Cheapest way to get SOC 2 compliant, answered honestly

"What is the cheapest way to get SOC 2?" is one of the most searched questions about SOC 2, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. The short version: the cheapest way to get SOC 2 is to do the parts you can do yourself, pay for the one part only a CPA firm can do, and make that part as small as possible by arriving prepared. The long version, below, is where the savings actually come from and where cutting corners costs more than it saves.

What you cannot skip

Some parts of SOC 2 are fixed, whatever you spend.

• An independent, licensed CPA firm. Only a CPA firm can issue a SOC 2 report under AICPA standards, and it must be independent of your company.
• Controls that actually run. MFA, access reviews, change management, incident response, vendor review. The auditor tests them.
• Evidence. Screenshots, exports, tickets and records that show each control is in place, and for a Type 2, that it operated over time.
• A defined scope. The Security criteria are always in scope. Everything else is a choice.

Any offer that removes one of these is not a lower-cost SOC 2. It is something else.

Where the money usually goes

Most of the spend on a first SOC 2 goes to three places besides the audit.

| Line | Typical market price | Can you do it yourself? | |---|---|---| | Readiness | $10,000 to $17,000 for a professional assessment, per IS Partners | Yes, with a structured questionnaire | | Consulting | $20,000 to $50,000 for a full prep engagement, per Comp AI | Often, for a small cloud-based team | | Platform | A Vendr-reported median of $20,000 a year for Vanta | Yes, with documents, or with lower-priced software |

The IS Partners figure was checked September 1, 2026. The Comp AI and Vendr figures were checked July 30, 2026. None of these include the audit.

These three lines are where a small team saves. The audit is where it should not try to save by picking the lowest bid it can find.

Step by step: the cheapest way to get SOC 2 without regrets

1. Do readiness yourself

A readiness assessment asks how you work today and compares it with the criteria. You do not need to hire a firm for that. Take a free readiness assessment, read the gap list, and you will know whether you are weeks or months away.

2. Keep scope to Security

Every optional criteria set (Availability, Confidentiality, Processing Integrity, Privacy) adds controls to build and test. Add them only when a customer asks.

3. Fix the gaps that cost nothing

MFA, a written offboarding step, code review on every change, a vendor list, backups you have actually restored once. These are free and they are a large share of a typical gap list.

4. Use software instead of consulting hours

Software that asks plain questions, writes policies from your answers and tells you what to upload next replaces most of what a consultant used to bill for. Pay by the month so you can stop when the work is done or priorities change.

5. Start with Type 1 if your buyer accepts it

A Type 1 looks at design as of a single date. A Type 2 covers a period, usually three to twelve months, and needs more testing. Many buyers accept a Type 1 first.

6. Arrive at the audit prepared

Auditors bill for hours. One published practitioner breakdown puts a Security-only Type 2 at 60 to 80 auditor hours, at partner rates of $250 to $350 per hour and staff rates of $100 to $175 (RedSec Labs, checked July 30, 2026). Every hour spent chasing missing evidence is an hour on your invoice.

The audit is not the place to find the lowest bid

It is tempting to shop only on price for the audit. Be careful. Linford and Company warns buyers to be careful when a compliance tool has a partner audit firm with a set fee far below other bids, citing a case where one firm issued the same form report to every client with only the names changed (Linford and Company, checked July 30, 2026).

That warning is fair, and it is the right question to ask of any low audit price, including ours. What makes a low fee legitimate is the reason behind it. A fee is low for a good reason when the auditor has less work to do because the evidence arrives complete and organized. It is low for a bad reason when the auditor is doing less than the standard requires. Ask any firm:

• Are you a licensed CPA firm, and can we verify the license?
• Who on your team will perform the fieldwork?
• Will you test samples yourselves, and how many?
• Can we see a redacted example report?

For more, see is a low audit fee legitimate.

How we keep SOC 2 affordable without cutting corners

cybersoftware exists to make SOC 2 affordable for small teams, and the way we do it is by reducing work, not by skipping it.

• Readiness is free: score, gap list and one AI sample policy.
• The software is one plan: $199 a month, cancel any time, or $2,189 a year, which is one month free.
• Audits come with access to our preferred pricing program: the best negotiated audit rates on the market, because we negotiate on your behalf. The software does most of the work, so the independent CPA firm verifies evidence that arrives prepared. You see the price in the app before you book.

cybersoftware is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms. The full price list is on our pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cheapest way to get SOC 2 doing everything yourself?

For readiness and preparation, often yes, if someone on the team has the time. The audit always goes to an independent CPA firm.

Can we skip the audit and just say we follow SOC 2?

You can describe your controls, but only a CPA firm's report is a SOC 2 report. Buyers who ask for SOC 2 are asking for the report.

Will a buyer accept a report from a smaller audit firm?

Usually, if the firm is licensed and independent and the report is complete. Some large buyers keep a list of firms they prefer, so ask early.

Does a lower price mean a weaker report?

Not if the savings come from less rework and preparation you did yourself. It does if the savings come from less testing.

Start with a free readiness assessment. It takes about fifteen minutes and needs no card.