FirmScribe is a mobile message capture platform focused on iMessage, WhatsApp, and Android for financial services firms. If you’re evaluating mobile capture for compliance, it may be on your list. Here’s how Comma Compliance compares across architecture, channel coverage, and exam readiness.
At a Glance
FirmScribe is a capture-only layer. It captures iMessage, WhatsApp, and Android messages and routes them to a third-party archive of your choice. It has no built-in archive, no supervision, no policy matching, and no case management. Comma Compliance is an end-to-end solution: capture, archive, supervision, policy matching, and exam-ready case management across 35+ channels, at a flat per-user price.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Comma Compliance | FirmScribe |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | End-to-end — capture, archive, supervision, policy matching, and exam-ready case management, with open source transparency. | Capture-only — routes messages to a third-party archive. |
| Built-in archive | Yes — included in platform | No — exports to a third-party archive. |
| WORM storage | Yes — written at point of capture | Dependent on third-party archive |
| iMessage capture method | Point-of-delivery — not iCloud-dependent | Capture methodology not publicly detailed; offers all-threads or business-threads-only mode |
| WhatsApp capture | Captures both WhatsApp Business and personal WhatsApp | WhatsApp Business and personal; all threads or business threads only |
| Signal capture | Yes — open-source capture code published on GitHub | Not supported |
| Transparency | WhatsApp and Signal capture code published openly on GitHub — no NDA, no request required | Proprietary; capture methodology not publicly disclosed |
| Channels supported | 35+ channels where conversations happen: iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, SMS, Voice, Microsoft 365, Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, Gmail, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Webex, Bloomberg Chat, Salesforce, Telegram, and more. | iMessage, WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, Android SMS |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly pricing, all platforms included. No per-connector fees, no storage overages, no export fees. $33/user active, $15/user archival. | Not publicly listed; quote required |
| Free trial | Yes | Not publicly offered |
| Personal vs. business separation | Automatic contact-based filtering — personal contacts can be excluded automatically | User-tagged — employees manually tag business threads; or all threads captured |
| Policy processing | Yes — built in | Not supported |
| Custom policy matching | Yes | Not supported |
| Case management | Exam-ready — built for regulatory examination prep | None |
| AI compliance monitoring | Real-time policy scanning; human validation before escalation; no client data used for training without consent | Not supported |
| Data ownership | Client retains full ownership; never sold or shared outside authorized sub-processors | Routed to customer’s designated archive |
Competitor feature descriptions reflect publicly available documentation and may not capture all capabilities. Information is reviewed periodically.
When FirmScribe may be a better fit
- Compliance programs built around limited communication channels rather than broad app coverage
- Firms with policies that restrict use of third-party messaging apps
The Archive Gap
FirmScribe captures messages and routes them to whichever third-party archive the customer designates. This requires two vendors, one for capture and one for archival.
Channel Coverage
FirmScribe supports three channels: iMessage, WhatsApp, and Android SMS. Comma Compliance covers 35+ channels in a single platform at a flat price.
Due Diligence
Questions to Ask Any Compliance Vendor
- 01
Where exactly is the message first captured - at the point of delivery, or after a backup or sync cycle?
- 02
What conditions must be true for a message to be captured? What happens if any of those conditions aren't met?
- 03
If a user edits or deletes a message before capture occurs, what version gets archived?
- 04
Can you show documentation - architecture diagrams, code, or an independent audit - of how your capture actually works?
- 05
Where are encryption keys stored, and who controls them?
- 06
Are all channels included in the base price, or are there per-connector fees?
- 07
Are there export or egress fees?
- 08
Does your case management workflow support regulatory examination prep?
- 09
Can cases be opened directly from flagged message threads?
- 10
Is any client data used to train your models? Under what conditions?
- 11
Can we adjust, refine, or contribute feedback to my policy models? (e.g., different languages, customer-complaint responses)
See why firms switch from FirmScribe to Comma.
A 20-minute walkthrough — real capture, real-time flagging, transparent pricing.
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