--- question: "Which SOC certification is best?" title: "Which SOC Certification Is Best" seoTitle: "SOC 1 vs SOC 2 vs SOC 3: Which Report You Need" summary: "SOC 2 is the best choice for most software companies because it is the report customers actually request during procurement. SOC 1 covers controls relevant to customers' financial reporting and is asked for by their finance auditors. SOC 3 is a public, general-use summary of a SOC 2 with the control detail removed. Strictly, none of these is a certification; they are attestation reports issued by a licensed CPA firm. Within SOC 2, a Type II report, which tests controls over a period of 3 to 12 months, carries far more weight with buyers than a Type I, which describes controls at a single point in time." publishedAt: "2026-08-22" keywords: - "which SOC certification is best" - "SOC 1 vs SOC 2 vs SOC 3" - "SOC 2 Type I vs Type II" - "SOC report comparison" pillar: "SOC 2 Basics for Founders" faqs: - question: "How much does a SOC 3 cost?" answer: "A SOC 3 is usually issued alongside a SOC 2 Type II by the same auditor, often bundled at little or no additional fee. You cannot buy one on its own; it is a public summary of a completed Type II examination, so the Type II has to exist first. The real cost of a SOC 3 is therefore the cost of the SOC 2 Type II behind it." - question: "Do I need SOC 1 or SOC 2?" answer: "SOC 2, unless your service is part of your customers' financial reporting. Payroll processors, billing platforms, and fund administrators get asked for SOC 1 because their customers' financial auditors rely on those controls. Almost every other SaaS company gets asked for SOC 2 in security review, and some companies in financial workflows end up needing both." - question: "Is SOC 2 Type 1 or Type 2 better?" answer: "Type II is the stronger report because the auditor tests whether your controls actually operated over a period, commonly 3 to 12 months, rather than just describing them at a point in time. Many buyers accept a Type I from a young company as a first step, with the expectation that a Type II follows. If a customer contract specifies a report, it almost always specifies Type II." - question: "What is a SOC 2 report?" answer: "A SOC 2 report is an attestation issued by an independent licensed CPA firm on a service organization's security controls, evaluated against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. It contains the auditor's opinion, a description of the system, and, in a Type II, the results of testing each control over an observation period. It is a detailed document shared with customers under NDA rather than a public certificate." - question: "Is HITRUST better than SOC 2?" answer: "They are different tools for different buyers. HITRUST is a certifiable framework that hospital systems and payers often require in healthcare enterprise deals, and it is heavier and more expensive to obtain. SOC 2 is the default request in general SaaS procurement, so many healthcare vendors complete SOC 2 first and add HITRUST when a specific deal requires it." - question: "Who needs SOC 2 Type 2 compliance?" answer: "Service organizations selling into mid-market and enterprise accounts, where buyers require evidence that security controls operated over time rather than a description of their design. If a customer contract or security review names a SOC report, it almost always means Type II. A Type I, the point-in-time snapshot, is what buyers commonly accept from a young company as a first step." --- ## Which SOC certification is best? For most software companies, SOC 2. It is the report customers request in SaaS procurement, and it covers the security controls a buyer cares about. SOC 1 serves a different audience: your customers' financial-statement auditors. SOC 3 is a public summary of a SOC 2 with the detail removed. And strictly speaking, none of these is a certification. They are attestation reports issued by a licensed CPA firm, so "best" depends entirely on who is asking you for one. ### SOC 1 vs SOC 2 vs SOC 3 | Report | Who asks for it | What it covers | Typical cost | |---|---|---|---| | SOC 1 | Your customers' finance teams and their financial-statement auditors | Controls relevant to customers' financial reporting; applies to payroll processors, billing platforms, fund administrators | Roughly $10,000 to $30,000 depending on scope | | SOC 2 | SaaS procurement and security review teams; by far the most requested for software companies | Security controls against the AICPA Trust Services Criteria | Type I audits typically $4,000 to $8,000; Type II commonly in the low tens of thousands | | SOC 3 | Nobody directly; you publish it yourself | A general-use public summary of a SOC 2 Type II, with the auditor's opinion but no control detail | Usually bundled with a SOC 2 Type II at little or no extra fee | The decision rule is short. If your service sits inside your customers' financial reporting, you will be asked for SOC 1. If you sell software and a security questionnaire started this search, the answer is SOC 2. ## They are attestations, not certifications There is no SOC certificate and no SOC certifying body. A CPA firm examines your controls and issues an attestation report containing its opinion. Vendors say "SOC 2 certified" as shorthand and buyers accept the phrase, but what changes hands is a report, usually shared under NDA. When a questionnaire asks for your "SOC 2 certificate," the correct artifact to send is the report itself, or the SOC 3 if you want something you can post publicly. ## Type I vs Type II inside SOC 2 The Type I and Type II question is where "which is best" gets a firmer answer. A **Type I** report describes your controls and evaluates their design as of a single date. It is faster and cheaper, and it is a reasonable first report for a company that needs something to show a prospect this quarter. A **Type II** report tests whether those controls operated effectively over an observation period, commonly 3 to 12 months. Because it proves operation rather than intent, it is the report enterprise buyers and contracts actually specify. The common path is Type I first, then a Type II covering the following observation period. ## Where SOC 3 fits A SOC 3 exists for marketing. It carries the auditor's opinion from a SOC 2 Type II examination but strips the system description and test detail, so it can be handed to anyone without an NDA. It cannot substitute for a SOC 2 in a security review, because the reviewer wants the detail the SOC 3 omits. ## Where Screenata fits Screenata sells the readiness side of SOC 2: policies generated from scans of your actual infrastructure, about 70% of evidence collected automatically, and cryptographically signed evidence packs your auditor can verify. The program costs $5,988/year per framework ($499/mo) for teams under 50 employees, and the audit itself stays separate; you hire an independent auditor of your choice, typically $4,000 to $8,000 for a SOC 2 Type I. Details are at [/solutions/soc-2](/solutions/soc-2) and [/pricing](/pricing).