SOC 2 Cost (2026)Full Budget Breakdown
Estimate your Total Cost of Compliance (TCC). From auditor fees to internal engineering effort and automation tooling—map every dollar before you start.
Interactive Cost Estimator
Estimated Annual Budget
Based on 2026 market benchmarks
Audit Fee (SOC 2 Type II)
CPA firm fees for readiness review and formal report.
Compliance Platform Subscription
Vanta, Drata, or similar automation software.
Penetration Testing
Manual security assessment required by most auditors.
Internal Opportunity Cost
Estimated value of engineering and admin time spent on compliance.
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Auditor Fees by Tier
CPA firm pricing is driven by scope and headcount. Boutique firms offer lower entry points for startups, while "Big 4" and national firms carry premiums for brand and complex enterprise environments.
| Tier | Type I | Type II |
|---|---|---|
Startup (1-15 staff) Seed/Series A, proof of concept | $15,000 – $25,000 | $25,000 – $40,000 |
Growth (15-75 staff) Scaling startups, vendor diligence | $25,000 – $40,000 | $40,000 – $65,000 |
Enterprise (100+ staff) Public/regulated entities, complex tech stacks | $45,000 – $75,000 | $75,000 – $150,000+ |
!Market Pricing Variance
Auditor rates vary by up to 35% depending on your home market and whether you require on-site walkthroughs. Boutique firms in tech hubs like Austin or Denver often provide more competitive rates than national firms in NYC or SF.
Regional Hubs: Save 15-20% on local expertise.
Remote Audits: Eliminates T&E (Travel & Expense) fees.
Programmatic Cost Analysis by Scenario
First Year vs Renewal
Initial readiness costs can be 3x higher than maintenance. See the 3-year budget model.
Read the analysisCost by Team Size
Calculated benchmarks for 5, 25, 100, and 500 employee organizations.
View benchmarksType I vs II Delta
Why Type II costs 2x but generates 5x the trust. Direct pricing comparison.
Compare typesIndustry Cost Benchmarks
Niche-specific compliance requirements drive cost variance.
SaaS
Multi-tenant scope and CI/CD pace.
Fintech
Payments/PII, vendor risk, pentests.
Healthcare
PHI logging, BAAs, IR rigor.
Startups
Lean scope, faster Type I first.
AI/Data
Pipelines, model change, data lineage.
Enterprise
Multi-team sampling and governance.
E-commerce
Payments, customer data, vendors.
Marketplaces
Partners, payouts, fraud monitoring.
B2B SaaS
Admin RBAC, SSO/SCIM, tenant isolation.
Cloud Infrastructure
Platform/IaaS controls, shared responsibility.
DevTools
SDLC telemetry, secrets, supply chain.
EdTech
Student data, parent consent, access reviews.
Payments
Cardholder data flows, vendor risk, uptime.
PropTech
Tenant PII, payments, property management.
Logistics
Carrier APIs, data integrity, uptime.
Gaming & Web3
HRTech & Payroll
MarTech & Analytics
Head of Compliance Strategy • CPA, CISA, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
What Shapes Your Final Quote?
TSC Selection
Adding Confidentiality, Availability, or Processing Integrity to the base Security criteria adds 15-20% per Trust Service Criteria.
Infrastructure Complexity
Multi-cloud or hybrid environments require more evidence samples and auditor interviews, driving up manual effort.
Auditor Brand
Enterprise customers may reject boutique reports. "Tier 1" firms charge a $20k+ premium for their letterhead.
Total Cost of Compliance (TCC)
A true budget must include the "soft" costs often ignored in GRC sales pitches.
- Auditor Fee40%
- Automation Platform20%
- Engineering Opportunity Cost30%
- Third Party Tools (EDR, MDM)10%
Frequently Asked Questions
What drives SOC 2 audit pricing?
Auditor selection, Type I vs Type II scope, how many Trust Service Criteria you include, and how complex your environment is. More systems and data flows typically mean more evidence to collect and review.
How much should we budget beyond the auditor fee?
Most teams budget for compliance tooling, evidence automation, and remediation work. Expect software subscriptions and internal engineering time to be part of the total cost—not just the CPA firm invoice.
Does timeline change the cost?
Expedited timelines often cost more. Compressing readiness and Type II observation periods can require premium auditor time and more internal hours to gather evidence quickly.
Do early-stage startups need Type II on the first audit?
Many start with Type I to validate control design, then move to Type II once controls have been operating. If enterprise customers require a Type II immediately, plan for a longer observation period and higher total effort.
About RiscLens
Our mission is to provide transparency and clarity to early-stage technology companies navigating the complexities of SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance.
Who we serve
Built specifically for early-stage and growing technology companies—SaaS, fintech, and healthcare tech—preparing for their first SOC 2 audit or responding to enterprise customer requirements.
What we provide
Clarity before commitment. We help teams understand realistic cost ranges, timeline expectations, and common gaps before they engage auditors or expensive compliance vendors.
Our Boundaries
We do not provide legal advice, audit services, or certifications. Our assessments support internal planning—they are not a substitute for professional compliance guidance.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the AICPA, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
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