slick interface capable of over 100 integrations from Xero to Workiva.
- Designed for non-experts, it features a fast onboarding process to gauge carbon footprints with speed.
Cons
- With ADEME and CSRD at its core, Greenly is a European-first platform, with UK compliance as secondary.
- The Scope 3 automation can be limited at entry-level price tiers, meaning users may have to expand their budget for a full understanding of their carbon footprint.
- Some users also report needing significant internal checks in order to validate data outputs.
Greenly vs Persefoni
Persefoni integrates specialist frameworks into the core of their model, such as the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), built for banks and investors.
Greenly is also significantly quicker than Persefoni, with their EcoPilot AI automatically pulling data, while Persefoni’s can require more rigorous and granular collection of data.
Best For
Persefoni is best for asset managers, large enterprises and financial institutions, while Greenly is built for SMEs or mid-market businesses.
3. Normative
Normative is a Stockholm-based company founded in 2014, one of the original platforms for carbon accounting and early to the market.
Key Features
- Their science-based carbon calculation engine draws on 349,000+ emission factors from over 20 scientific databases.
- An AI assistant provides automatic customer service without waiting for human service.
- Users can invest in carbon credit projects directly from the platform.
Pros
- Their Climate Strategy team boasts a 100% success record helping businesses get their targets validated by SBTi.
- They are independently verified by TÜV SÜD, a German independent testing and certification body.
Cons
- With a narrow focus on carbon, Normative falls short if you were looking to gauge a wider ESG focus of your company.
- Setup can include significant amounts of manual data entry.
Normative vs Persefoni
Persefoni was founded in 2020 and is significantly newer than Normative, which is one of the oldest platforms in the carbon accounting space, founded in 2014.
As a result, Normative has had over a decade to robustify and establish battle-tested frameworks. Persefoni is newer, having been built specifically aligned with modern banks and investor audit standards.
Best For
Their science-backed, scrupulous system makes an ideal fit for larger enterprises with vast global supply chains.
A supplier tracking emissions across hundreds of countries, for instance, will value their independently verified calculation engine.
4. Sweep
Sweep stands out for larger organisations, with a particularly strong capability in managing Scope 3 emissions.
Key Features
- Collaboration tools
- AI scenario modelling visualises different reduction pathways
- Ranked a leader in the IDC Vendor Marketscape 2025
- Broad framework coverage covering CSRD, SFDR, PCAF, GRI, and GHG Protocol
Pros
- Sweep’s unique cross-collaboration tools make it a productive platform for varied teams.
- AI scenario modelling allows for different carbon reduction routes to be visualised and assessed, ensuring the road to net zero is the most efficient.
- Where other software might leave gaps, Sweep offers CSRD compliance from start to finish.
Cons
- There are limited free options and it sits at a higher price point as it positions itself as an enterprise-grade solution.
Sweep vs Persefoni
While Persefoni is solely for carbon accounting, Sweep extends into broader ESG metrics. They uniquely cover full CSRD compliance from a sole platform, while others tend to leave gaps.
With Persefoni taking a more top-down approach for sustainability specialists, Sweep software proactively delegates tasks to most appropriate members within teams.
Best For
Sweep is best for companies under CSRD requirements, with complex supply chains, financial institutions, and larger enterprises.
5. Watershed
Watershed is a comprehensive carbon management platform with a focus on real-time data processing, user-friendly tools, and industry-specific emissions factors.
Key Features
- Watershed includes AI drafting for regulatory reports, making compliance instant and easy. With every data point tracked and traceable, validity is baked into the system, producing credible outputs for clients.
- Their 60 pre-built integrations connect clients with many existing systems, making data collection seamless and faster.
Pros
- Boasting one of the largest emission factor libraries out there, Watershed can hit the nail on the head for niche industries or companies needing granular, activity-specific data.
Cons
- With no free demo, users have to commit before they can even see the platform
- With enterprise-grade pricing, a mid-market company could get the same core functionality at a fraction of the price elsewhere, such as Greenly or Gaia.
Watershed vs Persefoni
Both targeting huge companies, Watershed is for operational businesses whereas Persefoni is for financial institutions.
Best For
If your business is operationally complex, faces major international disclosure requirements, and is an enterprise, Watershed is best for you.
Its ability to conduct product-level carbon analysis makes it ideal for manufacturers, or food and drink companies.
Which Persefoni Alternative Is Right for Your Business?
Our article has identified a broad range of Persefoni alternatives, but which one is the best fit for you? This all depends on your businesses’ geography, scale, industry, and what targets you wish to achieve.
If you’re a mid-market or SME company, Greenly may be the most accessible option with a fast setup and not specifically for experts.
For larger enterprises with vast supply chains and sustainability teams, Normative’s 349,000+ emission factors and verified methodologies would be a fine fit.
If your company surpasses this even so, hit Watershed. They’re built for the operational giants with over 500,000 separate emission factors and product-level carbon analysis.
If you need a full ESG rethink with cross-team collaboration, Sweep is a CSRD-covering, pro-active carbon tool that invites tangible results.
Finally, for companies from startups to mid-large enterprises, Gaia boasts both the quickest and most affordable setup out of any in this list.
If you’re a UK business, Gaia is the only option with SECR and DEFRA built natively into the software, so you won’t be an afterthought.
We’re a great option if you’re after transparent, effective, audit-ready carbon accounting.