What is GRC software?

GRC software connects to the systems a company already runs, collects evidence that its security controls are working, and keeps that evidence in one place an auditor can read. GRC stands for governance, risk and compliance.

Is GRC software the same as compliance automation software?

In everyday use, yes. GRC is the older and wider term. Compliance automation is the narrower modern category that Vanta, Drata, Secureframe and Sprinto sell into.

Do I need GRC software to get SOC 2?

No. Companies still pass SOC 2 audits on spreadsheets. The platform reduces manual evidence gathering. Under about 25 people with one framework, doing it manually is a defensible choice.

Which GRC platform is best for a startup?

Your auditor's preference matters more than any feature comparison, and whether anyone on your team has done this before matters more than that. Drata and Sprinto lean structured and guided; Vanta leans self serve.

Vanta is a compliance automation platform, launched in 2018, that connects to over 400 systems and runs hourly automated checks to collect evidence for frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI DSS.

Is Vanta good for a first SOC 2?

Yes, and it is the common case. Self-serve onboarding means no customer success manager is imposed on the buyer, not that they are on their own. Most first SOC 2 programmes on Vanta are set up by an implementation partner, which is what the model is built around. Doing it entirely alone, with nobody owning the work, is the one situation where a guided platform does more, and that turns on who does the setup rather than on prior experience.

Does Vanta do the audit?

No. Vanta prepares and organises evidence; an independent CPA firm performs the audit and issues the report. Vanta is not owned by an audit firm.

How do you get a better price on Vanta than I would on my own?

By running the same scope past several firms that implement Vanta at once and handing back the best number that comes in. A buyer could do that alone over a week of discovery calls; GRC Migrate does it in one business day with no call.

How much does Vanta cost?

Vanta publishes no list price, so any specific figure quoted in the abstract describes somebody else's deal rather than a rate card. The number is built for your headcount, your frameworks, your term length and which add-ons are included. The useful question is not what Vanta costs in general but whether the quote in front of you is a good one, which can only be answered by seeing what the alternatives return for the same scope.

Vanta is a compliance automation platform, launched in 2018, that connects to over 400 systems and runs automated control checks to collect the evidence frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA require. It does not perform the audit. An independent CPA firm performs the audit and issues the report.

How long does SOC 2 take with Vanta?

A SOC 2 Type 1 attests that controls are designed appropriately at a single point in time and can be turned around comparatively quickly. A Type 2 attests that they operated effectively across an observation period, commonly a few months to a year, and that window cannot be compressed by spending more. When a deal is blocked, what unblocks it is an auditor's comfort or engagement letter plus a committed dated timeline, not a faster platform.

Is Vanta a good fit for a startup?

Yes, and it is the common case. Self-serve onboarding means no customer success manager is imposed, not that the team is on its own. Most first SOC 2 programmes on Vanta are set up by an implementation partner, which is what the model is built around. The one situation where a guided platform does more is doing it entirely alone with nobody owning the work.

What does it cost to use GRC Migrate?

Nothing. It stays free whether or not the buyer acts on what comes back.

How much does Drata cost?

Drata publishes no list price, and a figure quoted in isolation is missing half the answer. Drata sells in tiers and bills implementation separately, so the real cost is the tier plus the setup work. That is why reported numbers vary so widely: people are comparing different tiers, with and without implementation included.

Which Drata tier do I need?

It depends on what the platform has to do rather than on headcount. The requirement that most often catches buyers is API access, which sits on the Advanced tier only, so a team planning to pull data out programmatically can be quoted a tier that will not do it. List the requirements before the quote is written.

Is implementation included in a Drata quote?

Usually not, and that is the biggest reason two Drata quotes are hard to compare. Ask for the licence and the implementation as separate lines on every quote collected; once both are broken into the same parts the comparison is straightforward.

Drata is a compliance automation platform, launched in 2020, built around a prescriptive control framework and a high-touch customer success model. It connects to around 200 systems, runs daily automated checks, and offers Audit Hub, a structured space where an audit firm works alongside the customer.

Does Drata change how fast you get SOC 2?

Barely. A Type 2 report depends on an observation period, commonly a few months to a year, which cannot be compressed by spending more. Where Drata can genuinely save time is the handover: if the audit firm works in Audit Hub, the evidence exchange that usually eats weeks at the end happens continuously instead.

How much does Secureframe cost?

Secureframe publishes no list price. It is quote based and positions as the cost-conscious entry into the category, so its platform line is usually the lowest of the four major products. That line is only half of what a compliance year costs, because the audit is quoted separately and is frequently the larger number.

Is Secureframe cheaper than Vanta?

On the platform line, usually yes. On the year, it depends on what the audit costs, and a platform saving can be smaller than the difference between two audit quotes. Both numbers need comparing before either platform is treated as the cheaper one.

Does Thoropass owning Secureframe affect the price?

It means one company can sell both the platform and the audit, which is a genuine convenience and can be good value. It also means a single quote can cover both with the margin sitting wherever the seller prefers. Asking for the two numbers separately answers the question.

Can I use Secureframe with a different auditor?

