What Does SOC 2 Actually Cost in 2026?

Most SOC 2 cost articles are written by vendors who want to anchor you on a number that justifies their price. Here is the honest breakdown for a 10 to 50 person startup pursuing SOC 2 Type I, then Type II.

SOC 2 average first-year cost is $90K: compliance software plus audit plus prep time

$300 to $30K

Compliance software per year

$25K to $65K

Auditor fees (Type I + Type II)

80 to 250 hrs

Internal engineering time

Compliance software

Range: $300 to $30,000 per year.

Pricing varies by vendor, company size, and number of frameworks, and most platforms quote it directly. Whatever you pick, budget for the hours to run the program on it, or for a fractional CISO to run it for you. If you are on Vanta, Drata or another platform, we run the program on it.

Auditor fees

Range: $10,000 to $25,000 for Type I, plus $15,000 to $40,000 for Type II.

Boutique auditors are cheaper and surprisingly good. Big firms charge a name premium.

Internal time

The hidden cost nobody talks about

Range: 80 to 250 engineering hours.

Every screenshot you take, every policy you write, every Slack thread about access reviews adds up. Good automation collapses this number, but manual compliance programs routinely hit the 250-hour ceiling.

Penetration testing

Range: $5,000 to $15,000.

Required by some auditors, recommended by all of them. Worth doing well.

Total realistic cost

For a startup pursuing Type I then Type II in year one: $30,000 to $90,000 all in.

If a vendor quotes you a single big number, ask them to break it down. The breakdown is where the truth lives.

Xorabyte is a fractional CISO who runs your SOC 2 program to audit readiness without a full-time hire, so the cost stays predictable and the work gets done. See pricing or book a call.

Want a security leader to run this?

Xorabyte is a fractional CISO for startups who can answer a blocked security questionnaire, so a blocked deal or an audit stops being your problem to carry alone. Book a call and you will leave with a clear path, not a sales pitch.

Frequently asked questions

How much does SOC 2 cost in 2026?

For a 10 to 50 person SaaS startup, expect to spend $25,000 to $60,000 total in the first year. This breaks down as: $300 to $1,000 per month for compliance software, $8,000 to $18,000 for a Type I auditor, $15,000 to $35,000 for a Type II auditor, $5,000 to $15,000 for a penetration test, and 80 to 250 hours of internal engineering time. The largest variable is auditor selection.

How much does a compliance platform cost for SOC 2?

Compliance platforms price by company size and number of frameworks, and most quote directly rather than publishing a rate card, so ask each vendor for a quote. The platform automates evidence collection; someone still has to run the program on it. Xorabyte covers that part: a fractional CISO who runs the program to audit readiness, with retainers from $4,000 per month and fixed-scope projects from $1,500, all in USD.

Can you do SOC 2 for free or cheaply?

You cannot do SOC 2 free because you need a licensed CPA firm to issue the report, which has a minimum cost. The cheapest realistic SOC 2 Type I involves a boutique auditor ($8,000 to $12,000), a low-cost compliance platform ($300 to $500 per month), and significant internal time to compensate for less automation. Total minimum is around $15,000 to $20,000 for Type I.

What is the ongoing cost of maintaining SOC 2 after the first year?

Ongoing annual SOC 2 costs are typically lower than the first year. Type II audit renewal costs $12,000 to $30,000. Compliance platform subscription continues at $3,600 to $12,000 per year. Penetration testing should be annual at $5,000 to $15,000. Internal time drops significantly with automation in place. Total ongoing cost for most startups is $20,000 to $45,000 per year.

Is SOC 2 worth it for a startup?

Yes, if you sell to enterprise customers. Enterprise buyers require SOC 2 as a procurement condition, and not having it will block deals. The typical situation is a deal blocked by a security questionnaire that asks for SOC 2 Type II. The first blocked deal is usually more expensive than a year of compliance investment. Most startups pursue SOC 2 when they start closing or targeting deals above $50,000 ACV.