What's the best Marketing Rule review software for a small RIA?

Turret makes one of the products compared here.

Turret fits a small RIA that reviews its own ads: published price, no setup fee, an AI pre-screen that flags issues, a named approver. For an outside reviewer, see below.

$99/mo for 5 submitters · no setup fee · 15-day free trial

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Turret vs RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA)

Review tools beside Turret
	Turret	RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA)
Publishes a price
Lists a marketing review tool
Describes an AI pre-screen of ads
Offers a person to review your ads

✗ for RIA in a Box: not stated on cited pages. For Turret: not offered. Sources

The five options side by side

Turret, XYPN, RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA), Global Relay and Smarsh, side by side.

Five options side by side. Checked October 27, 2026.

Option	Published price and unit	Who reviews	AI pre-screen	Approval record and versions	Website archiving	Contract and leaving
Turret	$99/mo with 5 submitters, then $15 each	Your named approver; no outside reviewer	AI pre-screen flags each piece; an admin can switch it off	Each upload a new version; each decision recorded	Included; HTML plus page image where the site allows	No setup fee; cancel anytime; records exported on request
XYPN (Archive and compliance services)	Archive+ $150/mo, no per-user fee; review $360/hr	A person for members: hourly or compliance tiers	Not stated on the pages we checked	Not stated on the pages we checked	1 site on Basic, 2 on Archive+; screenshots and HTML	Hourly review is as-needed; Archive closes at month end
RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA)	Not stated on the pages we checked	Your supervisor on a checklist; consulting review listed	None described on the pages we cite	Reviews recorded in the compliance log; versions not stated	Web snapshots listed; archiving marked $ in two tiers	Not stated for the RIA product on the pages we checked
Global Relay	Not stated on the pages we checked	Marketing Rule named in a table; no ad review described	Not stated for ads on the pages we checked	Not stated for ads on the pages we checked	Website Connector captures dynamic web content	Per order form, 2-year renewals; export is fee-based
Smarsh	Not stated on the pages we checked	Page lists review support; no approval workflow described	Page lists AI to flag risk; product not named	Audit-ready records listed; approval trail not described	Archives a page or full site; frequency adjustable	Professional Archive: per order form, 12-month renewals

'Not stated on the pages we checked' means the page is silent; it never means the vendor has no such thing. Comply's charts print a $ with no legend.

Competitor details are from each vendor's public pages as of October 27, 2026 and may have changed. Confirm pricing and terms with the vendor.

Where a cell says not stated, ask for it in writing. Start where your firm fits:

If you review your own ads and want a published price, no setup fee and a self-serve trial, look at Turret.
If you want a person to review your ads, look at XYPN (members) or RIA in a Box consulting.
If you want a compliance program with a checklist review step, look at RIA in a Box.
If you need social media captured too, look at XYPN Archive, RIA in a Box, Global Relay or Smarsh, which each list social capture; RIA in a Box lists texts through partners too.
If you already use Global Relay or Smarsh, ask whether any module reviews advertising.

The details

By Nick Cianci, founder of Turret. He runs Muse Capital Management LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser.

Last reviewed October 27, 2026

The short answer

Turret fits a small RIA that reviews its own advertising: a published price, no setup fee, an AI pre-screen that flags issues, a named approver, every version kept. If you want an outside person to review, XYPN and RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA) offer one. Compare records, website archiving and contract terms from each company's own pages.

Whether any option fits your written policies and your recordkeeping duties is for your CCO and counsel.

What this means for your firm

Decide who reviews first: your own named approver, or an outside person.
Write the review step into your policy before you pick a tool, then check that the tool can run that step and keep what was reviewed.
Ask each shortlisted vendor in writing for price, setup fee, term, renewal notice and export terms.
Try the Marketing Rule checklist on one real piece before you buy.

In short

Pre-approval: The Marketing Rule does not require it; the adopting release gives it as one example of an effective tool (SEC, Release IA-5653, pp. 237, 239)
Who reviews: Turret: software flags and your own named approver. XYPN: a person, hourly or by compliance tier, members only (XYPN, add-ons and compliance pages)
Published price: Turret and XYPN (members only) publish prices. RIA in a Box, Global Relay and Smarsh: not stated on the pages we checked (each company's own pages)

Why Turret fits a small RIA

For small RIAs that review their own advertising. Marketing is $99 a month with 5 submitters and $15 per extra submitter; approvers and reviewers are free. No setup fee, 15-day free trial, about ten minutes to set up, cancel anytime, effective at the end of the paid period.

An AI pre-screen flags each uploaded PDF, Word or PowerPoint file for your approver (a firm admin can switch it off), looking for testimonial, rating, performance and guarantee language. A named approver approves, rejects or requests changes, and approval is refused while any checklist item is open. Each upload is a new version, earlier ones never change, and each decision is recorded.

Turret computes each piece's Rule 204-2(e)(3) clock: five years from the end of the fiscal year in which it was last disseminated, and no clock while it is live. Website archiving is included, kept for your firm's retention policy. To leave, request your marketing records and Turret exports the pieces, versions and approvals; download individual files in the app while you subscribe.