The platform is not restricted to a single audit firm. Because the vendor is owned by one, it is worth getting in writing how a third-party audit is supported before committing to a multi-year term, and asking what changes in the workflow.

A compliance automation platform that typically enters below Vanta on price, connects to around 200 systems, and supports SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS and others. It has been owned by the audit firm Thoropass since 2024, which is what distinguishes it from the rest of the category.

How much does Sprinto cost?

Sprinto is quote based and no independently verifiable figures exist, so any specific number found online is unsourced. What is established is its position: the most price-aggressive entry point in the category. The useful question is what the whole term costs rather than what the first year does.

Is Sprinto cheaper than Vanta or Drata?

On entry, yes, that is its position in the market. Across three years it depends on whether the company is still using it in year three. Teams that outgrow it and migrate pay for two platforms and the move between them, which usually erases the saving.

Will we outgrow Sprinto?

The usual triggers are growth in headcount and adding a second framework. If either is likely inside the term being signed, the migration belongs in the cost of the decision. For a company genuinely staying still on one framework, the concern does not apply.

Can my auditor work in Sprinto?

Ask the audit firm directly, before signing. Sprinto has no dedicated auditor portal and familiarity among US firms is more variable than for the other three platforms. This question can rule the platform out regardless of price.

A compliance automation platform positioned as the most price-aggressive entry point in the category, built around step-by-step guided onboarding for teams with no prior compliance experience. It can carry a standard first SOC 2 Type 2 on a common stack.

Who owns Secureframe?

Thoropass, a compliance audit firm, which acquired Secureframe in 2024. It is the only platform among the four major names owned and directed by an auditor.

Can I use Secureframe with a different auditor?

The platform is not restricted to a single audit firm, but since the vendor is owned by an auditor, confirm in writing how a third party audit is supported before committing to a multi year term.

Home › Glossary

Reference · reviewed July 2026

GRC and compliance terms, defined

How to use this

Every term a vendor will use at you on a first call, defined in one or two sentences without the category language. If something on a demo did not make sense, it is probably here.

Compliance automation: The category these products belong to. Software that connects to your systems and gathers the evidence an audit needs, instead of a person gathering it by hand. The name is newer than the practice.
Integration (connector): A prebuilt link between the platform and one of your systems, such as AWS or Okta. The count a vendor quotes matters far less than whether the specific systems you run are on the list.
Drift: When something that was configured correctly stops being correct, such as a new admin added without multi factor authentication. Catching drift between audits is most of what continuous monitoring is for.
Agent: A small program installed on employee laptops so the platform can confirm things like disk encryption and screen lock. Some platforms use one; some read the same facts from your device management tool instead.
Policy templates: Prewritten security policies the platform gives you to adapt and approve. They save real time, and an auditor will still expect them to describe what your company genuinely does.
Access review: A periodic check that everyone with access to a system should still have it. One of the few tasks a platform reminds you to do rather than doing for you.
Vendor risk management: Tracking the security posture of the suppliers you use. Usually sold as a separate module, and priced separately.
Implementation partner: An outside firm that sets the platform up and often runs the programme afterwards. Distinct from the platform vendor and from your auditor.
GRC: Governance, risk and compliance. Broad in theory. In practice, when a software company says it, they mean compliance evidence automation.
SOC 2: An attestation performed by a CPA firm against AICPA criteria. Requested by US enterprise buyers during security review. Not a law and not a certification.
ISO 27001: An international certification for an information security management system. What EU and UK enterprise buyers most often expect.
HIPAA: A US legal obligation that applies when you handle protected health information. There is no certificate at the end of it.
Type 1 and Type 2: Type 1 says your controls were designed properly on one day. Type 2 says they operated properly across a period, commonly three to twelve months.
Control: One specific practice you run to meet part of a framework, such as requiring multi factor authentication on all accounts.
Framework: The published set of expectations you are measured against. One framework contains many controls.
Evidence: Proof that a control was operating, with a date on it. Screenshots, config exports, signed acknowledgements, system logs.
Continuous monitoring: The platform re-runs its checks hourly or daily instead of once before an audit, so evidence is current instead of assembled in a panic.
Cross mapping: Counting one piece of evidence toward controls in more than one framework. The reason running SOC 2 and ISO 27001 together costs less than twice as much.
Trust center: A public page showing your security posture, certifications and documents so buyers can self serve instead of sending a questionnaire.
Security questionnaire: The spreadsheet a prospective customer sends asking how you handle security. The thing a trust center is meant to reduce.
Readiness: Everything that happens before an audit can start: choosing controls, writing policies, fixing gaps, collecting first evidence.
Observation window: The period a Type 2 report covers. It cannot be compressed by spending more, and it usually sets your delivery date.
Auditor portal: Where your audit firm reviews evidence. Some platforms have a dedicated collaboration space, others hand over exports.
vCISO: A fractional or part time chief information security officer. The person who supplies judgement when you do not have a full time security leader.
Scope: Which systems, products and locations your report covers. Narrow scope is faster and cheaper, and a customer may reject it.
Exception: A place where a control did not operate as intended. Exceptions are normal. Unexplained exceptions are the problem.