iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Vanta and Drata both offer software to organize SOC 2 Type 2 readiness and ongoing compliance work, including integrations, evidence collection, and control monitoring. The available vendor information does not establish a universal winner or comparable public pricing. Choose by testing each platform against your in-scope systems, evidence needs, and auditor’s workflow—not by headline feature counts.
What SOC 2 Type 2 does—and what the software does not do
SOC 2 is an assurance examination and report, not a software certification. The AICPA describes SOC as “a suite of service offerings CPAs may provide in connection with system-level controls of a service organization or entity-level controls of other organizations.” An independent CPA performs the examination; a compliance platform can help a company prepare, gather evidence, and manage controls, but it does not issue the CPA’s report. AICPA & CIMA’s SOC Suite of Services explains the CPA role.
A Type 2 examination evaluates controls over a period, rather than simply recording readiness at one point in time. Software may automate evidence collection and checks, but it cannot make a control work in practice. People still need to operate controls, review evidence, resolve gaps, and explain how the system works to the auditor.
Which Trust Services Criteria are in scope?
The Trust Services Criteria cover security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. An engagement does not automatically include all five: the criteria should fit the service organization’s system and customer commitments. Agree on the system boundary and criteria with the auditor. The AICPA’s Trust Services Criteria are the 2017 criteria with points of focus revised in 2022. The AICPA also provides a Type 2 illustrative report for report-form and standards context.
#1 Best Overall
What Vanta and Drata say their SOC 2 workflows include
The feature descriptions below come from each vendor, not from an independent head-to-head test. Confirm that the specific integrations, evidence, and workflows you need are available for your environment.
| Area | Vanta | Drata |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence and monitoring | Vanta says it connects with cloud, code, identity, and device tools to collect evidence, map it to controls, monitor controls, and surface remediation needs. | Drata says it connects with cloud infrastructure, identity, HR, code repositories, ticketing, and other tools to collect and map evidence, with continuous monitoring. |
| Other workflows described | Policy management, risk assessment workflows, framework mapping, a Trust Center, and auditor collaboration through a partner network and platform portal. | Training tasks, auditor collaboration, Trust Center integration, third-party risk, policy versioning, risk reporting, and a customizable control library. |
| Type 2 and packaging | Vanta describes support for Type I and Type II workflows. It says audit pricing depends on scope, company size, and whether the customer is pursuing Type I or Type II; the cited page provides no comparable fixed platform or auditor quote. | Drata’s plans page lists elements such as pre-mapped frameworks, pre-built integrations, and Trust Center features. The retrieved content provides no usable public price; verify current packaging and request a quote. |
See Vanta’s SOC 2 page and Drata’s SOC 2 page for their descriptions. Drata’s plans page describes plan elements. These pages do not provide a like-for-like independent assessment of performance or total cost.
Rank #2
- Fantastic spelling series aligned with current State Standards
- Reinforces students spelling skills
- Features focused practice in spelling patterns, strategies and spelling skills related to meaning and context
- Full-color activities include fun brainteasers, riddles and puzzles
- Each includes a dictionary, proofreader's guide and answer key
How to choose for your company
1. Check integrations against your actual environment
Inventory the cloud infrastructure, identity provider, HR system, code repositories, endpoint or device tools, ticketing platform, and other systems in scope. Ask each vendor to demonstrate the exact connections you use and show what evidence each one supplies. A long integration list is not a substitute for confirming coverage of your systems and controls.
2. Find the evidence work that remains manual
For each control, ask who owns it and what the platform does—and does not—collect. Identify work that still requires policy approval, periodic review, screenshots, narrative explanations, or human judgment. The useful comparison is the remaining work for your controls, not a broad claim that evidence collection is automated.
Rank #3
3. Confirm your auditor’s preferred workflow
Ask the CPA firm you expect to engage how it reviews evidence in each platform, which exports it accepts, and whether using either workflow changes the audit process. Both vendors describe auditor collaboration, but the actual experience depends on configuration and the auditor’s practices.
4. Set the system boundary and framework needs
Work with the auditor and customers to establish the system boundary and the Trust Services Criteria that apply. If you anticipate other standards, assess whether specific controls and evidence can be reused; do not assume that broad framework coverage automatically reduces effort.
5. Compare the full cost on the same scope
Request quotes for the same company scope, examination type, period, and support needs. Compare the platform subscription, implementation and support, independent audit fees, contract length, and any additional frameworks. Vanta says audit pricing varies by scope, company size, and Type I versus Type II; the cited vendor pages do not establish comparable Vanta and Drata prices.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Platform or consultant?
A platform is suited to organizing recurring evidence and monitoring when the company can assign owners to operate its controls. Readiness consulting or vCISO support may be useful when a team needs hands-on help defining scope or implementing controls. Neither replaces the independent CPA examination. When choosing an auditor, check the firm’s qualifications and relevant experience, and discuss the intended platform workflow directly with that firm.
Best Value
A practical evaluation before signing
- Write down the systems, controls, Trust Services Criteria, and examination period you expect to include.
- Give both vendors the same inventory and ask for a demonstration using your specific integrations and evidence needs.
- For each control, record what is collected automatically, what remains manual, and who must review or approve it.
- Ask your intended CPA firm to explain how it will access and assess evidence in each platform.
- Request comparable written quotes covering platform, implementation, support, audit, contract term, and any additional frameworks.
Then choose the platform that fits your scope and working process. The vendor pages establish overlapping capabilities, not a general winner; your integrations, remaining evidence work, auditor workflow, and scoped costs are the decision points.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
