Free tool
SOC 2 cost calculator
What year one really costs: the auditor, the platform, any consultant, and the hours your team spends. Compare four paths side by side, with every figure sourced.
Vanta/Drata + DIY, year one
$49–70K
$19–40K cash, plus ~200 hrs of your team
Screenata, year one
$22–33K
$13–21K cash, plus 60–80 hrs of your team
| Line | Excel + DIY | Vanta/Drata + DIY(yours) | Vanta/Drata + vCISO | Screenata |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditor | $7–15K | $7–15K | $7–15K | $7–15K |
| Platform, one year | $0Spreadsheets | $12–25K | $12–25K | $5,988 |
| Consultant or vCISO | $0 | $0 | $5–120K | $0 |
| Your team's time | ~200 hrs$30K at $150/hr | ~200 hrs$30K at $150/hr | ~120 hrs$18K at $150/hr | 60–80 hrs$9–12K at $150/hr |
| Cash out of pocket | $7–15K | $19–40K | $24–160K | $13–21K |
| With your team's time | $37–45K | $49–70K | $42–178K | $22–33K |
Up to 50 employees, one legal entity, SOC 2 Security criteria, an independent startup-focused CPA firm, penetration test excluded. Your team's time is priced at $150/hr.
Excel + DIY and Vanta/Drata + DIY use the same team hours: your team collects, uploads, and follows up on the evidence either way. The platform licence is the line that differs.
How the numbers are built
Sourced figures, one model.
Up to 50 employees, one legal entity, SOC 2 Security criteria, an independent startup-focused CPA firm, penetration test excluded. Your team's time is priced at $150/hr.
The same model drives the figures on our pricing page and homepage, so they cannot disagree.
- Auditor fees
- Type I $5–10K and Type II $7–15K at startup-focused CPA firms, from written and call quotes collected in August and September 2026, consistent with SOC2Auditors.org's small-team model. Audit fee breakdown
- Platforms
- Vendr's anonymized transaction data for Vanta and Drata, under 50 employees and one framework: $12–25K a year. Other platforms' figures are on the comparison pages. Platform comparisons
- Consultants and vCISOs
- From Workstreet's published $5K readiness project to a $10K a month retainer: readiness only for Type I, twelve months for Type II.
- Team time
- Readiness concentrated in one or two months, then a few hours a month through the observation window, priced at $150/hr. Spreadsheets and a Vanta- or Drata-class platform use the same hours, because your team does the collecting and uploading on both. These figures sit below third-party estimates such as Vanta's State of Trust survey (about ten hours a week), so they understate the gap.
FAQ
SOC 2 cost questions
How much does SOC 2 cost in year one?
For a company under 50 employees, a SOC 2 Type II in year one runs $37–45K in spreadsheets done yourself, $49–70K on Vanta or Drata done yourself, $42–178K on Vanta or Drata with a consultant or vCISO, and $22–33K with Screenata, counting your team's time at $150/hr. A Type I runs $29–34K, $41–59K, $34–67K, and $14–22K on the same paths. The auditor fee is the same in each: $5–10K for Type I and $7–15K for Type II at a startup-focused firm.
What is the difference between cash cost and total cost?
Cash is what you pay out: the auditor, the platform, and any consultant. Total cost adds your team's hours at $150/hr, which is the largest line for most small teams. A DIY Type II is $19–40K in cash and $49–70K once about 200 hours of team time are counted.
Is it cheaper to run SOC 2 in spreadsheets?
In cash, yes: with no platform licence a Type II is just the auditor, $7–15K. The hours do not go away. Your team still collects the evidence, uploads it, and chases owners, about 200 hours in year one, which puts the total at $37–45K. A Vanta- or Drata-class platform on the same hours adds its licence on top, $49–70K in total, because the platform tracks the work rather than doing it.
Does it matter who picks the auditor?
It matters to the customer who reads the report. Some vendors sell the audit inside the platform price, and if you only need a report to clear a checkbox, that can be enough. A customer's security review is where it gets tested: in a bundle, the auditor is chosen and paid through the vendor whose software produced the evidence, and the AICPA named bundled fee-setting an independence threat in April 2026. So ask any vendor: does your platform vendor also provide your auditor? With Screenata you choose and pay the firm directly, and the evidence is signed so the firm can verify it outside the platform.
What does Screenata cost?
Screenata is $5,988 a year per framework for a standard startup scope, typically up to 50 employees and one legal entity, with every module included and no per-seat fees. You choose and pay the auditor directly. Each additional framework is priced lower, because it reuses the first one's evidence. Larger programs are scoped individually.
Why does team time matter so much?
Hours come out of your roadmap. On the DIY path a Type II takes about 200 hours in year one, $30K at $150/hr, more than the auditor fee. With Screenata the agent does the collection and follow-up, and your team's part is 60–80 hrs of review, approvals, and attestations.