NAVEX
KnowBe4 Compliance Plus
Vanta
OneTrust
What is Ethena?
Founded in 2019, Ethena provides compliance training, reporting, policy, and case-management software for distributed workforces. Its platform serves more than 2,000 organizations and supports automated assignments, regional requirements, HRIS connections, and audit-ready records.
Ethena is a cloud compliance-training platform that assigns courses using employee attributes such as department, role, and location. Administrators can schedule recurring or one-time learning, send reminders through email and collaboration tools, track completion, collect feedback, and issue transcripts. The catalog covers harassment and workplace violence prevention, code of conduct, data privacy, cybersecurity, HIPAA, anti-bribery, and other workplace topics, with microlearning and quizzes alongside longer courses.
The product extends beyond e-learning with policy attestation, a course builder, custom content, AI-assisted content editing, hotline and case management, phishing simulation, and policy tools. HRIS and directory connections keep rosters current, while SCORM, AICC, xAPI, SSO, and API options support existing learning environments. Premium features, advanced integrations, and case-management services are not included in every plan, and some integrations may carry extra cost.
Small teams can self-serve Standard subscriptions for one to 100 learners, paying annually by credit card. Harassment Prevention plus Workplace Violence Prevention costs $20 per learner per year, while the full catalog costs $50 per learner per year. Premium is sold by invoice with a custom annual quote for larger organizations or advanced features; Ethena says companies can start with one employee and does not publish a Premium rate card.
Key features
Compliance course library
Provides courses covering harassment, workplace violence, code of conduct, DEI, privacy, cybersecurity, HIPAA, anti-bribery, and related topics.
Automated assignments
Targets training by department, role, location, and new-hire status, with recurring schedules, deadlines, and automated reminders.
Completion reporting
Offers real-time dashboards, downloadable learner transcripts, manager views, feedback, and custom reporting dashboards.
Custom course authoring
Lets Premium customers customize Ethena courses, upload content, and build courses with interactive elements, quizzes, multimedia, and branching scenarios.
Hotline and case management
Supports anonymous or named reports, two-way communication, case ownership, status updates, notes, PDFs, and configurable reporting forms.
HRIS and LMS connectivity
Connects to HRIS and directory systems, supports SCORM, AICC, and xAPI delivery, and offers SSO and API access.
Live and kiosk delivery
Classroom Mode supports live facilitated sessions and attendance, while Kiosk Mode supports shared-device learning.
Ethena pricing
Standard self-serve pricing covers one to 100 learners and is billed annually by credit card. Harassment Prevention plus Workplace Violence Prevention costs $20 per learner per year; the full catalog costs $50 per learner per year. Premium requires a custom annual quote.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Standard: prevention bundle | $20/learner/yearFor one to 100 learners | Harassment Prevention and Workplace Violence Prevention, automated or one-time reminders, basic HRIS connections, targeted assignments, bite-sized training, and English, Spanish, and French delivery. |
| Standard: full catalog | $50/learner/yearFor one to 100 learners | Full course catalog including harassment, workplace violence, code of conduct, DEI, data privacy, cybersecurity, HIPAA, anti-bribery, and management topics, plus Standard administration features. |
| Premium | Custom annual quoteFor 100-plus learners or advanced needs | Full-suite options including customization, course builder, policy attestation, advanced analytics, SSO, premium HRIS integrations, SCORM, API access, dedicated customer success, and optional hotline and case management. |
Free trial: No free trial is listed; Standard self-serve customers can preview the course catalog before purchasing.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Public Standard pricing starts at $20 per learner annually for the prevention bundle.
- Assignments can target employee location, role, department, and hiring status.
- The catalog combines compliance courses with hotline, case-management, policy, and phishing tools.
- SOC 2 Type 2, encryption, MFA, SSO, and annual penetration testing support enterprise security reviews.
Cons
- Premium pricing is quote-based and is not transparent for larger deployments.
- SSO, advanced HRIS connections, API access, and several administrative features require Premium.
- Hotline and case management cost extra and are not available through self-serve purchasing.
- Some directory integrations require support configuration or may provide incomplete location data.
Who is Ethena best for?
- Small teams needing low-cost annual harassment and workplace-violence training.
- People teams automating recurring compliance assignments from HRIS data.
- Distributed organizations managing regional training requirements and multilingual learners.
- Compliance teams connecting training evidence to Vanta frameworks and existing LMS systems.
Coverage
Integrations
Notable customers
Frequently asked questions
How much does Ethena cost?
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For one to 100 learners, Standard costs $20 per learner per year for Harassment Prevention and Workplace Violence Prevention, or $50 per learner per year for the full catalog. Premium pricing is a custom annual quote for larger teams or advanced features.
How long does Ethena take to set up, and how does it work?
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Ethena says Standard users can spend about an hour setting up the platform and about 30 minutes each month reviewing reports, sending reminders, and adding team members. HRIS synchronization can automate enrollment, reminders, and updates when employees join, change roles, or leave.
How does Ethena compare with NAVEX?
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Ethena emphasizes modern, bite-sized compliance learning, automated HRIS-based assignments, and self-serve pricing for smaller teams. NAVEX is a broader enterprise risk and ethics suite, so buyers needing extensive risk, hotline, investigations, and policy-management depth may prefer its wider platform.
What integrations does Ethena support?
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Ethena supports HRIS and directory systems including Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR, Workday, ADP, UKG, and Paylocity. It also supports LMS standards such as SCORM, AICC, and xAPI, plus Slack, Zoom Chat, SSO, Vanta, and an API; advanced options are generally Premium.
Who is Ethena for?
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Ethena is built for People, Legal, HR, and Compliance teams that need recurring employee training and evidence of completion. It serves distributed teams, supports regional assignments and international content, and offers Standard self-service for companies with as few as one learner.
Is Ethena secure and accurate for compliance records?
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Ethena maintains an annual SOC 2 Type 2 examination, encrypts data at rest with AES-256 or equivalent and in transit with TLS, and uses MFA for critical systems. Its Vanta integration maps training records to SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI, and CCPA tests, while course content is reviewed and updated for changing requirements.
Sources
Facts and pricing verified on October 19, 2026. Vendors change pricing often, so confirm with Ethena before buying. How we research
