Tools · Last updated 2 October 2026 · 3 min read

SOC 2 cost calculator

Two questions, then year one side by side: doing it yourself, a platform, or a consultant.

What does a first year of SOC 2 cost? It depends mostly on who does the work. This SOC 2 cost calculator puts three routes side by side for year one: doing it yourself on cybersoftware, buying a compliance platform and a separate audit, or hiring a consultant and a separate audit.

Do you need a SOC 2 Type 1 report this year?

On cybersoftware this picks your entry, paid once: $2,000 for onboarding alone, or $4,000 for the same onboarding plus the Type 1 examination.

Do you want SOC 2 Type 2 this year?

The Type 2 term runs 12 months and your first SOC 2 Type 2 audit is included in the term. A Type 2 reports on how controls ran over a period,1 so the 3-month observation window comes first.

$4,000cybersoftware, year one
$29,000 to $36,500A compliance platform, year one
$42,500 to $50,000A consultant, year one
cybersoftware
Entry: $4,000 one time, onboarding plus the Type 1 examination and report, with the independent partner auditor fee included. No Type 2 this year.
A compliance platform
Platform: $21,500, the average reported contract across the three large platforms. Type 1 audit, billed separately: $7,500 to $15,000.
A consultant
Prep engagement: $35,000, the midpoint of a published range. Type 1 audit, billed separately: $7,500 to $15,000.

Where the other two columns come from

We did not make these up, and we did not pick the scariest numbers we could find. The platform figure averages what buyers reported paying for the three largest platforms. The audit range is the Type 1 estimate one of those platforms publishes itself. The consultant figure is the middle of a published range. Here is each source. Vanta and Drata also print 12-month software prices on their own AWS Marketplace listings, and Vanta pricing and Drata pricing add those up with the audit fee.

  • Vendr reports a median annual contract value of $20,000 for Secureframe, based on purchases completed through its marketplace. Source, checked 2026-07-30.
  • Drata estimates the audit fee for a SOC 2 Type 1 at $7,500 to $15,000 and for a Type 2 at $12,000 to $20,000 for small to midsize companies, and puts the total first-year cost at $25,000 for a small startup. Source, checked 2026-10-02.
  • Comp AI states that a vCISO or compliance consultant might charge $150 to $400 an hour, which can total $20,000 to $50,000 for a full SOC 2 prep engagement. Source, checked 2026-07-30.

Contract values are averages across customers of every size, so a very small team may be quoted below them. Read the comparison as a sense of scale, not a quote.

What no column includes

A penetration test, if a buyer requires one. The engineering time to close your gaps. And any audit after your first Type 2: we arrange those on request, our team negotiates with independent audit firms on your behalf, and the engagement is quoted before it begins. There is no published figure, so the calculator carries no row for it.

The full picture, fee by fee, is on how much SOC 2 costs, and SOC 2 software that publishes its pricing lists the platforms you could run through a calculator like this one. Every price is on the pricing page. The number this calculator cannot know is how much work is left at your company, and the free readiness assessment counts that.

Who signs the report

On every route, the opinion comes from a licensed CPA firm. cybersoftware is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms.2

Questions

Where do the comparison figures come from?
The platform figure is the average of the median annual contract values Vendr reports for Vanta, Drata and Secureframe. The audit range is Drata's own published estimate for a Type 1 audit. The consultant figure is the midpoint of the prep engagement range Comp AI publishes. Each source is linked on the page.
Does the cybersoftware total include the auditor fee?
Yes. The $4,000 entry covers the Type 1 examination and the engagement fee for the independent partner auditor, and on the Type 2 term your first SOC 2 Type 2 audit is included in the term. No second invoice arrives from the CPA firm for either.
What happens after my first Type 2 audit?
You ask us for a quote and we arrange it: our team negotiates with independent audit firms on your behalf, and the engagement is quoted before it begins. We publish no figure for it, so the calculator has no line for it rather than inventing one.
Why does the calculator stop at year one?
Year one is where the published comparison figures are strongest. The other routes need a separate Type 2 audit after that, and none of the sources gives a figure we could stand behind. Adding a guessed number would make the comparison look precise and be wrong.
What is left out of every column?
A penetration test if your buyer asks for one, and the engineering time to close gaps. Both vary too much by company to put a fair number on.

Sources

  1. SOC 2 Report AICPA. What a SOC 2 report is and who may issue one. Checked 1 August 2026.
  2. State Boards of Accountancy directory NASBA. Where to confirm a CPA firm holds an active license in its state. Checked 1 August 2026.

Related

Get audit-ready without a compliance team

The readiness assessment is free, with no payment and no card. Onboarding is $2,000 one time, then SOC 2 Type 2 is $600 a month on a 12-month term, and your first SOC 2 Type 2 audit is included in the term. You can be audit-ready starting at about a week.

Start with a free readiness assessment

cybersoftware is not a CPA firm. SOC 2 examinations are performed by independent licensed U.S. CPA firms.