SOC 2 Pricing Report 2026: Every Published Cost Figure, Cited
Nobody publishes their SOC 2 invoice. So we collected every published cost figure we could find — six named sources, each with its scope and a link — and laid them side by side. No averages invented, no surveys fabricated.
The numbers
Every row names its source — no figure stands on our say-so alone. Source dates are the publication or last-update date we could verify; see the price-source ledger at the bottom for how each was collected.
| Cost item | Published range | Source | Source date | Scope / context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type 1 audit fee | $5,000–$25,000 | Uproot Security | Sept 2026 (updated) | Point-in-time design review; Security-only Type 1: $5k–$12k |
| SOC 2 Type 1 audit fee | $5,000–$20,000 | Eventus Security | 2026 | Type 1 cost breakdown |
| SOC 2 Type 2 audit fee | $7,000–$100,000 | Secureframe | 2025 | Full range across company sizes and scopes |
| SOC 2 Type 2 audit fee | $12,000–$30,000 | Ferrogate (open-source scoping guide) | 2026 | Small SaaS, Type II |
| SOC 2 Type 2 quoted range | $5,000–$60,000 | Secureframe | 2025 | Average quoted range; one AICPA-licensed firm charges $20k (Type I) / $30k (Type II) / $15k (gap assessment) |
| SOC 2 Type 2, mid-size SaaS all-in | $30,000–$60,000 | Uproot Security | Sept 2026 (updated) | 100–500 staff, first Type 2 |
| SOC 2 Type 2, scale-up/enterprise | $75,000–$150,000 (up to $200k+) | ComplyJet | 2026 | Complex environments |
| Readiness / gap assessment | $10,000–$17,000 | Eventus Security | 2026 | Pre-audit gap engagement |
| Compliance tooling | $5,000–$30,000 / year | Hicomply | 2025 | Automation platforms |
| Internal staff time (year one) | $50,000–$70,000 | Hicomply; Uproot Security | 2025; Sept 2026 | Often 5–8× the audit invoice |
| First-year total, all-in | $30,000–$150,000 | Uproot Security | Sept 2026 (updated) | Audit + readiness + tooling + staff |
| First-year total, startup | $20,000–$60,000 | Ferrogate (open-source scoping guide) | 2026 | Lean startup path |
| Year-two cost reduction | 30–50% lower | Ferrogate (open-source scoping guide) | 2026 | Once controls and tooling exist |
- Audit fee: published 2025–2026 sources put a SOC 2 Type 2 audit fee between $7,000 and $100,000 (Secureframe, 2025).
- Typical SME band: small-to-mid-size companies are most often quoted $15,000–$60,000 — our synthesis of four sources' overlapping ranges, not an independently measured average.
- First year, all in: audit fee plus readiness work, compliance tooling, and staff time typically runs $30,000–$150,000 (Uproot Security, updated September 2026).
- Staff time is the biggest line: $50,000–$70,000 in year one, often 5–8× the audit invoice (Hicomply, 2025; Uproot, September 2026) — most "cost of SOC 2" discussions undercount by half.
- Year two drops 30–50% once controls and tooling exist (Ferrogate open-source scoping guide, 2026).
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Get scoped quotesWhat the data actually tells us
- Type 2 audit fees cluster $15k–$60k for small-to-mid-size companies across four of six sources; the $100k+ tail is enterprise scope.
- Readiness is the hidden line item. Three sources independently put gap/readiness work at $10k–$17k — skipping it is the most expensive "saving" in SOC 2.
- Staff time dwarfs the invoice. The sources that quantify it ($50k–$70k, 5–8× the audit fee) suggest most "cost of SOC 2" discussions undercount by half.
- Year two is cheaper. Only one source quantifies the drop (30–50%), but the mechanism — sunk readiness and tooling — is uncontroversial.
Methodology
What is this report?
