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 › Basics

Basics · reviewed July 2026

What is GRC software?

Short answer

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. In practice most people saying "GRC software" today mean compliance automation for SOC 2 or ISO 27001, and the four products they mean are Vanta, Drata, Secureframe and Sprinto.

Why this category exists at all

You can pass a SOC 2 audit on spreadsheets and screenshots. Companies still do it. What it costs is a person's attention, repeatedly: someone opens each system, confirms the setting is right, captures proof, files it somewhere an auditor can find, and then does it again next quarter because the evidence has gone stale.

That is the entire job this software took over. It connects to the systems once, checks them on a schedule, and keeps the proof current without anyone remembering to do it. Everything else these platforms sell you sits on top of that one idea.

Which is also why the honest answer to "do I need one" is sometimes no. Under about 25 people with a single framework and someone willing to do the filing, the manual version is a defensible choice.

What the three letters mean

The acronym is older and broader than the products now sold under it, which is part of why the category is confusing to walk into.

Governance: Who decides things, who approves them, and where that is written down
Risk: What could go wrong, how likely, and what you chose to do about it
Compliance: Proving to an outside party that you do what you say you do
In practice: Nearly all of the money in this category is spent on the third one

Enterprise GRC suites like Archer and ZenGRC were built for large regulated organisations and cover all three letters. The newer platforms narrowed the problem to compliance evidence for a growing software company, and that narrowing is the whole reason they work.

What it does, in four jobs

Connects to your stack

Read only API connections to cloud, source control, identity and device management. The integration count is the number vendors compete on, from about 200 to over 400.

Runs tests on a schedule

Each control becomes an automated check with a timestamped result. Hourly on some platforms, daily on others.

Chases people

Policy signatures, security training, laptop encryption. The platform knows who has not done it and sends the reminder.

Packages it for the auditor

Evidence arrives already filed against the control it supports, which is the difference between a two week audit and a two month one.

What it does not do

Four things people reasonably assume are included and are not. Each one is a separate invoice, a separate decision, or a separate person.

01
It does not issue your report
A SOC 2 report comes from an independent CPA firm performing an audit. The platform prepares the evidence. The audit is a separate engagement and a separate bill.
02
It does not write your policies
You get templates. Templates are not policies until somebody makes them true and somebody else follows them.
03
It does not fix a failing control
It tells you the control is failing. Turning MFA on for the last four people is still a person doing a task.
04
It cannot make anyone care
This is the one that sinks projects. If nobody internally owns the work, the platform becomes an expensive dashboard of red items.

Common questions

Is GRC software the same as compliance automation software?

In everyday use, yes. GRC is the older and wider term covering governance, risk and compliance across an enterprise. Compliance automation is the narrower modern category that Vanta, Drata, Secureframe and Sprinto sell into. When a startup says "we are looking at GRC tools", they almost always mean compliance automation for SOC 2 or ISO 27001.

Do I need GRC software to get SOC 2?

No. SOC 2 existed long before these platforms and companies still pass audits on spreadsheets. What the platform changes is how much manual evidence gathering the audit costs you, and how painful the second year is. Under about 25 people with one framework, doing it manually is a defensible choice.

What is the difference between a control and a framework?

A framework is the published set of expectations you are being measured against, like SOC 2 or ISO 27001. A control is one specific practice you run to meet part of it, such as requiring multi factor authentication. One framework contains many controls, and one control often satisfies several frameworks at once.

How long does a first SOC 2 take?

The binding constraint is usually the observation window, not the software. A Type 1 report covers a single point in time and can move quickly. A Type 2 covers a period, commonly three to twelve months, so the window has to start before you can finish. Most first timers are three to six months from starting to holding a Type 2 report.

Which GRC platform is best for a startup?

There is no single answer, and the honest determinant is rarely the software. 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 both lean structured and guided, which suits a first audit; Vanta leans self serve, which suits a team that already knows the terrain.