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Does the Marketing Rule require pre-approval of advertisements?

No. The adopting release says the final rule "will not require investment advisers to review and approve their advertisements prior to dissemination". It names pre-review as one example of an effective tool, not a requirement.

The release says policies for the Marketing Rule (Rule 206(4)-1) should include "objective and testable means reasonably designed to prevent violations of the final rule". Separately, Rule 204-2 requires the adviser to keep:

"A copy of each ... Advertisement ... that the investment adviser disseminates, directly or indirectly"

17 CFR 275.204-2(a)(11)(i)(A)

Ask a tool to show who reviewed which version, keep earlier versions unchanged, and keep the final piece. The rule discussion is in do RIAs have to pre-approve marketing? and the Marketing Rule checklist covers the pieces themselves.

What should a small RIA compare in Marketing Rule review software?

Compare six things: the published price and whether it is per seat or per firm, who reviews, whether there is an AI pre-screen, the approval record and version history, website archiving, and the contract and exit terms.

Price and unit. Published or by quote; per user, per submitter, by tier or by the hour.
Who reviews. Software that flags and a person at your firm who decides, or an outside person you pay.
AI pre-screen. Whether an automated check runs first, and whether it only flags. See what testimonial and rating language a check should look for.
Approval record. Who approved which version, when, and whether earlier versions are kept unchanged.
Website archiving. Included or extra, and what is captured: do RIAs need to archive their website?
Contract and exit. Term, renewal, setup fee and export cost; see what compliance software costs a small RIA.

When is Turret the wrong pick for Marketing Rule review?

Turret is the wrong pick if you want an outside person to review your ads, need social media or review-site capture, want a full compliance program, or need pieces filed with FINRA.

An outside reviewer. Turret's review is software flags plus your own named approver; it supplies no reviewer. XYPN lists hourly review for members, and Comply lists consulting review.
Social media, review sites, texts or newsletter tools. Turret does not capture social posts, Google or Yelp reviews, texts, or newsletter-tool sends. A newsletter sent from a connected Gmail or Outlook mailbox is in the email archive (Email or Complete plan).
A full compliance program. Comply lists a Code of Ethics, personal trading and Form ADV. Turret has none of these.
FINRA filing. Turret makes no FINRA filings. A broker-dealer or dual registrant should check what its own rules require.
Performance calculation. Turret does not calculate performance; its pre-screen can flag gross figures shown without net.

Choose Turret for a published price, no setup fee and a review you run yourself.

When XYPN fits

XYPN. For XYPN members who want a person to review their ads. The pages we checked list no marketing review software at XYPN; the advertising review we found there is consulting by people. XYPN's add-ons page lists hourly consulting to have marketing materials and compliance documents reviewed at $360 an hour. Its compliance page lists support managing advertising in its Compliance Program Manager tier. These services are for XYPN members only and are priced separately from membership.

XYPN Archive keeps records of communications and advertising. Basic covers one website and Archive+ ($150 a month) two, as screenshots and HTML. More in XYPN Archive compared with Turret.

When RIA in a Box fits

RIA in a Box. Choose it if you want a compliance program with a marketing review step inside it. Its pages list drafting a Code of Ethics, managing personal trading and filing Form ADV.

Comply's tier charts list a marketing review tool (2024) and a marketing and advertising review tool (2025) in all four software tiers; the two product pages we checked do not mention marketing review. A Comply article says supervisors such as the CCO can use a checklist during review and approval, and that each review activity is documented in the firm's compliance log. No AI pre-screen is described on the pages we checked, and they do not say how versions are kept.

For a person, the 2025 chart lists marketing and advertising review in its Enhanced consulting service, and a Comply article describes a managed advertising review by its team. No price is stated on the pages we checked. Typical onboarding takes "approximately 6-8 weeks".

When Global Relay or Smarsh fits

Global Relay. Choose it if you want one vendor for communications archiving and supervision and buying by quote suits you. Its finance page names the SEC Marketing Rule in a table of regulations; the pages we checked describe no workflow for reviewing advertisements and state no price. Unless the order form says otherwise, its Master terms renew in two-year terms and export is for a fee.

Smarsh. Choose it if you want its archive and a sales-led purchase suits you. Its Marketing Rule page lists "Review and supervise testimonials, performance claims, and ratings" and AI to "flag risk". On that page we found no marketing review product or approval workflow named, and no price; its call to action is "Contact Sales". For Professional Archive, the posted agreement renews in 12-month terms unless the order form says otherwise, and after termination export is paid services.

Ask either vendor whether any module reviews advertising, and at what price. More in Global Relay compared with Turret and Smarsh compared with Turret.

Sources

Sources opened October 27, 2026. Each link is the company's own page unless the label says otherwise.

The rule

XYPN

RIA in a Box (now Comply for RIA; riainabox.com redirects to comply.com)

Global Relay

Smarsh

Try Turret on your next piece of marketing.

Submit a piece, see what the pre-screen flags, and have your approver decide. You add a card at the end of setup; nothing is charged during the 15-day free trial. No setup fee.

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