DPDP Comply vs Termly — DPDP-First vs Global-First

Termly is a popular consent management and privacy policy platform, particularly among small businesses and startups. It offers cookie consent banners, privacy policy generators, and basic compliance tools at an accessible price point. But when it comes to India's DPDP Act 2023, a global consent tool designed primarily for GDPR and CCPA may leave significant compliance gaps.

This comparison evaluates both platforms for DPDP Act compliance specifically.

Overview

Termly

Termly is a US-based privacy compliance platform focused on making consent management and privacy documentation accessible for small to mid-sized businesses. Its core offerings include cookie consent banners, privacy policy generators, terms of service generators, and basic consent management. Termly's strength is simplicity and affordability for GDPR and CCPA compliance.

DPDP Comply

DPDP Comply is a compliance platform built specifically for India's DPDP Act 2023. It provides consent management aligned with Section 6, rights request workflows with Section 13(3) SLA tracking, immutable audit trails, and privacy policy management — all designed around the specific requirements of Indian data protection law.

Feature Comparison

| Feature | DPDP Comply | Termly | |---------|-------------|--------| | DPDP Act-specific design | Yes — every feature maps to DPDP provisions | No — global-first with limited DPDP support | | Section 6 consent flows | Purpose-specific, affirmative, granular | Generic cookie consent (GDPR-oriented) | | Section 11 withdrawal | One-click withdrawal + API method | Cookie preference center | | Section 5 notice compliance | Built-in notice-consent linking | Privacy policy generator (GDPR/CCPA templates) | | Rights request management | Full workflow with 30-day SLA tracking | Not included | | Section 13(3) SLA monitoring | Automated alerts and tracking | Not applicable | | Immutable audit trails | Append-only ConsentAuditEvent records | Basic consent logging | | Grievance mechanism | Built-in rights request workflow | Not included | | Privacy policy hosting | DPDP-specific policy management | GDPR/CCPA-oriented policy generator | | Multi-project support | Org → Project hierarchy | Available in paid plans | | API access | RESTful API in all plans | Limited API in higher plans | | Widget performance | Lightweight IIFE bundle | JavaScript widget | | Indian language support | English + planned Hindi support | English (+ EU languages) | | Pricing | Free tier + transparent paid plans | Free tier + paid plans from ~$10/mo |

The Critical Differences

DPDP-Specific vs GDPR-Adapted

This is the fundamental distinction. Termly was built for GDPR and CCPA compliance and later extended to support additional jurisdictions. Its consent flows, privacy policy templates, and compliance workflows reflect GDPR concepts — six legal bases, DPAs (Data Processing Agreements), the right to data portability, supervisory authorities.

The DPDP Act has different requirements:

• Consent is the primary legal basis — the DPDP Act does not have a general "legitimate interests" ground like GDPR
• The "unconditional" consent requirement — unique to DPDP
• The Consent Manager concept — a formal intermediary not present in GDPR
• Data Principal rights are different — Right to Nominate (unique to DPDP), no Right to Data Portability
• Single enforcement body — the Data Protection Board of India, not multiple supervisory authorities
• 30-day SLA under Section 13(3) with specific monitoring requirements

DPDP Comply implements these specific requirements natively. Termly would require significant manual configuration — if it supports them at all — to approximate DPDP compliance.

Rights Request Management

This is perhaps the starkest difference. The DPDP Act grants Data Principals specific rights (Sections 12-14) that must be fulfilled within 30 days (Section 13(3)). Organizations need a systematic way to receive, track, and fulfill these requests.

DPDP Comply includes a complete rights request management system:

• Intake forms for access, correction, erasure, nomination, and grievance requests
• Automated routing and assignment
• 30-day SLA countdown with alerts
• Audit trail of all actions taken
• Resolution tracking and reporting

Termly does not include rights request management. You would need a separate tool or manual process to handle DPDP rights requests, with the risk of missing the statutory deadline.

Audit Trail Depth

Under the DPDP Act, the burden of proof for valid consent rests on the Data Fiduciary. If the Data Protection Board asks you to demonstrate that a user consented to a specific purpose, you need comprehensive, tamper-proof records.

DPDP Comply maintains immutable, append-only ConsentAuditEvent records that capture:

• The exact timestamp of consent
• Which purposes were consented to
• The version of the notice displayed
• The method of consent collection
• Any subsequent modifications or withdrawals

Termly provides basic consent logging, but its audit trail capabilities are not designed for the evidentiary standards that a Data Protection Board inquiry would require.

Privacy Policy Content

Termly's privacy policy generator is one of its popular features, but its templates are oriented toward GDPR and CCPA requirements. A DPDP-compliant privacy policy needs to reference:

• Section 5 notice requirements specifically
• The Data Protection Board of India as the complaint body
• DPDP-specific rights (including the Right to Nominate)
• Indian-specific data retention obligations
• The specific grievance mechanism required by the Act

See our guide on creating a DPDP-compliant privacy policy for the full list of requirements.

Pricing Comparison

Both platforms offer free tiers, making initial evaluation straightforward.

Termly pricing starts at approximately $10/month for basic features, scaling to $35+/month for advanced plans. This is competitive for global consent management.

DPDP Comply offers a free tier for getting started and transparent paid plans that include features Termly charges extra for (like API access and rights request management). View our pricing for current plans.

The key pricing consideration is total cost of compliance. If Termly does not cover rights request management, SLA tracking, or DPDP-specific audit trails, you need additional tools — increasing total cost and complexity.

Who Should Choose What?

Choose DPDP Comply If:

• Your primary compliance need is the DPDP Act
• You need rights request management with SLA tracking
• You want DPDP-specific consent flows and privacy notices
• You need robust audit trails for regulatory inquiries
• You prefer a platform designed for the Indian market
• You want API access for custom integrations

Choose Termly If:

• Your primary compliance needs are GDPR and CCPA
• You are a small business wanting a simple cookie banner for a global website
• DPDP compliance is a secondary concern behind EU/US compliance
• You primarily need a privacy policy generator for Western jurisdictions
• You do not need rights request management

Consider Using Both If:

• You need GDPR/CCPA compliance for your global website (Termly) and DPDP compliance for your Indian operations (DPDP Comply)

The Bottom Line

Termly is a solid tool for GDPR and CCPA consent management at an accessible price point. However, it was not designed for the DPDP Act, and retrofitting a global tool for Indian-specific requirements leaves compliance gaps — particularly in rights management, SLA tracking, and DPDP-specific audit trails.

DPDP Comply is built specifically for the DPDP Act. Every feature, every workflow, and every default setting is designed to meet Indian data protection requirements. If DPDP compliance is what you need, a DPDP-first tool delivers better results.

Get Started Free and experience the difference, or check out our 15-minute compliance guide to see how fast you can get compliant.