Vanta promises to make SOC 2 compliance achievable for startups. We used it to get SOC 2 certified in 6 months.
What is Vanta?
Vanta is a compliance automation platform that continuously monitors your security controls and automates evidence collection for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and other frameworks.
Pricing
Starter: $1,667/month (billed annually)
- SOC 2 Type I or II
- Continuous monitoring
- Automated evidence collection
Growth: $3,333/month
- Multiple frameworks
- Advanced integrations
- Priority support
Plus audit costs: $15,000-25,000 for SOC 2 Type II
Real cost (first year): ~$45,000 total
Implementation Timeline
Month 1-2: Setup and remediation
- Connect integrations: 1 day
- Fix security gaps: 3-4 weeks
- Create policies: 1 week
Month 3-4: Readiness
- Automated evidence collection begins
- Pre-audit assessment
- Team training
Month 5-9: Observation period
- Maintain controls (automated)
- Quarterly reviews
- Vendor assessments
Month 10: Audit
- Auditor review
- Report issued
Total: 10 months to SOC 2 Type II
Key Features
Continuous Monitoring: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Real-time checks on 100+ controls. Alerts when something breaks.
Evidence Collection: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Automatic screenshots and data collection. Saves hours weekly.
Integrations: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Connects to AWS, GitHub, Okta, Google Workspace, and 50+ tools.
Policy Templates: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pre-written security policies. Customize for your company.
Vendor Risk: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Track vendor security. Send security questionnaires.
Audit Coordination: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vanta connects you with auditors and manages the process.
Manual Work Required
Still manual:
- Vendor security reviews (quarterly)
- Risk assessments (quarterly)
- Background checks (annual)
- Incident response drills (annual)
Estimated time: 5-10 hours/month maintaining compliance
Compliance Without Vanta
Manual SOC 2:
- Setup: 40-60 hours
- Ongoing maintenance: 20-30 hours/month
- Audit prep: 40+ hours
- Total year 1: 300+ hours
Cost of manual: ~$30,000-45,000 in employee time
With Vanta:
- Setup: 20 hours
- Ongoing: 5-10 hours/month
- Audit prep: 10 hours
- Total year 1: 90-130 hours
Time saved: 170-210 hours
Pros
✅ Time savings: Massive reduction in manual work
✅ Continuous monitoring: Catch issues immediately
✅ Peace of mind: Always audit-ready
✅ Integrations: Connects to everything
✅ Support: Excellent customer success
✅ Audit help: Vanta manages auditor relationship
Cons
❌ Cost: Significant for early-stage startups
❌ Not free: Still requires employee time
❌ Learning curve: Understanding security controls takes time
❌ Integration limits: Some tools not supported
Real ROI Calculation
Costs:
- Vanta: $20,000/year
- Audit: $18,000 (one-time)
- Employee time: 100 hours @ $100/hour = $10,000
- Total: $48,000
Benefits:
- Won 3 enterprise deals requiring SOC 2: $180,000 ARR
- Faster sales cycles: 2 weeks faster average
- Trust & credibility: Immeasurable
ROI: Positive immediately
Comparison to Alternatives
vs. Drata:
- Similar features and pricing
- Vanta has larger customer base
- Drata has slightly better UI
vs. Secureframe:
- Secureframe is newer
- Similar capabilities
- Vanta more mature
vs. Manual:
- Manual is cheaper upfront
- Vanta saves enormous time
- Vanta less error-prone
The Verdict
Rating: 9/10
Vanta delivered on its promise. We achieved SOC 2 in 10 months with minimal pain. The automation saved hundreds of hours.
For startups pursuing enterprise customers, Vanta pays for itself with the first deal won.
Highly recommended for:
- B2B SaaS pursuing enterprise
- Teams needing SOC 2
- Anyone valuing time over money
- Companies with <10 employees
Consider alternatives if:
- Not pursuing enterprise deals
- Can afford dedicated security person
- Budget is extremely tight
- No compliance needs yet
If you need SOC 2, Vanta is the fastest and easiest path. Don't try to do it manually.