A compilation of every published SOC 2 cost figure we could find from named, linkable sources, collected September 2026. It is a meta-analysis of published claims, not a survey we ran and not an average we computed.
How were sources selected?
Sources had to (1) name a dollar range or figure, (2) be publicly accessible, and (3) be attributable to a real company or author. Vendor blogs are included and labeled as such — several sources sell adjacent services.
Why do the ranges differ so much?
Different scopes. A $5k Type 1 for a 10-person startup and a $200k+ enterprise Type 2 program are both 'SOC 2 costs.' The ranges below are only comparable when the scope matches — read the scope column.
What isn't here?
Anything we couldn't source. We don't publish 'average SOC 2 cost' as a single number because the underlying populations differ too much to average honestly.
How current is this?
Sources dated 2025–2026, collected September 2026. We plan to refresh this report annually; the methodology section will note what changed.
Sources
- Uproot Security — “The Cost of an SOC 2 Audit” (updated Sept 2026) — Type 1: $5k–$25k (Security-only $5k–$12k) · Startups/mid-market audit fee: $10k–$50k · First-year total: $30k–$150k · Mid-size SaaS (100–500 staff) first Type 2 all-in: $30k–$60k
- Secureframe — “How Much Does a SOC 2 Audit Cost in 2025?” — Type 2 audit: $7k–$100k · Average quote: $5k–$60k · One AICPA-licensed firm charges $20k (Type I) / $30k (Type II) / $15k gap assessment
- ComplyJet — “SOC 2 Compliance Cost in 2026” — Type 1: $10k–$50k · Type 2 (scale-ups/enterprise): $75k–$150k, $200k+ in complex environments
- Eventus Security — SOC 2 cost breakdown — Type 1: $5k–$20k · Type 2: $7k–$150k · Readiness assessment: $10k–$17k
- Hicomply — “SOC 2 Costs in 2025: The Snapshot” — Audit fees: $5k–$60k · Internal staff time: $50k–$70k · Tooling: $5k–$30k/yr · First year total: $20k–$100k+
- Ferrogate SOC 2 scoping guide (open-source, 2026) — Type I: $5k–$20k · Type II: $12k–$30k (small SaaS) · All-in first year: $20k–$60k · Year-two costs typically drop 30–50%
Price-source ledger
How each figure above was collected and verified, in one place. An append-only log of verifications and corrections lives on our methodology page.
| Source | What we took from it | Source date | How verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uproot Security — “The Cost of an SOC 2 Audit” | Type 1 ranges, startup/mid-market fees, first-year totals, mid-size SaaS all-in, staff-time multiplier | Page updated Sept 2026 (per page stamp) | Figures read directly from the page; ranges quoted verbatim |
| Secureframe — “How Much Does a SOC 2 Audit Cost in 2025?” | Type 2 range $7k–$100k, average quote $5k–$60k, named-firm example figures | Published 2025 | Figures read directly from the page; ranges quoted verbatim |
| ComplyJet — “SOC 2 Compliance Cost in 2026” | Type 1/Type 2 enterprise ranges | Published 2026 | Figures read directly from the page; ranges quoted verbatim |
| Eventus Security — SOC 2 cost breakdown | Type 1/Type 2 ranges, readiness $10k–$17k | 2026 | Figures read directly from the page; ranges quoted verbatim |
| Hicomply — “SOC 2 Costs in 2025: The Snapshot” | Audit fees, staff time $50k–$70k, tooling $5k–$30k/yr, first-year total | Published 2025 (Medium) | Figures read directly from the post; Medium-hosted vendor content, labeled as such |
| Ferrogate SOC 2 scoping guide (open-source) | Type I/II startup ranges, all-in first year, 30–50% year-two drop | 2026 (open-source docs) | Figures read from the public repository docs; open-source, not a vendor sales page |
Vendor blogs are included and labeled — several sources sell adjacent services. No source was paid, and no figure is our estimate.
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